Category Archives: Society News

Clark County Genealogical Society June Meetings

by Charles Hansen

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING FOR GENEALOGY ENTHUSIASTS

Tue, Jun 26, 2018:  6-8:30 pm

CCGS Education Center  – Bring a Potluck dish!

Attend a fascinating presentation as family historian Jane McDowell shares memories and photographs of walking in her ancestor’s footsteps around the Shandong Province, China. For a 70-year span from 1864 to 1934, her great-grandparents and grandparents provided medical care and worked as evangelists and teachers to the Chinese. Jane relates what it was like to make an amazing 18-day adventure with three sisters and 15 first and second cousins. Bring a potluck item to share at this final spring meeting.

THE EDITING DIFFERENCES OF LIGHTROOM AND PHOTOSHOP WEBINAR

Wed, June 27: 11 AM – 12:30 pm

CCGS Education Center

Many people just don’t understand what tools are available when it comes to editing photos. Within Adobe’s Creative Suite, there are two programs designed specifically with photographers in mind: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. But the truth is, each program offers a distinct post-production photography workflow. In this Legacy Family Tree webinar, learn when you should choose one over the other and why both are important to know and use.

 

 

Grays Harbor Research Library Destroyed by Fire

by Roxanne Lowe

Full disclaimer: The author of this post is a long-time member of the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society and totally devastated by this loss.

The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society’s Research Library was housed on the 1st floor of the Amory Building.

The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society’s Research Library, housed in the Aberdeen Museum of History, was one of the victims of a devastating fire on Saturday, June 9, 2018. The massive fire destroyed most of the first and second floors of the historic Armory Building, which was built in 1922. The building was home to the priceless Museum of History, Coastal Community Action Program, the Aberdeen Senior Center, and the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society research library. Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire that raged out of control for hours, drawing fire departments from the whole county and parts of Thurston County.

Representatives from the State Archives were on the scene to offer assistance with recovery and restoration of any surviving historic photos, documents, artifacts — some of which were in the basement of the concrete building. Ironically, Tracy Rebstock, Southwest Regional Archivist with the State Archives was the featured speaker at the GHGS meeting that day, speaking on disaster preparedness and preserving historic documents and heirlooms. Her assurances to shocked GHGS members was much appreciated as she talked about how to recover from this disaster. Servpro of Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, a fire disaster recovery company, is also helping with recovery efforts.

The GHGS Research Library was housed on the first floor of the building which was destroyed with temperatures reported to exceed 2,000 degrees. All is a loss. Members of the small society are meeting to find another location and begin re-gathering local records, documents and books. The society had recently completed a conversion of the library to emphasize Grays Harbor County (and its predecessor Chehalis County). The research library was known for its extensive collection of now-defunct Whiteside and Elerding funeral records and obituary records, dating back as far as the late 1800s. While some of the records were digitized, others were in hard copy only. The society’s research chairman Bonnie Johannes said much of what they had was permanently lost. “We must’ve had at least 25,000 hard copies (of obituaries), so it’s a tremendous loss.”

Anyone wishing to make financial or resource donations is encouraged to use their Go Fund Me campaign or direct to the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 916, Aberdeen, WA 98520.

Tri-City Genealogical Society June Meeting

by Charles Hansen

I hope you are planning on attending our June 13th meeting which is sponsored by Washington Humanities.  Our speaker will be John Jensen who will be giving a presentation on:
Hollywood and the Homefront:Tinsel Town’s Contribution to World War II 
 
Date: Wednesday, June 13th
 
Time: 7:00 p.m.
 
Place: Benton PUD Auditorium (Corner of Hwy 395 and 10th street in Kennewick)
 
Also, don’t forget to take advantage of our Beginning Genealogy Class on June 13th. The topic for this class will be:
Hidden Treasures of Ancestry.com
 
The Beginning Genealogy Class starts at 6:15 p.m. and ends at 6:45 p.m.
We will also have our monthly Genealogy Book Sale too. So, we are looking forward to seeing you this Wednesday. If you have any questions, please call 943-9322 and as always, please invite someone.  Thank you. (see enclosed attachment)

Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society June Meeting

by Charles Hansen

TPCGS will hold our monthly meeting this Tuesday, June 12, at 6.30 pm, at Bates Community College.

Our Speaker will be Midori Okazaki  from the Washington State Archives.

From  6:30 to 7:00 she will explain how to become a Scribe for the Washington State Archives. Then after a short business meeting, she will also cover the Preservation of physical records.

Hope to see everyone there!

TPCGS monthly meetings are held September through May from 6 pm to 9 pm, usually at Bates Technical College, South Campus, Building E, 2201 South 78th St., Tacoma. Guests are always welcome, so bring a friend!  For more information check our website at www.tpcgs.org.

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS) June Meeting

by Charles Hansen

For immediate release:
  The Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS) will meet Friday, June 15, 2018, at the Bainbridge Island Public Library on Bainbridge Island, 1270 Madison Ave, from 10:00a.m. – 12 noon. The topic for the Monthly BIGS Meeting will be “Making Use Of Land Records” presented by Jerri Thorpe McCoy, a Washington genealogist and current historian for the Washington State Chapter of the Mayflower (Descendants) Society.  Free to members, a $5.00 donation is suggested for nonmembers. For more information go to http://www.bigenealogy.org or call 206-780-8009. BIGS is a 501c(3) non-profit organization.
                                                                  #######
Sue Elfving
Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society
Director of Publicity and Public Relations

Tri-City Genealogical Society Free Webinars

by Charles Hansen

Please note that Legacy Family Tree is offering these 3 free webinars this week. I just received a notice in my email inbox about these webinars tonight, so I wanted to pass them onto you.  Note that these webinars generally are available for at least 7 days past the dated webinar, so you can still access the webinar if you miss it.   Art
TUES, JUNE 5, 2018
Digital Gravestones by Elisabeth Zetland   register (free)…
WED, JUNE 6, 2018
What Your Ancestor’s Neighbors Can Tell You by Melissa Barker   register (free)…
FRI, JUNE 8, 2018
The Family DNA Project by Nicka Smith     register (free)…

Jefferson County Genealogical Society June Meeting

by Charles Hansen

JEFFERSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (JCGS)

PO Box 627 

Port Townsend, WA 98368

Contact for this media release:  Judy Tough 360-385-3065 or tough@olympus.net

Soldiers, Spies & Farm Wives: the Changing Roles for Women during the Civil War

War is horrific and Civil War was particularly so. Nevertheless, war also offers opportunities for those with the disposition to stretch the boundaries of society’s norms and often these were women. Explore the roles of women before the war, the roles they accepted during the war, and the legacy of the Civil War with professional genealogist, Jill Morelli, at the Saturday, June 16th meeting of Jefferson County Genealogical Society (JCGS). JCGS meets monthly at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 W. Valley Rd, Chimacum, from 9:30 – 11:00 am. The public in invited to this free program. Donations are welcome. Visit www.wajcgs.org.

Jill Morelli lectures and writes on genealogical topics that often transcend the more narrowly defined family history. She provides general genealogy services and house histories in the Puget Sound area and national venues. She is an engaging and entertaining speaker. She has been published in regional and national publications.

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

​SGS BOARD 2018-2019
The results of the SGS 2018 election for board of directors are: ​

  • President: Jill Morelli
  • Vice President: vacant
  • Treasurer: Karen Knudson
  • Secretary: Amandalei Bennett
  • Education: Janice Lovelace
  • Library: Sue Jensen
  • Publications: Julia Marconi
  • Technology: David Rimmer
  • Membership: Christine Schomaker
  • Volunteers: Heidi Mair
  • Operations: Rob Sexton
  • Past President: Marilyn Rose​

Electronic voting was employed for the first time. It was quick, easy, saved volunteer time, and was appreciated by all. Some folks thought that we should have included biographies of the candidates and we will do that in future elections. Use of electronic voting for this election was a “beta test” and was approved by the Board and reported to the membership at the last meeting. It will now be necessary to modify the Bylaws to reflect the adoption of technology in a number of sections of the Bylaws. These changes will be presented at the October Membership Meeting. Ballots were mailed to 19 individuals for whom we did not have email addresses; none of those mailed ballots were voted and returned.

Rob Sexton became Director of Operations by board acclimation when Lynn De Merritt resigned during the election cycle.

Nancy Hevley is the new Library Trustee for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. An ardent worker on the Library Committee each Thursday, Nancy will be a great addition. She’ll join two other Trustees, John Eschelman and Dona Bubelis, who are presently serving their three-year terms.

SGS applied for and received a grant from 4Culture to conduct a Japanese Genealogy Seminar in winter 2019. The event will be held the first weekend in February with guest speaker Linda Harms Okazaki of the Seattle Public Library. If you are interested in helping out with this event contact Heidi Mair at : volunteers@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org 

 

ArchiveFinder – FOLLOW-UP FROM JILL MORELLI 

 

At the Sunday, May 20, special seminar session on ArchiveGrid, Josh (D. Joshua Taylor) covered ArchiveFinder. He said ArchiveFinder was available only at academic libraries and only at some, not all.  Jill said she would inquire to see if it was available at UW. In a check with Lisa Oberg, Associate Director of Special Collections at UW, ArchiveFinder is not available at the University of Washington library.

We hope you were able to make the seminar. Everyone we spoke with thought Josh was well organized,  knowledgeable, an excellent speaker and communicator. The frequent Q&A sessions he worked into the program were very robust.

Our thanks to Josh for another successful SGS seminar. Also our thanks to all who attended and to all the volunteers that make these seminars possible.

 

SCANDINAVIAN SIG – SPECIAL TIME – SPECIAL GUEST
On Sunday, June 10, the meeting of our Scandinavian SIG will be held from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm instead of in the usual afternoon time slot. Leading the meeting will be Kathi McGinnes and the special guest will be Liv Christensen, Norwegian genealogical researcher.  Liv will Skype in and answer some previously submitted questions. This is your chance to come learn from a renowned expert in researching Norwegian genealogy.

 

IT’S SPRING, A TIME OF RENEWAL 

The SGS membership year runs from June 1 to May 31 so it’s nearing that time to renew your membership. Or are you joining SGS for the first time?

You can renew online and pay your dues with a credit/debit card here:

Online SGS membership form

Or print out a copy of our membership form and mail it to SGS with a check. Here’s a link to the printable form:

Printable SGS Membership Form

Not a SGS member yet? Annual dues are $40.00 individual, $50.00 dual (two individuals at the same mailing address). As soon as you join, you’ll be eligible for free or discounted rates for our seminars, online and offline classes, and access to SGS databases. You’ll receive our bi-annual online publication “Journal of the Seattle Genealogical Society”. You’ll learn along with other members in our special interest groups and Second Saturday programs. You’ll have opportunities to volunteer, helping others as an indexer, librarian, receptionist, instructor, or family history researcher.

 

Most of all, you’ll be supporting a 95-year-young, all-volunteer organization, dedicated to maintaining a public research library, preserving records, and providing educational opportunities for all in our community. So click that link up above and join SGS today!

SAVE THE DATE

​”When It Takes a Village: Applying Cluster Research Techniques”,
presented by Emily H. Garber,
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State,
4200 124th Ave SE,
Bellevue, WA
Monday, June 11, 2018

This presentation by Emily Garber will outline a program for solving genealogical research problems via cluster and collateral research techniques and you are invited. Free admission and refreshments. The meeting will be  in the LDS Factoria Building at 4200 124th Ave SE, Bellevue. Doors open at 6:30pm and the presentation starts promptly at 7:15pm.

For more info on JGSWS, this presentation, or directions, visit the JGSWS website at :

http://www.jgsws.org

2018 Northwest Genealogy Conference,
Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society,
Byrnes Performing Arts Center,
18821 Crown Ridge Blvd,
Arlington, WA
August 15 – 18, 2018  

Keynote speakers will be Beth Foulk, CeCe Moore, Peggy Lauritzen, and Amie Bowser Tennant.

Days 2-4 will be packed full of lectures and activities, such as post a surname on the “Cousin Board”; have fun connecting with other attendees you may be related to. On Friday, participate in the optional  “Dress As Your Ancestor”  day to honor your heritage.

As usual, the first day of this four day conference is designed for beginners and is free (registration required).   .

For more details and to register, visit their website:
https://stillygen.org/cpage.php?pt=50

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 SGS Library will be closed June 17, July 3, and July 4

JUNE

Saturday, June 2, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Canadian SIG, Come join David Robert, group leader, for help researching your Canadian ancestors.

Saturday, June 2, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Interest Group, Lou Daly, leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org

Saturday, June 9, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker (FTM) Users Group,  Jess Ramey will lead this last meeting before the group breaks for the summer. Jess and Reiley Kidd will co- lead when the group resumes their meetings in the fall.

Sunday, June 10, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Scandinavian SIG, with Kathi McGinnes and Liv Christensen via Skype.  Liv will answer previously submitted questions.  Come learn from this expert in Norwegian genealogy. Please note the time change for this meeting.

Saturday, June 16, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean A Roth
Saturday, June 16, 01:00pm – 3:00pm, German SIG, with Jean A Roth

Sunday, June 17, closed for Father’s Day

Saturday, June 23, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm,  SGS General Membership Meeting, speaker TBD
Saturday, June 30, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm,  DNA SIG,  this group meets at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. Co-chaired by Cary Bright and Herb McDaniel. For more information contact SGSDNASIG@gmail

JULY

Sunday, July 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, Led by Cary Bright with first hour on a specific topic, and the second hour open for sharing DNA issues with focus on GenomeMate Pro.

Saturday, July 7, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Canadian SIG, Come join David Robert, group leader, for help researching your Canadian ancestors.

Saturday, July 7, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Interest Group, Lou Daly, leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org

Sunday, July 8, 1:30pm – 3:30pm, Scandinavian SIG, with Karin Knudson

Saturday, July 21, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean A Roth
Saturday, July 21, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, German SIG, with Jean A Roth

 

Jewish Genealogical Society Free June Meeting

by Charles Hansen

We would very much like to invite you  to our upcoming free genealogy event on Monday evening, 6/11/18.  We would appreciate it if you could help us publicize it by printing out a copy of the attached flyer and have it posted on a bulletin board or calendar, and/or share it on your website for upcoming events.

 

Our speaker will be Emily H. Garber, Genealogical Lecturer, Blogger, and Author and her topic will be:  “When It Takes A Village: Applying Cluster Research Techniques.”

The information on our program and our speaker’s bio are:

 

ABOUT OUR PROGRAM

Sometimes tracking one’s immigrant ancestors tests all one’s research acumen. Identifying a subject ancestor, his/her origins, and parentage; tracking that subject through time; and constructing biographies to place that person in his/her social context is best approached by broadening one’s research to include other family members, associates and neighbors. This presentation by Emily Garber will outline a program for solving genealogical research problems via cluster and collateral research techniques. Topics will include: appropriate application, research planning, commonly used resources and documents, and case studies successfully tracking individuals from Europe to the United States, overcoming name and residential changes and using DNA evidence.

The main case study to be used in this evening’s program tracks a previously unknown woman who arrived at Ellis Island with Emily’s great grandfather.  Emily uses her research skills to identify this unknown woman’s kinship relationship to their family and to find out if there ever was a relationship.

 

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER

An archaeologist by training (B.A. and M.A.), Emily H. Garber has been researching her Jewish ancestry since 2007 and holds a certificate from Boston University’s Genealogical Research program. She specializes in Jewish genealogical research and has worked with records for both German-Jewish and Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Her client work has included research into narrowly defined genealogical problems as well as development and writing of broadly based family history narratives. In June 2013, she toured family shtetlach in Ukraine and explored archives in Lviv, Khmelnitsky and Zhitomyr. She is chair of the Phoenix (Arizona) Jewish Genealogical Group, board member of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, owner of Extra Yad Genealogical Services, and she blogs at http://www.extrayad.blogspot.com. Emily has served for several years as one of the moderators of the JewishGen Discussion Group and is communications director of the Ukraine Special Interest Group.

Thank you very much and we look forward to seeing you, your friends and family!

Karen vanHaagen Campbell

Secretary & Publicity, Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State

www.jgsws.org

Flyer: flyer for 6-11-18 Emily Garber – pdf