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Best Genealogy Place in Riley County
We have a wealth of information about Riley County, the surrounding counties, and the families who settled here.
RCGS September Meeting
Sunday Afternoon, September 29, 2:00 pm,
Manhattan Public Library.
Find A Grave ....presented by Jan Lange, RCGS Genealogist
Jan Lange, RCGS Genealogist, will present a program on using Find A Grave for family research. Find A Grave is a website whose mission is “to help people from all over the world work together to find, record, and present final disposition information as a virtual cemetery experience”.
An excellent resource for genealogical researchers, this website can provide access to common descendants or geographical area contributors who may provide invaluable assistance. The presentation will explore the basic elements of a Find A Grave memorial, understanding of cenotaphs, how to become a contributor and manage your ancestors’ memorials, and ways that the website can become an essential tool in the researcher toolkit.
Lange became interested in genealogical research after she retired in 2010. Building on excellent family research done by her father primarily on male surnames, Jan began to research the ancestry of the female lines. She became a Find A Grave contributor in 2011 and enjoys photographing tombstones in small rural cemeteries to help document burial sites.
RCGS October Meeting
Sunday Afternoon, October 27, 2:00pm,
Manhattan Public Library.
“The Exodites of 1879 and Other Early Black Pioneers of Riley County, KS.” ......presented by Margaret Parker and Marcia Schuley, RCGS Researchers.
 On Thursday, April 24, 1879, two railroad cars arrived in Manhattan delivering from 104 -120 refugees from the South to a new life in Kansas. These people, who came primarily from Louisiana and Mississippi, were soon called exodites and the mass migration itself, the Exodus. When the northern army was removed from the South in 1877, after the Reconstruction, conditions become both intolerable and dangerous for the former slaves in these states. More settlers followed the arrival of the train during 1879.
2019 represents the 140thanniversary of this event and a community committee wanted to commemorate the happening. Margaret Parker and Marcia Schuley, RCGS volunteers, decided to research the arrival of the exodites and its impact on the City of Manhattan. They focused on the “people” who arrived and were documented as Heads of Household in the 1880 census. Why did they come? Who were the settlers? What happened to them after their arrival? They decided also to include the earlier pioneers of 1865, 1870, and 1875 census, as these groups soon merged and married.
The presentation will include slides of newspaper articles and pictures of early settlers and buildings. The narrative explains the catalyst for the journey, the exodites’ reception in Manhattan, and follows the original settlers into the 20thcentury. The publication is available for purchase through the Riley County Genealogical Society.
RCGS Annual Meeting
Monday Evening, November 4, 6:00 to 8:30 pm.
Location: Zeandale Community Church, Tabor Valley Road, just north of Zeandale Road (K-18)
Dinner and Program, "Growing up in Manhattan in the 40s and 50s" ....presented by Sy Ekart
 After a short business meeting, a potluck dinner will be provided by the ladies of Zeandale Church. Program by Sy Ekart will follow. Ekart grew up in Riley and Pottawatomie counties with a love for the people and the history of these counties. He has published countless books on these subjects.
Cost for the dinner is $15. Reservations with payment are required by October 29th . Stop by RCGS to register.
Checks and resistrations may be sent to RCGS, 2005 Claflin Rd, Manhattan, KS 66502
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Sunday, September 29
Find A Grave
Jan Lange, RCGS Genealogist will present a program on using the Find A Grave website. ”. An excellent resource for genealogical researchers, Find A Grave can provide access to common descendants or geographical area contributors who may provide invaluable assistance. This presentation will explore the basic elements of a Find ...
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Friday, October 4
1st Fridays Members Class
To be announced
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Friday, October 18
Round Table
Each third Friday of the month, an open group meets at Bluestem Bistro for one and a half hours of stimulating discussion ranging from historical backgrounds of our ancestors to methodology and software recommendations. If it has a relation to family history and genealogy (however, vague) we are open to ...
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Sunday, October 27
The Exodites of 1879 and Other Early Black Pioneers of Riley County
Margaret Parker and Marcia Schuley, RCGS volunteers, will present a program on the early arrival of the exodites and its impact on the City of Manhattan. The presentation will include slides of newspaper articles and pictures of early settlers and buildings. The narrative explains the catalyst for the journey, the exodites’ reception ...
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