The Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society 2023 Spring Seminar will be Saturday, April 29 from 8:30 am to 3:15 pm via Zoom
Our speaker will be Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG He will be presenting the following 4 topics: • Finding “Unfindable” Ancestors • Combining Sources to Identify an Immigrant Origin and Arrival Record • Building a Credible Lineage, Despite Missing Information, Conflicting and Incorrect Records, and Undocumented Publications • Going Beyond the Bare Bones: Reconstructing Your Ancestors’ Lives
Cyndi Ingle, creator of Cyndislist.com will act as Emcee and Virtual Meeting Host.
Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Book Club Saturday April 15th at 4:00 pm Virtual via Zoom
Please join us as we discuss a genealogical murder mystery.
This month’s book is Fiddling With Fate by Kathleen Ernst WorldCat: Fiddling With Fate Amazon: Fiddling With Fate
We will also choose future books.
Topic: TPCGS Book Club Zoom Meeting Time: Apr 15, 2023 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Every month on the Third Sat, until Dec 21, 2024, 21 occurrence(s)
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming weeks, you will be introduced to each of the 2022 award recipients and learn why they received the 2022 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Lee joined GHGS 25 years ago and has been involved ever since. He is a past president, has served on research committees, and is currently cemetery chair. Lee and two other members spent countless hours indexing graves in seven nearby cemeteries and he assisted another member in locating numerous unrecorded graves in Hoquiam’s Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery after a landslide covered them years ago.
For many years, Lee was the van driver for various genealogical expeditions, transporting up to 15 members per trip to Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia and he initiated the planning of a research trip to Salt Lake City for 10 members.
At the society’s monthly meetings, Lee readily shares his latest, often unusual, ancestral finds or living cousin story. Many are interested in his lineage to the Civil and Revolutionary Wars – he has held members’ interest often with his family stories and artifacts.
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award” in the subject line.
Benge, Washington, with a 2000 population of 57 souls, is in Adams County. The famous Mullan Road, built to connect the Missouri River with the Columbia River, passed through Benge…..that portion was finished in May 1861. Still in 2008, the wagon ruts from the Mullan Road could be seen.
The road was built as a military road, but civilians and travelers alike used the road until the Northern Pacific Railroad was completed in 1883.
The town was named for Frank H. Benge, who, with his family, was an early settler. He represented Adams County in the State Legislature in 1904 and he donated the land to found the town.
Here’s a very early picture of Benge, Washington. Anybody have relatives or ancestors who lived in this Adams County farming town???
The New Madrid Earthquake of 1811 — The area known as New Madrid was, in 1811, a ways upriver and was sparsely populated. After the Revolution, people were flocking west, crossing the Appalachian Mountains, but blessedly there were few settlers in the New Madrid area in 1811. So what happened?
On 16 December 1811, at 2:15 am, not one but THREE magnitude 8.0 or higher shook the area in that one day. In January 1812, there was another big shake, followed in February by a last 8.8 shock. Church bells rang as far away as Charleston, South Carolina, and Boston. These four big quakes in a three month period happened because “a seam between two plates pulled apart,” explained our presenter. “And the quakes continue to today…. There have been 4000 quakes recorded since 1974! And if and when another big one comes, the entire Midwest will be in big trouble,” he mused.
The Sultana disaster of 1865 — In the early morning hours of 27 April 1865, mere days after the end of the Civil War, the side-wheeled steamboat Sultana burst into flames, taking 1169 people….mostly Union soldiers (newly freed from Anderson Prison in Georgia) returning home. This was the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history. So what happened?
The ragged band of paroled Union soldiers was taken by train from Andersonville to Vicksburg, Mississippi. There, the steamboat Sultana was to take them north and home. The Sultana was moored there in Vicksburg needing to replace a faulty/leaking boiler. The captain was offered a bounty (bribe!) for each man he would take upriver so he ordered the ailing boiler to be patched up and loaded up the men. Built to take 375 passengers and crew, the wooden Sultana had regularly ferried cotton between St.Louis and New Orleans; she was only two years old. The greedy captain (sorry, called it what it was) loaded nearly 2130 souls on board and pushed off into the river. (1953 freed prisoners, 22 guards, 70 fare-paying passengers and 85 crew.) The Sultana spent two days pushing upriver against the worst spring floods in the river’s history. At around 2:00am on 27 April 1865, when the ship was about seven miles north of Memphis, three of its four boilers suddenly exploded. (If you want to read all the grizzly details click to Wikipedia.) All in all, some 1169 people perished that dark night. “Greed killed them all,” our presenter opined. “And no charges were ever filed against anyone.”
The Flood of 1927 — The third worst disaster was the Flood of 1927. Aaron taught us: “That year, we learned the hard way that men had to live with the Mississippi River on her terms. The river drains 40% of the American heartland and as many smaller rivers flow into the Mississippi, the river becomes like a great big funnel and that year, 1927, after heavy spring rains, the “funnel” opened flooding 27,000 square miles.” This was the most destructive river flood in U.S. history. All those miles of land were inundated up to 30 FEET deep over the course of several months in early 1927. About 500 people died and over 630,000 were directly affected. Some 200,000 African Americans were hit hardest; they were poor and unable to pick up and leave in contrast with the “richer white folks” many of whom could and did pick up and leave.
Levees along the Mississippi were recognized as needed by the 1820s and work was begun to construct them. Long story short, in the early years they were not properly constructed and continually were breached or broken by the tremendously rushing flood waters. Floods still happen today despite much better engineering.
Any of you, dear readers, have an ancestor who was involved or impacted by one of these disasters?
It’s that time of year! Time for your society to honor your outstanding volunteers or teams with an Outstanding Volunteer or Team Award.
No later than July 1, 2023: Submit the form and photograph of your honoree(s) to Info@wasgs.org. The narrative (approximately 150 words) should explain the accomplishments of your nominee/team and why you are honoring him/her/them. The photo should be a good quality digital photograph (at least 300 dpi).
September 1, 2023: Formal announcement of the recipients will be announced.
A few special notes:
Local societies can submit up to two individuals or one teams/projects for special recognition by WSGS.
The Outstanding Volunteer/Team Award program is not a competition – it is locally driven. All nominees from local societies will be honored with an Outstanding Volunteer/Team certificate, but we want these awards to be special, so please don’t nominate your whole society (even though they are outstanding!).
Posthumous awards may be considered.
If your nominee is camera shy & doesn’t want to have a picture submitted, that’s fine. Also, if you’re unable to snap a picture of your whole team, we’re okay with individual member photos.
Nominees may have received an Outstanding Volunteer award previously. Click here for a cumulative list of awardees (alpha by name and by society).
Please honor the July 1 timeline for nominations. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work, including reviews, to be done before the announcement on September 1.
The nomination form is attached. Please complete one form per person or team.
Additional details and deadlines may be found at the WSGS website here.
Please contact Roxanne Lowe at Info@wasgs.org if you have questions or suggestions.
Goodbye, winter! Hello, spring! It’s a great time to refresh or learn basic research skills. This month, instructor Winona Laird offers a “Census Records” class – free for SKCGS members and $20 per class for non-members. More information at https://www.skcgs.org/meetings-events/classes.
At the May 2023 General Membership Meeting, SKCGS will hold its annual election for the positions of President and Treasurer. The Nominating Committee is pleased to share the slate of candidates and invite additional nominations. Learn more at https://www.skcgs.org/home/nominees.
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PROGRAM UPDATES
All meetings are online via Zoom except the in-person Research Group and Genealogy Help at the Auburn Library
Live transcription (captioning) is available during our Zoom meetings by request
Online meeting participants need to register for SKCGS Zoom meetings.Register at our website skcgs.org or use links below. Upon registration, Zoom will send a confirmation email with instructions on joining the meeting.
Saturday, April 1, 2023, 10:00am – 12:00pm PT Family Tree Maker Users Group (online) Question & Answer. Each month, we will learn about using the features of FTM. Register in advance for this Zoom meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdu6uqzgiGdDn7eCsOAgkvdOXktX127sz After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Subscribe to the free SKCGS FTM email list for meeting reminders and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG
Monday, April 3, 2023, 11:00am PT Beginning Genealogy Class: Census Records (online via Zoom) More details at https://www.skcgs.org/meetings-events/classes Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 6:30pm PT SKCGS Board of Directors Meeting (online) All SKCGS members are invited to attend; only Officers and Directors may vote. Write to Board@skcgs.org for the meeting link.
Wednesday, April 5, 2023, 6:30pm PT Beginning Genealogy Class: Census Records (online via Zoom) This is a repeat of the April 3rd class More details at https://www.skcgs.org/meetings-events/classes Friday, April 7, 2023, 12:30 – 2:30 pm PT EGS German Interest Group (online) “Researching the Eastern European German Diaspora” Presenter Mark Rabideauwill focus on the populations of Germans in Eastern Europe scattered in former German communities. Visitors welcome and more information at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com
Monday, April 10, 2023 ⋅ 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (online) “Ancestry DNA: Use All the Tools (cont’d)” Ancestry.com provides lots of powerful tools. This is a continuation of last month’s discussion. Most important: link your test to yourself on your tree: https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Linking-an-AncestryDNA-Test-to-a-Tree?language=en_US
Sort matches using the dots
Filters, Searches, sorting
Using “Common ancestor”, unlinked trees
Using the Notes on each match page
“Do you recognize them?” – make that work for you
Shared matches with known cousins
Messaging your matches – what to say?
Tagging DNA matches in your tree, and adding DNA facts
Quickly finding your DNA matches in the tree (view match)
ThruLines
Ethnicity Estimates
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIucuCvqTsqHNcN7wBEC0fB_3-TRYD1rZLm After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Subscribe to the free SKCGS Genetic-Genealogy email list for meeting reminders and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy Saturday, April 15, 2023, 9:30am PT social time; 10:00am – 11:30am PT program SKCGS General Meeting (online) Carol Friedel presents “That Woman – Finding the Identity of an Adoptee’s Biological Parents” Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsf-6pqT0oHtUTjpgUbRRzwOQ0S8MWq9xx After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. This meeting will be recorded for playback by members. A case study using a simplified approach to Y- and atDNA and some genealogy tips to tie everything together. I began this project for one reason—to pique my husband’s interest in my then new and consuming interest in genealogy—it worked. His father, long since deceased, was adopted. We had no information about his biological parents. This is a case study of how we moved from no information to standing in the church yard in England in which my husband’s 7th great grandfather was married in 1669. We’ll discuss how coupling available records with a simplified approach to Y- and at-DNA will head us in the right direction. As we all know, luck often precedes discovery; there are some strategies that increase the chances luck comes your way. We’ll go through some of those strategies that worked in this case study. I hope you’ll come on this journey with me and get to meet my husband’s grandmother—known in her lifetime as “that woman.”
Dr. Carol Gorman Friedel is a passionate amateur genetic genealogist. She’s been researching as well as attending lectures, classes, workshops, and courses since 2008 when she retired from practicing general dentistry. She is an administrator for two surname groups at Family Tree DNA (Gorman and Chatman). Carol belongs to several genealogical societies and is a member of the SKCGS Education Committee. She’s interested in learning more about this wonderful obsession we all share and in helping fellow genealogists as well as giving a hand to adoptees trying to find their biological parents.
Monday, April 17, 2023 ⋅ 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT Technical User Group (online) “How to Make FamilySearch Family Tree Work for You and New Website Features (cont’d)” The Family Tree is a powerful tool; this is the second part of our discussion which began last month. 1. Create a free account 2. Create a profile for yourself, then add your parents and if necessary, grandparents
Profile view, and Tree view (hints)
Searching for records from the profile
Source Linker
Accessing linked sources and contributor/relatives/relationships
Merging profiles
Troubleshooting
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAucuigqj4uH92bWWD2uycX9Z1uSsRLY4K6 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Subscribe to the free SKCGS Tech User Group email list for meeting invitations and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG Wednesday, April 19, 2023 ⋅ 6:00pm – 7:00pm PT “Genealogist: Use Your Google Drive!” Your Google Drive is valuable because of the ease of sharing and collaborating on many types of documents. Learn to make use of this powerful tool to improve your genealogy research. Please read https://skcgs.blogspot.com/2022/09/genealogists-use-your-google-drive.html in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pcuiorDwqG9Jtp3jCJlowKOay_8PWGh0l After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Friday, April 21, 2023, 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT Research Group (in-person) For SKCGS members Kent FamilySearch Center 12817 SE 256th St., Kent, WA Seating is limited RSVP REQUIRED to Winona at w.laird@skcgs.org Monday, April 24, 2023 ⋅ 1:00pm – 3:00pm PT Genealogy Chat(online) Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another! Register in advance for this Zoom meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUud-uqpzoiGtEMxlqDBQ_fUeS8oZjScF71 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Subscribe to the free SKCGS email list for meeting invitations and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Society Thursday, April 27, 2023 ⋅ 11:00am – 1:00pm PT Genealogy Help with SKCGS at the Auburn Library(in-person) Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer 1102 Auburn Way S Auburn, WA 98002 Registration not required. In-person event. Safety guidelines and current protocols followed. More information at King County Library, email kcls-auburn@kcls.org Monday, May 1, 2023, 11:00am PT Beginning Genealogy Class: Newspaper Research (online via Zoom) More details at https://www.skcgs.org/meetings-events/classes Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 6:30pm PT SKCGS Board of Directors Meeting (online) All SKCGS members are invited to attend; only Officers and Directors may vote. Write to Board@skcgs.org for the meeting link.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 6:30pm PT Beginning Genealogy Class: Newspaper Research (online via Zoom) This is a repeat of the May 1st class More details at https://www.skcgs.org/meetings-events/classes
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SVGS member Sue McNeil will be speaking in-person at our April 11th meeting. Our business meeting will follow the presentation.
Sue’s topic: DNA Match Overwhelm? Divide and Conquer!
Do you have thousands of DNA matches and do not know where to begin? Do you have a 3rd great-grandparent or closer you are struggling to identify? Do you have a known DNA match? Come find out how one or more known people on your match list and some colored dots can you help you begin to make sense of those matches.
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