Health of Civil War black soldiers is topic of April 25 university lecture in Birmingham

“Intensely Human: The Health of the Black Soldier in the American Civil War,” will be the topic of the Reynolds Historical Lecture at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on April 25.

The free program, by Dr. Margaret Humphreys, is from noon to 1 p.m. at Lister Hill Library, 1700 University Blvd. in Birmingham. The lecture will take place in the Edge of Chaos Atrium on the library’s fourth floor.

Humphreys is the Josiah Charles Trent Professor in the History of Medicine at Duke University.

Copies of her book, “Intensely Human: The Health of the Black Soldier in the American Civil War,” will be available for signing by Humphreys immediately after the lecture.

The lecture is open to the public. A limited number of box lunches will be provided on a first come, first served basis. For more information, call 205-934-4475.

Birmingham Public Library posts links to its Alabama county holdings

The Birmingham Public Library has an exciting new online resource available for those researching any of the state’s 67 counties. Selected Resources for Alabama Counties is now live.

Each county has its own page and a listing of the library’s resources for that county, according to information from M.B. Newbill of the library’s Southern History Department.

The catagories are:

• Cemeteries and Church Histories
• Census Records
• City, County, and Family Histories
• Court Records
• Death Records and Obituaries
• Land Records
• Maps
• Marriage Records
• Newspaper Abstracts and Periodicals

For each category a list of titles is given with links to the library’s online catalog.

Alabama Civil War Round Table meeting to be March 7 in suburban Birmingham

Dr. Harry Reeder will be the speaker at the March 7 meeting of the Alabama Civil War Round Table.

Reeder’s topic will be Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the Maine college professor who became a Union hero during the Civil War.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on the second floor of Hoover Fire Station No. 7, at 100 Inverness Parkway. Parking is behind the station.

Members can pay their dues for 2013 at the meeting. Dues are $25 for an individual and $40 for a couple or family.

Lincoln, Reconstruction in Oxford scholar’s Tuesday talk at Samford University

Abraham Lincoln, the moral issues he faced in the Civil War and the effect of his death on the Civil War and civil rights will be among the topics covered when the president of Corpus Christi College at Oxford University comes to suburban Birmingham on Tuesday.

Dr. Richard Carwardine will offer the free lecture, “Abraham Lincoln and the Challenger of Emancipation,” at 10 a.m. at Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive in Homewood, Ala. It’s one of several programs the university is offering as part of its Black History Month celebration.

Carwardine’s book, “Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power,” won the 2004 Lincoln Prize for the best nonfiction work on the Civil War, according to a press release from Samford University.

While the lecture is free, registration is required. Call 205-726-4634.

Fete La Pointe fundraiser is March 8 in Moss Point, Miss.

The Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society in Mississippi is holding its annual fundraiser, Fete La Pointe, on March 8 on the Gulf Coast.

The event, Fete La Pointe, will be held beginning at 7 p.m. at Pelican Landing, 6217 Highway 613, in Moss Point, just outside Pascagoula.

Money is being raised to restore the 18th century La Pointe-Krebs House, the oldest building in the state. Many descendants of the original owners, who lived there during Mississippi’s colonial era, today call Alabama home. The JCHGS also wants to establish a museum and a cultural community center for special events at the site.

The semi-formal event is $60 per person.

Upcoming genealogy classes at Wallace State in Hanceville

Four genealogy classes will be offered at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville on Fridays, beginning Feb. 22:

• Civil War Genealogy – Feb. 22 and March 1

• Advanced Genealogy – March 15 and 22

• Southern Genealogy – April 5 and 12

• Genealogy and the computer – May 3 and 10.

Classes are held on the third floor of the Wallace State library from 9 a.m.-noon.

The cost of each class is $35 per person, $25 for senior citizens.

To register, call Amy Aldana at 256-352-7826.

Classes are held on the third floor of the Wallace State library from 9 a.m.-noon.

 

 

Thursday’s Alabama Civil War Round Table meeting cancelled; rescheduled to March 7

The Alabama Civil War Round Table has cancelled Thursday’s regular meeting, which was to feature a talk on Union hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

The Round Table has rescheduled the meeting for March 7. A meeting place will be announced later.

Mini-seminar on African-American genealogical research set for June 8 in Mobile

The Mobile Genealogical Society recently announced that noted genealogist Frazine Taylor will present a mini-seminar on resources for African-American research on June 8.

Details and registration information will be released in March. The cost will be $20.

Taylor’s 2008 book, “Researching African American Genealogy in Alabama: A Resource Guide,” will be for sale at the event, and she will be available to autograph copies.

Was the hanged man really guilty? Learn about Charles Boyington in Mobile on Saturday

Collette King always has an interesting story to tell from Mobile’s past. On Saturday, she’ll  share the case of Charles Boyington, hanged in 1835 for one of the city’s most infamous murders. But what he guilty or innocent?

King, an historical records technician in the Archives Department of the Probate Court of Mobile, will discuss the case at the February meeting of the Mobile Genealogical Society. King also serves as archivist and file technician for the North Gulf Coast Archaeological Research Consortium. She served as treasurer and History Committee member for the Bicentennial Committee of Mobile County 2012 .

The meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Vitale Room, which is immediately behind Holy Family Catholic Church, 1400 Joyce Road, in Mobile.

Alabama Civil War Round Table to meet on Valentine’s Day in Birmingham

Union hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain will be the topic at the Feb. 14 meeting of the Alabama Civil War Round Table.

Noted Civil War lecturer the Rev. Harry Reeder, senior pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, will be the speaker.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Hyatt Place Hotel, 2980 John Hawkins Parkway (Alabama 150) in suburban Hoover.

Members and newcomers who want to join the Round Table can pay their 2013 dues at the meetings. The cost is $25 for an individual and $40 for a couple or family.

The organization offers a series of lively presentations and fellowship for American Civil War enthusiasts.