The Record

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the Ancient City Chapter of the Florida Writers Association will welcomes educator, author and speaker Margaret Nicholson, PhD. The meeting will take place at the Main Library, 1960 U.S. 1 in St. Augustine and is free and open to the public. Nicholson will discuss ways to use DNA testing and genealogical research to spice up historical novels and family memoirs.

Nicholson embarked on the discovery of the value of DNA testing and genealogical research when she learned that the father who had raised her was not, in fact, her birth father. This gave a decided twist to the family history that she had planned to publish.

She learned for herself that searching family history and exploring DNA results can lead to previously unknown relatives and fascinating stories. Details can also be gathered from reading military records and newspapers from the geographic region and time period that is being written about. Surprising documentation can be found to create historically accurate novels for those who write in that genre.

Nicholson spent many years as an educator at various universities in the United States and abroad. Her memoir, “My Surprise Family: Find Your Ancestry Story,” was published in 2018 and has garnered much interest in the use of genealogical research.

Library doors open at 10 a.m. and the program begins around 10:15. Meetings are held in conjunction with the Friends of the Main Library. Any book sales benefit the FOL.