At the September meeting of Olympia Genealogical Society Claudia Breland (Professional Genealogist and Author) will present “The Murder of Rhoda Jones” the story of her 2nd great-grandmother who was murdered in 1883 (newspapers called it a suicide) and the mystery of the husband who deserted her during the Civil War. Join us on Thursday September 12 at 7 pm at the Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152. www.OlyGenSoc.org or 360-349-2493
============================================ Joyce T. Ogden jtogden@comcast.net
“Why don’t I recognize all those names on my DNA match list?” Half of your ancestry comes from women, yet we tend to focus our genealogical searches on men. No wonder those matches are mysterious!
Join
Barb Schrag at the GFO Library on Saturday, August 17, at 2:00 p.m. for
a fascinating talk focused on the comprehensive genealogy of all of the
descendants of your third-great-grandparents. Not only will you begin seeing the relationships, but you’ll be creating the genealogy that future generations can refer to and build on. Barb is a member of the GFO as well as the Clark County Genealogical Society and has given numerous presentations for both organizations. As always, GenTalks are free and open to the public, so, member or not, check out our Calendar page and come spend an hour or so with us!
GFO
President Vince Patton learned a lesson, a bit belatedly, about
historic newspapers. He’d combed Newspapers.com at the GFO and found
good material on his great-grandfather before he headed to New Mexico
for a genealogy research trip. In
Santa Fe, he found the ballot results for his great-grandfather’s
election as Attorney General, winning by a razor-thin margin. But
only after he came back did he check Genealogy Bank at the GFO, where
he found hundreds more articles from small town New Mexico newspapers.
It turns out that his great-grandfather ran for the state Supreme Court
later, but lost that election. Alas, this information came too late to
look for details at the state archives. Vince
says he’s learned his lesson. “Newspapers end up in many different
databases. Now I need to attend Janice Seller’s Half-Day Seminar on
September 8 to make sure I’m getting the most out of the GFO’s newspaper
subscription services.” He signed up for the seminar.
Have you? The
session will be held in the GFO Library, Sunday, September 8, from 9:30
a.m. – Noon. For more detailed information, download the flyer. Registration is $25.00 for GFO members, $30.00 for non-members.
The GFO Board unanimously named Mark Grafe as GFO Star of the month! Mark
took on the job of layout editor for the Bulletin and has done a
wonderful job. Sometimes learning as he goes, Mark has introduced new
style to our quarterly journal and new functionality to the electronic
version. He works quickly and remains positive even as editors ask
repeatedly for revisions. Mark is a joy to work with. Thank you, Mark, we’re lucky to have you!
We’re looking for stories for the October 2019 Insider issue at this time, and we need your help. Please email insider@gfo.org by September 1st to get your news and items of interest into October’s issue. What
we’re looking for: genealogy and history centric articles, tips,
resources, ideas, serendipity stories, techniques, events, call for GFO
volunteers, etc. Again, submissions are due by September 1st, please. Images and text should please include permissions details so we can publish in good conscience.
As
the ending point of the Oregon Trail, the Oregon City community is
marking this historic year with celebrations and unique activities
commemorating the dreamers, risk-takers, and those who gambled
everything for a new life. Mark your calendars, this party only happens every 175 years! Saturday August 24th, 10 a.m. – 9:15 p.m. End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive & Visitor Information Center 1726 Washington St., Oregon City, OR 97045. You can find more details here.
Are you doing back to school shopping for kids or grandkids? You can help us a the GFO while you shop at Fred Meyer.
All you have to do is click here and select the Genealogical Forum of Oregon as the charity you’d like to help. Link your Rewards Card to the GFO and then Fred Meyer makes a donation to us based on your shopping. Everything is automatic after you register your card. Best of all, it does not affect the prices you pay. Please register your card today and help us to provide genealogy resources to northern Oregon and southwest Washington.
If you have New York roots, our surplus book of the week may be just right to add context to how your ancestors lived. Mohawk Valley: Its Legends and Its History captures colonial history of the earliest settlers to this region sandwiched between the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains. Our
copy is a first edition, hardcover copy from a library, written by W.
Max Reid and published in 1901 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons The Knickerbocker
Press. It is filled with dozens of marvelous photos of the region.
Overall,
the book is in average to good condition. The core is sound, pages bear
some library stamps and the spine seems strong. However, some pages at
the beginning and end of the book are cracked and a few have separated
from the binding. Due to those defects, we are pricing well below the market for a first edition hard cover copy.
Your price to pickup at the GFO Library: $15 Price to mail it: $22 Contact booksales@gfo.org if you’d like to buy it. (Please don’t just come to the library to get it.)
Survey Results: Extreme Heat and Drought
Responses
to last week’s survey were pretty lackluster. Perhaps we can attribute
it to our ancestors taking hot spells in stride—not the stuff that
family stories are made of. Two people indicate that their parents
suffered major difficulties due to hot spells or drought, and two people
said that their grandparents were the ones impacted. All other
respondents marked that they did not know. And for the first time, no
one shared any stories. Undaunted, we move on to our next disaster, and while we hope your family has not suffered, we also hope for more responses.
New Survey: Water, Water Everywhere
This
week we’re asking about water-related disasters: floods, tsunamis, and
storms at sea. Take our survey and share your family story, if you like.
Saturday, August 17th African American Ancestry Group 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Stephen Hanks, who has spoken to our group previously, will return with new results of his research. The title for his talk is “Tracing Your African American Roots to 1619 and Free Persons of Color.” He will discuss how to trace your roots to free persons of color and to descendants of the Africans in America prior to the establishment of chattel slavery. This talk will be of special interest to those who have taken DNA tests. He will also discuss the work of genealogist Paul Heinigg. Stephen is the author of “Akee Tree: A Descendant’s Search for His Slave Ancestors on the Eskridge Plantations.” For more information, contact us at african_american@gfo.org. GenTalk: Another Look at the Women in Your Family Tree 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Join GFO’s Barb Schrag for to learn more about the women in your family tree can help you learn how DNA surname matches may fit into your family history. See full description above. GenTalks are free and open to the public. Sunday, August 18th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there. Family Tree Maker® Users Group 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Join other users who want to work through the 2017 Companion Guide to Family TreeMaker.® Bring your laptop with 2017 version of FTM installed and an empty USB thumb drive. Facilitated by Joyce Grant-Worley. FTM@gfo.org Tuesday, August 20th Beginners Boot Camp 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Note: Registration closed – event is full. Laurel Smith presents a day of beginning genealogy. There will be sessions about the census, vital records, immigration and naturalization, discussions about genealogy software and database use, organizing your research and more — all geared toward beginners. Those registered should bring a sack lunch so the discussion can continue while we eat. Wednesday, August 21st Irish Interest Group 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Our first hour will be a presentation by Kate O’Hara titled “Coaxing Info Out of a Victorian Photo Album.“ In our second hour we will address members’ brick wall issues. If you would like the group to discuss your brick wall, please bring the following information with you to the meeting: ▪ The name of your ancestor, ▪ Dates or time period, ▪ Location, ▪ What resources you have already tried, ▪ What type of information you are seeking. We will get to as many brick walls as time allows. Contact Irish@gfo.org for more information. Note: New Program Coordinator Needed for the Irish Interest Group Current Coordinator, Barbara Schrag, will be stepping down. Barbara has done a wonderful job finding interesting speakers for our meetings and will be missed. We are looking for a volunteer to fill this position staring with our February 2020 meeting. Please contact Karen Hubbard at our August meeting or at irish@gfo.org if you are interested or have questions. GFO Library Open Late to 8:00 p.m.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019 Join us as we welcome our member, Sue Foster, as a new instructor. Sue will speak on 2 subjects. 1)Meyer’s Orts- und Verkehrs- Lexicon includes all place names as they were designated during the time of the German Empire (1871-1918). She will discuss the online version, importance in locating the place where the vital records were recorded and the locations of the microfilmed/digitized records of the Family History Library based on this Gazetteer. She will also discuss 2) a free German web site, which translates to English, and its 2 divided sections: a) information (history, archives, links to regional family history groups and repositories and b) family trees submitted by researchers. $20.00 members / $25.00 non-members
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 Janet Camarata is back with this months regularly scheduled class. The town, county, and regional histories are important sources for genealogists for 18th and 19th-century research. Discover settlement patterns of a given area, origins of the early settlers, geography, religion, economics, education, the social conditions and major events of the times, and if lucky, a biographical sketch of your ancestor. Learn what’s been written, where to find them and how to assess their value. $20.00 members / $25.00 non-members
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State is pleased to present our
September
meeting program
“Jewish Genealogy: How Is This Research Different from All
Other Research?” presented by Janice M. Sellers, Professional Genealogist
DATE:
Monday, September 9, 2018
LDS Factoria Building
4200 124th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98006
·
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., for all to enjoy the extensive JGSWS Library’s genealogical resources, including FREEaccess to the FHC computers and genealogical websites!
·
Free Wi-Fi available. Come early to network with other attendees!
·
Presentation starts promptly at 7:15 p.m.
·
Free admission and refreshments
ABOUT OUR PROGRAM
This presentation provides an overview of the
unique aspects of Jewish culture and history that affect family history
research. Topics include history, geography, naming patterns, languages
and alphabets, rabbinical genealogies,
kehillah records, Yizkor books, cemeteries, and other
resources. The information presented will be of great help to those new
to Jewish genealogical research as well as providing important
information to more experienced researchers.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Janice M. Sellers is a professional genealogist
specializing in Black, Jewish, dual citizenship, forensic, and newspaper
research. She is the editor of ZichronNote, the quarterly journal of
the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical
Society (SFBAJGS) and has previously edited four other genealogy
publications. Currently, Janice is the publicity director, programming
director, and a board member of SFBAJGS and a member of the Association
of Professional Genealogists, Council for the Advancement
of Forensic Genealogy, Genealogical Speakers Guild, and Genealogical
Forum of Oregon. She has volunteered at Family History Centers since
2000 and gives presentations on many genealogical topics at the local,
regional, state, and national/international levels,
most recently returning from the International Association of Jewish
Genealogical Societies’ annual conference, held earlier this August in
Cleveland, OH. She has researched her own family history for more than
40 years. Before becoming a professional genealogist,
Janice worked in publishing for many years as an editor, indexer,
translator, and compositor. Her translation services primarily include
French, Spanish, and Russian.
Please visit our website at
http://www.jgsws.org
to join or to donate to JGSWS to help support the incredible speakers
and workshops
we bring to you, to view library listings, download handouts, or for
more information. JGSWS is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit
organization. Membership dues and donations are tax deductible.
Bishop
Place Independent Living Social Room,
811 SE Klemgard, Pullman, WA
Saturday,
September 14, 2019
featuring:DAN OWENS and DULCE KERSTING-LARK
“Using the Public Library for Genealogy and Local History”
9:00 am:
The doors open.
9:30
am-10:30 am: Dan Owens will discuss the
resources in the Palouse Heritage Collection at Neill Public Library
in Pullman as well as working with public libraries, in general, when
doing genealogical research or learning more about local history.
This can be applied to researching in any area, not just our own
local area. In addition he will cover the ins and outs of
interlibrary loan.
10:30
am-10:45 am: Break and refreshments.
“Archival Power: Demonstrating the Importance of Primary Sources to Stakeholders and the Public”
10:45
am-11:45 am: Dulce
Kersting-Lark will discuss how working
with original source materials is a privilege, but it is also a
complex challenge. The nature of archives makes them both
authoritative and flawed. Creating a community repository in a border
town is just one of many challenges that we must make our users aware
of from the get-go. How we promote the value of primary source
material to the broader public is another. She will also speak to the
interesting and rewarding work she does at Latah County Historical
Society, as well as share information about the History Relevance
Campaign.
If you have
any questions or need more information contact WCGS President, Sue
Kreikemeier at:
aerocraft@completebbs.com
or 509-635-1303. Please
RSVP to Sue or whitmancgs@gmail.com
by
September 7 to accommodate handouts &
refreshments.
While
the seminar is free, donations are welcome at the door.
Directions:
Turn off Bishop
Boulevard onto Klemgard Ave., follow Klemgard Ave. up the hill and
turn left at the top. Do not go into the front entrance, but turn
right, continuing up the hill and turn left at the white car ports.
Find an appropriate parking place, enter the building through the
main doors and go straight ahead to the Social Room.
“Why don’t I recognize all those names on my DNA match list?” Half of your ancestry comes from women, yet we tend to focus our genealogical searches on men. No wonder those matches are mysterious!
Join
Barb Schrag here at the GFO Library on Saturday, August 17, at 2:00
p.m. for a fascinating talk focused on the comprehensive genealogy, of
all of the descendants of your third great grandparents. Not only will
you begin seeing the relationships, but you’ll be creating the genealogy that future generations can refer to and build on. Barb is a member of the GFO as well as the Clark County Genealogical Society and has given numerous presentations for both organizations. As always, GenTalks are free and open to the public, so, member or not, check out our Calendar page and come spend an hour or so with us!
The 2019 GFO Fall Seminar,
featuring Fritz Jeungling, Ph.D., AG, will be an exceptional
educational opportunity that we are exited to be bringing to our
membership and the community at large. Dr.
Juengling is an Accredited Genealogist® (through the International
Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists) for
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden, and he is certified by
the Verband deutschsprachiger Berufsgenealogen. He is also a German,
Dutch, and Scandinavian Research Consultant at the Family History
Library in Salt Lake City. The
full-day session on Saturday, October 5th, will be held at the Center
for Self Enhancement (3920 N. Kerby Ave., Portland) and will focus on
German Research, while the half-day presentation at the GFO Library on
Sunday, October 6th, will provide an introduction to Dutch research.
Download the flyer for full details. Mark your calendar, spread the word, and register early!
On
Tuesday, August 20, join Laurel Smith for a full day of beginning
genealogy from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the GFO Library. There will be
sessions about the census, vital records, discussions about genealogy
software and database use, organizing your research, using Ancestry.com,
and more — all geared toward beginners — but basic computer skills are a
prerequisite. All
communications are done via email, and you must be able to download and
print the class notes. Bring a sack lunch, snacks, and a beverage so
you can keep going as the class does. Registration closes on August 16. GFO members may attend for free, non-members $20.
The LDS Stake in Boring, Oregon, donated 15 boxes of books to the GFO this week. We’d
like to thank the Mount Hood Family History Center for a sizable
donation this week. The LDS Stake brought us 15 boxes of books.
Apparently they’re scanning as much as they can and discarding the
physical copies. The
GFO welcomes donations like these. Our collections committee reviews
the genealogical value of all donations. Those that meet our criteria
will join the shelves. This
is a good time to remind you how we differ from historical societies.
We don’t park donations in a back room. Museums often have more than
they can display at once. The GFO operates an active research library. Our goal is to get all our holdings out in the library so you’ll have access to everything. Of course, since we’re all-volunteer, it takes time to process all our donations. But once they’re sorted, cataloged and labeled, you will find them!
Don’t Forget, We’re Cool!
How do I love thee, GFO?
Let me count the ways. Air conditioning, air conditioning, air conditioning.
Another great reason to visit our research library this summer!
Does Your Family Have a Story About Women Fighting to Vote?
Photo: Library of Congress Next
year marks the 100th anniversary of a watershed year in women’s rights
in the U.S. On August 18, 1920, Congress ratified the 19th amendment to
the U.S. constitution, finally giving women a right to vote. Did your ancestors play a role in the suffrage movement? Did any of your ancestors fight against giving women a voice? We’d like to hear from you. The Bulletin would like to publish stories next year about suffrage and we’d welcome your submissions. Please contact bulletin@gfo.org.
HOST THOMAS ALLEN HARRIS IN DETROIT WITH PAUL WASSERMAN Digital Diaspora Family Reunion LLC
There’s a good chance you have saved family photos. Do you know the stories behind the relatives pictured? Here’s
a program on PBS you might find interesting. Family Pictures, USA is a
new PBS series exploring American cities, towns and rural communities
through the lens of the family photo album. “Family
photos of everyday milestones — marriage, childhood, a new car, a
growing business — provide a visual portal through which to examine the
roots, surprising connections and provocative parallels that shed light
on our collective past and our shared future.” It airs on OPB Tuesday, August 13 at 8 p.m. Watch the trailer here.
Did you know that the GFO holds 170 original Oregon Masonic Lodge books? They contain the Mason’s proceedings of their annual conventions from 1851 to 1998. If one of your ancestors served in this fraternal organization, their names may well appear in one of these many compilations.
The
Masons diligently tracked and published the names of people who joined,
left, and died. Sometimes elaborate memorial tributes appeared for
certain members. These Masonic books are in the rare books section of the GFO Library. Ask an RA to show you. We
have indexed the following information contained in the proceedings: a
biography, a portrait/phototype, the death of a member since the last
convention, and memorial plates. A member’s name may have variations
within the same book and have been noted.
Survey Results: Extreme Cold and Winter Weather
The survey results are in. Blizzards won out as the most reported cold weather disaster with 48%. Here are a few of the comments.
▪ Two
little girls, Eda and Mathilda Westphalen, died on 12 January 1888 on
their way home from school during an unexpected snowstorm in Dodge
County, Nebraska. They have a large cemetery monument erected after
children collected money to remember the sisters. Thirteen-year-old Eda
had wrapped her own coat around her eight-year-old sister to no avail.
The local paper published a poem. ▪ My grandfather went bankrupt when he lost an entire herd of cattle in a blizzard. ▪ My
4G-grandmother, Marie Dorion, escaped the war party of Indians who
killed her husband and some other members of the Hunt expedition on the
Snake River in 1813. She took her two young boys into the Blue Mts.,
built a snow cave and smoked horse meat to survive. They crawled down
the mountains and were taken in by friendly Walla Wallas two months
later. ▪ My
great-great-grandfather died of complications from pneumonia in 1884.
He was called to jury duty in Marion County in February when it was very
cold and there was deep snow. He developed a severe cold in the first
week. Rather than seeking an excuse, he continued to serve and developed
severe pneumonia which led to his death in March. He was only 59 years
old.
New Survey: Hot as Blue Blazes
We
continue our theme of disastrous events and how they affected our
ancestors. This week, we’re inquiring about hot weather and drought.
Sunday, August 11th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there. Tuesday, August 13th GFO Board Meeting 6:10 – 8:10 p.m. Wednesday, August 14th Open Late to 8:00 p.m.
Join us as we welcome our member, Sue Foster, as a new instructor. Sue will speak on 2 subjects: 1) Meyer’s Orts- und Verkehrs- Lexicon includes all place names as they were designated during the time of the German Empire (1871-1918). She will discuss the online version, importance in locating the place where vital records were recorded and the locations of the microfilmed/digitized records of the Family History Library based on this Gazeteer. She will also discuss 2) a FREE German website, which translates to English, and its 2 divided sections: a] information, history, links to regional family history groups and repositories, and b] family trees submitted by researchers.
$20.00 members / $25.00 non-members
Wednesday, August 28th, 1-3p.m. Janet Camarata’s topic for this month is: Discover County Histories and the Family Stories They Tell
The town, county, and regional histories are important sources for genealogists for 18th and 19th-century research. Discover settlement patterns of a given area, origins of the early settlers, geography, religion, economics, education, the social conditions and major events of the times, and if lucky, a biographical sketch of your ancestor. Learn what’s been written, where to find them and how to assess their value. $20.00 members / $25.00 non-members All of our classes are held in the Library classroom. To reserve a spot for either class, please call: 253-863-1806 or stop by HQRL and we will add you to the list of attendees. If you find you cannot attend the reserved spot, please let us know so that we can make room for others.
The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) meeting
When: Friday, September 6, 2019, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm
(Doors open at 12:15 pm for networking)
Where: Primary Room of the Latter-day Saints Church
10675 NE 20th St, Bellevue, WA 98004.
Topic: Genealogical Benefits of Facebook – Facebook can provide expertise, knowledge, and genealogical assistance on many facets to support your research. We will explore those benefits and demonstrate how to find the right pages or groups for your specific area of interest, and how to effectively access and search within groups, pages and your saved posts. Many of the examples address researching Germans from Russia.
Presenter: Marilyn Mullins Schunke – As a graduate of University of
Washington’s Genealogy & Family History Certificate Program, Marilyn
volunteered at Heritage Quest Research Library as a Board member,
Education Coordinator and Volunteer Librarian. Technology is her forte
and she presented Windows 10 and Digital Organization classes. She is a
member of several local, state and national genealogy organizations.
Marilyn will be presenting this same program at Concordia University’s
Center for Volga German Studies in November.
Visitors are always welcome at our meetings. For more information about our Group, kindly visit our website at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/ .
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