In Maple Grove Cemetery on December 18th, the Wichita Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War conducted the ceremonies of placing wreaths on veterans' grave. It is noteworthy that the first ceremonial wreath was placed on a Medal of Honor recipient from the Civil War.

Local Boy Scout Troops presented the colors. The ceremony was conducted at the Civil War memorial. The Pavilion was a gift from the Woman's Relief Corp in 1900.

Upon reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, led by the Sergeant of Arms, the SUVCW saluted the veterans with a 3-volley rifle salute.

If you haven't seen or explored this memorial, it is well worth the visit. It is easy to find, somewhat in the center of the cemetery. Look for the Pavilion.

Nearly 100 genealogists attended the annual conference on October 9th, with Lisa Louise Cooke as our presenter. See a gallery of pictures here.

FamilyTree Magazine today emailed a link to a nice article titled "Military Rank and Insignia: How To Decode Your Ancestor’s". It includes some very nice charts and simple explanations of many terms that confuse a lot of people. This is all FREE. Check it out at:

https://www.familytreemagazine.com/records/military/military-insignia-acronyms/

It associates arm patches and lapel insignia to military rank and pay grade and covers all branches of service, and enlisted personnel and officers.

Once you navigate around the advertisements (they have bills to pay also) there are links to several equally useful short articles including:

1. Military Acronyms Reference Chart
2. The Genealogists Guide to Military Service Records
3. Display Your Ancestor Military Heirlooms.

You could bookmark the pages, print them, or copy portions you find useful.

The Military Rank and Insignia information appears to be Vietnam era forward. Earlier ranks included now-discontinued insignia, but most are still valid. Enjoy

(NOTE: Wichita Genealogical Society has no connection with FamilyTree Magazine. This is simply a news item we are passing on)

I recently had the opportunity to contribute to a blog article written for GenealogyBank. The article was titled "Genealogy Tip: What a Gravestone Tells Us – Grave Markers", an area which I have done research on. The article is really well done with some great images.

The free blog offers great articles with useful genealogy tips, click on ALL to see others.  GenealogyBank is an online genealogical resource featuring a wealth of exclusive material-including modern obituaries and historical newspapers, books, pamphlets, military records, government documents and more.

About 12 people met for the first DNA Special Interest Group meeting Tuesday night (July 20), for a fun and informative session. DNA leader Jason Felihkatubbe encourage everyone to share their level of experience and goals of DNA research. He used this session to gather notes about areas to build a program around. He is very organized (he is a teacher) and this should be a great feature for members. Don't hesitate to sign up, no matter what your level of DNA knowledge.

During a recent Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting, one of our members asked if anyone had experience getting relatives to take a DNA test to help with the family genealogy. He was having difficulty with two older uncles volunteering to take a test. This is not unusual, for people of all ages to question the need.  

After doing a quick Google search, I found this simple article with a few great tips.  If you have this challenge with relatives, check this out for some good ideas: https://www.familyhistoryfanatics.com/post/convince-relative-to-dna-test