Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

NATIONAL ARCHIVES RAISES PRICES

 In May this column reported NARA, the National Archives and Records Administration, proposed a price hike in the cost of reproducing records in their custody. They asked for feedback from the public. The results of their study and the resultant new fee schedule has been published in the October 13, 2000 Federal Record, pages 60862-60868. It is, also, available on NARA's Internet website at http://www.nara.gov/nara/newfees.html.

 Following is the new fee schedule which will take effect November 13. NAFT forms reflecting the new structure will be available November 1 from NARA and all NARA Federal Records Centers throughout the United States.

 Military Service Records over 75 years (NAFT Form 86) will cost $17.00; Pension Files over 75 years (NAFT Form 85) will cost $37.00 for a complete file and $14.75 for a file with only selected documents; Passenger Arrival Records (NAFT  Form 81) will cost $17.25; Federal Census Request (NAFT Form 82) will cost $17.50; Eastern Cherokee Application to Court of Claims (NAFT 83) will cost $17.50; Land Entry Record (NAFT Form 84) will cost $17.75; Bounty Land File (NAFT Form 85) will cost $17.25.

 The types of documents that might be present in a selected documents pension file are 1) Declaration of pension 2) Declaration of widow's pension 3) Adjutant General statements of service 4) Questionnaires completed by applicants (numbered forms) 5) ``Pension Dropped'' cards 6) Marriage certificates 7) Death certificates 8) Discharge certificate.

 GENEALOGY CLASSES

 Mic Barnette will present a beginning genealogy class, Roots of Genealogy: How To Research Your Family Tree at Leisure Learning's 2990 Richmond Avenue campus. Class will be held on Wednesday November 1 from 7 P.M. to 10 P.M. It will cover a brief history of genealogical research and the fundamentals of how and where to begin research. The following week the class will meet at Clayton Library for an evening tour and hands-on census research.

 To find out more about the course and to enroll, contact Leisure Learning at 713-529-4414.

FAMILY TREE MAKER CLASS

 Paula Perkins Parke will conduct an Organizing Your Ancestors with Family Tree Maker Software class on Wednesday November 1 from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. The class will be held at Houston Community College's 1681 Cartwright Road Missouri City Campus.

 Using live demonstrations, step by step instructions are given showing how to organize and document one's family information and sources. Other functions covered include creating charts and reports, using the searchable family surname index, viewing companion CD-ROMs and producing family books. For more information and to register, contact  HCC at 281-835-5539.

TSGS CELEBRATES 40 YEARS

 The Texas State Genealogical Society will hold their 40th Annual Conference Friday and Saturday November 10th and 11th. The conference will be held in Wichita Falls' MPAC Convention Center.

 On Friday Estelle Owens will speak on  Women in the American Revolution; Gloria Hargrave will discuss Organizing Research; and Cindy Smolovik of the National Archives Branch in Fort  Worth will explain How To Conduct Native American Research.

 On Saturday Lloyd Bockstruck, supervisor of the genealogical section of the Dallas Public Library will speak on The Great Wagon Road, Lesser Used Genealogical Records, Identifying Maiden Names of  Females and Finding Substitutes for Birth and Death Records.

 For more information about the conference and to register, contact TSGS Treasurer, Danna Elliott at P.O.Box 7 Sulphur Springs, TX 75483, email Doris Cozart at gleaning@chipshot.net  or visit the TSGS website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~txsgs

NEWS FROM THE BOOK SHELF

 Mountain Press, P.O. Box 400, Signal Mountain, TN 37377-0400 has published the 1854 annual report of the Grand Lodge of Georgia. The report contains of a listing of the names of all Masons and all 189 Masonic lodges in the state that year. Grand Lodge of Georgia 1854 is available from the publisher for $28.50, postpaid.

 The book is a facsimile reprint of the original 1854 edition. It consists of a list of each lodge in the state including all the members of each lodge. For each lodge information is given on how many men were initiated, passed, raised and resigned and the place and time the lodge met.

  In addition to the foregoing, the editors have added an index of lodge names and their locations. They have, also, included an all name index to the Masonic members named in the book.

 Everyone with Georgia ancestry should peruse this book for potential Masonic connections.