Author Archives: Roxanne Lowe

NWGC Starts Wednesday

by Roxanne Lowe

It’s not too late to register for one of the premier conferences in the region! The Northwest Genealogy Conference opens on Wednesday, Aug. 15.

Here’s some of what’s in store:

Wednesday, August 15:

  • FREE Beginning Genealogy Class starts at 1:00 p.m. Amie Bowser Tennant will help beginners (and not-so-beginners) learn how to get started (or restarted). If you plan to attend, but forgot haven’t registered, please register here. The class is free, but organizers need a count to insure there are enough materials.
  • Meet & Greet Taco Bar from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.  at the Gleneagle Golf Club. Available for full conference attendees. Registration is $5. No host bar available. If you plan to attend but forgot to register, please go to www.nwgc.org to register.

Thursday, August 16:

  • Registration opens bright and early at 7:30 a.m. at the Byrnes Performing Arts Center, 18821 Crown Ridge Blvd., Arlington. The conference organizers have been hard at work for months and months to ensure you have a great time.
  • A full day of classes, including three keynote sessions with CeCe Moore. WSGS will also be holding a society management class in Room 113 during the lunch period. Come listen to WSGS Vice President Donna Potter Phillips talk about “How to Lasso a Good Speaker” for your society meetings.
  • Vendors and Information Tables. Make sure you visit the vendors and informational tables in the common area and classrooms.
  • A Night on the Town in downtown Arlington. Fifteen local businesses will stay open until 8:00 p.m. to allow conference attendees to browse and shop. Many shops will have appetizers and door prizes.

Friday, August 17:

  • A full day of classes, including three keynote sessions with Peggy Lauritzen. Also, Ginny Majewski, WSGS President, will conduct a class called “So, Now You’ve Been Elected” for society society officers and members. The class will be in Room 113 during the lunch period.
  • Dress as Your Ancestor Day. Rent/buy/make a costume to honor an ancestor or your heritage. Every year more attendees are taking part in this fun activity. There are consignment shops downtown Arlington that have costumes also.
  • Conference Banquet with CeCe Moore. Listen to CeCe talk about making history with genetic genealogy. The banquet requires pre-registration and, at last report, was almost sold out. No tickets will be sold at the door. If there’s still room, you can register here.

Saturday, August 18:

  • Our last full day of classes, learning, shopping and networking. Beth Foulk will be the keynote speaker for two sessions.
  • Heirloom Jewelry. Is it trash or is it treasure? Bring some of your heirloom jewelry items with you and find out. We will offer FREE expert analysis on Saturday during lunch. Sign-up at the Info Desk anytime during the conference to reserve your time…limit of 3-4 pieces please.

Don’t miss this conference! You can register for all three days, just one or even at the door. Click here for more information.

Grays Harbor Fire Update

by Roxanne Lowe

The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society is rising from the ashes after the total loss of their research library in a raging fire on June 9, 2018. The 3-alarm fire at the Aberdeen Armory also destroyed most of the Aberdeen Museum of History, Coastal Community Action and Aberdeen Senior Center. Occupants are still unable to get inside the building according to the Daily World newspaper update on July 27, 2018.

In the meantime, GHGS is moving ahead, thanks in large part to the generosity of many individuals, organizations and genealogical societies. The Hoquiam Library has offered a temporary space to set up shop. With funds collected from the Go Fund Me campaign and donations directly to GHGS, a copy machine and computer have been purchased and installed. Members are hoping to purchase a second computer, printer, office furniture and office supplies soon.

Two fundraising events benefiting the society have been organized. The American Legion Post 5 (Aberdeen) is sponsoring two bingo sessions and a raffle on Saturday, August 11. All proceeds from the bingo sessions, food and raffle will go directly to GHGS. A second fundraiser will be a workshop with Portland-area genealogist Pam Vestal on Saturday, October 13. Ms. Vestal reached out and generously offered to donate her time and talent at a three-session workshop. More information will be forthcoming.

For more information about the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society, the fire or the research library, contact GHGS President Gary Parfitt.

Northwest Genealogy Conference Still Has Room for You

by Roxanne Lowe

Are you looking for a genealogical learning experience on par with the big national conferences, but with a more intimate setting and personal feel? If so, the Northwest Genealogy Conference is the conference for you! The conference is August 15 – 19, 2018, at the Byrnes Performing Art Center in Arlington, Washington — and still has spots open. To register, click here.

Like the national conferences, there are nationally known speakers on a wide range of topics. This year’s keynote speakers, Ce Ce Moore, Beth Foulk and Peggy Lauritzen, are well known in genealogical circles. In fact, you’ve likely heard about Ce Ce in the news lately. She’s garnered national attention for the DNA assistance she provided to law enforcement which led to arrests in several murder cold cases.

For the beginning genealogist (and those needing a “refresher”), there will be a free class on Wednesday, the 15th, and for the more serious, there are additional in-depth workshops offered that day.

Unlike the big conferences, NWGC offers a much more intimate and personal setting with much less walking. Along with the great education that you will receive, there are also fun activities such as “Dress as Your Ancestor Day,” the cousin match board, door prizes and more.

See www.nwgc.org for more information and to register. See you there!

Blog Banner Photos Wanted

by Roxanne Lowe

Have you noticed the Blog banner changes every time you visit? The photos are submitted by readers like you. We’re always looking for scenic photos of our beautiful state for the rotating photo gallery on the blog banner.

Hay there! Photo taken along Highway 108 between Shelton and McCleary by Roxanne Lowe.

The current batch of pictures were taken by Donna Potter Phillips from Spokane and Roxanne Lowe from McCleary.

Guidelines for the photos are few:
•Landscapes, landmarks, and scenery photos are preferred. If, however, you have a perfect photo that includes people, please obtain their permission to post the photo.
•Photo must have been taken in Washington State (this is the Washington State Genealogical Society blog, after all!).
•Photo will be cropped to 1100 x 250 pixels, so keep that in mind. If in doubt, send it to us & we’ll figure it out.
•You may submit as many photos as you want.
•Final decisions on suitable photos will be made by the awesome WSGS Blog Team.
•There’s no prize if your photo is chosen – just the satisfaction that your photo is being showcased on a blog viewed by hundreds of enthusiastic genealogists.
•There’s no firm deadline to submit photos, just keep ‘em coming. We want to rotate lots of photos to keep the blog fresh.

To submit your photo, please email the image (jpg only, please); what, where, when, and by whom the photo was taken to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org.

Got questions? Email the blog team at WSGSBlog@wasgs.org.

Grays Harbor Fire Update

by Roxanne Lowe

Members of the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society, a hearty bunch for sure, are picking themselves up by their boot straps and putting together a plan to restore their Research Library. The library was destroyed in a 3-alarm fire on Saturday, June 9, 2018. Besides the research library, the fire at the Aberdeen Amory also devastated the Aberdeen Museum of History, Coastal Community Action and the Aberdeen Senior Center. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Click here for next day news coverage by the Aberdeen Daily World.

A temporary location at the Hoquiam Regional Library has been secured. Under the leadership of GHGS President Gary Parfitt and a small committee (of a small society), plans are being made to purchase everything from computers and a copier to pencils and paper clips. Generous financial donations from local genealogical societies and individuals from around the state have been humbly accepted. In addition, many societies have offered donations of Grays Harbor-related books and family researches. GHGS is particularly interested in early Polk Directories, telephone books, obituaries, funeral records, identified photographs or family histories (with ties to Grays Harbor or Chehalis Counties). Anyone with materials to donate or reproduce can contact Gary Parfitt at gjparfitt@msn.com. Financial donations can be sent to the society’s Research Library Go Fund Me page or directly to the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 916, Aberdeen, WA 98520.

A personal message to all: We are so thankful for the generosity of so many — some known to us, others strangers. We would never want this catastrophe to happen to any individual or society, but if it did, we hope you would experience the kindnesses we have. Sincerely, Roxanne Lowe, Proud member of the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society

Don’t Dilly Dally to Get Your NWGC Banquet Ticket

by Roxanne Lowe

If you’re planning to attend the Northwest Genealogy Conference, you won’t want to miss CeCe Moore’s presentation “Making History with Genetic Genealogy” at the banquet on Friday, Aug. 17.  You MUST purchase your banquet ticket in advance and it’s nearing capacity! Tickets will not be sold at the door.

CeCe will be talking about a very timely subject: “Making History with Genetic Genealogy.” Recent strides in technology have enabled genetic genealogy to play a leading role in both rewriting and making history, and CeCe has been along for the ride.

Get yourself registered for the conference and don’t forget that banquet ticket!

Celebrating Your Outstanding Volunteer

by Roxanne Lowe

WSGS Regional Rep Janet McKinnon presented Lawrence Clay his Outstanding Volunteer certificate while Jim Macica, Tri City Genealogical Society President looked on

Thirty local genealogical society members were honored as Outstanding Volunteers at the WSGS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Washington, on 26 May 2018. Each of these individuals and teams was nominated by their local society for the award, and many societies extend the honor with a special presentation and/or announcement. We encourage you to celebrate your nominee’s accomplishments and contributions through a press release, social media posting, newsletter article or presentation at a meeting. Celebrate their volunteerism!

A cumulative list of all the outstanding volunteers since 2003 is available here.

How to Post Your Event and News

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? Just send it to the WSGS Blog and WSGS Meetings and Events! You can reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state. Just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and WebManager@wasgs.org  and we’ll do the rest!

We’re always looking to publicize local events and workshops, feature stories, updates from your society, and other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers and viewers.

We hope to hear from you soon! And don’t forget to encourage your Society members to subscribe to the Blog for the most up-to-date information from around the state.

You may manage your subscription options from your profile.

Five Societies Earn Innovative Grants

by Roxanne Lowe

In an announcement made at the WSGS Annual Meeting on 26 May 2018 in Vancouver, five local societies were  awarded Innovative Grants for special projects and purchases. The grants, up to $100, are designed to support the inventive and creative efforts of WSGS-member societies and organizations. Each society’s proposal was scored and ranked by a review team.

2018 Innovative Grants were awarded to:

  1. Eastside Genealogical Society to help pay for “The Photo Detective” Maureen Taylor workshop to celebrate the society’s 40th birthday. Ms. Taylor will present “Finding Family History in Your Picture Mysteries” on September 15 in Bellevue. Society members will get to attend for free while the public will pay a small fee. For more information about this workshop, click here.
  2. Lower Columbia Genealogical Society to purchase genealogical books to donate to the Longview Public Library for public use. Lower Columbia has generously donated books for a number of years, using money from membership dues and their coffee stops.
  3. Okanogan Genealogical Society to help purchase supplies to repair and preserve books holding the “Tonasket Times” newspaper from 1913 – 1952. Each book uses an entire roll of special archival document repair tape. This grant will buy a few rolls of tape to stop the destruction of the collection.
  4. Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society to help publish a book on “Early Stillaguamish Valley Schools” in the Arlington Area. It’s taken years to gather historical documents and photographs for this project from the 1800s to the early 1940s and now they’re ready to publish.
  5. Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society For the 4th consecutive year, WAGS has applied for an Innovative Grant to promote genealogy in their area. This year, they’re focusing on the digital preservation of family records, library holdings and archival documents. They plan to preserve family histories and archival materials of their society, its members and the community.

The Innovative Grant program was started in 2015 to support the inventive and creative efforts of local societies and organizations. When created, Recognition Chair Roxanne Lowe explained, “We know that local societies can do a lot with very little, so we’re hoping the Innovative Grant Program will be what you need to jump-start a project that has been dreamed about for some time.”

Olympia and Clark County Earn Top Honors

by Roxanne Lowe

The Olympia Genealogical Society and Clark County Genealogical Society earned outstanding society awards at the WSGS Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on May 26 in Vancouver.

WSGS President Virginia Majewski presented the Outstanding Project Award to CCGS President Brian Runyan and member Lois Bosland.

The Clark County Genealogical Society, in addition to being the excellent hosts of the Awards Ceremony, were the recipients of the Outstanding Project Award for their Tax Ledger Project which included digitizing, transcribing and indexing original 1886 and 1891 tax ledgers for the City of Vancouver. As we all know, those are critical years for any family history researcher in lieu of the 1890 census disaster. The tax records included who owned property in Vancouver and how much tax was owed and paid (or not). The Clark County Society consulted with the State Archives, Clark County Historical Museum, History Department at WSU Vancouver and the WSU Library – a true collaborative effort. This treasure trove of information is now available to the public and the original records are being turned over to the State Archives.

OGS members Dee Dee Simpson, Dick Moody, Nancy Cordell, seminar speaker David Allen Lambert, and Roger Newman celebrating their accomplishments

Olympia Gen Soc earned the Outstanding Communication Award for their new website. For 20 years, they used a popular web host that is currently unavailable. Understanding the importance and urgency of getting information out to their members and the public in this web-based world, they created a new website, using a web development company that specializes in genealogical societies (EasyNetSites — same as WSGS). Olympia’s site is attractive – and even better, it’s full of current information. Check out their website here. They also use their Facebook page to regularly post informational tidbits, newsy articles and promote their meetings and seminar.

Besides the Outstanding Communication Award, Olympia’s Ann Olsen was awarded the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement while Rebel Romero received an Outstanding Volunteer award.