The Twenty Sixth Year - 2023:

Officers:

Elected:

President: Roger Smith
Vice-President: Bob James
Secretary: Nancy M^cLendon
Treasurer: Gwen Thigpen

Appointed:

Required:

Librarian: Elaine Steere
Parliamentarian: Bob James
Historian: Vacant

Optional: (and may not always exist)

Newsletter Editor: Marcia Atkins & Nancy M^cLendon
Web Master: Chuck Jackson

January:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: Truth or Myth? by Lora Lykins and Karen Flagg, local Correspondent Docents for the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington, D.C.
An Other Events section is added to the Events Page with the first entry being the Wreaths Across America event, in December of 2022.
Nancy M^cLendon publishes the story of Community Life in the Lois Cotton Mill Village in the Society newsletter.
Ed Carlton wins the door prize, an older model Magic Wand portable scanner (donated by the Web Master).
11^th - Web Master acquires new camera (Panasonic DMC-FZ300) as old one (10 year old Sony SLT-A55V) seemed on it's last legs at our Christmas Dinner gathering.  Well, the camera itself is NEW, but the design was initially released 4 or 5 years ago, so it's not the latest and greatest technology.  Sorta like me.
13^th - Web Master's first GREAT grand daughter, Elizabeth Brooklyn Ray, (the battle to call her Ellie or Lizzie, has commenced) is born Friday morning about 7:11 am, at Tanner Hospital, in Villa Rica.  Interestingly enough, her mother, Rachel (see photo with newborn Charlie in 2017 history,) was also born on Friday the 13^th, but at Douglas General Hospital, in Douglasville, and in September rather than January.  A mere coincidence?  Or is there a plan afoot?

February:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: Two Unsung Heroes of Note in Black History by Sue Carlton.
Nancy M^cLendon publishes an article on Old Family Photos, and the proper way to preserve them in the Society newsletter. Much of this will obsolete and useless in a few years, as all photos will likely be digital.  Then we'll be talking about back-ups and cloud storage.
Just FYI, we also have a page on our web site (Types of old Photographs) which will provide assistance identifying and dating old photographs.  Sorry - I'm afraid we cannot offer any assistance identifying the people in those old photographs!

March:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: The History of Photography by Elaine Steere.
Marcia Atkins publishes an article on the mysteries of The Smith Family Cemetery in the Society newsletter.
Charles Fleming wins the door prize, a copy of our flagship product:

The Heritage Book of Douglas County

This book was a labor of love, filled with interesting historical and genealogical data about Douglas County families, businesses, churches and other organizations.  If you would like to purchase a copy of your own, please contact the Society President.

April:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: Sharing Family Holiday Traditions by Members.
A very informative 1923 letter from a T. S. Butler (an early resident of Douglas County) to the editor of the Douglas County Sentinel was re-published in the Society newsletter, 100 years later.

May:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: Researching Military Records and the Information You Might Find by Professional Genealogist Larry Thomas.
Marcia Atkins and Nancy M^cLendon publish the story of Alfred Tyre Brittain, a long time Douglas County resident, and his descendants.  Douglas County has named a road for him.

June:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: History of Douglas County by Roger Smith.
Marcia Atkins and Nancy M^cLendon publish an article on the The Upshaw Family in the Society newsletter.
Donna Bowlick, and her Suwanee Creek DAR Chapter, undertake the task of restoring and preserving the Island Ford Baptist Church Cemetery in Sugar Hill, Georgia.  The project has received a Historic Preservation Award from the Gwinnett Historical Society.  Our congratulations to Donna and the DAR Chapter!
6^th - Chuck Jackson (me, the Web Master) turns 83 years of age!

July:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: None, due to meeting being cancelled by the President.  It's vacation time!.  Regular meetings to resume in August.
Glenda Harkins (a guest writer), publishes an article on the The William Adair Mystery in the Society newsletter.  Ms Harkins requests that anyone with additional information please drop an email note to harkinfinity@icloud.com
A brief recounting of the mystery of the July 1923 Sentinel ad for the Japanese Tea Room, at 33 Spring Street in Douglasville (with a copy of the ad) is published in the Society newsletter.  It listed a TWO DIGIT (92) phone number!  No one in the Society even knew there WAS a Spring Street in Douglasville, and no further mention of the Japanese Tea Room has been found!  History can really throw some astounding mysteries at us, which is one reason why I am documenting as much of it as I can, here on the web site.

August:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: When History is a Mystery, What Should We Do? by Elaine Steere.
Nancy M^cLendon (I presume) publishes a long list of web sites (with links) useful for your Genealogical Research.  Check out our Links page for more even more links, organized into groups.  The groups are Free Genealogy sites, Paid Genealogy sites, Genealogical Society sites, Archive sites, History sites, Software sites, and some Fun sites, with dozens to hundreds of links in each group.
8^th - Chuck Jackson (me, the Web Master) undergoes a colonoscopy (I had forgotten what a miserable experience that is), but Doc says no problems found.
20^th - John Fuller, (Founding Member) passes.  Please see his entry on our Memorial Page

September:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: Genealogical Research using Online Newspapers by James Gardner, followed by Nancy M^cLendon's progress report on the state of the societies current big project The Newspaper Digitization Project.
Marcia Atkins and Nancy M^cLendon publish the story of John Pendleton Watson (November 1849 - February 1917). He was known as J.P. or Penn, and was a prominent Douglasville businessman as well as representing Douglas County in the state legislature.  The article included photographs of his business as it appeared in his lifetime, as well as photographs of the location as it is today.

October:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: Testing the Members Expertise by Nancy M^cLendon.
Nancy M^cLendon publishes an article on Tips for Internet Searching in the Society newsletter.
The Society votes to donate 11 wreaths (1 more than last year) to the Wreaths Across America project.
10^th - Web Master enters Tanner Hospital with a bout of Pneumonia.
12^th - Web Master released from Tanner Hospital after round of Pneumonia.

November:

Newsletter: On File.
Program: What Are You Grateful For About Genealogy, by membership, followed by the presentation of slate of candidates for elective offices for 2024/2025.
Marcia Atkins publishes the Claude Victor Vansant and Family story in the Society newsletter.  Note: Claude Victor Vansant, Jr. was the attending physician at the birth of the Web Master's younger daughter (Brendalyn Sue - born December 6^th, 1969 in Villa Rica), our very own Carroll County Accident!
29^th - Web Master enters Tanner Hospital with another round of Pneumonia.

December:

Newsletter: On File.
16^th - Meeting held on this date, rather than our scheduled date of December 21^st.
Program: Introduction of the newly elected Officers for the 2024/2025 term, followed by our Annual Christmas Dinner (actually Lunch this year), and again, at Hudson's Hickory House.
Marcia Atkins and Nancy M^cLendon publish, in the Society newsletter, a recounting of their progress identifying who might lie beneath the illegible field stone markers in The Hallman Cemetery.
4^th - Web Master released from Tanner Hospital after that second bout of Pneumonia.  I don't think they kept me long enough last time, but I'm feeling really good now.