By Dickie Dixon Contributing Writer

Newton County Genealogy Conference on February 12, 2016 Friday, February 12, 2016 sixteen genealogists will descend on Newton, Texas for the free, all day (from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.) Newton County Genealogy Conference 2016.  Billie Grunden, Herman Wright and Jamie Bollich, Linda Reynolds, Jeffrey Williams, Carolyn Ericson, Gary Rogers, Winnie Graham, Genevieve Kitterman, Martha Palmer, Alana Inman, Keith Allred, Ron Rodgers, Perky Beisel, and Dickie Dixon all will speak–some of them more than once.

Speakers will hold forth at the Newton County Museums History Center and Genealogical Library, the Newton County Civic Center, the deed room of the Newton County Clerk, and possibly the Powell Hotel.  The Newton Library, with advanced notice, is willing to show the public how to use Ancestry.com and the Texshare Databases with programs like HeritageQuest and Digital Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.  John Jefferson and his wife have graciously opened the Newton County Land and Title for the public to use on a supervised, two people per hour basis with advanced sign-up.

A list of the topics reads like this:  “Genealogy and Family History in the Records of the Southern Claims Commission,” “Developing a Past,”  “Utilizing the Resources of the East Texas Research Center,” “Tracing the El Camino Real,” ”Adding Social Context to Your Ancestors’ Lives from the Other Documents in the County Clerk’s Office,” “An Introduction to Using an Abstract and Title Company,” “Civil War Records,” “G. W. Welsh:  Signer of the First Texas Declaration of Independence,” “Using Mechanic’s Liens with Special Application to John David Walker,” “Authoring Under the Black Gum Tree,”  “Using Cemeteries and Gravestones as Primary Sources in Genealogical Research,” “Changes, Renovations, and Improvements to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center,” “How I Am Related to Charles Darwin,”  “Following the Oilfields, Surviving the Depression:  The Early Life of Gladys Hinson Dixon,” “Tips on Using LDS Resources,” “The Great Rat Killing Contest of 1929:  A Story from My Father’s Family,”  “Using Digital Fire Insurance Maps,” “Preserving Cemeteries,”  “The Value of Stories and Oral Tradition for Guiding Genealogical Research:  Some Personal Examples from My Families’ Genealogy.”

Topic titles may change slightly before the conference, and time slots may also. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

For Posterity’s Eyes On Valentine’s Day, February 14^th, Bettell Benham will celebrate her birthday.  My grandmother Josie Blanche (Poskey) Dixon shared that same day for her birthday.

Perusing Old Obituaries The Daily Phone Newspaper September 11, 1899 A child of A. W. Oliver died of malaria fever this morning September 18, 1899 Milburn Summers, son of J. W. Summers, died Saturday in Rusk and was buried yesterday. [Wilburne F. Summers, born 2 October 1875, died 16 September 1899, buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Cherokee Co.] A little child of Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Corley, of Lufkin, died last night.

Coming Next Week: “Sinning Against Archie,” “Lovers, Be Advised: My Top Three Favorite Love Stories,” and “You Can’t Do Enough for the One You Love”

Send your queries to dickie.dixon@hotmail.com or by mail to 807 Fuller Springs Drive Lufkin TX 75901