In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, I want to discuss several types of periodicals, and relate some personal experiences that I've had with them.

Types of Periodicals
There are many types of genealogy periodicals. You're reading one right now. Yes, "Along Those Lines .." is a weekly online genealogical periodical. Let's focus on the traditional printed periodicals: magazines, journals, newspapers and newsletters. Each of these provides a method of sharing information and making contact with other researchers. Some periodicals offer a queries section in which people post notices regarding the surnames or specific individuals they are researching. Others accept articles from individuals that detail a specific line or present a biographical sketch of an individual. Some periodicals present transcriptions of specific types of records for a specific area. Still others describe a geographical area and/or recount its history. All of these can be potential contact points for you.

Personal Experiences with Specific Periodicals
I've had some success with contents I've located in a number of periodicals, and I want to share several of these with you to provide some ideas.

The most venerated genealogical queries periodical is Everton's Genealogical Helper. The content of the articles is geared toward beginners, but the sheer volume of queries and advertisements is amazing. Each issue of the magazine provides a terrific index of all the surnames in that edition, including surnames that appear in ads. The first thing I do when I receive the magazine is jump to the surname index. Then I comb through the whole magazine, surname by surname, and see what I can find. There are some who pooh-pooh this approach. I have, however, made some valuable contacts using Everton's Genealogical Helper.

Don't overlook the ads for pedigree charts and family group sheets in Everton's! There are vendors who sell these at a very reasonable rate and, if you are looking for a somewhat unique surname, the investment of a few dollars in copies of these pedigree charts may provide you with the missing link you've been seeking. My investment in 18 sets of family group sheets for the PRYOR surname gave me three more generations of names from two sources. The names and contact information on the sheets gave me additional people to write, and these ultimately resulted in my receiving copies of Bible records, several marriage licenses, a death certificate, and a detailed written account of one of the PRYOR men who avenged his father's murder by tracking his killers from Georgia to Texas and killing them.

There are any number of other magazines besides Everton's that accept queries. Southern Queries, another magazine out of Columbia, SC, is a high quality magazine with great articles, book reviews and a great concentration of queries from all over the South (all indexed).

Are you a member of any genealogical societies? If so, do they publish a periodical? I am a proud member of the North Carolina Genealogical Society. They produce an impressive quarterly publication, The North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal. There are scholarly and entertaining articles included in every issue, as well as scores of transcribed records from across the state. Every location and every surname is indexed in each issue, and that is where I always start my enjoyment of this publication. I have many ancestors from Mecklenburg County, NC, from pre-Revolutionary times to present. The North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal has provided me with transcribed records relating to my John McKnitt ALEXANDER and Dr. Isaac WILSON that have pointed me to both Mecklenburg County courthouse records and to the North Carolina State Archives where I have obtained copies of corroborating documents. By reading The North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, I have discovered many different types of records I had no idea existed. Therefore, the journal has been extremely educational as well as having provided contacts with archives.

I also am a member of the Olde Mecklenburg Genealogical Society. Imagine my surprise early last year when I opened their quarterly and saw my great-great-great-great-grandparents' family tree leap off the page! I was on the phone the next morning with the Olde Meck to learn the address of the woman who submitted the article. They kindly took my name and address and passed them on to the author, Sandra Howie. Since that time, Sandra and I have exchanged letters and documents, and she graciously made several rolls of cemetery photographs in NC and NJ for me. What a wonderful contact! (Thank you, Sandra!) In addition, the society will accept members' queries for publication.

Family associations often produce newsletters and quarterly publications. Often the back issues of the publication are available for sale. I belong to several family organizations. One, for the Weatherly Family, produced a quarterly newsletter for ten years before the editor called a hiatus. I was able to purchase all 40 issues for $100 and was thrilled on receipt to find much information about my own family's line. Not only was there information included that I had not been able to locate, but details about collateral lines. I made contact with several distant cousins whose addresses appeared in the articles and queries, and have since exchanged a great many envelopes of copies and photos with these new family members.

Another family association to which I belong is the Corry Family Association. This group publishes a small family newsletter which helps living members maintain contact. They also organize and host a full Corry family reunion every other year. Talk about a place to collect information! Belonging to these family associations provide a wealth of opportunities to make invaluable new contacts with dedicated genealogists and family historians. Do you think I'll be at this event? I'm working on my schedule already. The last reunion of this sort I attended filled in a lot of blank limbs on my tree and in my database.

Do you read newspaper personal ads? If you don't, chances are pretty good that someone you know does. If someone placed an ad seeking information about their ancestors in your hometown and you have the same surname, there's a strong possibility that several of your friends might call you to say, "Did you see that newspaper ad today looking for information about Joseph Wilson and Lenora Patterson? Aren't those some of your relations?" That happened to a cousin of mine and she was able to provide copies of the family Bible entries and other papers to a lucky genealogist.

It's a Wrap
These are examples of the more common types of periodicals that can help you with your research. Through them you can identify new materials to provide you with new contacts. Remember, too, that you can post your own queries in magazines, other genealogical societies' publications and even in newspapers. Just when you think you've run out of research avenues to explore, another one often pops up. Use periodicals to make new connections.

Happy hunting!

George

P.S. - Since this is a periodical too, let me know if you're researching HOLDER (SC & GA), SWORDS (SC, GA, & AL), WEATHERLY (AL, GA & TN), WHITFIELD/WHITEFIELD (NC), CORRY (GA), MONFORT (GA), WILSON (NC) and ALEXANDER (NC). Maybe we can make contact through this periodical.

The article originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online. You may send E-mail to alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like to hear from you but, because of the volume of E-mail, is unable to personally respond to each letter individually. He also regrets that he cannot assist you with your personal genealogical research.

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