SPEAKERS –– Scheduled to speak at a special event Nov. 8 are Flora Verstraten-Merrin, John Boilegh, Susan Guy, Joan McGlone, Sandra Faye Hudnall Day and Rena Glover Goss. Grieselda “Cris” Taylor will be moderator during the author’s panel. -- Contributed

WINTERSVILLE — Reading. The leisure activity is something most people enjoy doing in their free time. What’s even better is when the book is about events which happened locally — right here in the Ohio Valley.

Learning. Another activity many people love to do … especially when it comes to discovering facts about who and where they came from.

Today, more people are conducting genealogical research and looking up family history than ever before … wanting to know as much as possible about their life.

For those interested in either of these activities, the perfect event will be coming up next month, featuring local authors and historians who will present their works and take questions from the audience.

The Jefferson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will hold its “Unearthing History and Family Roots” event beginning at 10 a.m. on Nov. 8 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 437 Powell’s Lane in Wintersville.

Taylor

Those who are scheduled to speak include Flora Verstraten-Merrin, John Boilegh, Susan Guy, Joan McGlone, Sandra Faye Hudnall Day and Rena Glover Goss. Grieselda “Cris” Taylor will be moderator during the author’s panel.

Flora VerStraten-Merrin

VerStraten-Merrin is a local historian, genealogist and president of the Ohio Genealogical Society’s Jefferson County Chapter. The nonprofit houses vital genealogical records for Jefferson County, affording her the opportunity to help anyone interested in tracing their family roots and branches.

She is the founder and chair of Friends of Beatty Park — a nonprofit she formed in 2019 which volunteers to revitalize a part of her childhood, Steubenville’s Historic Beatty Park.

VerStraten-Merrin is writing and compiling an extensive history of the park and its adjoining historic Union Cemetery and has authored and indexed several genealogy and family history-based books.

Day

During the “Unearthing History and Family Roots” event, VerStraten-Merrin’s presentation will be based on John P. Colletta’s non-fiction book guide entitled, “They Came in Ships.” It will be an opportunity for guests to take plenty of notes and ask questions, she said.

This class-type presentation will provide family researchers and genealogists with information and techniques they can use for locating records regarding their immigrant ancestors.

VerStraten-Merrin will explain how practical resources can be used when navigating records that were created by a vast number of immigrants who arrived by ship in America throughout the centuries. She will include valuable tips that can be used when searching for ancestors specifically related to the Tri-State Area, including major ports. Visuals will be shared through her “exciting and interesting demeanor,” officials noted, saying this is only way she knows to teach others.

Highlights of VerStraten-Merrin’s presentation include: Genealogy research, navigating immigration records and the immigrant experience.

“This is such an interesting topic for me to share,” VerStraten-Merrin stated. “By uncovering stories of diverse immigrants and their journeys to the United States, you can learn about a rich tapestry of human experiences that resonate with descendants interested in their own heritage. Through detailed research methods, practical tips on tracing ancestors become invaluable tools for anyone seeking to understand their roots and connect with their past.”

Goss

“If you are interested in tracing your ancestor’s immigration history, are curious about the experiences and challenges faced by immigrants arriving in America, or would like some new tools and information as a researcher about resources, this presentation will not leaving you wanting — except wanting to know more,” she added.

VerStraten-Merrin began her journey in genealogy at the age of 19 when she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was there she received “excellent training” in classes which began to spark her interest in family history. It became a flame which has never gone out of her life, she explained.

Grieselda ‘Cris’ Taylor

Taylor, vice president of the Ohio Genealogical Society’s Jefferson County Chapter, will oversee the event, serving as moderator of the author’s panel.

Taylor will represent the Daughters of the American Revolution, Fort Steuben Chapter, of which she is a member, and will provide informational fliers for anyone interested in joining DAR.

Guy

Taylor has been interested in her family’s roots since the age of 12 after a distant relative’s visit. Another part of learning about her family’s history was the fact she is related to Benjamin Tappan, the senior partner in a law firm where Edward Stanton worked. Stanton was defense minister for Abraham Lincoln.

Prior to moving to Steubenville, Taylor worked 20 years in film and television and was an international flight attendant. She taught privately and at the college level, acted and worked as a talent agent and casting director. She holds a master of arts degree in communications, with an emphasis in theater from Regent University in Virginia Beach. She also holds a master of arts degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville in theology.

Taylor is a member of the Fort Steuben Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is on council at Franciscan’s Portiuncula fraternity, of which she is a lay Franciscan.

Susan Guy

Guy, a Jefferson County native, worked for the Cross Creek Township Police Department for 15 years, achieving the rank of sergeant. She worked for the state of Ohio as a corrections officer at the Belmont Correctional Institute for 27 years before retiring in 2021.

McGlone

Her 30-year love of genealogy and love for true crime led to her writing two true crime books of her own, the first entitled “Mobsters, Madams and Murder in Steubenville, Ohio.”

“The Moonlight Mill Murders of Steubenville, Ohio,” is her second book, with both proving successful, officials noted.

Guy is in the process of writing two additional books of the same genre.

Joan McGlone

Joan McGlone earned a political science with a concentration in communications degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville. After she and her husband, Mark, raised their three children, and she retired from her alma mater, she devoted her time to writing.

McGlone first novel “The House on Seventh Street,” is based on the life of her maternal grandmother, who survived an abusive second marriage in Steubenville. Her second book, “The Paperboy from Eighth Street,” is a murder mystery with “an intriguing plot that captures readers from the first page.”

Both books are set in Steubenville. Her work is published in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series.

McGlone is a member of the Tri-State Writers Society and enjoys volunteering at the Jefferson County Historical Association Museum.

When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, camping, playing cards and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Rena Glover Goss

Goss resides in Hudson, Ohio, but was born and raised in the village of Adena. She taught music for 27 years at public schools and universities throughout Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia.

She is passionate about her family, as well as local history, and is a member of several historical and genealogical societies.

Goss has written articles for musical and genealogical journals, with her first book being entitled, “Murder on Perrin Run.”

Sandy Day

The name of Day’s presentation will be “Finding Your Roots is an Amazing Adventure!”

Day served as the local historian and genealogist at the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County for 20 years. She exclaimed it was her favorite job, as she had the opportunity to help people do research and locate their ancestors. She compiled many books for the library.

“Some of the books I have with me today,” Day stated, noting they include military series in which she compiled books on various wars, beginning with the Spanish-American War and ending with Desert Storm. She was co-editor of the Steubenville Bicentennial history book celebrating 200 years of the city’s history. She noted the late Alan Hall was the other co-editor.

“None of these books circulate,” Day explained. “I do have a copy of this book, which was privately published. You may find copies on eBay or other sources.”

She published the Day’s family history and the Hudnall’s family history in order to show the results of decades of research she did regarding both families.

Day was co-editor of the Images of America series book on Steubenville, along with Hall. The book is sold online. She currently volunteers at the Jefferson County Historical Association Museum and Genealogy Library in Steubenville.

John Boilegh

From very early on, Boilegh remembers having an intense, lifelong love of the outdoors, for animals and just being outside. So, it seemed only natural he would go on to pursue an education in natural resources.

Learning about the natural world is one of the most personal and valuable things he has ever done with his life, he stated. Sharing what he has learned — and is still learning — about nature’s wisdom is something he considers a privilege to share with others.

After some time in the field, Boilegh returned to the classroom and continued his education in anthropology, specifically, archaeology. Being able to look back through history to a time when people lived in conjunction with nature — and not against it — seemed like a perfect fit for someone with his interests and after an intense, lifelong interest in prehistory, he decided to pursue a career in the multi-disciplinary world of archaeology.

Boilegh, who has worked for various cultural resource firms, received the honor of working on numerous archaeological sites and conducting all levels of archaeological investigations. He is employed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mineral Resources Management as its staff archaeologist and is tasked with coordinating cultural resource issues in cooperation with the Mineral Resources Regulatory Program and the Abandoned Mine Land Program.

When he is not working, you will find Boilegh outside, more-than-likely fishing.

During the event, he will speak on two presentations: “The East Steubenville Site” and “Ohio During the Pennsylvania Fossils and Prehistoric Life.”

Boilegh’s first presentation speaks on the period of fall 1999 to fall 2000. During this time, the West Virginia Department of Transportation requested GAI Consultants conduct extensive archaeological excavations at the East Steubenville site, as this Panhandle archaic site that is located across the river from Steubenville yielded a “fascinating treasure trove of information about the late archaic peoples of the upper Ohio Valley more than 3,800 years ago.” Attendees will learn more about these people and how they made their living in this section of the Ohio Valley.

Boilegh’s second presentation will look at some of the fossils that can be found throughout the area. He also will discuss the past environment, including plants and animals which lived in ancient Ohio.

By registering early, through Nov. 5, attendees can assure a seat and buffet lunch between presentations.

Early registration is available by e-mailing VerStraten-Merrin at fvermerrin1@frontier.com.

Same-day registration will be held between 9 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. Nov. 8, and a continental breakfast will be available.

Officials stated by registering on the day of the event, seating will possibly be toward the back of the room. Lunch cannot be promised for same-day registrants.

Those planning to attend all of the presentations are welcome to bring snacks or a bagged lunch.

This free, public event is open to anyone interested in local and family history. Those attending are asked to donate $10 upon arrival to help cover the cost of food and the handouts that will be distributed; however, no one will be turned away who does not donate, officials said.

A light lunch, with bottled water available, will be served at noon. Afternoon presentations will begin at 1 p.m. Upon arrival, guests will receive a booklet containing all of the authors’ biographies, along with the day’s schedule.

Participants are able to attend either one, two or all of the presentations in addition to the continental breakfast and lunch buffet.

Following the same-day registration and continental breakfast between 9 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., an authors panel will be held, beginning at 10 a.m.

At 11 a.m., Day will speak. Lunch will be from noon to 12:45 p.m. VerStraten-Merrin will begin her presentation at 1 p.m., with Boilegh concluding the day at 2 p.m.

VerStraten-Merrin said time will be allotted during early registration, at lunch and following the author’s talks, for attendees to interact with speakers and ask questions.

Organizations which will set up at the event or that will provide its fliers or brochures, include: The Ohio Genealogical Society’s Jefferson County Chapter, the Jefferson County Historical Society and Museum, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Fort Steuben Chapter and the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County’s Schiappa Library.

“We are sending out letters to invite county-wide museums and historical societies to attend or share their brochures with us for the information table,” VerStraten-Merrin said.