Annual genealogy classes kick off next month in Cobb County

AJC file photo

AJC file photo

The Cobb County Genealogical Society is offering its annual beginners Genealogy 101 course starting January 27 and continuing through March 3.

The six classes will be held on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Check-in is at 9 a.m. on the first day of class. The first five classes will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, 189 Church St.. Topics for those classes (January 27 through February 24) include: Getting Started, Census Records and Your Ancestor’s Occupation(s), Vital Records, Military Records, What Records Might Be Found in the Courthouse? What Can I Find for Free? African-American Research, Looking for the Ladies, Newspapers and City Directories, and What Do You Still Want to Know? Our Answers to Your Questions. The final class will meet March 3 in the Georgia Room of the Charles D. Switzer Public Library in Marietta to explore published genealogy materials from all over the country that are found there.

Registration is required, either online or by mail. Online, go to cobbgagensoc.org and see “headlines.” There you register using PayPal by January 16, or find the forms to fill out and send by U.S. mail by January 11 to the Cobb County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1413, Marietta, Ga., 30061-1413. Classes are free, but the cost is $39 per set for optional course materials if you register by either deadline, or $49 afterward. For further information, call 770-316-7109.

South Carolina research sources

South Carolina is the ancestral home of many of our ancestors and should always be checked if you have southern roots. One of the most prolific authors and editors of South Carolina genealogy materials is Brent H. Holcomb. While libraries and archives across the United States have his many hundreds of books, don’t forget his magazine The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research (SCMAR). Holcomb is offering new subscribers a discounted $30 subscription for four 60-page issues in 2018, published in February, May, August and November. Free queries are published for subscribers, a great chance to develop contacts. To subscribe, write to SCMAR, P.O. Box 21766, Columbia, S.C., 29221.

U.S. Constitution online

The interactive U.S. Constitution is fascinating reading and can be found by going to constitutioncenter.org, then “read the constitution.” There, you will find the full constitution and amendments with scholarly articles and debates, both historical and current. See how interpretations and points of emphasis have changed over the course of history.