In June, we will hold our biennial elections.  Our secretary and vice president have agreed to continue serving.  As president, I am restricted to two terms by our constitution.  Darrell Brown has agreed to run for president.  He is currently treasurer.  As he becomes president, we will be in need of someone to serve as treasurer.

 

The job is not difficult.  The treasurer deposits checks; keeps track of CD maturity dates, acting in the best interest of society needs; keeps a double-entry system of recording income and expenses.  There are taxes to be filed -- quarterly sales tax payments to Maryland Comptroller for any book sales made to Maryland residents.  The form is simple; if no taxes were collected, all that's required is a phone call and the recording of a confirmation number that the call was made.  Also state and federal income taxes for our 501(c)(3) organization.  Mostly, the federal form is filed via postcard and no payment is due.  The Maryland form includes an inventory which must be updated yearly; this is not complicated and can probably be handled in less than an hour once a year, each fall.

 

Training and other support are abundantly available.  We need someone to step up and serve.

 

The same core of people has kept this society going for years and years.  Some are tired, getting older, have other interests they'd like to pursue, etc.  If no one steps up to serve as officers, how will this society survive?  We are the oldest continuously existing county genealogical society in the state of Maryland, and it is because of these dedicated, long-serving individuals.  

 

Do you really want to lose this society?  We are still a bargain at $20/year for nine monthly meetings, most with a speaker on genealogy topics; a newsletter rich in resources for researching your county ancestors; the ability to find other researchers who are studying those same names you are; the camaradie of people with similar interests; a library with over 6500 resources for researching our county, Eastern states and many other US states and countries around the world; research services at nominal fees; and special program offerings such as workshops, classes and open houses.  Do you really want to lose all this?  Somebody has to run things.  If not you, then who??

 

We are seeking help in getting the word out about our society and its events.  Currently, our president is covering this, but it would be good to have someone whose only society focus is publicity.  We can provide a list of contacts to notify in a timely manner about our events, so this job could be done from a remote location.  Digital creation of the publicity materials would also be appreciated and would free up time for other duties of the president.

 

If you are willing to help us create a thriving society with active membership, please contact us today at communication@pgcgs.org

 

Thanks!

Welcome to 2025!  Did you resolve to visit our library and check out our many resources that may help in your research?  We are open for business on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except first Wednesday of each month when we close at 2 p.m.).  Drop by and visit us at 12219 Tulip Grove Dr., Bowie, MD 20715.  We're off Collington Rd. (MD Rte. 197) and parking is free and so is entrance to our library.  We have comfy chairs, good lighting, and many books, files, family histories, maps, and other resources for you to research.  Our knowledgeable librarians are willing to help.  Drop by soon and visit us!

Please note that our library will be closed on the following Wednesdays:

 

November 27

December 25

January 1

 

Happy Holidays, All!

We are sad to report that Carol Borchardt, our Registrar, passed away earlier this month.  Carol joined our society in 2013 and became our Registrar in 2015.  She performed research for many members and non-members alike, and reports are that she helped many people learn more about their genealogy.

 

Carol volunteered weekly in our library and was a valuable, contributing member of our library staff. 

 

At our 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2019, Carol gave an interesting and informative summary of the history of our organization, the oldest continuously existing county-level genealogy society in the state. 

 

She researched the 49 soldiers named on the Peace Cross Memorial in Bladensburg who had connections to our county.  An article she wrote of her findings may be found in Volume 51, #4 of our newsletter.

 

She also reviewed and organized a large amount of research submitted by the Fetters family to make it more accessible to those researching that surname.

 

We were fortunate to have had Carol on our council and she is greatly missed.  She is survived by a sister and we extend our most sincere condolences to her family and friends.

Hello again!

 

We have recently discovered, thanks to the observant folks at the Midwest Genealogy Center Library, that there were two mistaken links on our Newsletter archives page.  The issue filed as Volume 37, #5 should have been found under that link, but instead the link mistakenly went to the May-June issue for 2005, not 2006 as it should have been.  And the issue connected to Volume 26, #9 was for May 1996 instead of May 1995.  Both these mistakes have been corrected now and the correct issues have been located, scanned, and attached where they should be. 

 

A further issue is that it seems that the wrong issue was used in the Name Index for Volume 37, #5, so the names actually in that issue are not included on our 53-year index on our website.  Nor is the Subject Index for that time frame now complete.  We are working on updating these indices and will let you know when all is complete.

 

If you spot a mistake on our website, please let us know!  We want to give you accurate information, but we are human afterall.

 

Barbara Hopkins, Webmaster

Don't forget, our fiscal year ends June 30, 2024.  If you have a one-year membership, you may renew anytime now by logging into the Members's Only tab and following the renewal steps using Paypal.  Don't forget, you don't need a Paypal account to do this -- scroll down the screen to see the Pay by Credit Card button and click there.  Follow the prompts to complete your transaction.

 

We value all our members; thanks for renewing.  You may also make a donation at the same time.  And we thank you for that too.