Author Archives: Roxanne Lowe

Diane Ulrich Partington Named Outstanding Volunteer in 2015

by Roxanne Lowe

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 coming months, 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 Diane Ulrich Partington of Mount Vernon, Washington, who was nominated by the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). She was recognized for her ardent commitment to researching genealogical queries.

Diane Partington

Diane Partington

Ms. Partington is SVGS’s resident researcher. She spends countless hours researching information for people from all over the world. She gathers obituaries and funeral home records, as well as Skagit County birth and death records. She does courthouse genealogical research and frequently makes visits to county cemeteries to locate and photograph headstones.

In addition to local research, Ms. Partington frequently assists other communities in the preservation of cemetery records for the development of research databases. She has been instrumental in maintaining SVGS’s collection of records from local funeral homes and collecting and preserving obituaries from local newspapers.

Ms. Partington is a valued and dynamic member of the SVGS. Her qualities illustrate that she 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.

Serendipity

by Roxanne Lowe

Blogger’s note: Donna’s still on vacation, but was organized enough to pass along her “valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for” (definition of serendipity). Enjoy!

In this edition of Serendipity:

  • Downloaded Books at Your Fingertips
  • Shutterfly Makes Life Easy
  • Real Photo Postcards
  • American Merchant Marines
  • Warm Fuzzy Advice from a Friend

Downloaded Books — I keep a folder on my computer desktop labeled “Downloaded Books.” This is not a folder of my Kindle books, my evening-reading books. This is a folder for books to study, for educational books. Most of these were free-to-download books; many come from Ancestry, FamilyTree, or from Thomas MacEntee. Many were from library sources. For instance, here are some of the titles in my folder:

  • All About Ancestry DNA
  • Ancestry Toolkit
  • 38 FamilySearch Tips
  • 84 Best Tips, Tricks & Tools from Lisa Louise Cooke
  • 23 Secrets to Organize Your Genealogy
  • MyHeritage Users’ Guide to Family Tree Builder
  • Free Online Educational Resources (MacEntee)
  • The Password Trick, A Foolproof System (MacEntee)

I also have the 100-page guide to hostas from Naylor Nursery, and the User’s Guide to my Canon camera. And The Battle of the Alamo, a free download book from the Texas State Historical Association.

The beauty of having a folder of downloaded books on your desktop is that (1) they take up no shelf space; (2) they are available at your fingertips; (3) they are FREE (for the most part).

Dick Eastman, in his Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter back in March 2014, said it this way:

You can download 83,947 genealogy books free of charge. You can keep a huge genealogy library in your own home. You don’t need to purchase bookcases or build an addition onto the house. You can keep the entire collection in your computer or even in a handheld Kindle, iPad, or similar device. Actually, you don’t have to keep a local copy at all as the entire collection is available online, and you can retrieve the books of interest at any time.

My point with all this is that you could do the same thing as I have….. set up a folder on your desktop, label it “Downloaded Books” (or some such), start adding books into this folder as you discover them, and then, most important of all, READ AND STUDY THOSE BOOKS

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Time Running Out to Register for Meet & Greet

by Roxanne Lowe

If you’re thinking you’d like to attend the WSGS Pre-Conference Meet and Greet with Paula Stuart-Warren (check out her blog!)  and Cyndi Ingle (creator of Cyndi’s List), you better get registered ASAP. The Friday night (17 Jun) Meet and Greet (which includes a dessert buffet) is limited to the first 50 registrants, $10 each, and as of 12 Apr, there were only 14 spots left!!! Pre-registration is required.

 

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Sylvia Nelson Named Outstanding Volunteer in 2015

by Roxanne Lowe

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 coming months, 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 Sylvia Nelson of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who was nominated by the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS). She was recognized for her outstanding efforts in supporting and promoting the society and its members.

Sylvia Nelson

Sylvia Nelson

Ms. Nelson has served for three consecutive terms as director of publicity and public relations. She is the manager of BIGS’s new member process and has authored communications welcoming new members to the society.

In addition to performing her regular public relations duties, Ms. Nelson has consistently identified opportunities for BIGS to be visible or present at special events and local seminars. She also serves as a mentor to other members and as a member of the technology committee.

Ms. Nelson has undertaken her responsibilities and others whenever a helping hand has been needed. She has been consistently willing to help whenever and wherever the society’s need has been greatest. Her selfless contributions prove that she 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.

CeCe Moore Dazzles Audience in Olympia

by Roxanne Lowe

Patty Olsen, CeCe Moore and Roger Newman

Educating (and entertaining) a roomful of enthusiasts, genetic genealogist extraordinaire CeCe Moore shared her expertise — and ability to explain — the complex world of genetic DNA at the Olympia Genealogical Society‘s annual Spring Seminar held on Saturday, April 9. Her topics included:

  • The Power of DNA: Genetic Genealogy Basics
  • I Have My Results, Now What?
  • Autosomal DNA and Chromosome Mapping: Discovering Your Ancestors in You
  • Who Am I? Exploring Ethnicity Estimates

Always a first-rate affair, Olympia’s Spring Seminar also included book sales and fabulous raffle baskets.

Societies: If you’d like to promote your workshop or seminar on the WSGS Blog, send a flyer or paragraph to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org. We’d love to share it with our readers!

How to Post on the Blog

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? Just post to the WSGS Blog! 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 the blog masters will 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.

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.

Brick Walls Broken Here

by Roxanne Lowe

BrickWall

DO YOU HAVE AN UNRESOLVED BRICK WALL??

If so, you won’t want to miss the April 14 meeting of the Lower Columbia Genealogical Society. 7:00 p.m. in the Dining Room at the Sommerset Retirement Apartments, 2025 Tibbetts Drive, Longview.

The Program Committee will lead an audience-involved look at current evidence to help with members’ research that remains unresolved. Research questions have been submitted by members. Come with your researcher’s hat on!

Visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Color Your World

by Roxanne Lowe
Roxanne Lowe's Birthplace Pedigree

Roxanne Lowe’s Birthplace Pedigree

In case you’re more of a “visual” person than a paper person,  try your hand at color coding your five-generation ancestor birth charts using the Excel spreadsheet created by Spokane’s own Miriam Robbins. Her blog post and downloading instructions are available here.

Inspired by J. Paul Hawthorne of GeneaSpy, Miriam’s take on the visual representation of her ancestors’ birth places is making the circuit on Facebook and other social media sites. It’s easy — join the fun!

Time Running Out to Reserve Your Room at WSGS Conference

by Roxanne Lowe

The Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society is hard at work on the upcoming WSGS Conference — June 17 and 18, 2016 at the La Quinta Inn and Suites, 1425 East 27th St, Tacoma, WA. A limited number of rooms are available at a special conference rate. Unreserved rooms will be released SOON! Call the La Quinta at (253) 383-0146 to book your room now.

And while you’re thinking about it, don’t forget to register for the conference! Paula Stuart-Warren! We are so lucky to have this amazing expert! Check out her blog at GenealogybyPaula.com.

And if you want to start the conference off right, register for the Friday evening Meet-and-Greet with Paula and Cyndi Ingle (creator of Cyndi’s List). The Meet and Greet (which includes a dessert buffet) is limited to the first 50 registrants, $10 each. Pre-registration is required.

Serendipity Day

by Roxanne Lowe

Blogger’s note: Donna’s on another exciting vacation, but she just couldn’t leave without passing on her musings. Enjoy!

In this edition of Serendipity:

  • Facebook Likes Promote Society Pages
  • Life is good for Seenagers!
  • Why Search Engines Cannot Find All Your Online Genealogy Information
  • Free new resource on WikiTree — Genealogist-to-Genealogist Q&A
  • Google’s Boomerang Helps Schedule Emails

Just learned a great new thing! Does your society have a Facebook page? Have you encouraged your members to visit the page and LIKE the page? A member of the Clallam County Gen Society (where I visited last weekend) was explaining that we all need to visit the Facebook page of our favorite society and LIKE that page so as to help it come up in searches. Apparently, until a Facebook page gets 100 LIKES it does not come up. So, first, click on the Washington State Genealogical Society’s Facebook page and click LIKE and then visit your society’s page and follow suit. Great thing to do, eh?
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Subject: Life is good because I am finally a Seenager !! (Senior teenager)Photo

I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later.
I don’t have to go to school or work.
I get an allowance every month.
I have my own pad.
I don’t have a curfew.
I have a driver’s license and my own car.
I have ID that gets me into bars and the whisky store.
The people I hang around with are not scared of getting pregnant.
And I don’t have acne.
Life is great.

I have more friends I should send this to, but right now I can’t remember their names.

My sister-in-law in Missouri shared this with me and I just had had had to share it with you.
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