Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

ONLINE NETWORKING WITH SGS

Networking is about sharing. It is as important in genealogy as it is in business. At SGS there are two online networking opportunities at your disposal. You can take advantage of either of these without leaving the comfort of your home. 

On most Wednesdays, from 10:00 AM until 11:30 AM Pacific Time, “Brags and Bricks”, a SGS special interest group meets via Zoom. Come share your story, share your knowledge, ask a question, ask for help, start a discussion, or just socialize with the group.  

Available 24/7, is the Seattle Genealogical Society Networking Group on Facebook. It is a “closed” group, which means anyone on Facebook can find the group, but only members may view the posts or the names of others in the group . 

Everyone, SGS member or non-member alike, is welcome. You simply need to request membership by clicking the “Join Group” icon. The group administrator will review your request and respond. 

The opening statement for this SGS Networking group on Facebook says, “We invite you to join us for discussions about the collections and events sponsored by the Seattle Genealogical Society & Library, to discuss your current research interests, hunting down records and cemetery research in the PNW, and to socialize with other professionals and hobbyists from Washington and beyond”. So why not submit your “Join Group” request today?
SGS Family History Writing Contest 
There’s still time! The deadline for submitting your entry for this year’s family history writing contest is September 30, 2021. The theme is They Survived and takes its cue from events of the past year and earlier – the pandemic, floods, fires, droughts, heat waves, racial and ethnic strife, and more. Tell us the story of your ancestor and the hardship he or she endured.

First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded. The winning story will be published in the Journal of the Seattle Genealogical Society.

  • Keep the word count under 3,000, and submit an MS Word document.
  • Cite your sources as endnotes (interviews, letters, books, websites, censuses, etc.).
  • Unpublished works are preferred. If your story has been published before, ensure you have permission to republish. Let us know the name and date of publication.
  • A committee will review all submissions and award prizes. Some entries selected for publication will receive prizes.
  • Subjects need not relate to Washington, the Pacific Northwest, or the United States.
  • The committee makes all decisions, and all decisions are final.

Need to talk about your ideas? Email us at publications@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org, and we will get in touch.
* SAVE THE DATE *
The Genealogical Society of Broward County, 
“Documenting the Troops: United States Military and Militia Records”, 
Sunday, September 12, 2021
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EDT

The Genealogical Society of Broward County, Florida, invites everyone to this free virtual live webinar with Dr Josh Goodman, PhD. The presentation starts at 2:00 PM EDT. Show up at 1:30 PM EDT for a half hour of socializing. 

Registration is required; here is the link:
https://nova.libcal.com/event/7763199

SGS 2021 Fall Seminar – Online with Ari Wilkins
Saturday, October 16, 2021, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Mark your calendars now for our all-day seminar! 

Ari Wilkins is a genealogist and library associate at Dallas Public Library, where she provides genealogy-programming education. She specializes in African American genealogy and research, with a focus on North Carolina and Louisiana, and has been researching her family history since 1998.

Ari worked with the esteemed genealogist, Dr. James Rose, on his project, “Generations: The WPA Ex-Slave Narrative Database.” She has spoken nationally at the National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, RootsTech, Texas State Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, American Library Association, and at a multitude of local societies.


SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS*

The SGS Library is open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, for computer-based research only. Visit the SGS Website for details.
We recommend you plan your visit and call ahead – 206 522-8658. 
** Always check the SGS Website Calendar of Events for the meeting links and for any last minute updates or changes to the schedule.  
Wednesday, Sep 8, 2021, 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, Sep 14, 2021, 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, Sep 15 , 2021, 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, Sep 22, 2021, 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, Sep 28, 2021, 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, Sep 29, 2021, 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.

Southern King County Genealogical Society September Happenings

by Charles Hansen

Check out our SKCGS Blog! This week: our Annual Report
Amidst many challenges, we have continued our mission of education and promoting genealogy. Find the report here: http://skcgs.org/blog.html

South King County Genealogical Society Five Year Plan: Call for Volunteers
Winona Laird has volunteered to chair the committee, which will meet virtually via Zoom. South King County is changing and we need to grow and change with it! We need to reach out beyond serving our present membership, in order to better serve the larger community. Our sessions in partnership with the King County Library System and some of the area historical societies is part of that; how can we reach out even more? Please write to president@skcgs.org to volunteer.

A note of thanks to the many organizations that help spread the word about our society. Recent promoters of our activities include the Genealogical Forum of Oregon (gfo.org), the Tri-City Genealogical Society (tricitygenealogicalsociety.org), and Barbara Mattoon, former SKCGS president, in a PEO group presentation. The Washington State Genealogical Society Blog faithfully promotes our events, and even tweet about them! http://wp.wasgs.org/ @WSGSociety


SEPTEMBER 2021 MEETINGS & EVENTS

Be in the know! Receive notices for our virtual meetings, as well as the latest genealogy news and tips, by subscribing (free) to the online group at https://skcgs.groups.io

Skcgs.groups.io is the SKCGS online discussion and collaboration arena where:

  • we communicate and share information with each other
  • other than your email, you are not required to provide personal information
  • you can unsubscribe at any time

PROGRAM UPDATES

  • IMPORTANT: Be sure to check meeting invitations for updated Zoom meeting links this month
  • All meetings except the Research Group are virtual
  • Live transcription (captioning) is available during our Zoom meetings by request


Saturday, September 4, 2021, 10:00 am PT
Family Tree Maker Users Group (virtual)
Question & Answer. Each month, we will learn about using the features of FTM. Go to https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG for meeting link, meeting reminders and discussion.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021, 6:30pm PT
SKCGS Board of Directors Meeting (virtual)

SKCGS Board Meeting. All SKCGS members are invited to attend; only Directors may vote. Write to Board@skcgs.org for the meeting link.


Friday, September 10, 2021, 12:30pm-2:30pm PT
German Interest Group (EGS) (virtual)
“Find Your Germanic Ancestor’s Village on Maps” presented by Dorothy Pretare
Visitors are always welcome and can request an invitation via Contact tab on the website no later than 2 days prior to the meeting: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/

Monday, September 13, 2021, 1:00 – 3pm PT
GG/DNA (virtual)
Glen York Presenting: Finding the Birth Mother—A DNA Case Study
Go to https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy for meeting link, meeting reminders and discussion.

Friday, September 17, 2021, 1:00 – 3 pm PT
Research Group (in-person)
Kent Family History Center 12817 SE 256th St. Kent
Seating is limited
RSVP REQUIRED to Winona at w.laird@skcgs.org

Saturday, September 18, 2021, 10:00 – 12:00 PT
SKCGS General Meeting (virtual)
Annette Lyttle Presenting : Genealogical Proof for the Everyday Genealogist


“Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics at the national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. She was a faculty member for “Exploring Quaker Records in America” at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh in June 2020 and course coordinator for “From Sea to Shining Sea: Researching Our Ancestors’ Migrations in America” for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in January 2021. Annette is a member of the board of directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.”

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkd-CtqDIrHNaVmOZf2VyJNCgiisd2djKi
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

NOTE: This month’s speaker handout will be made available for download during the September 18th meeting.

Monday, September 20, 2021, 1:00 – 3:00 pm PT
Technology User Group (virtual)
Facebook & Groups.io locality groups surnames and special genealogy interests
There are groups for almost any genealogy topic! How do you find the ones which will help you? We’ll look at Facebook, at Groups.io for localities, surnames, and other topics such as software, users of specialized sites, GenealogySquad, etc. Go to https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG for meeting link, meeting reminders and discussion.

Monday, September 27, 2021, 1pm-3pm PT

Genealogy Chat (virtual)

Meet up and chat about genealogy subjects and topics. We have no agenda; we just like one another! Go to https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Society for meeting link, discussion and meeting reminders.

Like – Facebook :: Subscribe – Blog :: Follow – Twitter :: Website – SKCGS.org :: Member support – info@skcgs.org

SOUTH KING COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 582
AUBURN, WASHINGTON 98071-0582

MyHeritage Free Census Records

by Charles Hansen

I’m happy to share that for the next week we’re offering free access to all census records on MyHeritage, from September 1–8, 2021!

The Census & Voter Lists category on MyHeritage encompasses a vast repository of over 1.3 billion records, including census records from the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Scandinavia, and Canada as well as electoral rolls and other records from Australia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Armenia, Greece, and much more. These records offer valuable snapshots of the lives of people living in these locations throughout history, especially from the 19th century onward.

Search all census records on MyHeritage

You can read more about MyHeritage’s treasure trove of census records on our blog. 

Please share this opportunity with your audiences so they too can take advantage of this valuable genealogical resource. You can feel free to use the visual above. Enjoy Daniel Horowitz
Genealogy Expert

MyHeritage (USA) Inc.,
2975 Executive Parkway,
Lehi, Utah

Tracing Your Family Using the Census

by Charles Hansen

Tracing Your Family Using the Census

Saturday, September 11, 1:30 pm Eastern

This is a ZOOM meeting, so you can participate conveniently and safely from wherever you compute.   What was your grandfather’s occupation? Did your grandmother ever attend school? Census records are one of the best ways to discover details about your family. Learn about the census and how to access it using library resources.  

Preregister at http://events.pbclibrary.org/node/18935/register. 

Washington State Archives Video

by Charles Hansen

Part of the overview series about Washington State Archives, this video talks about the Archives’ regional branches, what they hold, and why their holdings are preserved at the regional instead of state level.
There will be future videos that go into more detail about Archives’ numerous departments, such as Washington State Archives’ Digital Archives (DA), the research team, digital projects, and more.

Click here to see the video

Portland Genealogy Library Awarded Federal Grant

by Charles Hansen

August 24, 2021

For Immediate Release

Portland Genealogy Library Awarded Federal Grant

(Portland, Oregon, 08/24/2021) — The Genealogical Forum of Oregon has received a $1,400 federal American Rescue Plan Act grant for digitizing our holdings. The money will permit the purchase of a much-needed scanner that can be used by our trained volunteers. Records will then be made available to members at home via the GFO website. Prior to the pandemic, digitization was done on a modest basis, mainly to protect our periodicals. Patrons only had access to the digitized images onsite at our library.

In the past year, due to the pandemic, a team of dedicated volunteers moved more than 150 annual classes online and has transferred more than 334,000 pages of records onto the GFO’s website. This grant will increase that effort.

The GFO received the grant in a highly competitive process; less than a third of the total funding requested was approved. Grants were made possible thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and provided by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, through the Library Services and Technology Act. The grants application process was administered by the State Library of Oregon.

The federal funds were included in the American Rescue Plan Act to help libraries, museums, and related nonprofits promote digital inclusion and connectivity, address needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and support efforts to provide equitable service to communities.

GFO Vice President Susie Chodorow, who secured the grant, says, “The majority of our members identify as 65 years and older. Many are living with disabilities, especially mobility concerns. It’s imperative that we continue to offer online services. This grant will help us work towards our goal of making our collections accessible online as quickly as possible for use by our members.”

We greatly appreciate Congress’s support of the American Rescue Plan Act. It is directly benefiting the residents of Oregon.

For more information about the federal library grants, please visit the Institute of Museum and Library Services at https://imls.gov. More information about American Rescue Plan Act grants awarded by the State Library of Oregon, is available at https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/lstagrants/arpaawards.

———

Editors: For more information, contact GFO President Vince Patton at president@gfo.org

GFO Logo available: https://bit.ly/3pRnYxH

The Genealogical Forum of Oregon is an all-volunteer nonprofit founded in 1946
to promote, preserve and publish genealogical history.
The GFO operates the largest genealogy library in the Pacific Northwest
and offers more than 150 classes each year.

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Genealogical Forum of Oregon
2505 SE 11th Ave., B-18
Portland, OR 97202
gfo.org

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week Webtember

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –
WEBTEMBER
  Legacy Family Tree is inviting everyone to their free, online genealogy conference. When? Each Friday during the month of September 2021. 

Described as “Webtember: All Genealogy. All September Long”, there will be a combination of 30 Live and Pre-recorded webinars. No need to register for the pre-recorded webinars, but if you wish to attend any of the live webinars, please register in advance.   

One of the four speakers appearing on Friday, September 17th, is Janice Lovelace, former SGS board member. She will be presenting “Afro-LatinX in the Old West” at 11:00 AM EDT. 

For free register or more information about Webtember, visit here: 
https://familytreewebinars.com/intermediate_page.php?diply_nm=Webtember