Category Archives: Society News

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

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society July Meeting

by Charles Hansen

The Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS) will meet Friday, July 20, 2018, at the Bainbridge Island Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave N  from 10:00a.m. – 12 noon. Guest speaker Jewell Lorenz Dunn, A.G., Washington State Archives will present  “Immigration Law and Records”. 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
Publicity and Public Relations

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

JANICE LOVELACE,
VOLUNTEER OF SPRING QUARTER

Each quarter, the Seattle Genealogical Society recognizes one volunteer as our Volunteer of the Quarter. Our Spring Volunteer of the Quarter is Janice Lovelace, current Director of Education at SGS.

Janice has been an SGS member for over five years and a volunteer for most of that time. Janice brings a strong academic and teaching background to her volunteer work at SGS. She taught college-level social sciences for more than 30 years. Most of her teaching experience focused on Psychology and she also taught American Cultural Studies.

In 2012, Janice completed the Certificate in Genealogy and Family History at University of Washington (Professional and Continuing Education) and in 2013, she completed the Certificate in Genealogical Research at Boston University. Since 2013, Janice has been lecturing nationally at Genealogical conferences on a wide variety of topics and she is known as an expert on African-American genealogy. She authored National Genealogical Society’s course CGS: African American Roots: A Historical Perspective. Janice is also an instructor for Midwest African American Genealogical Institute. Janice’s presentations for SGS have been on the subjects of Beginning Genealogy, African-American Genealogy, How to Use Newspapers,  and Using the Census, as well as many others.

Janice served as Vice President of the SGS Board of Directors for two years, then served on the Education Committee last year. She helped implement and plan the Second Saturday Speaker Series which launched in September 2017. One goal of the Speaker Series is to bring people to the library to learn about and use our space, increase member participation, reach out to the wider community and provide a variety of educational experiences on a consistent basis. The series has been popular, with an audience of 20 – 40 people at each presentation. Janice was recently elected Director of Education and hopes to continue building a consistent educational program for SGS. The Speaker Series will be on hiatus this summer but watch for upcoming presentations on the SGS website:
http://www.seattlegenealogicalsociety.org 

In addition to her work as a teacher, lecturer, and volunteer for SGS, Janice has been on a variety of boards focusing on women’s and health issues. In her spare time, Janice enjoys gardening, growing and using herbs, cooking, spending time with grandkids, traveling, reading and writing. Two of her favorite and more recent trips were to New Zealand and Ireland. Janice enjoys photographing the natural beauty she observes on her travels.

If you have not been to one of our Second Saturday Speaker Series, join us at the SGS Library when the series resumes in September. Thank you Janice for your contributions to the continued excellence in our educational programs.

SEATTLE CENTRAL SCHOOL

INDEXING PROJECT
Many years ago, members of Seattle Genealogical Society made copies of pages of lists of students of the Seattle Central School in 1906-1907 and 1907-1908 school years. In most cases, each page contains the students in a particular class, for instance, Mrs. Tomas’s 1st grade class in 1906-1907.

We would like to make these handwritten lists available to researchers, which requires indexing of names to establish a searchable database. Our indexing project is to capture the names of all the students in a given class. Only the names of the students are to be indexed, so it will go very fast. The other information (parent name, address)  will be viewable by researchers by viewing the page image.  Since these lists cover years between census this data can be valuable to researchers.

We invite all who wish to participate in indexing from the comfort of your own home to join us in indexing this valuable set of records.
The project is available on the Crowd Source Indexing website and can be found by “Viewing All Projects” and selecting Seattle Geographical Location. For those new to indexing, simply register on the website, join the SGS group, find the available projects and you are ready to index. Please be sure to read the projects instructions before starting the project.
‘ASK THE EXPERTS’ EVENT AT SGS ON AUGUST 12
Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS) is partnering with the Puget Sound Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (PS-APG) to host an “Ask the Experts” event!
This event will take place at the SGS library (6200 Sand Point Way NE) on Sunday, August 12, 2018 from 10 am – 2 pm.
Participants can sign up for a free 20-minute consultation with a professional genealogist. The professional will offer guidance on how to move forward with a research question, which might be just what you need to get past a brick wall!
Space is limited, and consultations will be assigned in the order received.
Please sign up by Sunday, July 29 using this link:  https://goo.gl/forms/voi5DqEZQLFzcjI13

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Eastside Genealogical Society September Workshop

by Charles Hansen

 

Maureen Taylor, the nationally known “Photo Detective”,

is coming to Bellevue on September 15, 2018.

 

 “Finding Family History in Your Picture Mysteries”

 

Her Three Presentations:

 

  • 10 Easy Steps to Identify & Date Those Pictures in the Shoeboxes
  • Google Images and Beyond
  • Genealogical Clues in Family Photos

 

This event will be held on September 15, 2018 at the Vasa Park Ballroom, 3560 W Lake Sammamish Road SE, Bellevue, WA  98008.  Doors open at 9 am with presentations from 9:30 am to 2 pm.

 

Private consultations with her are available afterwards.

 

This event is part of the Eastside Genealogical Society’s 40th Anniversary celebration. Thus, members, who register before September 1st, will have free admission.

 

Boxed lunches are available for $15, if ordered by September 1st.

 

Non-EGS Members and everyone after September 1st will be charged $25.

 

For more details about the presentations and lunch, see our website    (Also, there are links to the digital files for the Color Poster and the Registration Flyer.) Of course, you can register for the event using our website.

 

Come and bring your friends for a fun day!

 

Clark County Genealogical Society July Meetings

by Charles Hansen

 

LEGACY GENEALOGY SOFTWARE USER GROUP

Mon, July 2, 2018: 10 am-noon

CCGS Education Center

If you use Legacy Family Tree Software for tracking your genealogy research, there is a Legacy Users Group that meets monthly to discuss tips, tricks and problems. You will always come away with some new ideas. The meetings are held regularly on the first Monday of the month. Members and non-members are welcome.

 

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH BOOK CLUB

Mon, July 2, 2018: 12-1:30 pm

CCGS Education Center

There are many “research rich” books of genealogical historical collections, as well as “how to” books on methods, collection and data storage of genealogy research. This group delves into one book at a time and discusses how to make the best use of it. Join this casual group as they delve into their favorite topic of books on family history discovery and sleuthing. (Brown baggers welcome!)

UNFOCUSED GENEALOGY DISCUSSION GROUP

Thu, July 5, 2018: 1-3 pm

CCGS Education Center

There’s no meeting agenda, no special topic, just a group of curious people bringing genealogy research notes, questions, brick walls, etc. to share with the group. Get ideas for the next steps you should take in your research.

 

VIEW 3 GENEALOGY VIDEO LECTURES IN THE LIBRARY FROM THE 2018 SPRING SEMINAR

Tuesday, July 17 & 24 plus Saturday, August 4, 2018

CCGS Education Center

The 2018 Spring Genealogy Seminar featured David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Those who attended the Seminar gave rave reviews for the extensive information packed into three educational sessions. Topics covered are World War I Military Records, Settlers and their Treasures in the Great Migration West Era (shown July 17, 10 am-12:30 pm), and Probate and Deed Records Research (shown July 24, 10 am-12:30 pm). All three are showing on August 4, 10 am-3 pm. If you were unable to attend, here is an opportunity to view the lectures via professional video productions. Each session is $12 for CCGS members and $15 for non-members. Check the website at www.CCGS-WA.org for more details and registration.

 

TRAILS OF DANIEL BOONE AND OTHER WESTERN TRAVELERS WEBINAR

Wed, Jul 18, 2018: 11-12:30 pm

CCGS Education Center

This free Legacy Family Tree Webinar will discuss the historic trails and trailblazers that lead early settlers to and from Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the West. Get specific clues to help you solve difficult research questions.

PHOTOSHOP: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS A PHOTOGRAPHER WEBINAR

Wed, Jul 25, 2018: 11-12:30 pm

CCGS Education Center

In less than ninety minutes, you will learn the absolute need-to-know tools and skill sets that a photographer needs when using Adobe Photoshop. By the end of this Legacy Family Tree webinar, you will be well on your way to mastering some photo editing techniques that will make your images amazing.

 

 

Clark County Genealogical Society In the News

by Charles Hansen

 

Local genealogical society wins state award

By The Columbian

Published: June 27, 2018, 5:55 AM

1

Edgewood Park — The Clark County Genealogical Society was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Project Award at the Washington State Genealogical Society’s annual meeting.

The society earned the award for their project, “Vancouver Tax Ledger Project,” which included digitizing, transcribing and indexing original tax ledgers for the city of Vancouver for the years 1886 and 1891.

“Clark County Genealogical Society’s commitment to preserve the 1886 and 1891 tax ledgers is especially valuable considering genealogy researchers might be able to use that information as a substitute for the 1890 federal census which was destroyed by fire in Washington, D.C. in 1921,” Virginia Majewski, president of the state society, said in a release from the Clark County group.

Clark County Genealogical Society is a volunteer-run nonprofit society founded in 1972. It is dedicated to pursuing the collection, preservation and education of genealogically relevant material.

Update on Grays Harbor Gen Soc Research Library

by Roxanne Lowe

The GHGS Research Library was housed in the Aberdeen Armory Building, built in 1922. Photo by Bonnie Johannes.

Members of the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society are slowly coming to grips with the fiery loss of their research library. The library was housed in the Aberdeen Armory which also included the Aberdeen Museum of History, Coastal Community Action Program and the Aberdeen Senior Center. The June 9 fire gutted the first and second floors of the building. Amazingly (and thankfully) some of the Aberdeen Museum’s photographs, documents and artifacts were rescued from the basement which was filled with four feet of water. The fire is still under investigation and may be for at least a couple more weeks.

While there is nothing left of the research library, short-term storage has been secured as the society begins to rebuild its holdings and collections. A plea for financial help and Grays Harbor County (and its predecessor Chehalis County) research materials has been sent from GHGS President Gary Parfitt. Financial donations or gift cards (Staples, Amazon, Costco, etc.) are most easily used to avoid duplication, over-supply and will be used when society members can begin researching again.

In addition to financial help, the society is asking for Grays Harbor-related research materials to restore their collections. Suggestions include 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.