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     Gallia County Genealogical Society OGS Chapter, Inc.
  
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Welcome to our news page. This will be where you will find news of updates, changes and additions to this web site. You may reach us with your comments and suggestions by clicking on the email link on the bottom of this page.
Updated November 13, 2011
  
 

   As 2011 winds down we find ourselves beginning the sixth year of publishing this web site and will take this time to reflect on how the site was developed and why it has taken on its current format. From the beginning the goal was to present online as much genealogy material as possible and to do it in such as way that information could easily be located. My personal goal was to have a navigation system that would allow a new user with minimal computer skills to be able to locate that information section within the first minute. The intervening years have seen the web site grow in size and complexity and so that one minute goal probably isn’t as feasible as it once was but making information easily accessible remains as a primary goal.
   We don’t have anyone available who has graphic arts skills, so the site is presented in a plain format. Keeping things well organized and neatly presented is my way of adding an artistic touch.
    The site is organized so that pretty much everything can be reached from the navigation bar on the left side of the home page. The main genealogy related topics are located in the Genealogical Resource section although the Cemetery and Surname sections were given their own link on the home page because of the frequency with which those sections are visited. The pages where specific individuals are mentioned can be found by using the search engine which is also accessible from the home page. The Links page, also accessible from the homepage currently has eighty-five links to other genealogical sites. These sites were specifically chosen to provide a wide range of experiences to enrich the genealogical research experience. There are many more sites out there that could be helpful, and if you know of any especially helpful ones click on one of our email links and let us know.
   The History section is not strictly genealogically related but can be helpful in so many ways. There are many articles that explain how and why this area was originally settled and also how and why people migrated here later. Having that knowledge can be valuable in actually locating where our ancestors lived here, where they came from and ultimately where they went.
    The Maps section was intended to help visitors find precisely where their ancestors lived and also to help find land transactions and deeds. Many family relationships are explained in deeds and often that might be the only place where those explanations can be found. The articles on that page explain how to get access to copies of the actual deeds.
    There are four lineage societies sponsored by the Society and each has its own section accessed by the links on the bottom of the page. After the lineage society banquet in October of each year the new ancestors who have been accepted are added to the lists of those previously honored. This year because of the Civil War Sesquicentennial there has been much emphasis on the Civil War Families section. We feel a special obligation to honor these soldiers and nurses who sacrificed so much and whose actions have made such a huge contribution to our country and to the world at large.

    Lastly, the Photographs section was added for those who may have genealogy connections here but who live elsewhere. As an outsider myself I always had a great curiosity about what the community and surrounding area was like. We have received photographs from many individuals, but are especially indebted to Cindy and Amber Fellure who traversed the entire county looking for photographic opportunities.
    There are an estimated 20,000 links and over 1000 web pages on this site. It is virtually impossible to have that much material without some typos and broken links creeping in. Errors such as this are very easily corrected, so if you run across examples of this please take the time to click on one of the many email links and report them.
            
             Neil Elvick, Webmaster

    The holidays are upon us once again. We are planning an Open House for Friday, December 9, from 11 to 3, so stop in and see us. Refreshments, silent auctions and many Christmas ornaments, key finders, fleur de lis items and lovely pictures for those last minute Christmas gifts will be available.
    The Annual Banquet was a huge success and there is an article about this in the newsletter. We already have several applications for next year and remind you not to forget the new lineage society, Century Families of Gallia County, which is for ancestors here between 1861 and one hundred years from the current year. Deadline is September 1 and those here by 1912 will be accepted.
   Thanks to all those who have contributed Civil War soldier names to us. This is an ongoing project and we have about 3,000 at this time. If you have photos or obituaries of any connected with Gallia County please let us know.
   We also have a new request in regards to the Civil War. If you know of a story connected with Morgan’s Raid we would love to hear about it. It could be a few paragraphs or many. For that matter, if you have any good Civil War stories you would like to contribute to the newsletter or website, we welcome them.
    Being the end of the year I’d like to thank all of our contributors of money, items, research and time and especially the officers, board members and volunteers who keep the office running smoothly. Alvera and Don Robinson generously donate money and gave all of our recent door prizes. Bob Vance appears at our door every once in a while to take care of computer problems. Pat Brower, Kay Brown, Jinx Farley, Maxine Marshall, returning typist Sue Giroux and new typist Danielle Frogale-Dorso are the dependable volunteers who help get obituaries on the website and other documents ready and Debra Leonard works her magic with the newsletter and program booklet. I think the website and newsletter are the reasons we have over 70 NEW members this year.
   We also received a monetary grant from Suzanne and Philip Fisher who recently attended the lineage banquet and we applaud their generosity.
    It is time for dues and marking your ballot so please do this before January 1st. Send in queries and book orders at the same time.
    Merry Christmas and Happy 2012!!!
           
            Henny Evans, President
 
 
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