Author to discuss book on Carter

Kaye Lanning Minchew will discuss her latest book, “Jimmy Carter: Citizen of the South,” at the Friends of Georgia Archives and History (FOGAH) annual meeting on Sept. 17.

The 1 p.m. event, which will be held at the Georgia Archives, is free and open to the public.

Minchew, author of “A President In Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia,” will talk about Carter and his role in Geor- gia and the nation before, during and after his pres- idency.

FOGAH, a nonprofit organization, supports the Georgia Archives Lunch and Learn program and offers Sarah Owen Dunaway scholarships to the Georgia Archives Insti- tute. At fogah.org, you can order one of the many state capitol-inspired Christmas ornaments that are sold as part of the organization’s annual fundraising. For infor- mation, contact fogah2004@ yahoo.com.

Genealogical Society offering help

The National Genealogical Society (NGS), now merged with the Federation of Gene- alogical Societies, is offer- ing more help to genealogical societies. A number of lectures from the recent 2021 Virtual Family History Conference can be viewed online; go to the website ngsgenealogy.org and check out the Societies and Organizations section, which has “Focus on Societies.” Some of the sessions offer tips on newsletters, setting up interest groups, growing your society, motivating volun- teers and working with digi- tization projects. These lec- tures and many more could be very useful.

German family story misconceptions

The July/September NGS Magazine contains an article debunking “popular lore in Germanic” family stories, such as our ancestors were stowaways; we had a noble heritage but dropped the “Von”; we were driven out by religious strife; we fled the province to avoid the draft, and so forth. Moral of the article: Do your research. Don’t be swayed by what grandma told you.