Karen Mitchell, the 2023 recipient of the WSGS President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement, received her engraved pen/pencil set recently. Karen is a founding member of the Clallam County Genealogical Society and has never let up on her dedication to the society. CCGS will display the perpetual plaque for the next year.
For more about Karen, read this blog post. Congratulations, Karen and CCGS!
Do you know who’s running the show at the Washington State Genealogical Society? Who are these people? In the coming months, we’ll introduce them to you, so you can say “hi” the next time you hear from them. (Note: This is an updated version of Ginny’s story, first published in January 2017.)
In today’s “Meet the Board” series, we’re introducing you to Virginia Majewski from Sequim. Virginia, more familiarly known to us as Ginny, is WSGS’s past President. Her dedication to WSGS is longstanding and worked many years to make it more relevant and helpful to local societies. Besides being WSGS president from 2017 – 2021, she previously served as WSGS’s Secretary, Region 3 Representative and Vice President.
Undoubtedly, one of Ginny’s greatest WSGS legacies will be her brainchild — the Pioneer Pursuit program. The effort encourages genealogists and history enthusiasts to document every man, woman and child in Washington Territory on or before November 11, 1889. To date, more than 3,500 individuals have been documented and verified as living in the territory before statehood. Ginny is very excited about the response the program has received. Although the contest element ended on October 31, 2023, Ginny encourages everyone to “keep sending in your families!”
Virginia Ann was born in Yakima to Wesley Roy and Nancy Jane (Grabill) Forney. She is a proud 4th generation Washingtonian and descendant of the Pioneer family of John C. Forney and his wife Kate H. Ebersold. Ginny’s name was handed down through her mother’s family – great grandmother, great aunts and aunts – even though Ginny’s dad maintains he picked out her name.
Ginny is a graduate of Quincy High School in Quincy, Washington (Grant County) and Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Spokane. She is married to Moe, her husband of 36 years. She is the mother of four grown children and, most importantly, grandmother of eight, ages 23 – 7. She retired from her career of 42 years as an Obstetrical Nurse in 2013. She is active in her church and manages its annual holiday bazaar, selling all hand crafted items.
Ginny has been involved in genealogy for more than 20 years. It all started with a couple of boxes of “junk” from her grandparent’s estate. She was bitten by the genealogy bug and it became one of her life’s passions. Her maternal and paternal lines go back to exiled Mennonites in Switzerland. In 2000, she took a three-week genealogical tour of Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands – following the path of her exiled ancestors.
Virginia holds a Certification in Advanced Genealogical Studies in both American Records and Methodology from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies in Toronto, Canada. Currently, she is the Treasurer of Clallam County Genealogical Society after having served as its president for a number of terms. She is also a member of a variety of genealogical and historical groups. She loves to do genealogical traveling and giving educational presentations to genealogy groups..
When asked what she finds most interesting about genealogy, Ginny muses about a bigamist, unknown illegitimate cousins, a civil war hero and many more interesting characters!
A few more interesting tidbits about Ginny:
Now you know a little more about one of the WSGS Board members. The next time you see Ginny, say hello and thank her for her service to the WSGS.
The Vasa Order of America National Archives, a Swedish-American fraternal organization, in Bishop Hill, IL, is hoping to attract more researchers to their collections.
The Vasa Order has lodges across the US, Canada, and Sweden. Many of them have disbanded over the years. Their Finding Aid (a work in progress), online collections and guide to the Lennart Setterdahl Oral History Collection is also on the webpage. You can find a link to their collections on their website: https://www.vasaarchives.org/online-collections
Genealogy Brick Wall Busters Free eBookFamily Tree Magazinehttps://familytreemagazine.com › Resources › eBooks
Family Tree Magazine offers all sorts of good stuff, some for pay and many for FREE. Such is this offer…….. a 32-page guide that can be yours for FREE to download.
This book is comprised of reprinted articles from the FT Magazine, all helpful, insightful and How-I-Did-It articles. Why not go see….. it’s FREE! We can always learn something new and a review is also always helpful.
While your at the www.familytreemagazine.com website, check out their other offerings and consider subscribing…………. why not give yourself a November treat?
Have you renewed your WSGS dues? If you have, thank you — we’re glad you’re still with us!
If you haven’t renewed, we’ve made it easy! You can do everything online by clicking on the Members Only tab on the left navigation bar on any page of the WSGS website, then going to “Profile.” From there, click on the green “Renew Membership” button and follow the prompts. Easy peasy!
If you aren’t a member of the WSGS yet, it’s just as easy: click on “Join/New Member” on the left navigation bar. It’s only $12 per year (January – December).
Of course, if you’d rather use the mail, that’s okay, too — just mail your membership form to:
Washington State Genealogical Society
Kathy Sizer, Membership Chair
1901 S. 12th Avenue
Union Gap, WA 98903
| TIP OF THE WEEK – LEGALESE GOT YOU DOWN? ASK AI TO HELP Use AI to help you understand legal language in older document. If you are getting confused by the complex language of a legal document ask Chat GBT to help. Ask the AI to “summarize the following text” and type the text of the document and paste it into the chat GBT. This can’t account for specific legal rules of the past, but it should at least help you understand what the document actually says. | |
| November 1, 2023 | |
photos credit Dan Dennis and waldemar / Unsplash
REGISTER NOW FOR SGS’s 3-DAY FALL SEMINAR
Get ready to learn about some lesser-known record sources. SGS’s Fall Seminar will provide you with the information you need to make some exciting discoveries in your family tree. Our 3-Day conference kicks off Friday evening, Nov. 10, with sessions continuing the next day and the following Saturday, Nov. 18.
Register on the SGS website
FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 10 (5PM)
“Polls, Personalty and Property – Making Sense of Tax Lists”
Somebody had to pay government’s bills, and they did it through the law by imposing taxes on polls, personal property and real property. The records of those taxes offer some of the best clues available to our ancestors, their families and their neighborhoods.
SATURDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 11 (9AM)
“Obituaries and Other Death Information in Online Newspapers”
Obituaries can be a bonanza for genealogical information and family stories, but other death information can also be found in newspapers. Learn how to find your ancestor’s death information in online newspaper archives, both U. S. and international.
“Probate Records: More Than Just Wills”
Will records are a great genealogical source but not all estates involve wills and estates without a will often have more genealogical information than those with wills. This session will discuss both testate (has a will) and intestate (without a will) estates and how you can use them to further your genealogical research.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 18 (1 PM)
Nicole Dyer
“Tax Records Tell the Story: Cluster and Neighborhood Research”
Learn how tax records can help locate individuals, identify neighborhood groupings, and separate individuals from others of the same name. (A case study)
“Digging into Death Certification Data to Uncover Family History and Family Health Information Treasures: A Physician’s Perspective”
We will discuss the fascinating history of recording death and then explore those death records in the US that contain a cause of death such as mortality schedules, mortality registries, and death certification all from a physician’s perspective. We will discuss some pearls and pitfalls along the way and how to access these useful records. Finally we will discuss diseases to be on the watch for during your family history journey and how to use family health information to develop a family history portrait and actually calculate your risk of certain illnesses.
Don’t miss out. Register today.
LISA WHITE: 2023 VOLUNTEER OF FALL QUARTER
Lisa White, out-going Publication Chair has been selected SGS Volunteer of the Quarter.
SGS president Jim Secan was pleased to share this news. “Lisa White was appointed Director of Publications by the SGS Board of Directors in May 2021 after she volunteered to take this open position. Lisa was a new SGS member, and had sent an email to then-Director-of-Volunteers Ceil Rogers asking if there was anything she could do to help her new organization. She decided on the Publications job, and has been the SGS Director of Publications ever since.” Unfortunately for SGS, Lisa has stepped down from her director position, but is not done volunteering.
Lisa White
“It was fun working with the board making decisions for the benefit of our organization and membership,” Lisa said upon learning of the award.
Lisa has accepted the position as SGS Journal Editor. She is working now on the layout for the new edition coming out soon. “My career before becoming self-employed was graphic arts and printing so this is right up my alley.”
Over the years she attended many virtual seminars and other events, and explained, “I always learn so much from them.” Along with many other members of SGS, Lisa attended the 100th Anniversary celebration at Dunn Gardens where local celebrity, Knute Berger faced a full house of SGS Members and other guests. “It was fantastic and so nice to see so many members in person!”
Lisa has personal goals for next year, including concentrating on her Certification portfolio. “I attended CDG in 2022 and gained insight into the process as well as the confidence to proceed. I highly recommend attending and I am thinking I may go through it again. I also have some transcription projects in the works.
“My favorite question for the volunteer is: What are your genealogical interests and research areas? Do you have a fascinating discovery to share? Or a brick wall story?
“My ancestry is from Colonial America, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Germany. I was working on Mayflower lineage with another family member and to his consternation I proved we were not Mayflower descendants on that line! Although through that research I found we have Quaker ancestors which was exciting”
When Lisa is not helping SGS or deep diving into her ancestral roots, she is thinking about her retirement. She and her husband will end their business in less than two years, and begin traveling to National Parks and Civil War locations where her husband has Union ancestors. After that, they will visit Europe and travel to ancestral places in Ireland and Germany.
Lisa also enjoys reading and is working on reading all of the books on the BBC’s Top 100 Books You Need to Read. “I am embarrassed to say I forgot I had already read War and Peace and was almost finished with reading it again when I realized. My “rule” is I must finish every book I start whether I like it or not!”
As a volunteer, Lisa has approached her volunteer positions similarly, with good intentions and longevity in service.
CONGRATULATIONS and Thank you Lisa for all you have contributed to SGS.
THANKS TO OUR SGS100 VOLUNTEERS!
The 100th celebratory year is coming to an end. There are so many people to thank for making it a success. We will miss some, so please just let one of us know your name and we will include you in the master list. Those to thank include:
As you can see, we had a special event almost every month of our celebratory year. while we had our hand in almost all activities, without all of you helping it would not have happened.
And, an additional shout out to the Board members who gave us great latitude and to all who kept the doors open while we overlaid the activities on top of those that we normally conduct.
Your co-chairs,
Lisa Oberg and Jill Morelli
HAVE SOMETHING TO SCAN?
SGS LIBRARY HAS WHAT YOU NEED
SGS member Maggi Murphy stopped in to use the patron scanning station for an old family album. She had no idea this album existed until a connection was made to a step-cousin. She is trying to identify some of the family members in the photos. Are you in possession of an album that deserves scanning? Stop in and do it at the SGS Library.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
FOR SET UP AND HOSTING MEETINGS
Volunteers are needed to help operate tech equipment during meetings, seminars and other events. Setting up the SGS laptop, projector and Zoom for hybrid meetings are among the requests. Additional help troubleshooting with in-person or online participants and speakers may be needed.
Volunteers should have some working knowledge of connecting devises or computers to a projector and using Zoom interface.
100 YEARS AGO: 12 OCT 1923
On 12 October 1923, the front page news, in all caps, was “AIR PASSENGER SERVICE TO BE STARTED HERE”. The article went on to say that Seattle was selected as the junction for Alaska Airways Company and that the company had “let contracts for the erection of hangars, machine shops and an air depot on Lake Union at Westlake Avenue, near Highland Drive.” “Service will be between Seattle and Tacoma, Seattle and Everett, and Seattle and Victoria, B.C.”
— “AIR PASSENGER SERVICE TO BE STARTED HERE”, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 12 Oct 1923, p1, col 2.
* Watch each eNews! issue for “100 years ago”, our new anecdotal series. We will be running it for the duration of 2023, our centennial year.
SAVE THE DATE
Fiske Genealogical Library Classes (Free!),
Wednesdays in November
10:00 pm – 11:59 am Pacific Time
Join the Fiske Genealogical Library as they continue their Fall virtual classes. All classes are Wednesdays, 10 am to noon, unless otherwise noted on their schedule.
November 8: What’s New in Genetic Genealogy — Karin Borgerson
November 15: Using Tables and Timelines to Break Through ‘Brick Walls’ — Janet Camarata
“What’s Online at the National Archives”
Eastside Genealogical Society
November 9, 2023, 6:30 pm
The presenter, Marisa Louie Lee, is a freelance researcher and workshop speaker who specializes in federal government records and Asian American. Learn more about the event at the website: Eastside Genealogical Society.
Family Tree Maker SIG
Eastside Genealogical Society
November 17, 2023, 10:30 pm
Join Eastside Genealogical Society and SGS to learn and share tips and tricks for using Family Tree Maker by Software MacKiev. The meetings open about 15 minutes in advance. You can join and/or leave whenever you have to, and you may email your question(s) in advance or bring them up during the meeting.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State,
usually 2nd Monday meetings
usually 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Pacific Time
JGSWS meets on the second Monday of each month, from Sept-June. Doors open at 6:30 pm unless noted otherwise. The next meeting is Nov. 13, 2023, “Using Social Media for Genealogic Research: The Good, the Bad, and the Exceedingly Strange” presented by Robin Meltzer. For more information see
http://www.jgsws.org/meetings.php
“Every Family has a Story … What’s Yours”?
November 4, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Pacific Time
The Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum will be hosting this virtual event to learn the basic research progress. Limited to 100 attendees. The event is free for museum members and $10 for non-members. Register in advance.
“Julefest: A Nordic Christmas Celebration”,
National Nordic Heritage Museum,
2655 NW Market St,
Seattle, WA 98107
Sat-Sun, November 18-29
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Modeled after a traditional outdoor Christmas market, expect all the traditional Nordic holiday goodies. Ticket price for non-members includes entry to the museum. Julefest is no charge for museum members.
https://nordicmuseum.org/events/julefest
SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Good Shepherd Center, Suite 302
4649 Sunnyside Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
206 522-8658
Please call ahead to make sure our library will be open. We are short on front desk volunteers.
Hours : Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
** 10:00 am – 3:00 pm **
Masks are recommended inside the Good Shepherd Center. Due to COVID the events listed below continue to be virtual, online via Zoom. Always check the SGS Website Calendar of Events for the meeting links, registration, or for last minute updates or changes to the schedule. Be advised you may need to register in advance to join a meeting.
NOTICE: SGS has imposed more security on our Zoom meetings. Some meetings will begin with a waiting room. The host must take action to let people into each meeting. The host will try to open the waiting room about 10 minutes ahead of time. Please be patient.
All times listed are Pacific Time unless otherwise noted Saturday, Nov 4, 2022, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, FamilySearch SIG (Virtual), with Lou Daly. Discover many ways to use the FamilySearch website in your research. Meeting includes instruction and time for Q&A. Email Lou to get on the email list: loudaly@nwlink.com
Sunday, Nov 5, 2023, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, with Cary Bright and Craig Gowens. To participate you need to be on the SGS DNA Interest Group email list. Contact Cary Bright at SGSDNASIG@gmail.com to join.
Monday, Nov 6, 2023, 10:00 am-11:30 am, Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists.
Wednesday, Nov 8, 2023, 7:00 pm-9:00 pm, MAC Computer SIG, Co-chaired by Lisa Marker and Diane Hettrick. Jointly sponsored by SGS and Fiske. Meetings address topics and resources for Macintosh (Apple) computers and the Reunion genealogy software program. Meetings are on the second Wednesday of alternating months. A link to login will be sent to the MAC SIG email list. If you would like to join, send an email to macusersig@seagensoc.org to be added to the email list.
Friday, Nov 10, 2023, 5:00 pm-6:30 pm, and Saturday, Nov 11, 2023, 9:00 am-12:00 pm, Death and Taxes (Fall Seminar), see additional details about the event in our feature story above.
Monday, Nov 13, 2023, 10:00 am-11:30 am, Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists.
Monday, Nov 13, 2023, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, SGS Board of Directors Meeting (Virtual), All SGS members are welcome to attend. SGS is an all volunteer organization. Please be involved. Members must sign in to website to see Zoom link.
Monday, Nov 13, 2023, 7:00 pm-8:30 pm, Write It Up! SIG (Virtual), Join this group to share and discuss writing projects, resources, and ideas. To join or learn more, contact Alaine Keisling at keisling@gmail.com
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023, 10:00 am-11:00 am, Tech Tuesday (Virtual), informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. Bring us your problem; we’ll try to help.
Saturday, Nov 18, 2023, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, Irish SIG (Virtual), with Susan McKee. See the SGS website Calendar of Events for further information. New Zoom link started in July.
Saturday, Nov 18, 2023, 1:00 pm-4:00 pm, Death and Taxes (Fall Seminar), see additional details about the event in our feature story above.
Saturday, Nov 19, 2023, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, German SIG (Virtual), Focus will be on Pussian research.
If you’ve done research in Prussia, please come with your knowledge and experiences for our group discussion!. Carolyn Schott is the facilitator. Get the new Zoom link. Register on the SGS website. RESCHEDULED: Day and time for November ONLY.Sunday, Nov 19, 2023, 1:00 pm-2:30 pm, Virtual Sundays: Something Old, Something New, Topic to be announced. Please visit the SGS website to register in advance for this event.
Monday, Nov 20, 2023, 10:00 am-11:30 am, Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists.
Tuesday, Nov 21, 2023, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, Family History Writers’ Group (Social Interest Group), Create your family history and share with others in an effort to improve your writing. Please note: The Writers’ Group is at the maximum number of participants and is not currently accepting any new members.
Monday, Nov 27, 2023, 10:00 am-11:30 am, Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists.
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2023, 10:00 am-11:00 am, Tech Tuesday (Virtual), informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. Bring us your problem; we’ll try to help. Saturday, Dec 2, 2022, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, FamilySearch SIG (Virtual), with Lou Daly. Discover many ways to use the FamilySearch website in your research. Meeting includes instruction and time for Q&A. Email Lou to get on the email list: loudaly@nwlink.com
Monday, Dec 4, 2023, 10:00 am-11:30 am, Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists.
| November 1, 2023 SGS eNews! comes out the first of every month. contact eNews! forward this email to a friend |
| Copyright © 2023 Seattle Genealogical Society, All rights reserved. All SGS members have been automatically signed up for this e-letter. Our mailing address is: Seattle Genealogical Society 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Suite 302 Seattle, WA 98103-6955 |
Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Legacy Family Tree SIG Meeting
Tuesday, November 7th at 7:00 PM
This month we are going to finish the free Legacy Family Tree Webinars video: Sources and Citations Made Simple, Standard, and Powerful.
Remember, if you have any questions, problems, tips or tricks about using Legacy PLEASE share them with the group, your attendance and participation will be greatly appreciated!
Topic: TPCGS Legacy Family Tree Special Interest Group Meeting
Every month on the First Tuesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82495661568?pwd=dy85YmluVzF5aEU4SzFTcTUrVDlTUT09
Meeting ID: 824 9566 1568
Passcode: 715731
One tap mobile
+12532050468,,82495661568#,,,,*715731# US
+12532158782,,82495661568#,,,,*715731# US (Tacoma)
Dial by your location
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 824 9566 1568
Passcode: 715731
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcphK19I1E
| Native American Heritage Month Resources |
| The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is pleased to honor our country’s Indigenous Peoples as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. We hope the resources listed below will help with your genealogy and family history research or be useful information to share with others. The Library of Congress is hosting a Native American Heritage Month website with support from National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. US Department of the Interior provides the Trace Indian Ancestry page as a guide that discusses how to begin research if you are tracing American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry. Ancestry has a downloadable PDF available on Researching Your American Indian Ancestors on Ancestry. Cyndi’s List offers links to a number of resources for Native American and First Nations research. YouTube can also be a helpful free resource. Check these videos out to get you started: Tracing Your Native American Family History on Ancestry.com by Nicka Sewell-Smith Genealogy: Finding American Indian Ancestry by Carly Morgan Native American Indian and Indigenous Genealogical Research by Genealogy TV with Judy Nimer Muhn Discovering Native American Ancestry Through DNA by Ugo A. Perego, PhD, from RootsTech 2021 A Conversation with Muscogee Genealogist Rick Fogarty from Mvskoke Media of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Finally, please join us on 8 November 2023 for our next Culture Conversation with filmmaker Alicia Hawkins about her documentary, American Red and Black. Register now at https://bit.ly/NGS CultureConvo8Nov2023. |
Copyright © 2023 National Genealogical Society (NGS), all rights reserved. National Genealogical Society · 6400 Arlington Blvd · Suite 810 · Falls Church, VA 22042-2318 · USA
RootsTech by FamilySearch is honored to announce its first keynote speaker, president and founder of the Dred Scott Foundation and great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott, Lynne M. Jackson.
A remarkable woman, Lynne Jackson will take the RootsTech main stage on Friday, March 1, 2024, to speak on the importance of remembering and connecting with ancestors, touching upon the story of her great-great-grandparents, Dred and Harriet Scott, and how their legacy has shaped her life.
RootsTech, the world’s largest genealogy conference, is 29 Feb to 02 Mar 2024. Experience this amazing event in person (Salt Lake City, UT) or online. To sign up for this free event, click here.