Respectively submitted by Celia McNay, Eastside Genealogical Society, past president
The 2020 pandemic has been a challenge to all of us, causing many genealogical societies to rethink their mission, and how we can best serve the genealogical community. We’re rising to that challenge in various ways. One of those is the creation of the Western WA Genealogical Society Presidents Council. Out of a need for more networking, sharing, and support through the changes, Liz Osborn, the new president of Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society (TPCGS), reached out to other presidents in the western side of the state. She invited us to a Zoom meeting in late June. At that first online meet-up, there were eight people in attendance: Liz; Jill Morelli, past president of Seattle GS; Jim Secan, new president of SGS; Lorraine Graeber, secretary of Tacoma-Pierce County GS; Kathy Erlandson, Olympia GS; Celia McNay, president of Eastside GS; Jane Wickert, vice-president of Eastside GS; and Karen Van Haagen Campbell, representing both the Jewish GS of WA State and the Black Genealogy Research Group.
We talked for two hours, sharing ideas, events, challenges, and hopes for the future. Some of the future topics for discussion identified at that first meeting included new president training, regional Special Interest Groups (SIGs), the defunct Family History Fair, the State (WSGS) organization, social media use, outreach activities, online general meetings and Board meetings, technology, insurance coverage, places to meet after Covid-19, and more. It was a dynamic and energized group of like-minded people with a focus on making our genealogical societies better in this new restricted, yet freeing atmosphere.
Meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month, attendance at the July meeting jumped to 15 participants. September included a ‘guest’ speaker Ginny Majewski as both the president of WSGS and her local society. In October, Celia McNay (Eastside GS) presented information for a new president as part of a leadership training segment. Valorie Zimmerman (South King County GS) facilitated the creation of an email exchange through GroupsIO for the presidents. Jill Morelli (Seattle GS) created a chart of each GS’s SIGs with contact information. Small steps but steps forward none the less.
This group is open to any president (or designee) of a genealogical society, genealogical library, research group, etc. who might benefit from the networking. The stated purpose from the first meeting still holds true: To come together to see in what ways we can support each other and work together. As a group, we support the Washington State Genealogical Society and are not trying to re-invent the wheel. But we felt a need for leaders to share ideas and events, successes and bombs, structures and changes. The online world we have been thrust into is new to all of us and we want to succeed together!
The next meeting is 24 Nov 2020 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Zoom. To be added to the distribution list and join this group, contact Jim Secan at president@seagensoc.org who will be conducting that meeting.
Description: The secrets that Coral Grant’s grandparents thought were safe eventually became unraveled through the magic of DNA, archival research, and tenacity. The truth revealed an unknown ancestor and a truly rich Latvian heritage. Working back in time, this adventure begins in the Garment District of Toronto, Canada in the early 1930’s and ends deep in the Latvian countryside of the 18th century. The journey includes a life altering deportation from the Latvian countryside during World War I, a survivor’s struggle to return home, a deception to avoid military service, and a most reluctant immigration. Along the way, Coral encountered many genealogical roadblocks: name changes, protective descendants, and multiple individuals with the same name. Using her research to share her family story and Latvian Jewish history, Coral’s presentation highlights the use of all the tools available to the genealogist. Ultimately, the goal of our genealogical research is to honor our ancestors and to make sure we do not forget their stories. Coral’s presentation will leave you with the tools to break through your genealogical roadblocks and find your ancestors, for you to tell their stories.
We believe in transparency. That’s why we are sharing this update now. The GFO is working diligently to provide you as many services online as we can while COVID keeps our library closed. We are working to make more records available for members soon too. It’s the biggest pivot in our history – in order to continue to serve you. For you who keep your membership current, we can’t say Thank You deeply enough. The future of the GFO depends on our members. We will continue to try our hardest to be worthy of your support.
This is your chance to meet her (virtually), ask questions, and get two days of her popular “Gems” for yourself! Learn about reopening cold cases, handling common surnames, finding living relatives, and see how Google Earth Pro can help every genealogist.
We have a great opportunity for you to learn how to create a timeline with what you know, identify gaps, consult a genealogical research checklist for sources to fill those gaps, and record your queries on a correspondence research log. Discover the magic of methodology that may break down your brick walls.
Last month we sent a special email to our members. We let you know the GFO Board is thinking about how we can buy our own building. The board’s job is to manage both short and long term prospects for the GFO. A permanent home would free the GFO of rent increases from a landlord. It would give us stability, a known space, and control of our future. Acting now could guarantee our future 25 years from now.
Daniel Clark, Troop 46, Rivers Edge District Daniel has set an ambitious goal: he hopes to get volunteers to help him with an Indexing Blitz. His goal is to index 10,000 names on records at FamilySearch! He writes to us, “I’m really excited about this project because it is something that will last forever and benefit so many people!”
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society’s 
We need volunteers to create finding aids for the collections that have been scanned. This involves going through the digital images and recording basic information about them onto a spreadsheet. Volunteers are not expected to read the material, just skim through it to pull relevant data. Procedures and examples can be found 
As our library closure continues, we are featuring free online resources so you can reach out and connect, as well as continue to learn and build on your genealogy skills, from home.
This week’s surplus book includes two volumes of a set of three: Genealogical Research in England and Wales, Volumes 1 and 3. We wish we had Volume 2, but alas, we can only offer these bookends. David E. Gardner and Frank Smith wrote these books to give a thorough understanding the many useful sources for English and Welsh research.
Volume 1 reviews a wide variety of sources including Civil Registrations, Parish Registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, as well as sources on Nonconformists, Jews, and Roman Catholics in Britain. Volume 3 dedicates a large portion to deciphering handwriting from centuries ago, with ample examples and charts. What a boon this is when you encounter ancient handwritten records.
Our copy of Volume 1 is a sixth printing from 1964, a retired library copy with a label on the dust jacket and markings on the title page. It is a hard back in excellent condition with dust jacket. Our copy of Volume 3 is a hard cover in excellent condition, a revised edition from 1966. It too is a retired library copy with a label on the spine (there is no dust jacket), and a library stamp on the first page and an embossed stamp of the original owner on the title page. We find no other markings in either book.
The Week Ahead: The GFO Research Library is closed, and all on-site groups, classes, and work parties are suspended. Tuesday, November 3 