March Village Genealogical Society meeting

The presentation on the first Thursday in March will be "Revolutionary War Veterans: Tracking Descendants, Filling in Family Lines" by Bill Russell. Since the federal censuses began in 1790, there is a gap between the period of the Revolution and the start of the federal census, in which it can be difficult to trace families moving west following the Revolution. Many families were highly mobile in this period, moving as many as 8 or 10 times following the Revolution. Tracking these families, their branches and their movements, can be a serious challenge. The program will examine the descendants and history of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland as an example of how to locate Revolutionary War Veterans through various records including the "Draper Papers". Dr. Bill Lindsey will address part of the presentation.

Mr. Russell lives in Maumelle Arkansas. He has a Bachelor and Masters Degree from U. of Arkansas Fayetteville. He is retired from the Cooperative Extension Service and the US Army, and is currently teaching part time at University Central Arkansas. He started in genealogy 39 years ago, and has articles published in the Carroll and Washington County Historical magazines.

The Village Genealogical Society meets the first Thursday of each month (except July and August) at the Coronado Center, Room 6, at 2 PM. Anyone interested in family research is welcome to attend. Please call Bill Patterson at 922-6965 or Valerie Hartnett at 922-6922 for details.