Special to The Leader

Last Thursday the Newton County Historical Commission approved details for the upcoming Newton County Genealogy Conference on Friday, February 10^th, according to Conference Organizer and Coordinator Dickie Dixon.  The Conference will enjoy its third year.

Returning speakers this year are:   Herman Wright and Jamie Bollich, Billie Grunden, Genevieve Kitterman, Gary Rogers, Linda Reynolds, and Dickie Dixon.  New speakers this year are Ouida Dean, Thatcher Freund, Nelta Nolen, Vivian Cates, and hopefully Raymon Lacey.

Topics range from findings in cemeteries to Civil War history to the addition of archeological excavation to fleshing out family history to Freedman’s communities to information on census detail.

This year Herman Wright, a Newton native, and Jamie Bollich, a descendant of longtime Newton citizens, will serve as the keynote speakers, discussing their discovery of kinship and Herman’s daughter’s role as an actress in the movie ‘The Free State of Jones.”  Kay Jones’s Newton High School culinary class will cater the luncheon at noon at Eagles Landing; Herman and Jamie will speak at 1:15.

The cost of the conference is $5, and the cost of the meal is $10, if both are received by Monday, February 6, 2017, i.e., by that date, the total cost is only $15.  Anyone who signs up after that the cost is $20 for the whole conference because of late registration.

For more information, call Dickie Dixon at (936) 240-8378, or e-mail him at dickie.dixon@hotmail.com  To sign up, make checks or money orders payable to Newton County Historical Commission; mail checks or money orders to:  Dickie Dixon Newton County Genealogy Conference P. O. Box 151001 Lufkin, TX 75915-1001