Atchinson County Genealogical Society

MEET THE AUTHORS, SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2009, ATCHISON LIBRARY: CAROL AYERS, 9:30 A.M. - "LINCOLN IN KANSAS". BILL MCFARLAND, 10:30 A.M. "KEEP THE FLAG TO THE FRONT"
“Lincoln in Kansas” is the story of Lincoln’s historic campaign stop in northeast Kansas where he tweaked his famous Cooper Union Address along this particular leg of the presidential campaign. Ayers is a Leavenworth resident and based her research from a rare document collection archived at the University of St. Mary.
“Keep the Flag to the Front” is the story of the Eight Kansas Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, traveled 10,750 miles, participated in 17 battles and was the last Kansas regiment to be discharged after the war. McFarland has taught in the public school system for over 30 years has been a Civil War reenactor for more than 15 years.
REGISTRATION 9:00. THE PROGRAM IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC with REFRESHMENTS and DOOR PRIZES

Past KCGS President

VICTORIA - Schippers, Francis, 68, died May 2, 2009, at his home. He was born Sept. 18, 1940, in Hays. He was a U.S. Army veteran. He conducted tours of the Cathedral of The Plains and other area churches and was Chairperson for the Hays Oktoberfest for the last 40 years and chairperson for the Cancer Council of Ellis Co. Polkafest for the last 30 years. Survivors: brother, Gilbert "Gib" and wife, Rosalyn, Hays; sister, Eleanor Schippers, of the home. Service 10 A.M. Wednesday, St. Fidelis Catholic Church, Victoria. Visitation 3-9 P.M. Tuesday and 8:30-9:45 A.M. Wednesday at the mortuary. Memorial: Fort Hays State University Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Published in Wichita Eagle on 5/4/2009

KCGS Annual Conference - Register Before May 30

Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies Annual meeting and conference will be held on June 20, 2009 in Wichita, KS with Wichita Genealogical Society as co-host. Megan Smolenyak will present four lectures:Trace Your Roots with DNA, Welcome to Roots Television, Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones and Find That Obituary: Online Newspaper Research. Keep in touch for registration information but mark your calendar now.

Hodgeman County Genealogical Society

Hodgeman County Genealogical Society, located in Jetmore, Kansas, is pleased to announce their new web site where they plan to add records for use by Hodgeman County researchers. View the new site at: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/society/jetmore/index.htm

Finney County Genealogical Society Immediate Past President

Published 9/18/2008 in the Garden City Telegram

Lilia LaRee Shearmire, 76, died Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008, at Homestead Health & Rehabilitation Center in Garden City.
She was born Feb. 1, 1932, in Scott County, to Ira Prosper and Julia Lenihan Minnix.
On June 5, 1949, she married Ray Shearmire in Friend.
A resident of Garden City since 1955, moving from Scott City, Mrs. Shearmire had been owner and operator, along with her husband, and was an integral part of Garden Bowl, Garden Mimeo, Garden Skate, and Hard Rock Lanes & Tumbleweed Turf and was an English as Second Language teacher.
She was a member of Church Of The Brethren of Garden City, where she was the church's first woman moderator, taught the Menninger Bible Study for 28 years and was a Sunday School teacher for 38 years. She also held many offices in the State Bowling Proprietor Association and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2004. She was a member of the Women's Chamber, and enjoyed playing bridge, piano and organ, drama with local groups, signing, photography, cross stitch, genealogy and traveling, having visited 21 countries. She was a collector of crystal, elephants, coins and stamps, and loved being with her family.
In addition to her husband, other survivors include a son, Gregg Shearmire of Garden City; two daughters, Linda Owen and Susan Stout, both of Garden City; a sister, Wilda Werner of Atwood; 12 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Berl Minnix.
Funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at Church Of The Brethren in Garden City, officiated by John Elder, pastor. Burial will be in Valley View Cemetery, Garden City.
Visitation is until 8 tonight at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Garden City. Condolences may be sent at www.priceandsons.com. Memorials are suggested to the ALS (Lou Gehrig's) Association or to the church, both in care of the funeral home, 620 N. Main St., Garden City, KS 67846.

Did Granny Tell You There Was an Indian in Your Past?

Family History Month Seminar by Robert Winter Owl Vann, Genealogical Lecturer and Native American Storyteller with session topics: Climbing the Family Totem Pole, Geographical Migrations of Native Americans, Government Records for Indian Research and Methods of Organization and Records Management. (Sessions are intended for beginning genealogists and those just starting their Native American Research.
Active in genealogical research since 1963, Robert Winter Owl Vann has taught genealogy classes to church groups as well as adult Community Extension classes through Sam Houston State University. He is an LDS Family History Center Associate Director, a Beta tester for the new familysearch.com program, a family Church Services Missionary, and is the current President of the Walker County (AL) Genealogy Society.
Mr. Vann has national experience as a Native American Historian and Storyteller, and regularly does workshops and lectures on things Cherokee. His three-issue article on Cherokee research was published in the Valley Leaves Quarterly of the Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society.
Join Midwest Historical and Genealogical Society on Saturday, October 11, 2008 from 8:15 AM to 4:30 PM at the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex at Wichita State University, 5015 East 29th Street N, Wichita, KS. Reservations made by September 30 will include a box lunch at no additional charge. $25 for MHGS members, $35 for non-members. For reservation contact MHGS at 316 264-3611 or by e-mail.
Funded in part by a grant from the City of Wichita.

Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies August Board Meeting

Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies will hold its board meeting, August 23, 2008, at the Emporia Public Library from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. Agenda items include a review of the 2008 conference in McPherson, preliminary planning for the 2009 conference in Wichita, and an update on the computerization of the Forgotten Settlers project.

Any genealogical or historical society that is a member society of KCGS is entitled to send a representative to the board meeting.