Please join us for Tri-City Genealogical Society’s June General meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 at the Richland FamilySearch Center (formerly known as the Richland Family History Center). The Richland FamilySearch Center is located at 1314 Jadwin Ave. in Richland. Entrance is down the ramp from the parking lot that is to the north of Dairy Queen.
Long time TCGS member Margie Belden will be speaking on Taking the Next Step in Your Genealogical Research.
General meetings will be on hiatus over the summer, but will resume on September 13. Program topic to be announced in late summer. —
Puget Sound Genealogical Society classes for June:
Jun 10 (Sat), 10:30am-12:30pm. Genealogical Proof Standard and Military Records with Janet O’Conor Camarata. This class will be Zoom only.
Jun 17 (Sat), 10:30am-12:30pm. Immigration & Naturalization and Tips, Tools & Tricks with Janet O’Conor Camarata. This will be a hybrid class with both in person and on Zoom.
Jun 28 (Wed), 1pm-2pm. Our June program will be Torry’s Treasures: Discovering the Hidden Gems Buried Inside New England Marriage Records Prior to 1700 with Michael Lee Stills.
Old newspaper stories sometimes make us laugh and sometimes cry. But they are always so interesting! Bet you have a collection of family newspaper stories……. here’s one for you:
On Friday, the 15th of July, 1921, this little bit was published in The Spokane Daily Chronicle:
“AUNT IS SEEKING THELMA MAY SPRY”
“If Thelma May Spry, aged 17, can be found here, she will have the opportunity of going to the home of her aunt, Mrs. A.C. Seybert, 420 East South Street, Warren, Ohio, to live. A letter asking that the girl be found was received by the police today. According to the information sent by her aunt, the girl was placed in an orphan home here at the age of 12. At one time she stayed with a family named Craig on Fourth Avenue. A good home awaits the girl if she can be found, the letter says.”
Well! My interest being piqued, I did some quick looking in our Washington Digital Archives website.
On the 1910 census, taken 13 May 1910, in Minot, North Dakota, I found Ora Spry, widow, age 26, servant in the household, with children Thelma, age 6, and Sylvester, age 3, both children born in North Dakota.
On the 1920 census, taken 8 Jan 1920, for Crab Creek, Lincoln County, Washington, Thelma was born in North Dakota (parents in Virginia/New York) and was the “ward” of the Smith family.
I learned that Thelma Spry, of Multnomah County, Oregon, married Alfred B. Scott, also of Multnomah County, on December 20, 1922, in Clark County, Washington.
Poor dear Alfred died on 30 Jun 1930 in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. Cause of death? “Accidently burnt…clothing catching fire, while asleep, from cigar.”
Certainly looks like Aunt Mrs. Seybert, of Warren, Ohio, never found her niece. Sad. Never did learn what eventually became of Thelma Spry Scott.
Bob Taylor is the founding guru behind The Family History Guide. This fantastic, and FREE, website, was begun in 2015 and is still growing and expanding and offering more and more help to us genealogists.
From a RootsTech presentation by Bob Taylor, I learned about The Family History Guide: * Bob began as a Family History Consultant and realized folks had questions…. often the same questions repeated, so he devised a way (a website) to help answer those questions. *The Family History Guide is free, with no ads, and is privately funded. * The Guide is offered in over 100 languages! (Doesn’t that show how serious Bob is?) * If you printed out all the many and various help pages from the Guide’s website, “it would equal a California redwood in height,” Bob quipped. *The Guide offers about 200 video tutorials with links to 1000 more. *The Guide offers a blog, a Facebook page, and a “Tip of the Day” feature.
At RootsTech, Bob Taylor explained: “We want no barrier to learning….learning should be easy, efficient and enjoyable. Think of The Family History Guide as a learning library.”
I have taught many of you in my classes over the years that “if it’s free, take two!” Well, this is free and you can take hundreds!
The Washington Pioneer Pursuit contest is a little over half done. So far, we have more than 600 pioneers identified in our index and many more in the review process. While the contest part (a prize for everyone!) ends October 31, 2023, the program will continue as we march toward identifying every man, woman and child that lived in Washington Territory on or before Nov. 11, 1889.
We’re sure you’re not the only one with a question or two about the Pioneer Pursuit Contest. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. To see a list of other FAQs, click here.
I don’t have any ancestors who were in Washington Territory. Can I still participate in Pioneer Pursuit?
You bet you can! You don’t need to be related to any Pioneer to submit their name (& two subsequent generations) in the Pioneer Pursuit. Just pick a Pioneer from a census record, land record or any other good source, and start researching!
I don’t belong to WSGS or a genealogical society. Can I still participate?
Yes! You do not have to be a member of WSGS to participate, but please consider it. To join, click here. Or if you’re interested in a local genealogical society, click here. But if you’d rather go it alone, we’re happy to accept your submissions.
Click HEREfor a video presentation explaining Pioneer Pursuit and answering questions. This video recording is from the Pioneer Pursuit Roundtable discussion, 24 Apr 2023.
TIP OF THE WEEK – SEATTLE CENTER CULTURAL FESTIVALS At Seattle Center, under the theme “Where the World Gathers”, 24 free cultural festivals are scheduled for 2023. A fun, learning experience for the entire family. Coming up in June and July are:
Sadly we report that long-time SGS member and zealous SGS volunteer, Sarah Little, has passed away. SGS remembers Sarah as a dedicated leader who was determined to see that SGS survived and prospered.
Sarah joined SGS in 1985 and immediately became involved. Jim Secan, current SGS president, provided this list of all the positions she held at SGS and he commented, “She was on the Board pretty much full time from 1987-2003!”
Director of Membership 1986-1987
President 1987-1989
Vice President 1989-1990
President 1990-1992
Director of Operations 1993-1995
Director of Membership 1995-1997
Director of Operations 1997-1999
President 1999-2001
Treasurer 2001-2002
Quite deservedly, a SGS Honorary Lifetime Membership was bestowed on Sarah. In addition to all her SGS volunteer work, she also taught a certificate program in genealogy at the University of Washington.
A service for Sarah is being planned for later this summer.
Some of you may be aware that Barbara Rae-Venter, J.D., Ph.D. is the genetic genealogist who cracked the Golden State Killer case using DNA. She needs your help. She emailed the following: “We are working on identifying a suspect for a homicide in Fife, Pierce County. We have very low DNA matches (highest is 23 cM) and would like to do some outreach into the local Slavic community to do DNA testing in the hopes that we could identify some closer matches. Do you have primarily Slavic bio ancestry? If so, would you be willing to do a DNA test? The DNA kits would be provided by FTDNA. In return for the (free) kit, the test taker would provide their family tree going back to their great grandparents, if possible.”
On 20-23 April ten writers came together on Friday Harbor for the SGS100 Writers’ C(r)amp. The outcome was a lot of writing, some great conversations, and growing camaraderie.
SGS100 Writers’ C(r)amp attendees
SGS CENTENNIAL MEMBERSHIP
Join the Seattle Genealogical Society today and become a charter member for our second century!
If you are already a member, it’s time to log in to your account and renew your membership for 2023-24 as we continue the celebration of our 100th year.
Participate in special Centennial Events and enjoy discounted class and Seminar fees, free research requests, special interest groups, and access to exclusive SGS publications and databases. Your membership will extend through the 2023 Centennial Year and until May 31, 2024.
Meet the Board, talk about the election results, SGS business, and the budget. Stay on for the Second Saturday program.
You may attend this meeting in the SGS Library or virtually; your choice. Please register either way. Instructions are on the SGS website calendar of events.
100 years ago: 17 March 1923
On 17 May 1923, a front page headline in the Seattle P-I read “5 Suspended in High School Pie-Egg War”. The article went on to say “Sons of Capitol Hill People Disciplined After Fracas in Broadway-Garfield fued [sic].” “Instructor Questioned for Reckless Driving Following Capture of Youthful Warriors”.
5 boys of prominent families were suspended from Broadway High School and an instructor at Garfield was taken to the police station for questioning. The cause was the athletic rivalry between the two schools. The Broadway baseball team had recently defeated Garfield. One engagement entailed pumpkin pie throwing by Garfield students at Broadway students, the second involved a “barrage of eggs” thrown by Broadway students at Garfield students.
“5 Suspended in High School Pie-Egg War” , Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 17 May 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, Spring Classes 2023 – Virtual, Wednesdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Pacific Time
The topic for May 31 is “The FamilySearch Research Wiki” with Celia McNay. The link to the Fiske Library website is: https://www.fiskelibrary.org/
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 June 12 2023, and the program is “In Search of Mishpocha – Creative Methods for Finding Cousins” with S Lynn Diamond. http://www.jgsws.org/meetings.php
SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Good Shepherd Center, Suite 302 4649 Sunnyside Ave N Seattle, WA 98103 206 522-8658
The elevator is back in service!
Please call ahead to make sure our library will beopen. 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, June 3, 2023, 10:15 am- 12:15 pm, FamilySearch SIG, 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, June 4, 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, June 5, 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.
Saturday, June 10, 2023, 12:30 pm-1:00 pm, SGS Membership Meeting , meet the board and talk about SGS business. Register for in-person or online attendance.
Saturday, June 10, 2023, 1:00 pm-2:30 pm, Second Saturday: The “Push” and “Pull” Decision Making of the 19th Century Immigrant, with Jill Morelli. Please register in advance.
Monday, June 12, 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, June 12 2023, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Board of Directors Meeting at SGS (Virtual), All SGS members are welcome to attend. SGS is an all volunteer organization. Please be involved.
Monday, June 12, 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, June 13, 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.
Monday, June 12, 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.
Friday, June 16, 2023, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, Family Tree Maker SIG, the FTM by Software MacKiev user’s group meets via Zoom on the 3rd Friday of each month. If you would like to attend and are not on the SIG e-mail distribution list, please send an e-mail to egsgenealogyhelper@yahoo.com no later than Thursday, May 18th to request the meeting ld.
Saturday, June 17, 2023, 9:00 am- 12:00 pm, PRESERVATION SEMINAR, with Denise Levenick, free to SGS members, small fee for non-members, registration required.
Sunday, June 18, 2023, 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm, Special Preservation Seminar with Denise Levenick continuation. Free to SGS members. Register today.
Monday, June 19, 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.
Saturday, June 24, 2023, 10:00 am-12:30 pm, DNA SIG, 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, June 26, 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, June 27, 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.
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