There’ve been lots of announcements, but we want to make sure you know:
FamilySearch has been working on an upgrade to their website to accommodate the ongoing growth of new features, such as hinting in the Family Tree. As a part of this process, FamilySearch.org will undergo a technical upgrade on Monday, June 27, starting at 12:00 a.m. MDT (6:00 a.m. UTC). The site may be unavailable for up to 24 hours as they test the system improvements.
For more information, visit FamilySearch.org.
Cyndi Ingle, Paula Stuart-Warren, Warren Fisk & D Becker
Paula played to a roomful of enthusiastic genealogists, ready to learn, apply and discover
Lots of networking and new resources to check out for more than 150 attendees
Can’t express enough superlatives about the 2016 WSGS Conference hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County GS! Kudos to Chair Warren Fisk, Moderator Cyndi Ingle, TPCGS President D Becker and the rest of the Planning Team — you really outdid yourselves!
And what about Paula Stuart Warren??!! She was professional, engaging, funny, informative…everything you’d wish for in a keynote speaker. At the end of the day, everyone left armed with inspiration and excitement to find that long-lost ancestor or explore a new resource. If you get another chance to hear Paula at a conference or workshop, don’t miss it — she doesn’t disappoint!
Sweet time!
Paula Stuart-Warren, WSGS VP Donna Potter Phillips and Cyndi Ingle
WSGS Conference Meet and Greet
The WSGS Conference, hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society, begins in less than an hour. If you’re on the fence about coming, just jump in your favorite mode of transportation and get to the La Quinta Inn, 1425 East 27th Street, Tacoma. Walk-in registration is available now!! Program starts at 9:00.
Last night about 50 of us enjoyed a couple hours (and yummy desserts!) in a Meet and Greet with Paula Stuart-Warren and Cyndi Ingle. Great relaxed way to learn more about these amazing leaders in genealogy. Check out Paula’s blog and Cyndi’s List!!
Have you ever wondered who’s behind the scenes of the WSGS Blog? The terrific trio of Charles Hansen, Roxanne Lowe and Donna Potter Phillips work together to bring you interesting articles, news and tidbits about genealogy and family history in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest. All three of them are at the WSGS Conference in Tacoma tomorrow (18 Jun 2016), so look for news and photos about what’s happening there.
WSGS Blog Team: Roxanne Lowe, Charles Hansen & Donna Potter Phillips
In the coming months, you’ll learn more about Charles, Roxanne and Donna, as well as the rest of the WSGS Board in a bi-weekly feature called “Meet the Board.”
In the meantime, if you’re looking to publicize your local event or workshop, have a feature story or update about your society, or other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers, just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and Charles, Roxanne and/or Donna will do the rest. The blog is a great way to reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state and beyond.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. Over the last few months, you were introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learned why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Today we’re introducing Mel and Marilyn Wright of Coupeville, Washington, who were nominated by the Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island (GSSWI). They were recognized for what makes a society great: dedication, reliability, generosity, and energy.
Marilyn and Mel Wright
For years, Mr. and Mrs. Wright, affectionately known as M & M, have been key members of the GSSWI, giving opinions, sharing ideas, and leading volunteer efforts, such as digitizing the society’s collection of obituaries, sponsoring interest groups on New England and New York, and organizing an annual trip to Salt Lake City.
Often the first to arrive and last to leave society meetings, this motivated twosome ensure everything is organized from beginning to end, including room organization, refreshments, audio-visual set-up, and even climbing onto waist-high window ledges to put up temporary rods and curtains to block the light.
Mr. and Mrs. Wright are experienced genealogists who keep up with continuing education and are glad to share their experience and resources with others. For these qualities and all they do for the GSSWI, they richly deserved being recipients of a 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.
You never know when genealogical serendipity will happen. For Judy Kalich, a member of the Lewis County Genealogical Society, it happened when a cousin connected her with a “new” third cousin, sometimes removed, Barbara Hargrave of San Francisco. Judy and Barbara discovered they shared their third great grandparents, Joseph and Mary Pettett, both born in Kent in the 1780’s.
Joseph and Mary Pettett
Judy Kalich’s photo of Amy Anne Honeysett who married Albert Pettett in 1853.
Last summer, Barbara went to Scotland, Ireland and England searching for her Pettett ancestors. In Kent, England, not only did she find the family home and family graves, she helped break through a brick wall for the current resident of Joseph and Mary’s home in Stilebridge who had been researching the history of the historic tenanted home with an oast house. The fascinating twists and turns of Joseph and Mary’s son Herbert (aka Albert) were featured in a BBC issue of Who Do You Think You Are? magazine (April 2016). Hint: Always leave open the possibility that the name you’re born with isn’t the one in archival records.
Back to our Lewis County connection: Through her careful research, Judy already had Joseph and Mary Pettett in her family tree, as well as a picture of the house in Stilebridge. What she also had, that Barbara didn’t have, was a priceless picture of Amy Anne Honeysett, who married Herbert (aka Albert) in 1853. The photo was featured in the BBC article, putting a face to the story of the cousins’ ancestors.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the next month, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Today we’re introducing Janice Weihs of Tacoma, Washington, who was nominated by the Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society (TPCGS). She was recognized for her dedicated and committed volunteer efforts. Janice’s husband Frank was an Outstanding Volunteer from TPCGS in 2010.
Janice Weihs with husband Frank
Mrs. Weihs has been a member of TPCGS since at least 1994. She initiated the society’s newsletter in 2006, and continued to serve as editor until the fall of 2014. She also began serving on the library committee in 2010. While on the library committee, she consulted with the staff of the Tacoma Public Library to determine what resources would best augment the library’s genealogy collection. She then purchased the resources from funds donated by society members. Mrs. Weihs also helped with extracting the 1892 Pierce County Auditor’s Census and the Tacoma and Pierce County death records from 1884 to 1907.
Although their active participation has become limited in the past few years due to health issues, Mr. and Mrs. Weihs have continued to support the society. The couple was recently named lifetime members of TPCGS.
Mrs. Weihs is a valued and hard-working member of the TPCGS, and illustrates that she richly deserved being a recipient of a 2015 WSGS Outstanding
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.
You don’t want to miss it, so register NOW — before June 11 — for the Washington State Genealogical Society Conference on June 18, 2016. The conference’s featured speaker is Paula Stuart-Warren, GG, FMGS, FUGA. Presentations include:
Paula Stuart Warren
Want to spread the word about your society’s program, workshop, seminar or training class?
It’s easy to have your event posted on the WSGS Events Page and Blog. Just send an email to webmanager@wasgs.org (website) and WSGSBlog@wasgs.org (blog) with the details (who, what, where & when) and/or flyer. As if by magic, information about your event will be posted for all to see. The website and blog are great ways to maximize exposure to your target audience.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the next month, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Today we’re introducing Larry Taylor of Arlington, Washington, who was nominated by the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). He was recognized for his commitment and dedication to memorializing final disposition information of those no longer with us.
Larry Taylor
Mr. Taylor has worked tirelessly for three years to photograph, document and add Snohomish County memorials to the Find a Grave website. He has, coordinating with more than a dozen volunteers, photographed and uploaded over 100,000 photos – 32,000 by Mr. Taylor alone. As a result of these intensive efforts, people worldwide can access information about their loved ones via the Internet.
Now that Snohomish County memorials are complete, Mr. Taylor is leading an effort to find, identify and mark the 10,000 graves without formal headstones that are throughout the county.
People like Mr. Taylor make finding our history easier. He is an appreciated and diligent member of the SVGS, and illustrates that he richly deserved being a recipient of a 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.