WSGS President Kathleen Sizer is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 and 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award:
2021 — Helen McGreer Lewis, Renton, 1923 – 2017
2022 — Jill Morelli, Seattle
Created in 2015, the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations. The award is not given every year as it is based on merit and accomplishments, as you’ll see from reading about the recipients below.
Helen Lewis
Helen Lewis
Helen Lewis’s final years of service to genealogy and family history were not only unfailing but critical to the success of archives and genealogy groups in Washington state and beyond. She not only volunteered in her local societies including South King County Genealogical Society (SKCGS) and DAR, but also indexed public records for the Washington State Archives as a volunteer for over 25 years. Her work lives on through the Washington State Digital Archives.
She authored a number of books for which she gained no income; she assigned the proceeds to the South King County Genealogical Society. In her DAR work, she helped countless others as they worked to solidify their connection to American Patriots. She also served as liaison between the SKCGS and the DAR.
Jill Morelli
Jill Morelli, C.G.
Jill is a self-described member of the “Roots” generation of genealogists. From that spark, Jill has grown into a veritable wildfire of action within the genealogical community at many levels. She is a writer, lecturer and researcher specializing in U.S. Midwestern, Scandinavian and northern German genealogy.
Jill was president (2012 – 2015), then publications director (2017 – 2020) of the Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS). She continues to provide her insights and energy to SGS as past president and co-chair of the SGS 100th anniversary committee.
Jill is also program director for the local chapter of the Association for Professional Genealogists. On the wider stage of national and international genealogy, Jill lectures nationally and has been successfully published in many journals, including the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Swedish American Genealogist.
In 2017, Jill founded the highly successful online Certification Discussion Group (CDG) which draws students from all over the globe. She is also a founding partner of the Applied Genealogy Institute, providing online practicum-based education for advanced genealogists.
More about the award
If you want to know more about the qualities needed for this prestigious award, click here. Previous recipients are listed here.
If you but really look, the census records reveal some astounding factoids. Take this example:
The year was 1860 and the place the Western Rural District of North Carolina. I was helping a friend with her CHEEK family research and went WOW when I found her family………. but not for just the discovering of the Cheek family. Yes, F.J. Cheek and his wife Frances L., and children Margarett B., Willis P., Emmett and Sarah J. were her family but look what it says for 15-year-old Margarett: Wayne F. Colledge.
I first took that for a husband? employer? But then bells began ringing! I’d bet pennies that young Miss Margarett was attending the Fort Wayne Women’s College, a division of the Conference of the Methodist Church. (Now Taylor University, located in Upland, Indiana, it’s still a thriving institution.) The college was established in 1855………. the census year was 1860, making Margarett one of the first students. Wow.
Questions kept coming: how did Margarett travel from rural western North Carolina to Fort Wayne, Indiana? Wagon? Railroad? All by her 15-year-old self? How did her farmer/seamstress parents afford her tuition and why was that important to them? How did Margarett’s college education enrich her life??
Sidebar Question: Do you think Frances L., wife of F.J. Cheek, the mother of ALL four of those children? Did you see the gap between Willis, age 14, and Emmett, age 6? Doesn’t this ring a bell to you? Likely Father Cheek had two wives is what it speaks to me.
Most genealogists know who Tom Jones is, genealogist extraordinaire with decades of credibility and standing. The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society was privileged to have him teach us for our May society meeting.
His presentation title was Building A Credible Lineage Despite Multiple Research Barriers and he took us through a case study step-by-step. Here are my summary notes from that class:
To solve a research problem, you have to define, outline and dissect the problem and the research steps to solve said problem. “The scatter-shot approach to research using your mouse is easy to do but with that approach you likely will not solve the problem.” he said.
“You must search ALL the pieces from ALL the pertinent sources, pull out appropriate pieces (facts) and study out how they fit together,” he said next.
“And how to know when you have enough information?” Tom quizzed us, and pointing to a zigzag puzzle, answered, “If you have enough pieces to show what the puzzle IS, then you don’t have to have every single pieces.”
Tom Jones was teaching some 60 members of the EWGS that while it’s good to strive to have every single puzzle piece, and every single genealogical fact, know that you will not be able to find every single fact you seek due to a large variety of reasons.
We all agreed; with the inspiration from Master Teacher Tom Jones, we just might complete our family history puzzle before we cross that bridge. Maybe.
Steven W Morrison, MPA is the past-president of the Puget Sound Chapter of APG and the Olympia Genealogical Society. He holds an undergraduate degree from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Evergreen. Steven is well known and respected across the genealogy community. START WRITING – Your Ancestor’s Legacy Depends Upon YOU! To some genealogists “the hunt” is everything. Learn how to shift gears and write a cohesive story about your ancestor. Writing helps you refocus your thinking. You might even surprise yourself, realizing you have bagged your ancestor without even realizing it!
Whether you think of yourself as a writer or not, here is a class to polish those writing skills and pay tribute to your family at the same time. Writing puts things in a different part of our brain and helps the story stay with us and come alive. WHEN: June 2, 2022 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM WHERE:ZOOM COST: Members $20 Non-Members $25 Deadline: May 26, 2022 Sign-up and Payment: Come into HQRL 1007 Main Street, Sumner, WA 98390 OR Call: 253-863-1806 OR go to our website: hqrl.com
Members must log in to the members page and then proceed to the HQRL Store in order to obtain the member discount. SAVE THE DATE: June 16, 2022 Janet O’Conor Camarata is back with MAPPING YOUR ANCESTOR More information coming soon!
Please join us on Saturday June 4th for David Obee. You can attend either in-person at the Shadle library or by Zoom. Zoom link and syllabus will be posted on the website the morning of the presentation. Please remember to print your syllabus before you arrive. There will be door prizes!And a free table! You may bring any genealogy items that are no longer useful to you to add to the free table, but you must take home any items that are still there at the end of the day.
Saturday, June 4 EWGS General Meeting 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm A Hybrid Meeting at Shadle Public Library David Obee will present:“Finding Family in Western Canada”Odds are, you have cousins, if not ancestors, from Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan or Manitoba, the four western provinces of Canada. This presentation will cover the important sources that apply to all four provinces, some that are regional in nature, as well as ones unique to each province. It will include some geographic clues, and will note some major differences between research in this region and in the United States.
The Richland Family History Center is going to be downsized. We will be closing the FHC on May 20st to allow the remodeling of the building.
On Saturday, May 21st starting at 9 AM, there will be a free Parking Lot giveaway of the excess equipment, furniture, shelving, and miscellaneous materials that we will no longer be able use or store in the Family History Center. There will be several boxes of duplicate books. Come see if you can find something to help in your family history research. If you have any microfilm that you previously ordered and want to keep it available, please contact Wayne Ross (509-531-2728) before the 20th. Most microfilm is now available online and most of our inventory will be returned to FamilySearch in Salt Lake by May 20th. We don’t know when we will be able to reopen at this point.
The German Interest Group of The Eastside GenealogicalSociety (EGS)meeting
When: Friday, June 3, 2022 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT (Virtually)
Topic: “Mapping: Genealogy and Data Visualization, how to “see” your research roadblock with new eyes”
Come learn how to use maps and data visualization to better understand research obstacles and discover new strategies to answer those difficult questions. A case study will demonstrate how different “mapping” types can be employed to solve smaller data problems which are not readily visible. Sometimes, the problem is right in front of our eyes, and we can’t see it, because we don’t know to look for it. While this class is foundational, it may yield some new insights on how to look at a genealogical problem differently.
Presenter: Annette Adams
As a native German from Hamburg, Annette takes immense interest in German genealogy, emigration, and consulting others in discovering their German heritage. She is also currently a genealogy student at Brigham Young University Idaho and worked as a German and French research reference consultant with the German Slavic research team at the Salt Lake City, Family History Library.
TIP OF THE WEEK – ASK YOUR UNITED STATES AND CANADA RESEARCH QUESTIONS FamilySearch holds several online classes/webinars each month to educate us. In this coming week alone, there are 3 on the schedule! As always the classes/webinars at FamilySearch are free, but you are asked to register in advance. Start time for each of these 3 webinars is 10:00 AM MDT; that is 9:00 AM PDT. It is recommended you enter the webinar 15-20 minutes before the start time.
FamilySearch Family Tree: Overview & Navigation,Tues, May 17, 2022
Research Process: The Ins & Outs, Wed, May 18, 2022
Ask Your United States & Canada Research Question, Thur, May 19, 2022
If you have a US or Canada research question, consider attending the webinar on Thursday. You will be invited to submit your question in advance when you register.
Here’s where you can check out what FamilySearch classes/webinars are coming up:
Friday, June 3, at 5:00 pm, Cyndi Ingle, creator and innovator of CyndisList.com, is the keynote speaker.
Saturday, June 4, Land presentations begin at 9:00 am with Angela Packer McGhie on “Land Entry Files and Tract Books,” Following that Rebecca Whitman Koford will present “Military Bounty lands: Revolution to Mexican War.”
Sunday, June 5, Maps and Deeds presentations begin at 1:00 pm with Melinda Kashuba “Using Migration Maps in Genealogical Research.” Then Kimberly Powell will help us to find the deeds with “Mastering Deed Book Indexing Systems.”
Read more here. You won’t want to miss any of these talented speakers!
VOLUNTEERS OF THE QUARTER Each quarter, the Seattle Genealogical Society recognizes a member as our Volunteer of the Quarter. For Spring Quarter 2022, SGS is honoring a team of members: Allegra Anderson, Melanie Moser, Woods Fairbanks, and Ellen Peterson. You will probably recognize their photo and the story from the eNews! a few months ago.
Due to tight timing constraints that arose as SGS approached the end date on the lease of the Sand Point Way NE library space, over 100 boxes full of books and other materials had to be sent to temporary storage. These materials were slated to go to the Internet Archive, eventually. So over a two-day period in chilly mid-January 2022, the intrepid quartet of Allegra, Melanie, Woods, and Ellen, with assistance from Library Director, Kathi M, and SGS President, Jim Secan, transferred all those books and materials into the stronger shipping boxes provided by Internet Archive and then this crew got the seven pallets of boxes onto the truck for shipment.
Here’s an introduction for each team member. Join us in thanking them for volunteering to do the heavy lifting, quite literally.
Allegra Anderson joined SGS in 2019 and this is her first time to volunteer. She enjoyed the camaraderie. Many volunteers express that sentiment. About her genealogy, Allegra says, “So many ancestors, so little time!”; also a sentiment many of us share. She has traced her mother’s line back to 1650 New York and her husband’s family crossed on the Oregon Trail in 1852. When not doing genealogy, Allegra enjoys spinning – fibers, not bikes – and then she weaves what she has spun.
Melanie Moser has been a member since 2014. She was drawn to this project’s mission, digitizing books so they will be accessible to everyone, everywhere. After researching a Norwegian ancestor, she visited Norway and met third cousins. Recently, she and her daughter visited Salt Spring Island, BC, where one of her ancestors settled in 1859. They even kayaked to an island where this ancestor’s family boat sank. In her free time, Melanie enjoys tennis with her daughter, and reading.
Woods Fairbanks has been with SGS for a few years. He joined with the goal of improving his genealogical research skills. He helped with the library move and catalog data cleanup. He likes the camaraderie one experiences while volunteering and he likes learning from fellow family history researchers. When not doing genealogy, Woods appreciates film/music, running, and family walks.
Ellen Peterson has been volunteering for about five of the six years she has been an SGS member. She likes to help with technical things. And she attends many of our events – the FamilySearch SIG with Lou Daly, Tech Tuesdays, the DNA SIG with Cary Bright, and presentations by Jill Morelli, Janice Lovelace, and others. Ellen has researched her own, as well as her wife’s, extended families. DNA testing allowed Ellen to debunk an odd story one aunt told about not being the daughter of her grandparents, but rather the baby sister. Besides genealogy, Ellen enjoys bird watching. SGS ELECTION RESULTS The Board of Directors has voted to accept the slate of candidates. However, there are still 3 open positions, plus openings on the Nominating Committee. Please consider volunteering to fill one of these open positions. This should be an exciting year, with all the Centennial activities on tap.
BOARD MEMBERS for 2022-2023 Term June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023.
1. President, Jim Secan 2. Vice President, Carolyn Ladd 3. Secretary, Alanna Stanton 4. Treasurer, Karen Knudson 5. Director of Education, Cecellia Rogers 6. Director of Library, Kathi M 7. Director of Membership: Christine Schomaker 8. Director of Operations, vacant 9. Director of Publications Lisa White 10. Director of Technology, vacant 11. Director of Volunteers, vacant 12. Nominating Committee: * Yvette Beaudoin * Carole Mercer * Vacancies for 3 additional slots on the Nominating Committee and 1 alternate
Meet the Board at the SGS Membership Meeting scheduled for 12:30 PM, Saturday, June 11, 2022. SAVE THE DATE
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State, 2nd Monday meetings usually 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST
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 13, 2022, and the presentation, “Finding Relatives in the Forverts (Jewish Daily Forward)” with Michael Morgenstern, will begin at 7:00PM. Registration is required.
SGS 2022 Spring Seminar, Virtual, “Lands and Maps and Deeds, Oh My!” Friday-Sunday, June 3-5, 2022
For the Schedule, more information, and registration see the lead article in this issue of the eNews! Register today! SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Good Shepherd Center, Suite 302 4649 Sunnyside Ave N Seattle, WA 98103 206 522-8658 New Hours : Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 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
Sunday, May 15, 2022, 1:00 pm-2:30 pm, Virtual Sundays: Something Old, Something New, Jill Morelli is the host. Visit the SGS website Calendar for details and updates. Please register in advance. Topic will be Orphan Train Rides.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 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, May 21, 2022, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm, Irish SIG is back! With Susan McKee and Jim Ryan. See the SGS website Calendar of Events for further information. Saturday, May 21, 2022, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, German SIG is back! With Carolyn Schott. See the SGS website Calendar of Events for further information.
Sunday, May 22, 2022, 1:00 pm, Japanese American SIG, with Caitlin Oiye Coon. This is one of our newer SIGs. Please sign up if you would like to attend; send an email to family.history@densho.org
Tuesday, May 24, 2022, 10:00 am-11:00 am, Tech Tuesday (Virtual), back by popular demand, the informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointmentnecessary.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 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, June 1, 2022, 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, June 8, 2022, 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 13, 2022, 7:00 pm -8:30 pm, Write It Up SIG (Virtual), This new group to discuss and share writing projects, resources, and ideas. Group contact is Alaine Keisling.
Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 10:00 am-11:00 am, Tech Tuesday (Virtual), back by popular demand, the informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary.
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 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 17, 2022, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, Family Tree Maker SIG, with the Eastside Genealogical Society. You must be on the email list of attend a meeting; send your request to egsgenealogyhelper@yahoo.com
Saturday, June 18, 2022, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm, Irish SIG is back! With Susan McKee and Jim Ryan. See the SGS website Calendar of Events for further information. Saturday, June 18, 2022, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, German SIG is back! With Carolyn Schott. See the SGS website Calendar of Events for further information.
Sunday, June 19, 2022, 1:00 pm-2:30 pm, Virtual Sundays: Something Old, Something New, Jill Morelli is the host. Visit the SGS website Calendar for details and updates. Please register in advance. Topic to be determined – stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 22, 2022, 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 25, 2022, 10:00 am- 12:30 pm, DNA SIG with Cary Bright and Craig Gowens.To participate you must be on the DNA SIG email list. Contact Cary at sgsdnasig@gmail.com to join.
Sunday, June 26, 2022, 1:00 pm, Japanese American SIG, with Caitlin Oiye Coon. This is one of our newer SIGs. Please sign up if you would like to attend; send an email to family.history@densho.org
Tuesday, June 28, 2022, 10:00 am-11:00 am, Tech Tuesday (Virtual), back by popular demand, the informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 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.
Washington State Archives will present another iteration of “Stump the Archivist,” a Q&A webinar for researchers of all experience levels, on May 20 at 10 a.m. Bring your questions and a notebook, and chat with Research Archivist Tracy Rebstock! Learn how to use state and local government records in your historical research or family history. New records are added to our collections all the time. Updates to vital records means more access to birth, death, marriage, and divorce collections. Rebstock will talk about criminal records and then take your questions so you can dig deeper into your research. (Your questions don’t need to be related to criminal records.) Register here. It is free to attend this event. If you miss the deadline to register, please contact jamison.murphy@sos.wa.gov before 10 a.m. on Friday, May 20 and we will try to get you in. Visit our YouTube channel to view past webinars.
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