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... "Blanche, there is a group called the Children's Aid Society, ... [that] sends children by train to get better schooling, learn job skills and new languages. Your mother and I are sending you away with this group to St. Louis. Your train leaves... five days from now."
Blanche is Nancy Menees Hardesty's paternal grandmother (1888-1984) and a strong presence in her life. She corresponded with her almost until she died. Nancy's mother saved all the significant heirlooms from Blanche's estate and Nancy traveled with her mother to Illinois, Texas, and Oklahoma to research the history not only of her grandmother but also of the Orphan Train movement. Her book is a historical novel that relies heavily on Nancy's and her mother's personal recollections of the intimate details of Blanche's everyday life at the turn of the 20th century. "In one character The Bonnet Book truly portrays the realistic and accurate experiences of America's 350,000 orphan train riders... A delightful read that speaks to the indomitable American spirit!"
John Shontz, Project Coordinator
National Making a Difference Project The Orphan Train Saga Nancy Menees Hardesty was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, and spent her childhood in St. Louis, Missouri. She was trained by her father, Charles Menees, journalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, to be a writer, but went on to become a Landscape Architect. She attended University of Michigan for a degree in Landscape Architecture and Antioch West for a Master’s Degree in Ecosystems Management.Nancy Hardesty had her own Palo Alto, California business, Hardesty Associates, Landscape Architects, from 1972-1995. Many of the firm’s famous projects related to the California oak woodland and managing the ecosystems in which oak trees are dominant. Her award-winning published book, Oak Woodland Preservation and Land Planning: Portola Valley Ranch was developed during the 18+ years as Project Landscape Architect for Portola Valley Ranch.
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2024
March 28, 2024 - "Mindmaps, Genograms, and Genealogy" - Linda Morgan Clark - via Zoom
April 25, 2024 - "Colonial Research - David Fryxell" - via Zoom May 23, 2024 - "African Americans in Oklahoma" - Erin Brown - via Zoom June 27, 2024 - TBA July-August, 2024 - Summer Break September 26, 2024 - "Exploring the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Archives and Records" - Jennifer Green October, 2023 - TBA - Family History Month - "Family Bible Scanning Project" co-sponsored by the Memory Lab of the Muskogee Public Library. Watch for more information. November 21, 2024 - "Researching Courthouse Records" - Annette Crafton Corbell, via Zoom |
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MCGS Special Interest Groups
VIRTUAL Meeting every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Here's where you can talk about your genealogy and family history research to your heart's content and people will actually listen to you and their eyes won't glaze over!
Join the "Bunch" at anytime! Grab a sandwich, and come and go as you need to. This free-ranging conversation among genealogy friends always yields great information and builds relationships across local, state, and regional boundaries. No registration required.
Join the "Bunch" at anytime! Grab a sandwich, and come and go as you need to. This free-ranging conversation among genealogy friends always yields great information and builds relationships across local, state, and regional boundaries. No registration required.
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Explore the World of RootsMagic with Us!
Join us monthly on the second Thursday for an informal and interactive session dedicated to all things RootsMagic. Whether you're a seasoned user of RootsMagic 9, still navigating earlier versions, or never used RootsMagic at all, this monthly virtual meeting on Zoom is your go-to space for Q&A, discussions and valuable insights using.this popular genealogy software.
Next meeting is Thursday January 11th at 2:30 p.m. Central Time
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BY INVITATION ONLY
MEET VIRTUALLY the third Thursday of each month at 2:30 p.m. to learn from other attendees how to use this free, easy-to-use tool for collecting, organizing, annotating, citing, and sharing your genealogy research. To keep the group interaction to approximately one hour, participation is by invitation only. To receive your invitation and Zoom registration link, send email to [email protected] stating your reason for wanting to participate, and your level of experience with the program.
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All programs (both virtual and in-person) are open to the public, but we encourage you to become a member of MCGS! Your membership gives you the opportunity to "give back" to the larger genealogy community and your dues help provide more and better resources for researchers. The regular monthly meeting is the 4th Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. In-person + virtual meetings are held in March, June, September, and December. All other meetings are virtual only. For security and privacy, you must register to access all virtual meetings.
We Are Here for You
Whether you have Muskogee County ancestors or have no family connection to Muskogee County or even Oklahoma, you will still find extensive support for your genealogy and family history research at the Muskogee County Genealogical Society (MCGS).
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