We Made Our Fundraising Goal! We can’t thank you enough. The GFO needed big support, and you came through! We needed to raise $25,000, and you made it happen before the turn of the new year. Our costs continue to rise yet member dues cover only 24% of our budget. Donations literally make the difference in whether we can keep going. Thank you! Preserving and Sharing Heritage since 1946.
We Got the Gold!
We are pleased to report that the GFO has now achieved the Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. We
are committed to transparency. By adding information about our goals,
strategies, capabilities, achievements, and progress indicators, we are
highlighting the difference we help to make in the world.
Mac Users Learn Your Apple Apps
The Portland Macintosh Users Group
is excited to meet at the Genealogical Forum of Oregon LIbrary. Join us
on Wednesday, January 9, 2019. The class will be about the trio of
applications (Pages, Numbers, & Keynote) which are included on all
current Apple operating systems. This class is FREE for PMUG members and GFO members who use Macintosh computers. • Learn how to use Apple’s free apps for creating written documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• The Pages App is an easy-to- use word processor and comes with
great-looking templates for creating business cards, flyers and
newsletters. • Use the Numbers App to manage your information and perform automatic numeric calculations. • The Keynote App makes beautiful slideshows and many other kinds of presentations. • These apps also make it easy to export and share with others who use the Microsoft Office family of applications. To register: Call 503-228-1779 or email: college@pmug.org.
Would
you like to attend a DNA Genealogy conference without the expense of
travel? Family History Fanatics are offering a full-day Winter DNA
eConference available online, including Tim Janzen, a familiar speaker
at our GFO DNA Special Interest Groups. You’ll
SEE the difference in this conference as your presenters will open the
live chat throughout their sessions and turn on their cameras. Register by Jan. 18th for a discount.
Strike it Rich with Connections 2 Discoveries
The 2019 International German Genealogy Conference is a unique three-day event June 15-17 in Sacramento. Discounted conference registration ends in two weeks, after January 15, 2019. Details on the conference, online registration, and hotel accommodations are on the International German Genealogy Partnership website. An
all-star cast of presenters from the United States, Germany, Austria,
Australia, Israel, and Brazil will share their expertise in German
genealogical research techniques, tools and more. This
conference is hosted by the Sacramento German Genealogy Society (SGGS)
and supported by a consortium of Germanic Genealogy Societies across the
Golden State. The International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP)
comprises more than 100 organizations around the world. IGGP’s mission
is “… to facilitate German genealogy research globally as the
internationally-recognized federation of German genealogy
organizations.”
A “living” German Guidebook
Here’s a great resource for German research. Under
the title “Woher stammt meine Familie?” (English: Where does my family
come from?) the Foundation Flucht, Vertreibung, Versöhnung in Berlin has
published a German language PDF document as a guide to research that
can be downloaded at their website. This
“living” guidebook is in German, but it provides so many links to
online sources, hints, current addresses, and so on—it should be on
people’s radar. While the focus is on Germans displaced in the 1940s,
the archives and resources provided may be useful to many.
SATURDAY, January 5th Virginia Group 10 a.m. – noon Land Records – Part II For
this session, we will focus on deeds records and the benefits of using
them for genealogy. We will discuss the types of deeds and the language
of deeds. Over time, laws were enacted pertaining to real property and
inheritance; knowing about those laws will help to interpret the deeds
we find. We will discuss the value of using land records, and have many
examples of how to use them for your research. For more information see
our blog: “Virginia Roots and Vines”. Research
in Virginia can be difficult, with the complication of burned counties,
as well as the ordinary difficulties of using historical documents. But
it is not impossible. We discuss the history of Virginia and explore
various methods to do sound genealogy research. We hope to foster
collaboration among our many Virginia researchers and work on our varied
research problems, our brick walls, together. Each month we will have a
discussion or presentation on a topic related to our research. There
will also be time each meeting for discussion, suggestions, and perhaps
research on individual research. We’ll also explore the settlement of
Kentucky, the Carolinas and Tennessee. Facilitators: Judi Scott and
Carol Surrency can be reached at Virginia@gfo.org. German Group 1 – 3 p.m. Topic: #1. Lew Ebner has a wonderful German video to show us along the Rhine River.
Topic #2. It’s a new year. Think of one place you are researching, and
let’s all help each other fill in the pieces or at least a piece of the
puzzle. Hoffentlich! / Hopefully! The
German Interest Group was formed in the spring of 2011. It is intended
to be a source of information and inspiration for anyone with German
speaking ancestors. One goal is to provide information on a variety of
topics related to Germanic history and migration. We also will provide
time for members to share their research journeys and connect with
others who may be researching the same region or time period. The group
meets at the GFO Library on the 1st Saturday of every month. Questions?
Email the group facilitators at German@gfo.org. SUNDAY, January 6th Manuscripts Work Party 9 a.m. – noon Explore
our manuscript, personal papers, and Bible collection while we
organize, scan, and create finding aids. Drop by at the time that works
for you. Questions? Send a note to manuscripts@gfo.org. MONDAY, January 7th Free First Monday! 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Come
visit our research library each first Monday of every month and splurge
on all GFO’s wonderful resources for FREE. Explore our online databases
like Fold3, Ancestry World Library Edition, Newspapers.com, and many
more. Our analog and microfilm collections total some 49,000 items.
Don’t miss out! TUESDAY, January 8th Beginners’ Boot Camp 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Registration is now closed.) Laurel
Smith leads 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. WEDNESDAY, January 9th PMUG College 6 – 8 p.m. Apple Apps: Pages, Numbers & Keynote See all the details above for this week’s class! To register: Call 503-228-1779 or email: college@pmug.org. Bring
your Mac to participate with instruction. If you would like additional
information for attending this class, please email us at college@pmug.org. (Note, updates may be sent for interruption of services due to weather, etc.)
Whatcom Genealogical Society will host a Spring
Seminar on Saturday, March 16, 2019. The guest speaker will be Cyndi
Ingle of Cyndi’s List fame. Please put this on your calendar as you
won’t want to miss it. Details coming soon. Contact: caharris1162@yahoo.com
As we begin the new year, Please join us for a shared presentation by Paul Galli, plat map expert with Cowlitz county, together with Joseph Govednik, director of the Cowlitz county museum.
They
will help us learn the creation and function of plat maps over the
years, which
can help us
locate
our ancestors in ways many of us were unaware.
TIP OF THE WEEK – 13,200+ GENEALOGY LINKS ON FACEBOOK Katherine
R Willson, professional genealogist, has done for genealogy related
pages and groups on Facebook what Cyndi Ingle, of the renowned Cyndi’s List,
has done for genealogy resources on the Internet. She compiled them
into a searchable, clickable, comprehensive, very useful list.
Last
updated in November 2018, Katherine’s list, “Genealogy on Facebook”, is
351 pages, contains 13,200+ Facebook genealogy links. The first 11
pages is a Table of Contents organized by geographical categories
(states, countries, regions) and non-geographical categories (adoption,
lineage societies, ethnicity, military conflicts, etc). One group named
“Associated Daughters of Early American Witches”, in the category of
lineage societies, certainly piqued my interest.
Why join a Facebook genealogy related group?
A
Facebook group is a place where people with common interests (for
example-genealogy research in Allegan County, MI) can go to communicate,
share ideas, and ask questions. You are more likely to solve your
Allegan County brick wall by networking with genealogists actually in
Allegan County.
Our Seattle Genealogical Society Networking Group
recently accepted a new member from Norway. He was trying to find
descendants of his great-grandfather who immigrated to Seattle from
Norway. The family in Norway lost contact with the Seattle family more
than 30 years ago. Within the day, several group members came up with
data, including obituaries, to help him, and he was able to establish
contact with his US cousins.
Here’s the link to Katherine’s
list, “Genealogy on Facebook”. See what groups might be of interest and
help to you. Also, which groups might you help? As genealogists we love
to dig in to help a fellow genealogist solve their mystery; it’s just
in our DNA.
LORI LEE SAUBER, VOLUNTEER OF FALL QUARTER Each quarter, the Seattle Genealogical Society recognizes one volunteer as our Volunteer of the Quarter. Our Volunteer of the Fall Quarter is Lori Lee Sauber.
Ms. Sauber joined SGS about two years ago. She had recently launched her business, LSquared Innovations, and was searching for a “home” genealogical society. Impressed with the programs SGS offers, she joined. She enjoys attending our seminars, workshops, and classes; especially our Second Saturday Speaker Series. Lori Lee also attends other regional, local, and national genealogy conferences, to soak up knowledge, as well as sell her product, the L2 Scrollio. Her Scrollio is a clever, retractable & editable, scrolling family tree.
We thank Lori Lee for her contribution to the success of our Fall Seminar with Cyndi Ingle. Sandra Stark, SGS Seminar Chair, had a conflict for the Fall seminar. She asked Lori Lee to take over in her absence. Sandra did the preliminary planning then handed the reins to Lori Lee. Both Lori Lee and Sandra did such a spectacular job – it went seamlessly.
What does it take to plan and manage one of our seminars? The tasks are too numerous to list here, but include communicating with the seminar speaker, the caterers, venue staff, volunteers, attendees and serving as the emcee for the event. Managing our seminars requires strong communication and logistical skills, while maintaining a calm and welcoming presence. Lori Lee enjoyed making the event flow. That Friday, she did not go home until she knew every detail was nailed down for the seminar on Saturday. At the seminar it was evident that not only does Lori Lee enjoy public speaking, she has a talent for it.
Lori Lee has been researching her own family for over 20 years and has helped many others with their research. All four of her grandparents’ lines first arrived in America prior to the Revolutionary War. Anyone with colonial roots knows the challenges and rewards in dealing with early American records. She is currently tracing her father’s matrilineal side. Her ancestors migrated as Puritans, then became Quakers in Massachusetts, and throughout the east coast. Her family was part of the 19th century westward Quaker migration into Indiana, Iowa and Kansas. By the late 1800’s, they had found their way to Idaho.
Prior to founding her company, Lori Lee’s background includes 35 years in the apparel industry. With her new business and genealogy, she has little time for any hobbies, but she does enjoy cooking and she volunteers as an usher at a performing arts theater.
Thank you so much, Lori Lee Sauber, for taking on that large volunteer role for the Fall Seminar. A COUPLE OF REMINDERS Karen Knudson, leader of the Scandinavian SIG that meets at SGS, wants to remind you that beginning in 2019 the SIG plans to meet quarterly instead of monthly. The first meeting of the year will be Sunday, January 13 from 1:00-3:00 pm. Then the second meeting of 2019 will be Sunday, April 14. Researching Scandinavian ancestors? This is the group for you.
Mary Kircher Roddy kicks off our 2019 Second Saturday Speaker Series with “Ins and Outs of Indexing” on Saturday, January 12, 2019, at 1:00 pm. Indexes for county records are the key to finding deeds, probates and more. As FamilySearch digitizes more and more records, it’s crucial to be familiar with different indexing systems and how to use them. The same skills are necessary for onsite courthouse and archive research. Learn about 15+ indexing systems. Discover strategies to use when you can’t find the index or instructions to use it.
SAVE THE DATE SGS JAPANESE GENEALOGY SEMINARwith Linda Harms Okazaki, Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA,February 2-3, 2019 Join the Seattle Genealogical Society and our partners for a weekend of learning how to research Japanese American ancestry. The program is free, but registration is required. Registration is now open. Register for SGS Japanese Genealogy Seminar
Saturday’s all-day program “Exploring Our Nikkei Genealogy” is geared toward entry level family historians who have friends or family with Japanese ancestry. A box lunch ($15.00) may be ordered in advance. Those who attend this session are invited to return Sunday afternoon, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, for “Ask a Genealogist”.
Sunday morning’s program “Japanese American Research for Genealogists”, is designed for intermediate and advanced researchers. Those who attend this session will volunteer their research skills on Sunday afternoon, helping Saturday’s registrants to get started on their family history journey by talking to an experienced researcher.
This seminar is funded through the generosity of the Heritage Grant program by 4Culture, the cultural services agency of King County.
SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather. The holiday closure in December is from December 21, 2018 through January 1, 2019. JANUARYSaturday, January 5, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Interest Group, Lou Daly is leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org
Wednesday, January 9, 7:00pm – 9:00pm, MAC SIG, Sponsored by SGS and Fiske, this group meets at the Fiske Genealogical Library in Madison Park. Meetings are open to the public and will address topics and resources helpful for those using MacIntosh (Apple) computers and the Reunion program in their genealogy research. $3.00 library use fee applies.
Saturday, January 12, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, (FTM) Family Tree Users Group, Reiley Kidd & Jess Ramey co-leaders, this group will begin meeting on the 2nd Saturday of every odd month (Jan 2019, Mar 2019, May 2019). Family Tree Maker is the genealogy software long associated with Ancestry.com
Saturday, January 12, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Second Saturday Speakers Series – “ Ins & Outs of Indexing” with Mary Kircher Roddy – for more info this program and the other Second Saturday Series programs coming up, see the featured article in this issue.
Sunday, January 13, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Scandinavian SIG with Karen Knudson, Researching Scandinavian ancestors? This is the group for you.
Saturday, January 19, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Irish SIG, Jean Roth, leader Saturday, January 19, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, German SIG, Jean Roth, leader
Saturday, January 26, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm, DNA SIG, this group meets quarterly at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115, co-chaired by Cary Bright & Herb McDaniel. For more info contact SGSDNASIG@gmail.com
Charles Hansen does indexing for SCRIBE and he’s thousands of entries ahead of me. He send me interesting names and bits from time to time. He spotted this name in the 1896 school census for Whatcom County: Gweirydd Morgan, age 14. Now that’s obviously a Welsh name and what’s really cool about this entry was that I could imagine the mother standing at the census taker’s elbow to ensure that he spelled her daughter’s name correctly.
Did you know there was a Welsh Society here in Washington? There is! Click to www.pugetsoundwelsh.org
Please join us in Burlington, USA for
a program by Eastern European
genealogy expert, Canadian journalist, genealogy author and lecturer —
Dave Obee.
Dave’s topic is “Germans from Russia” and he will discuss the
historical
context of this unique population in both Europe and North America. Dave
will
also illustrate this subject through a family case study. Feel free to
bring a genealogy
guest as the Skagit Valley Genealogical Societies meetings are free and
open to everyone who wishes to attend.
The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society will present its January general
meeting and program Saturday, January 5 at the library at 1901 S. 12th
Avenue in Union Gap. Snacks and good company will be provided and the
public is welcome. Jim Macica will present “Hunting for Ancestors in
Old Books.” Call 509-248-1328 for information.
We Need YOU to Help Us Reach Our Goal! The new year is just days away and the GFO needs your help! We are just $2094 away from reaching our year-end fundraising goal. The GFO asks for your financial support only once a year. Donations fuel our very operations. Member dues don’t come close to covering our budget. This once-a-year appeal for contributions makes all the difference in our being able to keep the library open every day. The
amount you spend to buy lunch out could make the difference. Even small
gifts help us tremendously when many people come together. You can make it happen! Please make your tax deductible donation to the GFO today! Thank you for your continued support. Preserving and Sharing Heritage since 1946.
The
Oregon State Regent for DAR, Rebecca Taylor, came into the GFO recently
to pick up some books that we were clearing from our shelves. She is
not a genealogist.
Rebecca told us of a book about her family, Lafollette, and that she had not been able to locate a copy anywhere. Just for fun, our Research Assistant on duty checked the GFO catalog and found L’histoire de la familie LaFollette en Amerique. This
was the exact book she was looking for! Rebecca was ecstatic, thrilled
to find the book and will be back one day soon to sit and browse through
it. Check our catalog. You may find your family on our shelves, too.
Own This Piece of History
During
our recent inventory, we discovered we had two books about a piece of
American history many have forgotten. On Dec. 30, 1903, fire swept
through the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago. More than 600 perished, making
it the deadliest fire in a single building in U.S. history. Since we don’t need two copies, we are selling “The Great Chicago Theater Disaster, The Complete Story Told by the Survivors.” If you know a theater or Chicago history buff, get this book for just $25. Contact booksales@gfo.org if you’d like to buy it. As
you can see from the photo above, the binding is damaged and has been
repaired but all the pages inside appear fine. This this 114-year-old
“Memorial Edition” was published in 1904. Don’t forget to check out all the hundreds of surplus historic books we have for sale online.
Deadline Soon to Register for Boot Camp
Our popular quarterly class is filling up! Registration closes January 3rd for Beginners’ Boot Camp on January 8th. Join Laurel Smith to learn how to get your research organized and the best techniques for finding family records. This is an all day lesson, even during lunch! Beginners’ Boot Camp is FREE for GFO members, $20 for non-members.
We’re all
volunteer. That means we don’t have to track payroll. But we do need to
track how many hours people contribute to keep the GFO running. If you volunteer during the month, please remember to tell us how many hours you generously give us. We’ve made it easy to report on this handy online form.
MONDAY, December 31 Library Closed TUESDAY, January 1 Library Closed WEDNESDAY, January 2 Learn & Chat 10 a.m. – noon Jan. 16. It will not meet next week. At Learn & Chat some of the learning comes from speakers with particular expertise but most of it comes from the sharing of experiences and knowledge of attendees who have developed methods that work for them. Join us to talk about your genealogy questions and help provide support to others. Facilitated by Jeanne Quan. DNA Q&A 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Lisa McCullough will be available to help answer your DNA questions, whether you are new and just getting started or have more involved questions. Questions? Email her ahead of time. Library Open late to 8 p.m.
I want to wish all our readers a Happy New Year, and hope you have a Wonderful New Year.
Charles Hansen Blogmaster
This is a copy of a postcard to my grandmother in Sebeka, Minnesota. I could not read the date on the postmark, but my grandparents moved to Columbus Montana in the summer of 1910. The postmark is from Columbus Montana and came from my grandmother’s first cousin Minerva Eddy. Minerva’s mom Abigail (Hellenbolt) Eddy also lived in Columbus Montana. My grandmother Anna (Dillingham) Hansen’s mother Eliza Minerva (Hellenbolt) Dillingham was a sister of Abigail. I always wondered why my grandparents left Minnesota and four other Hansen brothers to move to Montana. I was pretty sure it was not because it was warmer like my uncle Ralph Hansen wrote in his memoir. So my grandmother had family in Columbus Montana.
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