The historic wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate, was built in Boston and launched in 1797. Did you know it is still a commissioned vessel of the modern U.S. Navy? 

Named by President George Washington, the Constitution is most famour for her actions against the British Navy during the War of 1812. She earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” in an engagement with the HMS Guerriere when her thick, oak hull sustained relatively minor damage from the Guerrier’s  cannon balls. 

You can read six pages of history on this great old ship on www.historylink.org (our Washington State history site). 

“On May 31, 1933, the historic frigate USS Constitution arrived at the Port of Seattle. After making a grand circuit of Elliott Bay, “Old Ironsides” was moored at Pier 41 in Smith Cove. This was part of a three-year tour around the United States, a public “thank you” to everyone who, from 1925 to 1930, helped raise almost $1 million ($18 billion today) to completely restore the deteriorating vessel.” Some 84,000 people toured the ship in Seattle.
She then made her way up the Washington coast, stopping in Bremerton, Tacoma, Everett, Bellingham, Anacortes, Port Angeles and Port Townsend before heading south for stops along the California coast. She wintered in San Diego before heading back to Boston where she now is permanently moored. As a still-commissioned vessel, she floats IN the bay, not stuck in a concrete bay. 

Don’t we just love our Washington State history tidbits???

Some short time back I was given three big boxes of the basic reference/resource books for New England research. Here in Spokane I’ve tried to find way for anybody interested to have access to these books and I have failed. Could lengthen the story but bottom line I have all these wonderful books that need a home. I’m posting here hoping that some one of you, dear readers, belongs to a genealogical society who has interest (and space!) to have these books available to your members. (EWGS no longer has a genealogy library; too long and too sad a story to share here.) For postage, or UPS charges, I’d be happy to ship these boxes to you………. just say the word. Here is the short history and the list of those books:

I have two “Xerox-size” boxes of books pertaining to early New England research. These books were discards from the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society library.  These are basic books for New England research. That’s not to say everything in each volume is correct; but the volumes do provide clues.

1.  Compendium of American Genealogy, First Families of America by Virkus, published 1926-1942; there are Volumes 2 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 7.
2. New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Torrey, and Supplement
3. The Great Migration Begins, Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, by Anderson; 3 volumes,  A-F,  C-F,  G-H. (yes looks like a typed mistake but tiz not), published 1995. Likely there are more volumes to this series but my two boxes don’t contain them. J
4. The Great Migration, by Anderson, published between 1999 and 2011, 7 volumes, A-Z.
5. Genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England, Three Generations prior to May 1692, by Savage; 4 volumes covering A-Z, originally published 1860-1862.
6. Digest of Early Connecticut Probate Records, by Manwaring, Vols 1-3 cover Hartford, 1635-1750.
7. Families of Ancient New Haven, by Jacobus, there are 3 compiled volumes only,  1-3, 4-6, and 7-8, first published 1922-1932
8. New England Historic Genealogical Society Register:
   1. 15 volumes from Fall 2019 to Winter 2022
   1. Bunch of old ones, Volumes 1-6,  15-26,  31-34, published between 1847 and 1881.

Email me directly, please: Donna243@gmail.com…. and ONLY if you’re interested in having the books. Please don’t just say “sorry we cannot.”

 Last March, several EWGS members had a Learning Day Out Road Trip! Jeanne Coe, Jennilyn Weight and me, were joined by Karen Lehfeldt and Janet Damm (of the Whitman Co Gen Soc), for a most fun day.

Janet is the Librarian for WCGS and since they are paring down their collection to keep mostly only Whitman County books, a long list of give-away-books enticed us to stop and load our tote bags. (Possibly they still are culling and giving away; contact them if you’re interested.) 

For years I’ve driven past this museum and today was the day to finally stop and learn. I had thought this breed of horse somehow originated with the Native Americans in the Palouse area, but no. There are ancient cave paintings depicting “spotted horses.”

And did you realize that Appaloosa horses, like many horse breeds, have recorded pedigrees? In the museum was a big thick book of Appaloosa Horse Pedigrees…..

Then we five had a fun lunch at Roosters in Clarkston and attended a local history talk in the Lewiston Public Library………. after a stop at the Lewiston County Historical Society Museum, of course!

There are soooooo many day trips to take in our wonderful Evergreen State! Gather up a car full and GO!

 Are you of Norwegian descent? Especially Norwegians who came to the Pacific Northwest? Are you aware of the fabulous National Nordic Museum in Seattle?? WOW, you say?

Located in NW Seattle, close to the water, this museum offers so much of interest to those of Nordic descent and those (like me) who are not. Here’s a snip from their website:

Five countries, twelve thousand years  —  At the Museum, you’ll visit five distinct galleries with selections from our permanent collection and more than 100 objects on loan from the national museums of all five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.) Whether you want to be transported to the Viking-era or explore twentieth-century modern design, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

You just must visit their website to see what all the Nordic Museum offers:  www.nordicmuseum.org.  Right now, until June 30, there is a really special artwork display: “….an immersive artwork…. specifically crafter for the museum and illumimating the natural ocean connections between Seattle and its Nordic sister city, Reykjavik.” “To immerse guests into a marine atmosphere, the scent of seaweed harvested from the Pacific and North Atlantic oceans will be tinctured, distilled and dispersed through the room.”  I want to go!!

The Ellis Island tidbits come via a query posted to the Washington State Genealogical Society and from a lady in one of my classes: Steve asked “if 1st and 2nd class ships’ passengers to New York disembarked “at the pier” and the ship then went to Ellis Island to unload 3rd class passengers for screening…..what about the upper classes’ servants (nannies, maids, valets, wet nurses, etc)? Did they disembark with their employers? And would they be on the passenger lists?”  The answer to Steve was advising him to click to this site:http://immigrationinmy.weebly.com/the-experience-at-ellis-island.htmlI answered the other question, posed in my beginner’s class, that Ellis Island opened in 1892 and prior to that the records would be at Castle Garden. WELL!  This lady found her ancestor coming from France into Ellis Island in 1889! Doing some fact-checking for her, I found that yes, indeed, there were some immigrants who somehow came through Ellis Island prior to its official opening. 

Don’t we learn something every single day if we but keep our eyes and mind open??