Welcome to SGES

The Southern Genealogist's Exchange Society (SGES) is a non-profit genealogy society in Jacksonville, FL, providing information and resources for genealogists since 1964.  Members and non-members alike are always welcome and encouraged to browse through the over 6,000 books, periodicals  and quarterlies published by other genealogical organizations.  We also have many volumes covering special subjects like Revolutionary War Soldiers, Civil War soldiers, and the Great Puritan Migration, all within the SGES library.  These resources cover the United States as well as some foreign countries.  Many family ancestry's records have also been documented and placed within our library. 

Library Hours:  Wednesdays and Thursdays, and the first and third Saturdays of each month from 10 AM - 3 PM, except on Holidays. However, due to the COVID-19 virus, an appointment must be made at least seven days in advance by either calling 904-778-1000, or sending an email to sgesjax@att.net, so that we can control the number of people in the Library at various times. 

Monthly Meetings: Our monthly meetings are now held virtually so be sure to check our calendar for meeting links.

6215 Sauterne Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32210

Phone: 904-778-1000

or email us at sgesjax@att.net 

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - June 2021

 The SGES newsletter this month addresses some common myths that many of us encounter with our genealogy research.  As part of my genealogy story,  I was told by several cousins that I we had Cherokee Indian ancestors on two sides of my family tree.  After research, I could not find  documentation to prove a native American connection anywhere in my family records.  A DNA test confirmed proof positive that native American ancestry is not in my family line.

My husband has a famous ancestor, Henry Clay, senator and presidential candidate from Kentucky.  My husband and Henry Clay are distant cousins.  Recently we took a trip to Lexington, Kentucky to see the Henry Clay estate and Clay's burial site.  We learned a lot of history about Henry Clay on the trip.  This connection has been proven by documentation in my husband's family tree.

Our newsletter article this month will emphasize the need for documentation rather than reliance on family stories and myths in developing our family genealogies.

For our monthly June SGES meeting, please note the upcoming Webinar in the announcement section of the Newsletter.  The Webinar will be held on Saturday, June 12, at 10:00 am.  The title of the Webinar is "Privacy, DNA, and Genealogy: Handling the Double Edge Sword" and will be presented by Mr. Thomas MacEntee, founder and CEO of GenealogyBargains.com.  A separate email will be sent with instructions to register for the event.

Sincerely,

Carol Clay, 

President