Author's Note: The writer is not a charter member of the Society. The history was taken from early issues of the Keystone Seekers and from the minutes of the organization.

Since Harrisburg is situated in the center of a region of primary importance to the genealogist, this group was formed here to be of service to responsible researchers of family history. Kay Frazel was the founder and first president of the Society. Whether president or not, Kay was extremely active during the formative years of the organization. She was editor of the Keystone Seekers for a number of years.  Early minutes reveal that at times, Kay lent her home for the meetings of the Society, particularly meetings of the Board.

The two primary goals of this fledgling association was to publish a quarterly and to record, or in some instances, to "read" and record cemeteries in the area. Irene Gipe, recently deceased Director Emeritus of CAGS, and Molly Ulsh, a member of the CAGS Board, were both very active in "reading" various cemeteries. Robert Viguers, Jr.(Bob) who until October, 2003 was the editor of the quarterly, was and is a major "reader" of cemetery stones.

While 1982 is listed as the year the Society was founded, the first recorded official meeting of the Society was held on Monday, January 10, 1983 at the John Harris Mansion, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with about 35 people in attendance. At that time, there were two officers and several committee chairs. In addition to Kay Frazel, President, the other officer was Secretary-Treasurer Rebecca Bollen. The committees were a Program Committee chaired by Eleanore Long and a Publications Committee chaired by John C. Fralish, Jr.

Warren Wirebach of the Dauphin County Historical Society was the speaker for the first meeting. He spoke on the subject of how to do genealogical research in Pennsylvania, i.e., the considerable resources available to the researcher in the Central Pennsylvania area.

 The first quarterly was to be published in February of 1983 with John C. Fralish, Jr. as the editor. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the first quarterly was late and instead of the February date, was distributed at the March, 1983 meeting.

The other presidents who served the Society were Donna Mader Dempster, Molly Ulsh (who served two terms from 1987 through 1989 and 1998 through 1999), Annabelle Hoffman and Robert S. Viguers, Jr.

Past editors of the publication included Oonna Mader, John Fralish, Keith Nonemaker, Molly Ulsh and Robert S. Viguers, Jr.  The first dues were $10.00 annually for individual members and $12.00 for family members. Since then the dues have increased only minimally, to $15.00 for both individual and family memberships.

One hundred and twenty names, as printed in the third issue of the quarterly, made up the charter members' list. Of that list of names, three persons continue to be active, working members of the Society: Marion O'Neal, in addition to her many other contributions, is at present the Treasurer; Rae Neubaum, Vice President, maintains the web site and has prepared the past two issues of the Quarterly; and Warren Wirebach continues as a member and valued consultant. Oirector Emeritus Irene Gipe was active until her death in February.

A great many more of the charter members have retained their memberships throughout the years serving the Society in a number of ways and attending meetings as they were able to do so or so long as they lived in the area. At present the Society's membership list contains a large number of out-of-state addresses. These are people who maintain an interest in the Society and want to continue to receive the quarterly publication.

 At the May, 1983 meeting, a bylaws committee was formed, and sometime later, bylaws were adopted.  In those bylaws (and to the present time) the objectives of the Society are to create and foster an interest in genealogy; encourage the preservation of genealogical materials and publish a quarterly journal whose information relates mostly to the counties of Dauphin and Cumberland in the state of Pennsylvania.

The group continued to meet at the John Harris Mansion for a time. When it was determined that a more commodious room was necessary, the members began to meet at Christ Lutheran Church, Linglestown, where they continue to meet today. The Society has never had a physical location where books and records could be kept. At present, the records are housed in the homes of several of the officers and directors. The resource material owned by the Society is presently being brought to each meeting for members and guests to review for about an hour before each meeting. The Society hopes to find a meeting place where they can also store the "library" and records between meetings.

Almost at the beginning of the association, a surname file began to be developed. That file has been, and is, extremely helpful to genealogists. At present, the file is being updated and will then be available at each meeting. The listing of the surnames that have been researched appears on the Website (www.maley.net/CAGS).

The speakers at each meeting contribute largely to the goals of the Society. Area newspapers and "throwaways" report upcoming meetings, speakers and events.

The early meetings of CAGS were held in the evenings. Now meetings are held the second Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m. The "library" is open most months at 1:30 p.m. To avoid a meeting on Mother's Day, the May meeting is held on the third Sunday. When possible, the group plans a "field trip" for May. July is the month for the annual picnic, which CAGS holds in conjunction with the Palmyra Area Genealogical Society. Instead of a speaker at the August meeting, the group will hold a "workday" during which plans will be made for the following year regarding programs, events and trips. In December, the annual Christmas party is held when each member brings Christmas goodies for all to share and members share Christmas memories from days past and readings that pertain to genealogy

and Christmas.

The focus of the Society has not changed in the past twenty years and exists today to provide historical and genealogical information to the serious researcher of family and local history. New members are always welcome.

(More of the history can be found by reviewing previous issues of the Keystone Seekers. Back issues of the quarterly can be purchased on request by sending $5.00 per issue requested.)