Family Roots and BranchesWelcome to the Family Roots and Branches web site. This site is dedicated to sharing genealogy information and records of selected family surnames we are currently researching. By compiling records on various family groups we hope that you are able to make your own connections to aid you in your family history research. If you have information that you would like to share with others researching the same surnames indicated below, you reach us via email at the address at the bottom of this page. We will be happy to post it here on the web site.
The information on these pages is all we have prepared for posting at this time. While we love researching family history, we can not do individual research due to time constraints. We instead want to concentrate on posting as much family information as possible, as soon as it becomes available and time permits us to do so. Because of this, queries regarding specific persons cannot be answered at the present time.
This web site will also support a local genealogy calendar of events. This will include special events, meetings and genealogy courses conducted in southwest North Carolina and northern Georgia that would be of interest to local family historians. Larry will also be posting extra genealogy information for his students in his genealogy classes as Tri County Community College. Check back often for new material.
We thank you for visiting with us and hope you find our web site useful in your family history research.
Our New Family Roots and Branches Blogspot Located at http://family-genealogy.blogspot.com, has family group sheet links, stories, pictures, and more on our ancestral and related families we are currently rsearching. 
Gayle's Gallery of Heros This page list all of Gayle Hennington-Van Horn family member who have served this country in military service. Last Update - August 6, 2006
The Burdett(e) Family Archives These pages contain records and information for family historians researching Burdett(e) and variant spellings. Last Update - July 17, 2006
The Van Horn Family Archives These pages contain records and information for family historians researching Vanhorn(e), Van Horn(e), Van Hoorn(e), and variant spellings. Last Update - July 17, 2006
Descendants of Nicolas Martiau, The Adventurous Huguenot of Virginia These pages contain information for family historians researching Nicolas Martiau and his descendants. Last Update - December 15, 2005
Family Group Sheets Last Update - August 27, 2006
In this section of the Family Roots and Branches website you will find useful genealogy references to aid you in your family history research. We will continue to add material as time permits.
Genealogist Cafe
In the Genealogist Cafe we have selected a vareity of genealogy tools, forms and websites that will help the newcomer and seasoned veteran alike do more genealogy. Last Update - July 31, 2006 with new links and other material.
Military Records
Military records are an important resource for people who are seeking ancestors who served their country. On this page you will find a links to the best online resources for locating and researching military records and our exclusive United States Military Campaigns, Conflicts, Expeditions, and Wars chart. Last Update - July 31, 2006
What to do when the Courthouse has burned!
Here are some alternative sources to look for if the courthouse has burned and you are out of marshmellows.
If you don't have a free Adobe Acrobat reader program to view PDF files you can get one by clicking on the graphic link below.
If you have an announcement concerning a genealogy related event that would be of interest to genealogist in southwest North Carolina or Northern Georgia send it via email to the Family Roots and Branches Webmaster.
Local residents and visitors to the tri-county area (western North Carolina and northern Georgia) are invited to attend meetings each month of the local Genealogy Discussion Group. We always have an interesting group discussion or program, and enjoy meeting new genealogist in the area or visitors to our community.
It is one of the largest and fastest growing hobbies in the country: Genealogy. Millions of people all across the United States and indeed the world, are digging up clues into their past. Google reports nearly 24 million different pages containing the word genealogy on the internet. The MyFamily Network at
MyFamily.com reaches 27.8 million unique monthly visitors and consistently ranks in the top 20 websites for total page hits, over 500 million per month! The most popular genealogy website on the internet Ancestry.com has more subscribers online than the Wall Street Journal.
A 1997 Newsweek article stated, "genealogy has gone from spectator sport to major league passion ... 42 million Americans have started to trace their heritage." (Newsweek, February 24, 1997.)
So do you want to learn more about your family history?
Are you digging for those family roots on the internet, but not finding much?
Then consider taking one of our genealogy classes at Tri County Community College. It is inexpensive and we have classes for all levels - beginner, intermediate and advanced. You can call Lisa Thompson, in the Continuing Education Department at 837-6810 for more information on future classes.
Larry will be teaching three genealogy classes this Fall.
This course covers the basics of genealogy research by exploring a variety of record sources used in the pursuit of ancestor hunting. Sources such as vital records, census, church records, court, military, land property, probate, and tax records will be discussed in detail. If you want to learn how to do genealogy research the right way, this is the course for you.
Dates/Times/Cost:
August 7-November 6, 2006 (Class meets Mondays a day class)/9:00am-11:30am, $50.00 (NC resident over 65 are free).
August 8-October 31, 2006 (Class meets Tuesday nights)/6:300pm-9:00pm, $50.00 (NC resident over 65 are free).
Discover facts about your ancestors in unexpected places - some right under your nose! This course will explore little-known genealogical sources that may contain information about their ancestors lives. Students will study over 100 hidden genealogical sources, how to find them, and how to use them in research projects. Students must have completed our Beginning/Intermediate Genealogy class in order to register for this advanced class (no exceptions).
Dates/Times/Cost:
August 10-November 2, 2006 (Class meets Thursday nights) 6:30-9:00 pm, $55.00
Please note that North Carolina residents 65 and older can take any of the above classes for "FREE," absolutely no charge.
Your class instructor for genealogy courses at Tri-County College courses is family historian, Larry Van Horn larryvh @ brmemc.net of Brasstown, North Carolina.
Larry is professional family historian/genealogist and has been actively researching his many ancestral families for the last 28 years. He is currently working over 130 ancestral surnames, and has documented/sourced over 23,000 family ancestors and descendants in compiling his extensive family history. He has published one family genealogy and is currently working on his next two books on CD-ROM.
He is a member and the National Registrar for the Nicolas Martiau Descendant Family Association, a member of the National Genealogy Society, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He also lecturers on various genealogy topics to various civic groups throughout the Tri-State area. He writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column – Finding Your Roots, in several newspapers throughout the Southeast United States.
He has taught genealogy classes at Tri County Community College, Peachtree, North Carolina, for the last nine years. These include genealogy courses on Beginning-Intermediate-Advanced Genealogy Studies, Genealogy and Resources on the Internet, Organizing Your Genealogy the Right Way, Using Family Tree Maker Genealogy Software, Genealogical Hidden Sources, Researching an American Genealogy (Parts 1 and 2), and sveral more.
Thanks to Glee Genealogy Graphics for the graphics used on many of the pages of this site. Click the logo to view Glenda's gallery of clipart. Graphics designed and created by Glenda B ©1998 Glee Graphics
I would also like to thank the Savage/Goodner Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1513 website and the Civil War Clip Art Gallery for the graphics used on the military pages of Family Roots and Branches. You can click on the logos above to view more of their collections of clipart.
Webpage: index.html
Last Update: 27 Aug 2006
Webpage Created: 7 July 2002
Webmaster: Larry Van Horn
