Outstanding Volunteers and Teams Honored at State Conference

Jul8 by Roxanne Lowe

Forty-six local genealogical society members were honored for their outstanding volunteerism at the WSGS Annual Conference in Ellensburg, Washington, on 27 June 2015. Nominated by their local societies, these individuals and teams spent countless hours supporting their local organizations, researching, cataloging, inventorying, teaching, and inspiring others. We are proud to announce the 2015 Outstanding Volunteer Awards:

Wanda Burke Alderman, Whitman County Genealogical Society, Region 6
Veronica Anguiano, Tri-City Genealogical Society, Region 6
Erik Bakke, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Beverly Bakos, Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island, Region 1
Margie Beldin, Tri-City Genealogical Society, Region 6
Janette and Tony Birch, Eastern WA Genealogical Society, Region 7
Susan Breshears Boatright, Yakima Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Marilyn Brown, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Dona Bubelis, Seattle GS Library Team, Seattle Genealogical Society, Region 2
Jim Bull, Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society, Region 5
Betty Carrick, Wenatchee Area GS Website Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society, Region 8
Mary Christensen, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Judy Clayton, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Linda Colton, Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society, Region 5
Christine Janet Kenck Courtright, Chelan Valley Genealogical Society, Region 8
Robert Edwards, Grays Harbor Genealogical Society, Region 3
Warren Fisk, Tacoma Pierce Co. Genealogical Society, Region 2
Tuck Forsythe, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Daniel P. Harmon, Seattle GS Library Team, Seattle Genealogical Society, Region 2
Susan Hassemiller, Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society, Region 3
Mary Malone Holcomb, Eastern WA Genealogical Society, Region 7
J.C.Howard, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Fae Douglas Jacobs, Grays Harbor Genealogical Society, Region 3
Rose Anderson Janke, Lower Columbia Genealogical Society, Region 4
Kathy Kelly, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Julie Large, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Kathi McGinnes, Seattle GS Library Team, Seattle Genealogical Society, Region 2
Delma Roloff McLean, Yakima Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Muriel S.Neely, Skagit Valley Genealogical Society, Region 1
Sylvia Nelson, Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society, Region 3
Diane Ulrich Partington, Skagit Valley Genealogical Society, Region 1
Elinor Perlich, Clark Co. Genealogical Society, Region 4
Brian Runyan, Clark Co. Genealogical Society, Region 4
Dave Sachi, Jefferson County Genealogical Society, Region 3
Karen Spellman, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Stillaguamish Conference Planning Team, Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society, Region 1
Mary Stolaas, Jefferson County Genealogical Society, Region 3
Mary Swartz, Wenatchee Area GS Website Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society, Region 8
Larry Taylor, Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society, Region 1
Janice Weihs, Tacoma Pierce Co. Genealogical Society, Region 2
Bob Wieking, Kittitas County Library Team, Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society, Region 5
Charlotte Wixon, Seattle GS Library Team, Seattle Genealogical Society, Region 2
Ann Wright, Seattle GS Library Team, Seattle Genealogical Society, Region 2
Mel and Marilyn Wright, Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island, Region 1

To read each individual’s accomplishments and why they were nominated, visit the Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program page.

For more information about the Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program, contact Roxanne Lowe at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Want to Share Your Conference Photos?

Jun28 by Roxanne Lowe

I saw a lot of cameras and cell phones taking photos at our WSGS Conference in Ellensburg.

Would you like to share them with our Blog readers? Or do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? You can reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state. Just email your photo, Word document, text file, or PDF to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and the blog masters will do the rest.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Hot Topics Sizzle Throughout the Day

Jun27 by Roxanne Lowe

David with Stephen Baylor and Ruth Caesar from the Stillaguamish Valley GS

David played to a full house

What an opportunity to ask questions — and get some answers!

David sprinkled his talks liberally with stories and quips — very entertaining!

Conference headliner David Rencher spend the day filling us with amazing resources, insights and a vision of what the future of genealogy looks like. His talks included:

Coming Forward: Descendant Research
FamilySearch Future and Vision
Digital Projects and Programs of FamilySearch
Strategy for Irish Research, 1500 – 1800

What a great speaker — professional, humorous, and quite the storyteller. I came home (in my air-conditioned car!) with my brain swirling with new research possibilities (maybe I will be able to find my Catholic Daniel Murphy with no middle name in Ireland!), appreciation for FamilySearch’s commitment to make billions of records available for free, and how their dedicated staff and thousands of volunteers digitize, index, and quality-check those records. Also learned about the partnerships FamilySearch has developed with Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage — all for the benefit of genealogists around the world. And don’t get me started on how cool the FamilySearch Wiki is and the mobile apps!

Watch this blog for more posts about the conference, including the awards that were presented. A great day!

Activities Are Heating Up in Ellensburg

Jun26 by Roxanne Lowe

Mt. Rainier from Wild Horse Wind Facility, Ellensburg

Despite the sizzling heat (103 degrees today and hotter tomorrow!!), I had a great day filled with all kinds of adventures. After viewing a few more barn quilt blocks, I toured the Wild Horse Wind Facility, where I got up close and personal with 149 gigantic wind turbines that can generate up to 273 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve more than 80,000 homes. Great tour with killer views of Mt. Rainier (pictured), Goat Rocks, Mt. Adams & Mt. Hood. Incredible.

Roger Newman and Donna Potter Phillips taking advantage of Kittitas County GS’s research library.

Spent some time at the Central Regional Branch of the State Archives where we got a personal tour of the facility. After a quick WSGS Board Meeting, it was off to Kittitas County Genealogical Society’s open house at their wonderful library. Closed the day at the computer lab test driving genealogical software programs, including Roots Magic, Legacy, and Family Tree Maker.

Kittitas County GS President Diane Huckabay explaining the nuances of the Legacy genealogical software program to Roxanne Lowe.

A full day getting revved up for tomorrow’s main event: WSGS Conference featuring David Rencher.

Quilt Tour Tops Today

Jun25 by Roxanne Lowe

Celtic Knot, Sorenson barn, Ellensburg

I’m in Ellensburg, getting ready for Saturday’s State Conference featuring David Rencher, FamilySearch’s Chief Genealogical Officer. Today’s highlight was a self-guided driving tour (actually my friend & WSGS Vice-President Donna Potter Phillips was my navigator) of the Kittitas County Barn Quilt Trail. Saw a dozen painted quilt patterns on barns, sheds & outbuildings. Beautiful.

In honor of David’s vast experience with Irish genealogy, here’s a picture of the Celtic Knot quilt block on the P&B Hay barn. More tomorrow.

Mason County Project Ensures Accurate Cemetery Info

Jun25 by Roxanne Lowe

Jody Alfiere and Roger Newman hard at work on a warm sunny day in Shelton.

The Mason County Genealogical Society (MCGS) has for the last two summers been working on a project at the Shelton Memorial Park comparing the cemetery database to the tombstone information, passing along corrections to the cemetery personnel to double check. Another part of the project has been to unearth old temporary cement markers that are now several inches under the grass, and taking photographs of the tombstones. In the future, these photos will be attached to the database information for that person.

Conference Almost Here!

Jun23 by Roxanne Lowe

Have you registered to hear David Rencher, FamilySearch’s Chief Genealogical Officer, talk about “Strategies and Visions for the Future”? It’s not too late!! Here’s the brochure and how to register.

[ujicountdown id=”WSGS Annual Conference” expire=”2015/06/27 08:45″ hide=”true” url=”” subscr=”” recurring=”” rectype=”second” repeats=””]

I’m so looking forward to meeting and greeting David, but I’m also going to take advantage of some other great happenings! On Thursday, I’m going to take a self-guided driving tour of more than 100 large quilt squares painted on the side or end of local barns. The Barn Quilt Trail celebrates the area’s agricultural heritage, as well as the folk-art of the American quilt.

On Friday, I’m going to tour the Central Washington branch of the Washington State Archives sometime between 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., then I’ll drop by the Kittitas County Genealogical Society open house at their Research Library, 413 N. Main Street, from 4:00 -6:00 p.m. And THEN, I’m going to visit the Computer Lab that’s set up at the Quality Inn (conference headquarters, 1700 Canyon Road, Ellensburg) from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. to check out four of the most popular genealogical software programs: Family Tree Maker, Roots Magic, Legacy, and PAF. I’ll have my research (GEDCOM format on a flash drive) to test drive the programs. Experienced users will be there to help me.

On Saturday, I’ll be up bright and early (okay, maybe just early…) to grab breakfast before spending the day learning about the future of genealogy and networking. During the day, I’ll also be staffing the WSGS information table (stop by to say hi!) and presenting awards at the Annual Meeting to Outstanding Volunteers and Teams, Outstanding Project, Outstanding Communication, the President’s Award and the Innovative Grants to amazing projects sponsored by local societies.

Visit this Blog and our new Facebook page often — the Blogging and Facebook teams will be posting pictures of the festivities!

Interesting Factoids About David Rencher

Jun10 by Roxanne Lowe

David Rencher, the headliner at the 2015 WSGS Annual Conference on June 27 in Ellensburg, is a pretty interesting guy. Besides being the Chief Genealogical Officer at FamilySearch, he has a veritable alphabet book behind his name.

◾AG — Accredited Genealogist with the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen)
◾CG — Certified Genealogist with the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG)
◾FUGA — Fellow of Utah Genealogical Association (UGA)
◾FIGRS — Fellow of the Irish Genealogical Research Society, London

And don’t overlook that he’s the past President of FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies) and has a BA (Bachelor of Arts) in Family and Local History from BYU (Brigham Young University).

A few more interesting tidbits about David:

While he doesn’t have any ancestors from Washington, he does have cousins here. Also, he and his family have strong ties to Yakima, where his wife Tamara was raised. Tamara is the daughter of Luella (Robinson) and J. Franklin Howell. Dr. Howell (1932 – 2012) who was a pioneering entomologist who worked with a government program in Yakima on pheromone technology to control the coddling moth. Interesting dinner table conversations…
He’s a Seahawks fan and will be watching for another trip to the Super Bowl in February 2016.
Washington potatoes are some of the best in the U.S. David’s favorite potato dishes are Potato Salad and Funeral Potatoes.
While his favorite apple is the Golden Delicious, he’s a Windows user (sorry, Apple!) and is bringing his trusty Lenovo computer with Windows software for his presentations.

Want to know more about David, register for the WSGS Conference NOW!

Jean Yager Honored as Outstanding Volunteer in 2014

Jun10 by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 400 outstanding volunteers, 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 last of this series, you will be introduced to each of the 2014 award recipients and learn why they received the 2014 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Today we’re introducing Jean Joal Drane Yager of Bremerton, Washington who was nominated by the Puget Sound Genealogical Society (PSGS). She was recognized for her outstanding leadership and consistent support of the goals and operation of the PSGS.

Jean Yager

Since joining PSGS in 2008, Ms. Yager has been active in all aspects of the society. While serving in her first leadership position as chair of the education committee, she was instrumental in developing, organizing and teaching on-going classes for members and the public. During her tenure as President from 2012 – 2014, PSGS entered into a partnership with the Kitsap Regional Library. Ms. Yager was a key player during that time of transition and her “can do” attitude and endless energy ensured success.

In addition to being the 2014 Immediate Past President, Ms. Yager was also chair of the education committee, 2014 seminar committee and the PSGS field trip organizer.

Ms. Yager has been a dedicated member of the PSGS and her constant efforts to support the goals of the society are invaluable. As a result, she richly deserved this recognition.

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.

Winner of the TriCity Genealogical Society May’s Archived Document Contest Announced

Jun6 by Roxanne Lowe

There were only a few submissions in May 2015 for the Archived Document Contest but these few entries provided wonderful lessons. Documents from the 1700s and the 1900s were located on microfilms available through the Family History Library. The documents on these microfilms containing important genealogical information were viewed in Salt Lake City and also at the Richland Family History Center. This proved to us that travel is not necessary when looking for un-digitized documents. Microfilms from the Family History Library can be brought to our neighborhood Family History Centers.

Ray Baalman

Ray Baalman is this month’s winner of the Archived Document Contest. He submitted two documents from 1700s France. More importantly he shared with us a very valuable lesson. “The important principle illustrated here is NEVER overlook the importance of witnesses at baptisms and marriages. They are often relatives and can give important clues about where to look next.” Ray illustrated this lesson by explaining that he found his seventh great grandmother recorded as the godmother of his fifth great grandmother on that grandmother’s marriage record.

Continue reading →

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Author Archives: Roxanne Lowe