This book presents selected entries from Phoebe Goodell Judson’s diary, chronicling her remarkable journey as a young bride traveling by covered wagon from Ohio in 1853 to her final home at the head of the Nooksak River in 1904. Rather than offering daily accounts, these excerpts provide readers with vivid glimpses into the realities of pioneer life. Like many women of her era, Phoebe gave birth to a child while journeying west, and she candidly describes the hardships faced along the way—scarcity of water and food for livestock, and encounters with local tribes that were sometimes fraught with tension.
The Judson family initially settled in Ground Mound, Thurston County, near Phoebe’s parents. However, the discovery of gold near Fort Colville in 1855 brought dramatic changes. Discontent among Eastern Washington tribes over treaty terms led to attacks on prospectors and government troops, and the resulting unrest soon spread to the western side of the mountains, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear.
In 1858, following her husband’s election to the state legislature, the family moved to Olympia. Through Phoebe’s eyes, readers gain insight into the early history of this developing town. Yet the search for an ideal home continued, and the family eventually relocated to the headwaters of the Nooksak River—a remote and uncharted region, far from other white settlers. For a time, Phoebe was the only white woman north of Bellingham Bay. It was here that she overcame her fear of Indigenous peoples and earned their respect and friendship.
This is the story of a woman who exercised her right to vote in territorial elections from 1883 to 1887, witnessed Washington’s transformation from a new territory to statehood in 1889, and whose son George, a graduate of the Territorial University in Seattle, helped lay out the town of Lyden. More than just the personal account of Phoebe Judson, this narrative offers a unique perspective on the history and development of western Washington.
Available at Amazon in hardback, paperback and on Kindle
Gerry Shepard will give a presentation on French-Canadian Research focusing on the Quebec Region. Richard Kyle will be speaking on the American Loyalists living in the colonies during the American Revolution. The Canadians welcomed the Loyalists who were forced to leave the colonies, giving assistance and free land. Producing legal papers and records. A number of these families returned to the United States.
The Spring Seminar is Free, at the door we do accept Donation to pay for handouts and refreshments. Please sign up ahead to save your seat. Sign-up sheet on the librarian desk or call the library at (509) 248-1328. Or email Richard Kyle at rkyle98902@charter.net .Snacks, coffee and water will be provided.
Following the General Meeting, Kathy Sizer will be giving a presentation on ways to research the state of Connecticut. In January 1788, Connecticut became the fifth State of the union, played a crucial role in the early history of the United States, being one of the original thirteen Colonies has plenty of rich history to explore. Join us in learning how to expand your ancestry through researching Connecticut.
Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Monthly Educational Meeting Tuesday, March 10, 2026, starting at 6:00 pm
This month’s presentation: A free RootsTech video titled “Using the FamilySearch Wiki” presented by Angela Thorup of the Family Search Library.
The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a free, online, genealogical guide that helps you find ancestors from around the world. Learn how to effectively navigate and use the Wiki to find websites, databases, records, and research strategies.
We hope you will attend and share your experiences using the Wiki as well as any questions you may have.
This month’s meeting will be Zoom Only until we can find a new physical location to meet in person.
Happy Spring! SKCGS Members will find the playback access code for Winona Laird’s presentation at the end of this email. *if you expected to find the code but do not see it, your SKCGS Membership has expired. Renew on our website: https://www.skcgs.org/support-skcgs/membership
Stay connected! Get updates on our virtual and in-person events, plus the latest genealogy news and tips, by subscribing (free) to the online group at https://skcgs.groups.io
Skcgs.groups.io is the SKCGS online platform for discussion and information sharing: we communicate and share information with each other other than your email, you are not required to provide personal information you can unsubscribe or change your email format at any time
PROGRAM UPDATES
All meetings are online except the in-person Research Group and Genealogy Help at KCLS Auburn, Federal Way, and Renton Main library branches. Live transcription (captioning) is available during our Zoom meetings by request. Online meeting participants need to register for SKCGS Zoom meetings. Upon registration, Zoom will send a confirmation email with instructions on joining the meeting. https://www.skcgs.org
MARCH TO EARLY APRIL 2026 MEETINGS & EVENTS All meetings are Pacific Time (PT) zone Register at https://www.skcgs.org for all meetings unless otherwise stated.
Monday, March 9, 1–2 pm PT, Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (Online). Topic: New Tools for our DNA Research. Rootstech, MyHeritage WGS and more. This group is for genealogists who use DNA data as part of their research. Join the free email group for meeting notices and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy
Tuesday, March 10, 6:30–7:30pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting. (Online) (changed date). Interested Members are invited; write Board@skcgs.org for the zoom link.
Thursday, March 12, 11am–1pm: Genealogy Help with SKCGS at Renton Main Library (In-person). Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer. 100 Mill Avenue S, Renton, WA.
Monday, March 16,1–2pm PT: Tech Users Group (Online). Topic: Using AI to simplify complicated or tedious tasks. Bring your ideas, resources, failures and successes. The Tech Users Group is for sharing knowledge and learning about technology tools, media, apps and websites. Please join our free email group for meeting information and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG.
Thursday, March 19: Genealogy Help with SKCGS (in-person) Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer * 11am-1pm: Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S, Auburn, WA * 2-4pm: Federal Way Main Library, 34200 1st Way S, Federal Way, WA
Friday, March 20,1–3:pm: Research Workshop (in person). SKCGS Members only. In-person research at the Kent FamilySearch Center, 12817 SE 256th St, Kent, WA. RSVP in advance to Winona Laird (206-818-7610).
Saturday, March 21, 10–11:15am (online). 9:30-10:am PT: Social time. (sign in early to chat) 10 am PT – Featured speaker presentation: Winona Laird “Publish Your Story using AI and Kindle Direct Publishing“ Winona has been doing genealogy for over 60 years. She started as a young girl in a church class. One of the projects was to get her mother, father, and grandparents to write a one-page story of their lives and they all wrote their stories. Some years later, after Winona’s grandmother had passed, the family found reams of paper among her possessions which contained notes and stories she had written. Winona used this information to write and publish a book about her grandmother, “Have You Ever Lived in a Mining Town.” Winona has researched most of her family lines back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Family is very important to Winona. She was married for 56 years when her husband passed away, and is a mother of two daughters and has two grandchildren. She was the owner of an accounting and tax business in Kent, Washington for over 20 years. When she sold the business and retired as an accountant, she became a professional genealogist. Her specialties are teaching and lecturing on genealogy. For three years Winona taught classes for the Continuing Education Department at Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington. In 2023, Winona Hahn Laird was named One of Washington State Genealogical Society’s Outstanding Volunteers. She was nominated by the South King County Genealogical Society; honored for the effort she put into creating and teaching beginning genealogy classes for SKCGS in 2023. The society experienced a 25 percent increase in membership directly attributable to her classes. Winona also has served as president and vice president of SKCGS and on numerous committees, including chair of the last two seminar committees, and head of the education committees and the five-year planning committee. Currently she runs the virtual Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group and the in-person Research Workshop at the Kent Family Search Center. She has also been group liaison for the Family Search Center. See the announcement and https://skcgs.blogspot.com/2023/12/honoring-winona-hahn-laird-volunteer-of.html and our presentation for more. Winona has written two books and is currently revising another, using AI and Kindle Publishing. Find her here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/WINONA-I-Laird/author/B0D5ZHW26K Her presentation is designed to help genealogists and family historians publish their stories. Your family will be forever grateful when you do. ***
Monday, March 23, 1–2:pm PT: Genealogy Chat (Online). Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another!
Friday, April 3, 12:30–2:30pm PT: German Interest Group (EGS)(Online)Topic: “Using Hansen’s Map Guides To Locate YourAncestor’s German ParishRecords” by Bernard N Meisner. Visitors welcome. https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org/. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/24meu744 The Map Guides contain detailed information about Catholic and Lutheran jurisdictions for locations within the former German Empire (including areas now in Poland,Lithuania, Russia, Denmark, and France), Switzerland and Luxembourg, and also some information about Jewish congregations in those areas. Given your ancestor’s hometown, learn how to identify the most likely parish(es) with their records, then check the online availability of the registers on FamilySearch, Archion and/or Matricula. Presenter Bernard N. Meisner is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He began researching his family over 35 years ago and enjoys sharing lessons learned from that experience, including his mistakes.
April 4, 10-11am PT: Family Treemaker User Group (Online). General Q&A for the Family Tree Maker Program. Subscribe to the free SKCGS FTM email list for meeting reminders and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG
Tuesday, April 7, 6:30–7:30pm PT: SKCGS Board Meeting (Online). Interested Members: write to Board@skcgs.org for the Zoom link.
Wednesday, April 8, 2–3 pm PT: WikiTree Users (Online). Topic: Wikitree FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions. Bring your most pressing questions, and we’ll help one another get over the bumps. From login to leadership, Wikitree needs YOU, and you need Wikitree! Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Subscribe to our free online group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG.
Thursday, April 9,11am–1pm: Genealogy Help with SKCGS at Renton Main Library (In-person). Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer. 100 Mill Avenue S, Renton, WA.
************* SKCGS Speaker Series: Monthly on the third Saturday, 10am. F September 20 2025: Roxanne Lowe “Write Your Own Obituary” October 18 2025: Craig K Gowens “The Border Reivers: The Beginnings of America’s Scotch-Irish” November 15 2025: Mags Gaulden “WikiTree’s DNA Features, With A Splash of mitoYDNA.org” January 17 2026: Mary Kircher Roddy “Putting Your Learning to Work: Getting the Most From an Educational Opportunity” February 21 2026: Robyn N. Smith “Cluster Research: Using Other People to Find Your People” March 21 2026: Winona Laird “Publish Your Story using AI and Kindle Direct Publishing” April 18 2026: Robbie Johnson “Writing for Relatives 101-–From Research to Family History” May 16 2026 Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal “Research at the library…without leaving home!” June 20 2026: Steven Morrison Part1, “Digging Up New Dirt: Unearthing the Real New England Immigrant” AND Part 2, “Finding, Proving and Publishing” *************
MEMBERSHIP: We welcome guests to our meetings and special interest groups, which are free. Naturally we hope that visitors will want to become members. Support like yours helps us to educate and engage with our community to foster interest in family and local history. You can find more information about membership at our website at https://www.skcgs.org/support-skcgs/membership.
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Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Writing Family History Wednesday, March 11, 2026, starting at 7:00 PM via Zoom
The Writing Family History Special Interest Group (WFH-SIG) supports TPCGS members in documenting, writing, and preserving their family histories—formally or informally. Monthly meetings will provide a mix of presentations, writing exercises, and peer reviews to help members make progress in their projects.
Date & Time: Every month on the Second Wednesday, starting at 7:00 PM Pacific Time.
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Ancestry Revisit – New, Updated and Upcoming Features
Tuesday, March 10th
1:00 pm
SVGS Library
6111 188 PL NE, Arlington, WA
Our speaker at the library this month will be SVGS society member, Sue McNeil. This event will be in person only. Everyone is welcome to attend this free presentation.
Sue’s topic: Ancestry Revisit-New, Updated and Upcoming Features
There have been many small and large additions and changes to Ancestry over the past year and many more coming. Have you looked at Ancestry lately?
Sue’s Bio:
Sue has been a member of the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society for many years and a family history addict. Her research in the United States has focused on the deep south, Washington, Michigan and just starting New England, Internationally, she has focused on Canada, Sweden and Germany. Autosomal and Y DNA have been a challenging but fun addition!
There will be a short break with refreshments after the presentation followed by our monthly business meeting.
Please join us for Tri-City Genealogical Society’s General meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11th. The presentation will be at the Richland FamilySearch Center located at 1314A Goethals Dr. Entrance is down the ramp from the parking lot north of Dairy Queen. The presentation will also be on Zoom so you can join in from your home. See below for the Zoom link for the March presentation.
The March presentation will be by longtime TCGS member, Lawrence Clay. His presentation, John Clay(e)The Immigrant,” is about his Jamestown ancestor.
Upcoming on April 8th, another longtime TCGS member, Margie Beldin, will be speaking on “New Tools in FamilySearch.”
And, on May 13th, longtime TCGS member and TCGS Librarian, Sandra Meacham Floberg, will discuss “Repatriation of MIA/KIA using DNA.”
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