Fort Worth Genealogy: Feb. 26-Mar. 3

All year: “Preserve the Pensions,” presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Archives, and the genealogical community, to digitize War of 1812 pension files through 2015.

Through end of March: Schedule a personal appointment with the National Archives Southwest Region in Fort Worth to help learn about Enumeration Districts (ED) in the upcoming 1940 US Census. The census will not be indexed, so genealogists must know the ED of their relative.

 

 

The NARA’s address is 2600 West 7th Street, Suite 162, 817-831-5620.

 

Feb. 28: Fort Worth Genealogical Society general meeting, 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Fort Worth Central Library (Downtown), 500 West 3rd Street. Speaker is Meg Hacker of the National Archives Southwest Region, speaking on the upcoming release of the 1940 US Census. Contact Debbie Pearson, debeejay@aol.com, for more information.

 

Feb. 28 – Mar. 3 : Mansfield Historical Museum and Heritage Center, open 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays – Saturdays. Donations requested. Located at 102 North Main St, Mansfield, TX 76063, (817) 473-4250 or info@mansfieldhistory.org

 

 

Mar. 1: Mary Isham Keith Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, will meet at 1:00 p.m. at 1316 Pennsylvania Avenue, Fort Worth.  Dr. Dick Ellis will present “W. I. Cook’s Children’s Hospital – the Middle Years.”  Guests are welcome.  For information, please call 817-485-0617. Persons with Revolutionary War patriots in their ancestry who would like information about DAR may call 817-485-0617 or access the National Society DAR at www.dar.org. 

 

Mar. 2: National Archives Southwest Region: Friday Freebies, Naturalization Records at Your Fingertips by Meg Hacker, Archives Director; The National Archives at Fort Worth hosts free genealogical workshops the first Friday of the month from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. at Montgomery Plaza, 2600 West 7th Street, Suite 162, Fort Worth, Texas 76107. Space is limited. RSVP to ftworth.education@nara.gov to attend. Attendees may bring a sack lunch. Call (817) 831-5620 with questions. All workshops are free.

 

Mar 2: “Who Do You Think You Are?” on NBC-5, KXAS in Fort Worth, 7:00 p.m. This week’s celebrity profile is Reba McEntire, who travels to England tracing her ancestry. http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/

 

Mar 2 – 4: 30th Annual North Texas Irish Festival, Fair Park, Dallas. Everyone is a wee bit Irish at this annual event. Musical performers include fiddlers, harpists, bands,  Irish Step Dancing, Urchin Street Performers, traditional Irish storytellers, and more. Hungry? Watch professional chefs prepare Irish dishes on stage, sample them after the show, and get a copy of the recipe. Try the new wine bar after the food sample. The Scottish Village will help attendees trace their Gaelic roots. Watch the equestrian shows, blacksmithing, archery, pet adoption, and more. Friday, March 2nd, 6:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., Saturday, March 3rd, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m., Sunday, March 4th, 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Admission is FREE on Friday from 6 to 7 p.m.; $10 after (50% off coupons online at www.ntif.org or half off at the gate by saying “Happy 30th”!). A one-day ticket is $20 on Saturday and $15 on Sunday at the gate, while a two-day ticket is $25 and a weekend pass is $30. Discount tickets will be available at area Tom Thumb stores. Children 11 and under are FREE when accompanied by adult family member. Dogs are allowed in on a short leash and a $1 donation to the SPCA is requested. Members of the SCMA, Students (with ID) and senior citizens age 65 and over receive a $2 discount at the gate. Read a complete press release  or visit the festival website,

 

Mar. 1: Mid-Cities Genealogical Society meets the first Thursday of each month at the Euless Public Library, 201 N. Ector, Euless. Visitors are welcome. 6:30 p.m. is the social and 7:00 p.m. is the general meeting. Speaker is Al Hickman, “Researching Funeral Homes & Cemetery Records.”

 

Mar. 2: “Fireside Friday” at 7:00 p.m. with Louise Jeter, assistant archivist, genealogist, and Family History Center Director, as a kickoff to the Family History Fair the next day. Event will be at Arlington Family History Center, 3809 Curt Drive, Arlington, 76016, 817-466-7088. The Family History Center hours of operation are Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. The Arlington Texas Family History Center is hosted by the Arlington Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) -- the Mormons -- in coordination with other LDS congregations in the region. The center is hosted by volunteers from local LDS congregations and provides family history and genealogy services free of charge to individuals and families. Services provided are ancillary to and supported by the Family History Library located in Salt Lake City, Utah

 

Mar. 3: Second Annual Family History Fair, “Searching the World: From Musty Books to Digital Records,” 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Arlington Family History Center, 3809 Curt Drive, Arlington, 76016. Call 817-466-7088. A day-long event with general sessions and concurrent workshops, covering beginners’ questions, searching for French Cajun ancestors, going through military holdings and the National Archives and Records Administration, African American research, American Indian research, and much more.
 

Mar. 3: Frances Cooke Van Zandt Chapter, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, will meet at 11:30 a.m. at Ridglea Country Club, 3700 Bernie Anderson Ave., Fort Worth, for a celebration of Texas Independence Day. The program will be “Mitchell Putnam, Courageous Texas Frontiersman” by Linda Spangler.  For further reservations or information, call 817-244-3807. If you have an ancestor who lived in Texas prior to 1846 and are interested in learning more about our organization, we invite you to call or to visit Society’s website www.drt-inc.org. 

Through April 1: “Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America through Galveston Island.” This exhibition at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History tells the story of how hundreds of thousands of immigrants came to America through Galveston Island long before Ellis Island came to be. It was also a port for the sale and transport of slaves from Africa and the rest of the United States into Texas. Admission to this exhibition is included with Museum of Science and History exhibition admission: $14 for adults, $10 for children (2-12) and seniors (60+). Museum members are free. Call 817-255-9300.

 

Through June 30: Texas State Genealogical Society (TSGS) is accepting applications to be included in “Volume 3 of Texas First Families Lineages,” to be published by TSGS in November. Applicants do not have to be members of TSGS nor residents of Texas, but must be able to prove their ancestor was in Texas before February 19, 1846.  Applications can be completed online and printed. Complete instructions are on the TSGS website,