Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
1901 S. 12th Avenue
Union Gap, WA 98903
Phone: (509) 248-1328
Email: yvgs@yvgs.net
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
General Meeting
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Following the General Meeting, Judy Schuster will be speaking on the state resource links we have on our website. She will be talking about the 21 different websites that cover 18 states and showing how valuable each link is for doing your genealogical research.
 JOIN US for our next class on October 1, 2026! Don’t miss out, sign up today!  CLICK HERE to register for this class! Visit our blog for great tips & hints exploring your family story! Click Here to See All of Our 2026 Classes! HQRL.com / Classes & Events / Contact |
| Heritage Quest Research Library | 2102 East Main Ave Suite 105 | Puyallup, WA 98372 US |
The next meeting of the Fort Walla Walla Camp 3 meeting of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War will be
held October 3 rd at the American Legion Hall in Benton City, WA. Time assembling at 1100- 1130 hr. for fellowship and lunch with
a cash bar and available lunch can be purchased. Business meeting starts at 1230 and program at 1:00pm.
Program speaker is Mike Maltais of Chelan, a well known journalist and historian and engaging speaker. He wrote many years
for the Quad City Herald. His wife’s great grandfather was a horse soldier in the 7th Cavalry and survived the Battle of the
Little Bighorn in 1876. His program will center on this amazing story.
All members, spouses and interested guests are invited. More information on Ft Walla Walla Camp 3 and events can be
found on <www.suvpnw.org> . Camp Commander Hank Cramer leading the meeting.
submitted by Don Jameson Past Cp Commander FWW 3 cell 509 945 0549
Searching on Ancestry.com but not having success? Join SVGS on Saturday October 10, 2026, at 1pm for “My Most Used Ancestry.com Tricks” with Aimee Cross. Aimee is a professional genealogist and the host of YouTube channel AncestryAimee.com. Learn how to get the most out of Ancestry.com from a true power user with years of research experience. Can’t make it to the Burlington Library, request a zoom link by emailing info@skagitvalleygenealogy.org.
Genealogist and Lecturer
Her topic is
Finding your Female Ancestors
The speaker at the Lower Columbia Genealogical Society’s
Sept 10th , 2026 zoom meeting will be Amber Oldenburg. Her topic is Finding Your Female Ancestor
Virtual meeting doors will open at 9:30 am.
Speaker’s program will begin at 10:00 am
The public is invited to attend
Please consider joining our society for $20/yr.
For a link to join the meeting or to join the society contact lcgsgen@yahoo.com 24hrs prior to the event
Billie Stone Fogarty will present “School Censuses: What, When, and Where” at the OGS monthly general meeting on September 10, 2026. The Zoom meeting starts at 6:30 pm for social time, with the speaker starting around 7:00 pm. The meeting information (including the Zoom meeting link) is on the OGS website at https://olygensoc.org/events/september-2026-meeting. Send an email to info@olygensoc.org if you have questions.
Program: Discover one of genealogy’s most overlooked resources – the school census. These records, often taken long before vital records existed, can fill critical gaps in family research, reveal the answers to family mysteries, confirm family migrations, and give a rare glimpse into daily family life and local history. Learn what they covered, when they were made, and where to find those that still exist. Bring your ancestors’ early years to life – one classroom at a time.
Speaker: Billie Stone Fogarty, a professional genealogist since 1979, has taught genealogical skills to audiences of all ages on all levels from local through national and international both in person and virtually. She is founder and co-creator with Matt McCormack of a learning retreat for professional genealogists called Gen-Stock. She also, along with Dr. David McDonald, created the Genealogy Symposium, an intensive, state library & archives-based genealogy methods program based on the theme “Thinking Genealogically”. The inaugural Genealogy Symposium was hosted by the Oklahoma State Archives and the Oklahoma Historical Society of which Billie has been a statewide-elected Board member since 2007. She is the founder and principal of the family history research firm, HeritageTrackers, based in Oklahoma City, OK.
Stillaquamish Valley Genealogical Society
Monthly Business Meeting & Presentation
The Washington State Library: Bureaucracy to the Rescue
Tuesday, September 8th
1:00 pm
SVGS Library
6111 188 PL NE, Arlington, WA
Our speaker this month will be, Crystal Hicks.
This event will be a live Zoom presentation shown only at the SVGS library. Everyone is welcome to attend this free presentation.
Crystal’s topic: The Washington State Library: Bureaucracy to the Rescue
Crystal will speak about the collections available and how to access the variety of resources at the Washington State Library that may help you with your family research.
Crystal’s Bio:
Crystal Hicks brings a rich background in reference and genealogy services to her current role. Before relocating to Washington from Texas eighteen months ago, she served as Assistant Director of a public library, where she supported patrons with local and family history research and oversaw public-facing reference services
She is now Head of Collections at the Washington State Library’s Central Library in Tumwater, where she manages a broad and varied portfolio; special collections including manuscripts and rare books, newspapers, journals, the Northwest book collection, maps, government publications, and genealogy materials. Her work centers on building, preserving, and expanding access to collections that serve historical research, public accountability, and community memory.
There will be a short break with refreshments.
The monthly meeting will follow.
For more information visit stillygen.org