HERITAGE COMES ALIVE WHEN THE GHOTES ARE IN TOWN

(PARKSLEY, VIRGINIA) July 9, 2024 - For four days at the end of June, Parksley was a center of activity as the new Eastern Shore of Virginia Heritage Center hosted the GHOTES 2024 Conference, attended by a group of 75 people, all either local residents of the Eastern Shore of Virginia (ESVA) or visiting descendants of Eastern Shore families. The GHOTES organization, Genealogy and History of the Eastern Shore was founded in 1996 by Barbara Goffigon Cox and grew from an email list to an active email and Facebook group with a website of local history and ESVA family information. This tenth gathering brought new learning from experts, helping the GHOTES research their own family lines and find new “cousins” in the group.

Chris Pote, Eastern Shore Public Library System Director and Manager of the Heritage Center, welcomed the group in the conference’s first session.  He gave an overview of the new center with its state-of-the-art archive room that offers access to sources of non-printed ESVA family history not previously possible on library shelves. This was the first year the conference was held at the library, which provided easy access to the Heritage Center’s Eastern Shore Room for attendees’ research needs.

Several presentations in the conference explored new directions of genealogy research and heritage in the six years since the last meeting, especially dealing with DNA analysis. Dr. David Scott, with the Northampton Historic Preservation Society, explained how analysis of male y-DNA can confirm or reveal surprises as it connects to family groups. DNA researcher Marie Rundquist and Wesley Revels presented research about DNA analysis of early indigenous groups on the Shore and family history tracing James the “Indian Boy.” M.K. Miles, creator of the MilesFiles, a database of Eastern Shore families including 120,000 names, spoke about how DNA confirms information about family lines that couldn’t be found in other searches. Miles also gave detailed search techniques for the new version of the MilesFiles.

An emerging area of research was presented by Crystal Castleberry, Public Archaeologist, and Evan Bell, a curator, both at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, whose project closely analyzes archaeological data from the John Custis family at Custis Square in Northampton County. By building a comprehensive database of names of enslaved people mentioned in legal documents only by first name, researchers are bringing family stories and narratives to light for African Americans who are searching for information about their ancestors.

Other presenters’ programs included author Jenean Hall talking about her new book and Jean White Raleigh, retired from Winterthur Museum, giving an overview of ESVA Native American material culture. Kellee Green Blake, retired Director of the National Archives Mid-Atlantic Region in Philadelphia, spoke of ESVA residents of the Revolutionary War era. Dr. David Scott presented a photo tour of old homes on the Eastern Shore and arranged an evening group visit to Eyre Hall. Retired ESPL director Cara Burton rounded up the topics with recommendations for taking family history beyond the genealogy of names and dates with projects that help engage other family members in GHOTES and preserving family archives. M.K. Miles arranged a visit for conference participants to Saxis Island to view the effects of rising bay levels that have created regular high-tide flooding and how the town has responded to mitigate the effects.

GHOTES conferences always include opportunity to socialize with each other and the local community. This year’s banquet dinner was held at Historic Onancock School.  Dennis Custis, retired educator, entertained with a history of the school and the notable education that people benefited from on the Shore.

There is no fee to join GHOTES. For more information, go to ghotes.net or the GHOTES Facebook page. 
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