EASLEY — Want to find out if there are any skeletons in your closet?

Mildred Brewer, a certified DAR genealogist, not only knows how to find out, but she will tell you how to start your quest. Brewer it is her mission to help you find your Revolutionary War ancestor.

“Of course, you may run into all sorts of interesting relatives along the way,” Brewer said.

Brewer’s presentation will be part of the Reunion of Upcountry Families, now in its sixth year, a three-day event for families whose heritage goes back to the Old Pendleton District. It will be held March 10, March 11 and March 12 at Southern Wesleyan University and other locations.

The Old Pendleton District is present-day Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The free event will include genealogy workshops and cemetery tours. The final day, Saturday, is devoted to family history with a large display of family photos, old family Bibles and other items from local families at Southern Wesleyan University in Central.

The event kicks off March 10 at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley. Brewer will present a seminar titled Finding your Revolutionary War Ancestor with DAR Resources.

“The DAR Library has one of the best collections of genealogical records and there is so much history in this area,” Brewer said.

Brewer will explain how to use pension records, birth certificates and the census to locate your ancestors. To register for Brewer’s seminar, call 864-850 7077, ext. 112.

The DAR Library collection contains over 225,000 books, 10,000 research files, thousands of manuscript items, and special collections of African American, Native American, and women’s history, genealogy and culture. Nearly 40,000 family histories and genealogies comprise a major portion of the book collection, many of which are unique or available in only a few libraries in the country.

As part of the Reunion of Upcountry Families, Quientell Walker will conduct a seminar titled Heritage Quest and Revolutionary War Records.

Walker has a master’s degree in Library Science, and is in charge of the Historical Room at the Hampton Memorial Library. Walker is proud of the Historical Room in the Library that contains more than 3,000 books, church histories, family histories and 1,500 rolls of microfilm from local newspapers.

Call 864-850-7077, ext. 112, to register for the seminar.

“The thing I like most about my job is that I get to spend my time doing historical research and history has always fascinated me,” he said.

Walker located the deed for land in Oconee County, dated 1888, that was given his ancestor, a former slave, as payment for his labor.

“That land is still being passed down by my family,” Walker said.

The Friday session will begin with a tour of the Eastatoe Valley. Participants will meet at McKinney Chapel and tour the Anderson and Nimmons cemeteries as well as the Old Pickens Church and cemetery, ending with dinner at Collins Ole Town in Central, said Anne Sheriff, co-chair of the Reunion of Upcountry Families.

She is also curator of the Clayton Genealogical Room at SWU as well as curator of the Central History Museum.

The Saturday session will be held at SWU with historic displays from area families as well as local genealogical and historical associations.

“That’s when people set up tables to display the old family Bibles and photographs and maps,” said Sheriff.

Sheriff attended SWU and “she is a dedicated local historian and has been a guiding force, not only for the Clayton room, but with making the Reunion of Upcountry families the success it is today,” said Ed Welch, assistant director of Communications at SWU.

Now is your chance to discover if all those tales told by your great-uncle Harry are true. Was your ancestor part of the Swamp Fox’s regiment? Did he cross the Potomac with George Washington? Did she steal horses from the British in the dead of night?

Contact Kenny Blakeney at 864-898-0840 or send an email to kblakeney@live.com for more information.

Reunion of Upcountry Families, now in its sixth year, is a three-day event for families whose heritage goes back to the Old Pendleton District. It will be held March 10, March 11 and March 12 at Southern Wesleyan University and other locations.
http://pickenssentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_upcountryseminar01.jpgReunion of Upcountry Families, now in its sixth year, is a three-day event for families whose heritage goes back to the Old Pendleton District. It will be held March 10, March 11 and March 12 at Southern Wesleyan University and other locations. Courtesy photo

By Lynda Abegg

For The Pickens Sentinel