African American Program in Tyler TX 2/14/09

ETGS to Dedicate Meeting to Remembrance of Versie Terrell
The East Texas Genealogical Society will celebrate African-American Month on Saturday, February 14, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. in the Tyler Public Library’s Taylor Auditorium, 201 S. College Ave. The program will be dedicated to the remembrance of ETGS member Versie Isabell Terrell. Ms. Terrell, a native of Smith County, a graduate of Texas College, and a retired teacher died in Tyler on January 5, 2009. She and her husband, Claude Terrell, Jr. had been active in the community in the study of and preservation of African-American family records for many years.
The featured speaker will be Gwendolyn McMillan Lawe, director of A.C. McMillan African-American Museum in Emory, Texas and 2003 Smithsonian Fellow. Ms. Lawe will speak on the genealogical research on her family and other African-Americans in Rains County.
Following refreshments ETGS President Sam Kidd will present a video titled “Lester’s Trip of 1,500 Miles and 120 Years,” the story of the research of an African-American family in Canada for their Smith County, Texas roots. The video will be aired on Canadian television later this year, and includes research provided by members of the Smith County Historical Society and East Texas Genealogical Society. Much of the video was filmed in Smith County and concludes with Lester Mapp’s meeting with his Smith County cousins.
Persons interested in African-American family research and friends of Ms. Terrell are encouraged to attend. ETGS meetings are free and open to the public. For more information about ETGS go to our web-site: www.etgs.org or contact June Everheart, Publicity Director at 1stvp@etgs.org or 903-877-4501.