German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society Useful Tools for Those with German Ancestors

by Charles Hansen

The German Interest Group of The Eastside GenealogicalSociety (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, April 1, 2022 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT– Virtually

Topic: “Useful Tools for Those with German Ancestors”

You don’t have to be a German expert to read your German ancestors’ records. Come learn how to be successful! This presentation shows online resources that can help you be successful. Extensive discussion will cover resources found in the FamilySearch Wiki. Other useful tools discussed will include free German webinars, the BYU script tutorial, the German Genealogy Record Transcription Closed Facebook group, the German Genealogy Family Search Community Group, Google Translate and the Google Translate App. We’ll close by discussing how to find records online using the FamilySearch catalog, Archion, Matricula, Archives, and town websites.

Presenter:  Dana Palmer, CG®, CGL(SM)

Dana specializes in lineage society applications, publishing family books, and Midwestern research – specifically Ohio. In addition to her client work, she reviews military repatriation cases, and is part of the Mayflower Silver Books team.

More information: Visitors are always welcome and may request the Zoom link no later than March 30th at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/contact/   

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society Navigating Online Genealogy Databases

by Charles Hansen

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society

Patti Lee Hobbs will present:

“Navigating Online Genealogy Databases”

10AM, March 18, 2022, on Zoom,

Online databases allow us to research our family histories quickly and easily. Unfortunately, they have also made it quick and easy to pick up data that proves to be incorrect. This presentation will help us ensure that the family history information we gather online is accurate.

For your Zoom invitation, just go to our website, bigenealogy.org, and click on EVENTS the day before the meeting.

EVERYONE WELCOME

No membership necessary

bigenealogy.org

Tom Jones Speaking at NGS 2022 Family History Conference

by Charles Hansen
Tom Jones Speaking at NGS 2022 Family History Conference View in your browser
How NGS Conferences Shaped
Tom Jones as a Genealogist Dear , Tom Jones has helped so many of us become better genealogists. He has pushed us on how to think, research, evaluate, and write to create a meaningful and accurate family history. Tom has graced NGS with his support for decades, and he recently shared with us how our conferences helped shape him as a genealogist and a scholar.
 
“In thinking back on the earliest NGS conferences I attended,” Jones said, “I realized how much growth and enjoyment I got out of them. I have been attending NGS conferences since 1990. Without them, I would not be the genealogist I am today—not even close.
 
“In the lecture sessions, I learned how to implement genealogical research methods and reasoning, about which previously I had no clue … and which helped me advance my knowledge of my ancestors.
 
“At NGS conferences, I learned about genealogical credentials and decided to pursue certification. And I regularly renew, which keeps me engaged in current practices in our field.
 
“I also learned about other genealogical societies at the national and state level and in counties where my ancestors lived. I joined several of them. It’s so important to learn from them too about the locale and variety of records that might exist for your ancestors.
 
“From NGS conference sponsors and exhibitors and their websites, I discovered countless genealogical products and publications and purchased many that increased my knowledge of genealogical sources and methods. And they helped me find records for my exact family! I still look forward to learning what’s new from the many companies that support genealogy.
 
“Maybe what I think about most fondly, as I book my hotel, prepare lectures, and get excited about arriving at the NGS conference, is the people. Over the decades, between sessions and at meals, I have interacted with people who shared my genealogical interests, answered my questions, and encouraged my activities.”
 
If you are still deciding about coming to the NGS Conference in Sacramento in May, we will be there to welcome you and will continue to make it the wonderful, lifelong learning experience Tom Jones gives us so much credit for.
 
California here we come! Register Now. Early Bird Rates End 18 March. Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Jones is an award-winning genealogical author and researcher who began pursuing his family history in 1963. He co-edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly for sixteen years. He teaches at genealogy conferences, seminars, and workshops locally, nationally, and internationally. Besides numerous articles in peer-reviewed genealogy journals, he wrote the textbooks Mastering Genealogical Documentation and Mastering Genealogical Proof and chapters for Advanced Genetic Genealogy and Professional Genealogy.
  Tom will be speaking In-Person in Sacramento on 25 May and Online at Home on 27 May


Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society inspires, connects, and leads the family history community by fostering collaboration and best practices in advocacy, education, preservation, and research. We enable people, cultures, and organizations to discover the past and create a lasting legacy. The Falls Church, Virginia, based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian.

MyHeritage RootsTech recap

by Charles Hansen

I know you’ve received a flurry of emails from MyHeritage over the past week and I promise this is the last in the series 😉 I just want to make sure that all these important announcements don’t get lost in the shuffle, so I’m providing a quick recap:

  • LiveStory: At our RootsTech keynote, we announced the release of LiveStory: an incredible new feature that makes your family photos speak and creates amazing video biographies of your ancestors! Click here to read the blog post announcement, here to try it out, and here to see an awesome video about it, which we invite you to share.
  • Blast From My Past podcast: On March 2, we launched our first-ever podcast, featuring stories of people whose lives were changed by what they discovered through MyHeritage. Click here to read more about it and here to follow and listen to the podcast.
  • Family Tree Timeline: Another big feature we launched in time for RootsTech is Family Tree Timeline, a new view of your family tree that allows you to explore how your family history unfolded over time. Click here to learn more.
  • 1950 U.S. Census hub: On March 3, we launched a brand-new content hub gearing up to the release of the 1950 U.S. Census next month. It’s a fantastic resource for educating people on census records and what they can teach you about your family history. We would greatly appreciate it if you could include it in any list of resources you may be compiling! Click here to check it out.
  • Filae family tree profiles: At the end of February, we added 269 million family tree profile records from Filae to MyHeritage. You can read more about it here.

I think that should cover it! I look forward to hearing what you think, and please help us let the world know about these fantastic additions to the world of genealogy.

Enjoy!

Daniel Horowitz Genealogy Expert

MyHeritage Ltd., P.O.Box 50, 3 Ariel Sharon Blvd., Or Yehuda, Israel 6037606, Israel, +972-3-6280000

Place Names In Washington

by Donna Phillips

Recently I enjoyed a browse through The Atlas of the North American Indian, by Carl Waldman, first published in 1985 and updated in 2009. I found the pages explaining the Northwest Indians and their culture to be so interesting.

One unexpected thing I gleaned from this book was a list of place names in Washington that are of native origins. Could you have come up with this list of 73 places?? (The list does include two names of French derivation.)

“TN” denotes a tribal-origin name. Places were tribal names, chief’s names, or of Indian derivation. For some names, the tribe was designated and for others it was not. Sometimes the meaning was given and sometimes not. Enjoy!

Anatone – TN

Asotin – Nez Perce “elk creek”

Cathlamet – TN

Chehalis – TN “sand”

Chewelah – TN

Chimacum – TN

Chinook – TN

Clallam – TN “big brave nation”

Conconully – TN “cloudy”

Copalis – TN

Cowlitz – TN “power”

Ilwaco – Chief El-Wah-ko-Jim

Entiat – TN “rapid water”

Kalotus – TN “hole in the ground”

Kittitas – TN “shoal people”

Klickitat – TN “beyond”

Latah – Nez Perce “place of pines”

Methow – TN

Moclips – Quinault “place where girls were sent during puberty rites”

Napavine – TN “small prairie”

Naselle – TN

Nespelem – TN

Nisqually – TN

Okanogan – TN “meeting place”

Omak – TN

Palouse – TN “grassy expanse”

Pend Oreille – French; “ear pendants”

Potlach – TN “give”

Puyallup – TN “generous people”

Queets – TN

Quilcene – TN

Quillayute – TN

Quinault – TN

Sanpoil – TN

Seattle – Chief Sealth

Selah – TN “still water”

Sequim – TN “quiet water”

Simcoe – TN “waist spine”

Similk – TN

Skagit – TN

Skamania – TN “swift water”

Skamokawa – Chief name

Skykomish – TN “inland people”

Snohomish – TN

Snoqualmie – TN “moon”

Spokane – TN “people of the sun”

Stehekin – TN “pass”

Steilacoom – Chief name

Sultan – Chief name

Suquamish – TN

Tacoma – TN “mountain god”

Tenino – TN

Tieton – TN “roaring water”

Toppenish – TN

Touchet – French; “fire cured salmon”

Toutle – TN

Tucannon – TN “bread root”

Tukwila – TN “land of hazelnuts”

Tulalip – TN “by with small mouth”

Tumwater – TN “heart”

Twisp – TN

Wahkiakum – Chief name

Walla Walla – TN “little river”

Washtucna – Chief name

Waukon – Chief name

Wauna – TN “spout creature”

Wenatchee – TN “river from canyon”

Whatcom – Chief name

Willapa – TN

Yacolt – TN “haunted place”

Yakima – TN “growing families”

Free webinar: “Stump the Archivist”

by Charles Hansen
Free webinar: “Stump the Archivist”
Washington State Archives will present another iteration of “Stump the Archivist,” a Q&A webinar for researchers of all experience levels, on March 18 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. As promised during last month’s webinar, Rebstock will talk briefly about land records and then take your questions so you can dig deeper into your research.
Register here. It is free to attend this event.
Visit our YouTube channel to view past webinars.

Nominations Sought for President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement

by Roxanne Lowe

The nomination period for the Washington State Genealogical Society President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is open. Nominations are due by 01 May 2022.

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 ideal recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement has:

• Exhibited long-term, consistent service in the field of genealogy, family or local history, the genealogical community, records preservation or made an important single contribution in those areas that will endure into the future.
• Demonstrated a high degree of energy, commitment, flexibility, and professional conduct.
• Provided significant support and impact to the local genealogical community time and time again.
• Exhibited personal influence and example to society members and/or the general public with their unselfish service.
• Supported or advanced local or statewide genealogical research.

Nominations may be submitted by any individual, local society or organization, regardless of WSGS membership. Nominees do not have to have been officers in their local societies.

Additional information, including the nomination form, is available here. Questions should be directed to Info@wasgs.org. Please type “President’s Award” in the Subject Line.

Whatcom Genealogical Society In Search of Pink Flamingos

by Charles Hansen

Please join the Whatcom Genealogical Society on Monday, March 14th, at 2pm at the Ferndale Pioneer Pavilion, 2207 Cherry St., Ferndale, WA when our guest speaker will be award-winning local author, Susan E. Greisen.   Susan will be discussing the process she used to create her recent memoir, In Search of Pink Flamingos:  A Woman’s Quest For Forgiveness and Unconditional Love.  The book begins with 8 year old Susan living on a remote farm in Nebraska, then takes you on a vivid journey through Africa and ends with 63 year old Susan back in the U.S.  

Susan will share with you her writing process and how she collected and recalled the detailed scenes written in her book. She will share helpful tips on how you can create a powerful story.   Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the meeting.

Susan was a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia and Tonga, and has journeyed to over forty countries on six continents.  She is a published poet, author and photographer.  Her stories and poems can be found in seven anthologies and two of her photographs were selected by the BBC online news. Learn more at susangreisen.com.