It is a family reunion open to everyone in Jackson County as the Jackson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society (JCOGS) is celebrating its 35th anniversary Saturday, June 13 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Lillian E. Jones Museum, 75 Broadway Street, in Jackson.
“Join us to celebrate and bring any questions you might have about genealogy,” said JCOGS President Donna Scurlock. “It’s a celebration of 35 years of genealogical research in Jackson County.”
JCOGS was recently recognized for its longevity and community outreach by the Ohio Genealogical Society. The group regularly meets at the Jackson Library on the second Saturday of each month but will dispense with that in June for an anniversary celebration instead.
“The Jones Museum is delighted to host the JCOGS anniversary event,” said Museum Director Megan Malone. “JCOGS members are all history heroes in my opinion. They are quick to help anyone who asks for research assistance and they are very knowledgeable about researching online and with tracking down paper documents.
“When I needed help with the Jones family tree, beginning with Eben and Ann Williams Jones, JCOGS was there to help,” Malone said. “It is a labor of love to research your own family history, but it’s another thing to take time to sort out a family like that of Eben and Ann Jones and their seven children where the middle initials are so essential because the first names are repeated through the generations.”
JCOGS maintains an active presence online at www.jacksoncountyohiogen.com and also on Facebook. The group produces a very detailed quarterly newsletter for its members and has published several family history books as well as reprinting past historical books. Volunteers regularly attend community events to offer assistance to people who are researching their own family and may have hit a rough spot. The group has also launched and maintains two Lineage Societies: First Families of Jackson County (those who resided in Jackson County before 1830) and Civil War Families of Jackson County (those who served in the Civil War and either served from or lived in Jackson County).
Membership in JCOGS is open to anyone interested in genealogical research in Jackson County.
For more information about the June 13 anniversary event, visit the JCOGS website or contact the Jones Museum at 740-286-2556.