John Versluis is the Dean of the Texas Heritage Museum at Hill College and has
spearheaded the museum since 2005. John oversees three separate divisions: the
Texas Heritage Museum Galleries & Collection, the Historical Research Center,
and the Hill College Press, he also serves as an Adjunct Instructor in History
at Hill College. Since May 2007, he has served on Hillsboro City Council Place
5, and is involved with many other civic and community minded organizations in
Hillsboro.
He served as past Director of the North Platte Valley Museum in Gering, Nebraska, and as past Director of the Greater Southwest Historical Museum in Ardmore, Oklahoma. He received his B.A. in history at Western State College and his M.A. in public history at New Mexico State University. He is the recipient of the Doña Ana Historical Society Pasajero Del Camino Real award for co-authoring Historic Architectural Styles Las Cruces, N.M.: Celebrating 150 Years. He is also involved working with many federal and state agencies, American Alliance of Museums, and is a Consultant for the Bridge Street History Center, in Granbury, Texas.
Spotlight the holdings in the Texas Heritage Museum: Historical Research Center! & Showcasing the Civil War era of Private William Newby, 40th Illinois Infantry Co. D. as a genealogy case study.
This session will be an overview of the Historical Research Center, a division of the Texas Heritage Museum which was established in 1964. It aspires to be widely acknowledged by scholars world-wide as one of the nation’s finest collection repositories, bringing international distinction to Hill College by advancing scholarly research and education at the college and beyond. On a daily basis, college students, school groups, and visitors are able to explore and learn about their ancestors’ history. Included in the Historical Research Center is an extensive collection of maps, photographic collections, microfilm, and an archival depository that contains numerous files of soldiers’ letters, diaries, and unpublished manuscripts from all wars. Also featured in the Historical Research Center are original art works, art prints and sculptures depicting the War Between the States, and personal items belonging to Hill College graduate Bob Bullock during his term as Lieutenant Governor of Texas. During this session, I will focus in on the Civil War era of Private William Newby, 40th Illinois Infantry Co. D. who was one of the most controversial soldiers during the Civil War. I will use Private William Newby as an example of what one might find researching Civil War ancestors. I will also focus on the Texas Confederate research records and will showcase all Texas capsule histories.
Researching WWI Veteran Records & Unit Histories showcasing Sergeant William Lehmker, 1st Air Service Mechanic as a genealogy case study.
You will learn a step-by-step process that will enable anyone seeking information on a particular WWI veteran to do so much more easily. Researching World War I veterans has been a rewarding effort. I have spent over twenty-seven years finding ways to reconstruct the histories of the United States Army World War I veterans. I became greatly concerned when I discovered that the National Archives in St. Louis lost over fifty-six-million documents in a fire in 1973. As a case study I will use WWI veteran, William Lehmker who was one of the first U.S. military personnel to become an Air Service Mechanic.
Showcasing my trip to Belgium (October 2014) researching the birthplace of my Ancestors and my Grandfather August Versluis in Sint-Laureins, East Flanders, Belgium.
Learn about the dos and don’ts in researching your family ancestry abroad. You will take a great adventure back to East Flanders to the small villages that were established around 1200 AD. I will focus on birth records from Flanders and the Catholic churches’ challenges in researching and accessing church records. My grandfather and his ancestors will be used as a case study.