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.
I picked up a 2004 issue of Nostalgia magazine and the blurb right on the cover caught my eye: “A Whale Visits Spokane.” Wwhhaaaatt?
Author Peggy Cunningham (a past EWGS member) wrote how in the summer of 1930 her Dad loaded up the family and off they went to Spokane to see the whale. Let Peggy tell the story: “As I remember it was a warm day and Dad let us off by the railroad station. Mom paid for us, maybe ten cents each. Following the “SEE THE WHALE” signs, we soon were caught up with the rest of the crowd. When the pace of the crowd began to increase, we followed and soon smelled the reason for their hurry. We could see the (railroad) flatcar completely covered with the huge smelly carcass! With hankies to our noses we hurriedly looked and then made a hasty retreat to meet Dad.”
Peggy explains the beginning of this “whale tour.” “The whale tale started in Massachusetts in 1930 when two friends happened to find a dead whale washing ashore on a local beach. Seeing an opportunity to make some money, they rented a railroad flatcar, pumped the monster full of formaldehyde, hoisted it onto the flatcar, and went from town to town charging admission to see the whale. They made sure that local papers in the towns along the route where they were planning to stop received an enhanced story……. their bonanza ran out when an unendurable odor began to rise from the corpse. (They soon) made a decision to call it quits, rolled the whale off the flatcar onto a vacant lot near the railroad tracks and buried it under a scant three feet of earth.”
This same photo appeared in the Nostalgia article but was taken about 1913 in Florida. Guess there were more than one “whale on tour.”
In 1930 my husband’s father was living in Spokane. Wonder if the family also went to see the whale?? Did somebody in your family?
Finding Your Scottish Connections May 19, 2022 11:00 AM – 12:00PM ZOOM Using the Scotland’s People website can be intimidating when looking for your ancestors. Learn how to navigate and determine which areas to search, where your ancestors came from and what resources to use before you cross the pond. Jo-Anne Huber has been searching for her Scottish Smith connections since 1994 when her father received a package containing several family artifacts. The questions raised were many and the answers few. She has found a treasure trove of information and secrets that her father never knew all while researching from across the pond.
Come into HQRL in Sumner 1007 Main Street Or Call: 253-863-1806 or online with hqrl.com
– Seminar-Lite (Friday + Saturday OR Friday + Sunday) $40
SGS members receive a $10 discount on either option
Presentations will be recorded and available to registrants (only) until midnight, June 12. For more information visit seagensoc.org.
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!
Our meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 7:00 pm until 8:30. Links to the reoccurring Zoom Meetings are located at the bottom of this page, one for the 1st Tuesday and one for the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
The first half of each meeting we will work thru training videos, watching, and then pausing to talk about the section we just watched before moving on to the next section. The second half will be used for open discussion of topics related to using Legacy. This could include any questions or problems we are having with the program or tips and features we have discovered. If you think of something you would like to bring up, please write it down so you can share it with the group.
Sometimes the most amazing and useful family history information shows up in very unexpected places. Cari A. Taplin will be showing us how to find some of those hidden gems.
Cari’s family told her that she was related to Roy Rogers. That resulted in her search for her true heritage since the year 2000. Cari holds the Certified Genealogist® credential and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for state, local, and national societies. She provides speaking services through GenealogyPANTS, and lends help and shares her expertise as an administrator on the highly popular Facebook Group “The Genealogy Squad.” Cari currently works for Ancestry ProGenealogists. Her personal research focuses on the midwestern and Great Lakes states.
For your Zoom invitation, just go to our website, bigenealogy.org, on May 19, the day before the meeting and click on EVENTS.
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