Category Archives: Society News

Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society November Meeting

by Charles Hansen

TPCGS will hold our monthly meeting this coming Tuesday, November 12th, at Bates Community College, South Campus.

6:00 pm Member Networking and Sharing
6:30 – 8:30 pm Business Meeting and Program

PROGRAM: Finding Your Ancestors in Fraternal Records.

SPEAKER: Steve Dunkelberger

Hope to see everyone there!

TPCGS monthly meetings are held September through June 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.

—
Jane Irish Nelson

TPCGS Webmaster

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

SGS SURVEY COMING YOUR WAY!
Watch your email inbox for a short two question survey from the SGS Library Trustees.  It will be sent out on November 3, 2019.

Whether you are an SGS Member or not, if you are a user of the SGS Library, your opinion is important to us. So please take the time to respond to the survey and email it back. Thank you in advance for your time. Click here to access survey

WELCOME, JIM SECAN,
SGS VICE PRESIDENT


On October 12, 2019, at the regular SGS Board meeting, the Directors voted, as is allowed by the Bylaws, to instate James “Jim” Secan as Vice President.  Jim will be responsible for non-social media publicity and serve as Board contact for the Nominating committee for this next cycle. Jim is presently our grants writer, but will need to relinquish that position in light of this assumption of new duties.

Jim was an Army brat, and as a result never lived near any of his parents’ families (in Pittsburgh, PA, and Tupelo, MS).  That lack of connection with cousins, combined with his maternal grandmother’s family tree (for her DAR application) and an almost complete lack of detail on his father’s paternal side (Croatian immigrants from c. 1880) are the basis for his late-in-life interest in genealogy.  

Jim retired from NorthWest Research Associates, Inc., (NWRA) a small research company with headquarters in Redmond, in 2014.  He joined NWRA in 1989 after a ten-year stint in the US Air Force where he had begun his life work in the area now known as space weather, most specifically on the effects of the earth’s ionosphere on satellite communication systems.  When Jim retired, he was a Senior Research Scientist and Vice President responsible for NWRA’s operations in other states (Colorado and California).  After a lifetime spent doing scientific research, the transition into a retirement doing genealogical research was a natural.

Jim and wife Lisa have three grown sons, two living in the Seattle area (a Bothell fire department lieutenant and a Seattle-based architect) and one living in Vancouver, WA (a supervisor for a “boutique” moving company).  They lived in Bellevue, Redmond, and what is now Sammamish while their sons were growing up, moved to Tucson, AZ, for the college years (go Arizona Wildcats!), and care for aging parents.  They returned to Seattle in 2009 and plan to stay.

Please give Jim a hearty welcome when you meet him. Jim, thank you for volunteering for Vice President!
 

SECOND SATURDAY SPEAKER SERIES: 
IS IT TRUE? USING MANUSCRIPTS AND
FAMILY RECORDS FOR GENEALOGICAL PROOF  Steven Morrison will be the speaker at our last Second Saturday Speaker Series presentation for 2019.

Steven has been a professional genealogist since 2006 and has served on the board of the Puget Sound chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He is a member of multiple local and national genealogical societies and is a past president of the Olympia Genealogical Society.

In this presentation, Steven explains how family records (including diaries, letters, and personal photographs) can be perceived as having little genealogical value, but nothing could be further from the truth! Come explore how original information can shine new light on undiscovered facts or family relationships. Hope to see you there, Saturday, November 9, 2019, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm in the SGS Library.   

SAVE THE DATE

Jewish Genealogical Society
of Washington State,
LDS Factoria Bldg,
4200 124th Ave SE,
Bellevue, WA
Monday, November 11, 2019

  • Doors open at 6:30 PM and the presentation starts promptly at 7:00 PM
  • Come early to network with other attendees and to enjoy the extensive JGSWS library resources, including FREE access to the FHC computers and genealogical websites
  • Free Wi-Fi available
  • Free admission and refreshments
  • At this meeting, Michael Saunders will present “Digging Deep: Doing Historical Research”

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 Library will be closed from November 24, 2019 through December 2, 2019, for the Thanksgiving Holiday. 
NOVEMBER
Saturday, November 2, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree for Family Search Interest Group, with leader Lou Daly.  

Sunday, November 3, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, DNA Workshop,  with Cary Bright. Q&A first hour, while focus second hour in on Genome Mate Pro. 

Saturday, November 9, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker Interest Group, with leaders Reiley and Jess.  Saturday, November 9, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Second Saturday Speaker Series – Using Manuscripts and Family Records for Genealogical, with Steven Morrison  

Wednesday, November 13, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Mac Computer Interest Group,  with Lisa Marker, held at the Fiske Genealogical Library in Madison Park, 1644 43rd Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112, jointly sponsored by SGS and Fiske. Meetings are open to the public and will address topics and resources helpful for those using MacIntosh (Apple) computers and the Reunion program in their genealogy research. $3.00 library use fee applies.

Saturday, November 16, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Irish Interest Group, with Jean Roth 
Saturday, November 16, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, German Interest Group,  with Jean Roth

Saturday, November 16, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Digging Deeper: Comparing Genealogical Software,  presenters will compare Legacy, Family Tree Maker, and RootsMagic.  Come see which one is right for you. 

Tuesday, November 19, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Family History Writers’ Group,  contact Gail Stevens for more info at  stevens_gail@hotmail.com 
DECEMBER

Saturday, December 7, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree for Family Search Interest Group, with leader Lou Daly.  
Saturday, December 14, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Second Saturday – Holiday Potluck –  watch for details  

Twin River Genealogy Society November Meeting

by Charles Hansen

The Twin River Genealogy Society meeting Nov 14th at Orchard’s Methodist Church on Burrell Ave, in the back side basement entrance at 6:30pm visitation and meeting at 7:00pm with Pamela Thorson,  she will be talking about Arrow Idaho.   She will be talking about the people of the area and her book “Arrow”. This is also our election of officers after the presentation.  We would love to have you join us. 

Pam Thorson is a licensed practical nurse, author, speaker, and full-time caregiver. She and her husband raised their family in a log cabin overlooking the Clearwater River at Arrow, Idaho. She authored her first book, Song in the Night (2008), after their son’s spinal cord injury in 1997. Her second book, Out from the Shadows: 31 Devotions for the Weary Caregiver, was released in 2014. Her latest book, Arrow: The History and People of an Idaho Community, Volume 1 (2019), presents the rich history of her beloved community.

Pam speaks at various venues and writes a weekly article for the Christian music website, CMADDICT.com. She is a full member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA). As a member of the Idaho Caregiver Alliance, she served on the Family Caregiver Work Force, tasked by the Idaho legislature to research and craft recommendations to support family caregivers.

She and her husband have five grown children and four grandchildren.

Pam Thorson is a long-time resident of Arrow, Idaho, and she has spent nearly thirty years compiling the stories of her beloved Clearwater River valley community. This first volume presents the rich and varied history of Arrow, from its first known native inhabitants to the coming of Lewis and Clark, the opening of the reservation to settlement, and its development as a railroad station. Its stories are gleaned from many written sources, elder accounts, and the author’s own experiences that made Arrow both wild and wonderful. 

Heritage Quest Research Library Classes

by Charles Hansen
It’s time to sign up for our Fall Class offerings Now that the weather has changed and we’re no longer basking in the warm days of summer, it’s time to get back to Genealogy!
Have you always wanted to get started?  Well, here is your opportunity!  
Maybe you have already started your research and have questions regarding your sources.  We have that covered too!
  Tuesday, October 29th, 3-5 p.m.
Dee Haviland Fournier presents a
FREE Beginning Genealogy Class  
  Take a tour of our unique library, which contains over 15,000 books. Then learn how to begin the search for your family. This class will concentrate on Vital Records and Censuses.     For Reservations please call 253-863-1806  or stop by HQRL and register in person.   After reserving a seat, if you are unable to attend the class, please call to cancel so that others may attend.
Join us on Monday, November 4th
6:30 p. m.
 
How Do I Know That’s Right?
Evaluating Genealogical Evidence
 
What does a genealogist do when there is so much data and some things conflict? Or what does one do if there are only a few data points and they don’t agree? How do you know which one is right? In this presentation we’ll define the various types of evidence and discuss ways of evaluating them to come to a sound conclusion. A case study will help illustrate how points of evidence can come into conflict and demonstrate methods for resolving that conflict.
 
 
$20.00 members / $25.00 non-members