The Sullivan County Genealogical Society began as a club in July 1996 at the home of Shelia Steele Hunt in the Blountville area with 25 people in attendance. After a few organizational meetings, our group moved its meetings to the Sullivan County Library in Blountville, in the interests of opening its meetings to the general public. Over the course of the following year, the organization grew into a much larger group with some 50 to 65 people in active attendance at most of the meetings. In the Spring of the following year, we made application for charter from the State of Tennessee, and on July 11, 1997 we received a congratulatory notice of acceptance of our official charter from Mr. Riley Darnell, Tennessee Secretary of State. What a wonderful present in honor of our first birthday!
In its formational stages, the Society was guided by a "steering committee" in lieu of elected officers. On February 20, 1997, a Proposal from the Steering Committee was presented to the group in the interests of chartering the organization and maintaining a membership roster, which in turn required an official election of officers. Club officers for 1997 were elected as follows: Les Bright, President; Larry Robertson, Vice-President; Peggy Ferrell, Secretary; Betty Orfield, Treasurer; Barbara Ray, Corresponding Secretary. The Chartering Committee (comprised of Ken Breeding, Jan Combs, Bobbie Derrick, Charlene Derrick, Earl Feathers, Shelia Steele Hunt, Joyce Loving-Pace, and Barbara Ray) was then appointed to draw up the charter and to design the by-laws. Incorporating Officers were Shelia Steele Hunt, Janice Mason Combs, and Joyce Loving-Pace. Yearly membership dues were set at $15 per individual and $20 per family, with the fiscal year being designated as January through December of any given year. Our membership currently consists of 94 members, 91 of whom are charter members.
The primary goal of the Society is the preservation of family histories in Sullivan County, Tennessee as well as in any adjoining areas of Upper East TN, SW VA, and Western NC. Further objectives are to maintain an informal and fun atmosphere for the exchange of genealogy and any related "how-to" issues. Participation in the Society does not necessarily require having ancestors who resided only in Sullivan County, nor does it require official membership. The society is non-profit and is largely dependent, however, upon annual membership dues of $15 per individual for normal operating costs.
Over the past few years, we have had some really great genealogy programs. While some of those programs were "Show and Tell" by regular attendees, some of our other programs have included: "The History of Sullivan County", by Muriel Spoden; "Genealogy and the Internet", by Jerry Sharrett; "Photography and Genealogy", by Larry Robertson; "Cataloguing Carter County Cemeteries", by Dawn & Jackie Peters; "75 Legal Terms of Use to a Genealogist", by Hon. John S. Kiener; "Lineage Organizations and Genealogy", by Robin Bagnall; "The Art of Heraldry", by Shelby Edwards; "Clinch River Settlements", by Dr. Larry Fleenor; "The Draper Manuscripts", by Shelia Steele Hunt; "Civil War Antiquities", by Patrick Reynolds.
The Sullivan County Genealogical Society is proud of its continuing growth. We are grateful for the many people who have been instrumental in helping our organization get off to a good start. We would cordially invite everyone interested in any phase of genealogy to come out and be a part of this fun group, and to share in the future success of our organization.
General information: General questions, family group sheets, pedigree
charts, and queries should be addressed to: SCGS, P.O. Box 568, Blountville,
TN 37617.
SULLIVAN COUNTY GENEALOGICAL
SOCIETY (S.C.G.S.)
P. O. BOX 568
BLOUNTVILLE, TENNESSEE 37617
Good news! Our "Genealogical Computing 2005" classes will begin on Monday, March 7, 2005. Class size will be limited on a first-come, first-serve basis. Here's the official scoop!
The Sullivan County Archives in Blountville, Tennessee will sponsor a 4-weeks session of classes newly designed for 2005. Classes will be held at the archives in Blountville on four (4) consecutive Monday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m, from March 7 through March 28. The multimedia presentations will include Basic Principles of Genealogy, with special focus on using your computer for historical and genealogical research. Sessions will include Basic Genealogy, Understanding Your Computer and Its Maintenance, RootsMagic and other Genealogy Software, Creating Your Website, Managing Your Digital Image Project, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), Digital Imaging software, Efficient Use of the Internet, and more. Classes are free, with suggested donations of $50 per person payable to "Friends of the Sullivan County Archives" (may be abbreviated to FSCA). All donations will be used to purchase books/supplies for the Sullivan County Archives. Reservations/donations are due before March 4. Class size will be limited to first-come, first-serve basis. Mail reservations/donations to FSCA, P.O. Box 568, Blountville/TN 37617. If you have further questions, give us a call at (423) 279-0422.
Warm wishes, and we'll see you there!
Shelia Steele Hunt
Check to see if photos of your ancestors are in our Sullivan County Digital Archives collection! We have thousands of historic photographs on disks/CDs, and most of these are well-captioned with names, dates, and often include names of spouses, children, siblings, parents! Also, please consider submitting copies of your ancestors' photographs to the collection. The collection is indexed and updated weekly.
DIGITAL ARCHIVES - Upper East TN, Southwest VA, Western NC
Goal of the Digital Archives: To have a central repository of digitized images for upper East TN, SW VA, and Western NC, allowing researchers to preserve their heritage and create an exchange with others. Placing copies of your photos in the Digital Archives may allow other researchers to contact you re your family research in the future. Photo submissions may include pictures of people, families, homes, farms, school groups, old buildings, towns, Bible records, old documents, ledgers, diaries, etc. from the area of upper East TN, SW VA, and Western NC.
Cost and delivery of photos: Cost of photos including shipping: 4x6, $5.00; 5x7, $7; 8x10, $9. We will offer a suggested size for the photo, based on the quality of the image. Please allow up to 2-4 weeks ("usually" sooner) for delivery of photos, as these orders are placed with a professional photographic company.
Submission of your photos to the Digital Archives: If you would like to include copies of your photos in our Digital Archives collection, copies may be sent via e-mail in good quality jpg format, or send a copy (not your original) by regular U.S. mail. There are no fees for submission of your photos to the collection. Your photos will be digitized and placed in the collection with your name and address on it if you wish. Please designate if you want your photos returned, and these will be digitized and returned in the mail to you the same day we receive them.
Contact information re the Digital Archives: All submissions and questions re the Digital Archives should be mailed to Shelia Steele Hunt, P.O. Box 3826, Kingsport, TN 37664 or e-mail shelia@huntgenealogy.com.
Shelia Steele Hunt
Genealogist, Consultant
P.O. Box 3826, Kingsport, TN 37664
(423) 279-0422 voice
(423) 279-0522 fax
shelia@huntgenealogy.com