The Wyoming State Historic Records and Advisory Board (SHRAB) is reintroducing the Roving Archivist Program (RAP) with a special session on Sept. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Google Meet. This initiative aims to share valuable insights with cultural institutions across Wyoming.

During the session, attendees will hear from Marcie Blaylock, reference historian at the Wyoming State Archives, and Morgan Stence, the state's new Roving Archivist. The program will cover the history of RAP, its current functions, the process for site visits and how institutions can access its resources.

Participants can join the meeting at meet.google.com/bgr-reit-tkr or by phone at 319-449-2718, PIN: 581 688 137#.

This informative session will help participants:

• Discover the origins of the Roving Archivist Program and the story behind its creation.
• Understand the program's vital role today and how it supports cultural institutions across Wyoming.
• Learn how site visits are conducted and the simple steps to apply for personalized archival assistance.
• Gain access to a wealth of free resources covering key collection management topics, such as digitization, conservation and outreach.
• Explore ongoing connection opportunities, including monthly "Quick Tips," Roam & Preserve blog posts, and more ways to stay informed and engaged.

The Roving Archivist Program is part of SHRAB's efforts to provide professional development for Wyoming's cultural heritage community, helping institutions improve preservation practices and collections care.

For more information about the Roving Archivist Program, visit rovingarchivist.wyo.gov/home or contact spcr.rovingarchivist@wyo.gov.

The Wyoming SHRAB is dedicated to the identification, preservation, and dissemination of the state's historical records. It supports training programs for state, tribal, and local governments, repositories, and organizations involved in records care throughout Wyoming. Grants are administered by the Wyoming State Archives (WSA), of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

For more information, contact Wyoming State Archivist Sara Davis at wyarchive@wyo.gov or 307-777-7826. You can also learn more about the Wyoming State Archives at wyoarchives.wyo.gov.

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland will host “Genealogy at Cleveland Public Library with Terry Metter” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 3 at Congregation Mishkan Or at 26000 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood or on Zoom.

As subject department librarian of the Center for Local and Global History at Cleveland Public Library, Metter will describe ways researchers of Jewish genealogy can use the library’s resources.

Participants may ask questions, and both JGSC members and nonmembers are welcome to register.

 For more information or to register, visit jgscleveland.org.

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland will host “Genealogy at Cleveland Public Library with Terry Metter” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 3 at Congregation Mishkan Or at 26000 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood or on Zoom.

As subject department librarian of the Center for Local and Global History at Cleveland Public Library, Metter will describe ways researchers of Jewish genealogy can use the library’s resources.

Participants may ask questions, and both JGSC members and nonmembers are welcome to register.

 For more information or to register, visit jgscleveland.org.

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland will host “Genealogy at Cleveland Public Library with Terry Metter” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 3 at Congregation Mishkan Or at 26000 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood or on Zoom.

As subject department librarian of the Center for Local and Global History at Cleveland Public Library, Metter will describe ways researchers of Jewish genealogy can use the library’s resources.

Participants may ask questions, and both JGSC members and nonmembers are welcome to register.

 For more information or to register, visit jgscleveland.org.

Photo Courtesy of Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau

Abilene will welcome visitors from across the country September 4-6, 2025, for the 60th Anniversary Seeley Genealogical Society (SGS) Reunion. This marks the first time in a decade the reunion has returned to Abilene, which last hosted the event in 2015.

The three-day reunion will be based at the historic Seelye Mansion, a nationally recognized landmark built in 1905 by Dr. A.B. Seelye. The mansion, still filled with its original Edison light fixtures and furnishings, offers a rare glimpse into early 20th-century life and continues to serve as a focal point for the Seeley family story.

Attendees will enjoy family history research sessions, workshops, group tours, and meals together, including a barbeque on the mansion grounds and a train excursion aboard the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad. A cherished tradition, the 2025 Reunion Quilt Raffle, will also take place during the event.

Terry Tietjens, longtime caretaker and historian of the Seelye Mansion, said the reunion is a fitting tribute to the family who built the home.

“Dr. and Mrs. Seelye and their daughters, Marion and Helen, were remarkable people whose influence can still be felt in this community. They welcomed innovation, valued family, and left behind a home that continues to tell their story. Hosting the Seeley Genealogical Society reunion here is a tribute to their legacy and the family’s history.”

Julie Roller Weeks, Director of the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Abilene is proud to serve as host city.

“The Seelye Mansion is one of Abilene’s most cherished historic sites, and it is an honor for our community to once again host the Seeley Genealogical Society reunion here. It’s gatherings like these that keep the mansion’s story alive and remind us why Abilene has been recognized by USA Today as one of the Best Historic Small Towns in America.”

For more information visit www.seeley-society.org/2025-reunion

The African American Museum, Dallas today announced major funding support from the State of Texas and Google to preserve and digitize the Museum’s extensive collection gathered over the institution’s 50-year history. The Texas Historical Commission has awarded a $3 million grant, alongside support from Google, to launch a long-term commitment to safeguarding the material collected by the museum over its 50-year history.

These funds will help enhance the accessibility of the Museum’s collections and strengthen the Museum’s role as a vital resource for education and research for the Dallas community and beyond. The Museum’s collection—spanning fine art, folk art, decorative arts, archival materials, and artifact – features work by renowned artists such as Romare Bearden, Clementine Hunter, Mose Tolliver, Reverend Johnnie Swearingen, among others, and archeological materials from The Freedman’s Cemetery.

“This investment is about more than just conservation,” said Margie Johnson Reese, MFA, Chief Program Officer of the African American Museum, Dallas. “It’s about making history accessible to a global audience. We are thrilled to work with the Texas Historical Commission and Google to preserve the works of art and the historical documents in our care.  It is our responsibility to ensure that this irreplaceable material  will endure to educate and inspire current and future generations.”

Currently, portions of the collection are stored in non-climate-controlled facilities, leaving them vulnerable to environmental damage. The funds will ensure the collection’s long-term survival while making it more widely available to the public.

“Google is committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we operate, and we welcome opportunities to support the sharing of powerful stories,” said Traci Thomason, Global Community Development Strategy Manager at Google. “By working with the African American Museum, Dallas, we are proud to be part of the effort to ensure that this rich cultural history remains available to inspire and educate people around the world.”

The museum’s extensive collection showcases significant historical documents, including early Dallas-based African American newspapers and rare photographs and papers from influential leaders such as Juanita Craft, Mamie McKnight and the late U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson.

Among the highlights are 40,000-plus images from Sepia magazine, a nationally recognized photojournalistic publication that chronicled African American life and culture for decades. The collection captures the power, pride and progress of a generation, featuring striking images of government leaders like Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and U.N. Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young; civil rights icons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; and legendary entertainers including Aretha Franklin, Cicely Tyson and Ray Charles.

The following announcement was written by Othram:

On April 30, 2009, human remains were discovered in a field near Meadows Elementary School in Lacey, Washington. The remains were determined to be skeletal and were found with Levi’s jeans, boxer shorts, and knee-high white athletic socks bearing a green Nike logo. Despite the recovery of clothing and the application of traditional forensic methods, authorities were unable to identify the unknown man. A DNA profile was developed and searched in CODIS, but no matches were found. The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP8888 on June 29, 2011, and remained open.

In February 2025, Thurston County Sheriff's Office, in collaboration with the King County Medical Examiner's Office submitted skeletal remains from the unknown man to Othram, in The Woodlands, Texas a forensic sequencing laboratory specializing in human identification from the most challenge forensic inputs, such as degraded skeletal remains. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a high-resolution DNA profile suitable for forensic genetic genealogical research. The profile was then delivered to Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team, which conducted the necessary forensic matching to identify potential relatives of the unknown individual. 

Critical funding to enable forensic genetic genealogy testing in this case was made possible by Governor Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and the Washington State Legislature. We are so grateful for their support in providing this funding.

A follow up investigation by law enforcement ultimately led to the identification of the unknown man as Donald Myrel Nelson. Born on April 18, 1960, Nelson had been reported missing to the Lacey Police Department in February 1989, just weeks before his 29th birthday. His family cooperated closely with investigators throughout the identification process and has been formally notified of the outcome. His disappearance had gone unresolved for over 35 years.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding Nelson’s death. Authorities are asking that anyone with information related to his disappearance contact the unit directly at TCSOColdCase@co.thurston.wa.us, referencing case number 09-002677.

The following is an announcement written by AARP:

Discover Hispanic Genealogy

AARP New York and the NYG&B will host a session focused on Hispanic genealogy led by Luis Ariel Rivera. A Bronx native, Rivera has been researching his family’s Puerto Rican roots since 2004 and has worked in genealogy since 2020. His research includes Puerto Rico, Latin America, the Spanish and French Caribbean, and Western and Southern Europe. 

Register here: https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/events/beginners-guide-hispanic-genealogy

• Location: NYG&B, 36 West 44th Street, Suite 711, New York, NY
• Also available live on Zoom
• Date: September 25, 2025
• Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Getting Started with Italian Genealogy

The second program will be led by Michael Cassara, a New York City–based genealogist and lecturer specializing in Italian and Sicilian family research, New York and New Jersey research, and genealogical technology. He has presented at national conferences including RootsTech, FGS, and OGS, as well as numerous local and regional societies. Cassara is the past president of the Italian Genealogical Group and currently serves as president of the Metropolitan Postcard Club.

Register here: https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/events/italian-genealogy-michael-cassara

• Location: NYG&B, 36 West 44th Street, Suite 711, New York, NY
• Also available live on Zoom
• Date: October 20, 2025
• Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Both events are free and open to AARP members and guests. Whether you attend in person or online, these programs provide an opportunity to learn about family history research and explore cultural heritage.

Stay Connected with AARP New York:
Discover more events and opportunities to engage with AARP New York and your community by visiting aarp.org/local.

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The following was written by Sarah Weicksel, Executive Director of the American Historical Association and sent to Governor Kim Reynolds opposing the planned closure of the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) Research Center in Iowa City, which collects, preserves, and provides access to thousands of historical records, images, and objects created and used by Iowans throughout the state’s history:

August 28, 2025

Governor Kim Reynolds
Des Moines, Iowa

Dear Gov. Reynolds:

The American Historical Association expresses deep concern over the planned closure of the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) Research Center in Iowa City. At this research center, the SHSI collects, preserves, and provides access to thousands of historical records, images, and objects created and used by Iowans throughout the state’s history. Local access to these materials is vital to both historians and the public. I write on behalf of the AHA to urge Iowa officials to prevent the closure of this facility and to allocate adequate funding to the SHSI to maintain the building and to manage, expand, and provide access to its collections. Doing so is essential to the continued preservation of, and access to, Iowa’s history.

The collections preserved in the SHSI, which was established in 1857, are essential to how Iowans learn about their individual and collective pasts. Genealogists, students, historians, journalists: all require access to these collections to participate in the documentation and practical use of their state’s past. Situated at the edge of the University of Iowa campus, the SHSI is used daily by students, faculty, and members of the public, all of whom rely upon not only the collections of the SHSI, but also on the expertise of its staff.

The decision to close the research center has been made without sufficient public input and without concrete plans for conserving, preserving, and providing continued access to the entirety of the SHSI’s collections. We urge Iowa officials to halt the planned closure and to undertake a full review of the needs of the SHSI and the communities it serves. Such a review must include input from various stakeholders, among them historians, educators, museum professionals, archivists, and other members of the public.

Future generations rely upon public officials to defend the institutions that preserve our heritage and to support programs that promote history education and public interest in the past. The SHSI’s collections are a vital resource for Iowans to understand their history. The planned closure places those collections and the history they preserve at risk.

The American Historical Association is a nonprofit organization founded in 1884 and incorporated by the United States Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies and the dissemination of historical research. As a disciplinary association representing more than 10,700 historians, including Iowans, we support and encourage Iowa’s efforts to be a responsible steward of the state’s important historic resources. If there are ways in which the AHA can be of assistance as the state considers the future of the SHSI Research Center and its collections, please contact us.

Sincerely,

Sarah Weicksel
Executive Director

cc: State Archivist Anthony Jahn
SHSI Administrator Valerie Van Kooten