Episode 153 - Fraternal Organizations & Secret Societies: Where Are The Records?!

Host Scott Fisher opens the show with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and AmericanAncestors.org, talking first about the growing list of people claiming to be descendants of ancient Israel's King David. Is the documentation strong enough? David's opinion might not go so well with some people. David next talks about a young genie from New York who has found the Bill of Sale of his sixth great grandmother as a slave at an archive in Westchester County, New York! David also shares the touching story of a cemetery worker who successfully spent countless hours working to identify the body of a teenager who was killed in an accident in 1973 and reunited his remains with the family. David will also have another Tip of the Week, and NEHGS free guest-user database.

Fisher then visits with lecturer Michael Strauss about the fraternal organizations that were staples of society in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. As secretive as some of them were, what about the records, you might ask?! Michael will tell you where to look, and what you might expect to find in those records. He also talks about some of the more peculiar organizations. Was your ancestor a Mason, a Moose, or an Odd Fellow? If so, you'll want in on this conversation.

Tom Perry from TMCPlace.com, the Preservation Authority, then draws the line in the sand for you. If you want digitized family photos, films, or videos done for the holidays, Tom will give you your deadline as well as tell you what you'll need to do ahead of time to save money and have a faster, more successful project.

That's all this week on Extreme Genes, America's Family History Show!