Upcoming genealogy events

How did it get to be the last week of August? My Frontier County article is going to have to wait a week since I looked at the calendar and realized I needed to let you all know about some upcoming classes and events that will be fun for the "beginner" genealogist and interesting enough for even the most experienced of us!

I've mentioned Sherrie Dack several times in my column because she is a genealogy researcher extraordinaire! If you only have small blocks of time to learn more about genealogy research, Sherrie, a dedicated member of Southwest Nebraska Genealogy Society, has teamed up with the Mid-Plains Community College Center for Enterprise at McCook Community College to present several three-hour classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights beginning Sept. 15, 2015.

Here is a partial list of available classes: Church Records, Cemetery Symbolism and DNA; Genealogy Today, Websites and Technology; Census Records, Where They Were Born and Nicknames; Genealogy in a Nutshell and Citing Sources; Land Ho!; Immigration, Ports of Entry and Naturalization; Red Willow County and Surround County Research; Migration Trails and Courthouses; Military Research; Orphan Train, Adoptions and African American Slave Research; Native American, Newspapers, and Social Security.

These classes will run from 7 to 10 p.m. If you are interested, you may go to www.CeForEnterprise.com to review the dates and availability or call: (308)-345-8123 for more information.

If you can spare a day, however, SWNGS is hosting their second October Genealogy Expo on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015. I'm really excited about our lineup so far, which will include Linda Hein speaking on the Orphan Trains of Nebraska. Sharleen Wurm will be here from Oberlin with her presentation on the Last Indian Raid Museum. (If you haven't made the trip to see their facility, it is well worth your time.) Tom Corey, another talented SWNGS member, is going to explain the different types of DNA testing and what questions each test will or will not answer about your heritage.

Returning will also be Vicki Ortiz with her popular website on identifying photos and Sherrie Dack will present "Cemetery Symbolism." Lunch will be provided. For more information you can contact me at sdoak@swnebr.net or (308)-340-8221 and watch for our ad in the Gazette!

A note from last week's article about Frontier County: apparently the school house from Centerpoint was moved to a farm northeast of McCook! It's always fun to find that buildings have been saved.

It is my understanding that three entities are holding a "Photography Call" to celebrate Nebraska's 150th birthday. The Hildegard Center for the Arts, Nebraska Tourism Commission and the Nebraska State Historical Society are inviting anyone to submit photos which "highlight Nebraska's historic places and overlooked treasures in the state's 93 counties." For more information and the rules on submittals, go to www.hildegardcenter.org. This is a call for current photos taken by the entrant from what I read.

September will find the SWNGS library open once again. Our September meeting will be Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m., 110 West C, Suite M-3.