"Year Of" Doubleheader this Thursday

Hello all-- I hope you enjoyed your SNOW DAY! I sure did, but I could use another!

Just wanted to remind you of the wonderful speakers we have coming this week for the Year of North American Indigenous Peoples! We have three guests coming from the Western Band of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. I told you earlier about the artists and storytellers who are coming to speak here at the library at 1 pm on Thursday.

We also are fortunate enough to have the senior genealogist with the Cherokee National Historical Society, Mr. Gene Norris, coming to speak. He will be speaking at 7 pm on Thursday at the Funk Heritage Center. Mr. Norris is a board-certified genealogist specifically trained in tracing Cherokee ancestry. He is a member of the Board of Certification for Genealogists in Washington, DC; the Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc.; the Goingsnake District Heritage Association; the National Genealogical Society; the Board of the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Trail of Tears Association; the Cherokee-Moravian Historical Association; and the Carroll County Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc.

He has actively been involved in genealogical research for twenty-three years and has been specifically concentrating on Cherokee genealogy since 1994. He has had numerous articles published in the Carroll County Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Goingsnake Messenger Quarterly. He also co-teaches the Cherokee Nation History Course with Roy J. Hamilton. He has presented and spoken at several workshops, seminars and conferences on Cherokee history and genealogy research.

I expect Mr. Norris's presentation will be a hot ticket as many people around here either have or believe they have Cherokee ancestry in their family history. I've been told that I have a Cherokee ancestor, and I'm both excited to try and trace my lineage and a little afraid that maybe it isn't true! I hope it is!

Come out to hear our speakers, and maybe you'll find some clues to uncovering your own family story!