Oklahoma Genealogical Society -- Jan 3 -- War of 1812 Program

Next Monday evening, January 3 at 6:00 pm, Billie Stone Fogarty will present information about the genealogical records from the war of 1812, sometimes called the “forgotten war.”  The presentation is free and open to the public, in the Chesapeake room of the Oklahoma History Center.

As we near the 200th anniversary of this war, more attention is being focused on the event. This conflict between the United States and Great Britain lasted from 1812 to 1815. The British Army occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings. Facilities of the U.S. government, including the White House and U.S. Capitol, were largely destroyed. This is the only time since the Revolutionary War a foreign power captured and occupied the United States capitol. The main land fighting of the war occurred along the Canadian border, in the Chesapeake Bay region, and along the Gulf of Mexico; extensive action also took place at sea.

"This Second War for Independence involved one of every 14 men in the United States, gave us our national anthem, and secured the position of the United States in world affairs, Fogarty said. "As the bicentennial of this conflict nears, find out what records exist to help you learn how your family may have been involved."

Perhaps the most genealogically rich records for this war are the pension application files found at the National Archives and Records Administration.

"There are two primary sets of pension application files relating to veterans of this War," Fogarty said.  "The first set consists of pensions based on service resulting in death or disability."

She said the second set includes pensions based on length of service, mostly militia veterans called to federal service. The Federation of Genealogical Societies, a non-profit genealogical organization headquartered in Austin, Texas, is heading up a national fund-raising initiative to raise $3.7 million to digitize of the War of 1812 pension files. The digitization process will enable online access by historians and family researchers to the memories and biographies of those who fought to protect our nation’s independence.

As a former history teacher with both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, Ms Fogarty now devotes her time to infecting others with her love for history up close and personal – family history! She lectures regularly and also teaches genealogy each semester in adult continuing education courses. Billie Stone Fogarty serves on the Board of Directors for several genealogical and historical organizations including the Oklahoma Historical Society and Association of Professional Genealogists.  She is an active member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors and has spoken at National Genealogical Society conferences.  She is the author of "Guidebook to Researching My Family Tree.," and was president of Oklahoma Genealogical Society (OGS) for seven years, currently serving as president of Genealogical Speakers Guild.

The OGS meets on the first Monday of each month with speakers on subjects of interest to genealogists; membership is open to anyone interested in historical or genealogical research. The meeting begins at the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) Chesapeake Room,

2401 N. Laird Ave

, at six p.m. For more info on OGS, refer to www.okgensoc.org. Help is available before the meeting for those with genealogical questions or wishing to join OGS. The Research Library in the history center will remain open until 7:45 p.m. that evening.

Come to the OGS meeting which is free for members and open to the public. Non-members are encouraged to donate three dollars. Members offer free genealogical assistance in the Research Library at 5:00 pm and the library remains open until 7:45 pm on OGS meeting nights. The Oklahoma History Center (OHS) is located just across

23rd Street

from the Governor’s mansion. See the map online at http://www.okjhistorycenter.org/ and click on *visitor information.*

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