TIP OF THE WEEK –
PGSA MEMBERSHIP IS NEW AT SGS SGS has purchased a subscription to the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) which includes on-line access to a members-only area and databases, plus access to the quarterly journal, ‘Rodziny’, with articles specific to Polish genealogy. If you are involved in Polish genealogy, come into the SGS Library and access PGSA.ORG from our patron computers.
While usually one SGS member is selected as Volunteer of the Quarter, this quarter the SGS Board was compelled to select three members for their heroic efforts during the SGS Library Great Flood of 2019. Referred to collectively as the SGS Flood Response Team, Linda Fitzgerald, Kathi McGinnes, and Ann Wright are our Volunteers of Fall Quarter. These three members have a long history of volunteer service to SGS, and their quick reaction and tireless efforts during what could have been a catastrophic, expensive loss for the Society, definitely qualify them to be recognized for service “above and beyond”.
Linda was the first person to arrive at the library that morning, and immediately alerted the manager of the library’s building that there was water pouring into the library from above! Kathi and Ann arrived shortly after Linda, and all three ladies began working to move books and equipment out of harm’s way as quickly as possible. Any dry items in harm’s way were temporarily relocated to other places around the library. All wet items were moved to a triage area. As much work as this was, it turned out to be the easy part.
Over the next few days, Linda and Kathi worked on the materials in the triage area to determine which items were too water damaged to repair, which were just slightly damp and could be easily dried by hand, and which needed more extensive drying using presses and silica gel. Once the books were dry, the silica gel had to be manually removed from the books before returning these repaired books to the dried shelves. Books that had not gotten wet, but were moved elsewhere for safekeeping, also had to be retrieved and returned to their original location.
The process of preparing the books to dry, preparing them to be re-shelved, and returning all displaced materials to their proper location was an effort that spanned three weeks.
A water event of this nature is second only to a fire in terms of potential unrecoverable damage to a library. Given the number of truly irreplaceable documents and books in the SGS Library, a lot of damage can be done in very short order. The immediate and long-term actions of Linda, Kathi, and Ann minimized the damage. Only a few books were lost. Thank you so much , Linda, Kathi, and Ann. Without their efforts things could have been a lot worse. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Time: Saturday, March 14, 2020, 12pm-6pm
Sunday, March 15, 2020, 10am-6pm
Place: Seattle Center Armory, Seattle, WA
As it normally does, SGS will have an information booth at the Festal:Irish Festival, Seattle’s Irish Heritage and St Patrick’s Day celebration weekend. The booth will have a genealogy display and maps for Irish and Scots-Irish research. We need volunteers to help out in the booth for two hour shifts both days, especially from 1:00 pm-2:00 pm while Jean Roth is giving the Irish Genealogy lecture. This is one of our major outreach events and is a great way to meet people interested in Irish Genealogy.
Contact volunteers@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org to sign up for a shift! Thank you.
For more information about Irish Festal, see http://www.seattlecenter.com/…/featu…/festal/irish-festival…IRISH GENEALOGY WORKSHOP
COMING IN MARCH
The Irish Heritage Club, along with the SGS Irish Interest Group, is having an all day Irish and Scots-Irish genealogy workshop on Saturday, March 21, 2020, as part of the Seattle’s official Irish Week activities. The speaker is Dr. Tyrone Bowes of Galway, Ireland. Dr. Bowes is a noted biotechnologist who specializes in biology, history, and geography. He is founder and CEO of Irish Origenes and its extensive databases.
The theme is “Putting the Gene In Your Genealogy”. Learn to use the latest technology and your DNA results to discover clues to your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestral origins. At Fairview Christian Church, 844 NE 78th (enter parking lot from 79th), Seattle, WA, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Doors open at 8:30 am for check-in
Fee: $50. Box lunches available for $15; please order before March 13th.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/irish-genealogy-putting-the-gene-in-your-genealogy-tickets-92973075973
Additional information available at the Irish Heritage Club :
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/irish-heritage-club-7871179248
or contact Jean A Roth at 206-782-2629 or jeanaroth@juno.com
SAVE THE DATE
Spring 2020 SGS Seminar
with Fritz Juengling,
Fairview Christian School,
844 NE 78th St,
Seattle, WA
Saturday, May 16, 2020 Mr Juengling is the German, Dutch and Scandinavian Research Specialist at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. SGS is happy to have Fritz as the presenter for our spring seminar. SGS CALENDAR OF EVENT Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather.
FEBRUARY
Saturday, February 15, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Irish SIG, with Jean Roth Saturday, February 15, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, German SIG, with Jean Roth
MARCH
Sunday, March 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, with Cary Bright. Q&A first hour, while focus second hour in on Genome Mate Pro.
Saturday, March 7, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, FamilySearch SIG, with leader Lou Daly, discover the many ways to use Family Tree & FamilySearch.org. Each meeting will feature an aspect of the FamilySearch website. There will be time for Q&A.
Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 pm-9:00 pm, MAC Computer SIG, co-chairs Lisa Marker & Diane Hettrick. Meets every other month at the Fiske Genealogical Library in Madison Park, 1644 43rd Ave E, Seattle, WA. Jointly sponsored by SGS & Fiske. Open to the public. Focuses on resources for users of Macintosh/Apple computers & the Reunion Program.
Saturday, March 14, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker Users Group, with leaders Reiley Kidd and Jess Ramey, Learn and share tips and tricks for using Family Tree Maker 2017
Saturday, March 14, 12:30 pm -1:00pm, SGS Spring Membership Meeting, business meeting, meet the Board and Officer nominees.
Saturday, March 14, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Second Saturday Series: “Do You Trello and Kanban?”, presenter will be Lori Lee Staub. learn how these can aid you in your genealogy research.
Saturday, March 21, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Digging Deeper: Researching Women’s History, this presentation is at the University of Washington, Allen Library. Join in for a hands-on workshop to learn how archives are arranged and locate information which might be of interest to you when researching women’s history. Parking on the UW campus is free on the date of our workshop. Attendees will meet at the Allen Library breezeway since the library is officially closed for spring break: https://www.washington.edu/maps/#!/alb Although this event is free, it requires advance registration. Please register by following this link: https://forms.gle/oB5wU5Lv6wLsjw8p8 Maximum attendees: 25 Presenter: Lisa Oberg Lisa is the Associate Director and the History of Science and Medicine Curator for Special Collections in the UW Libraries. This workshop is part of the Seattle Genealogical Society’s lecture and workshop series: Women’s Suffrage in your Family History. We thank the Washington State Historical Society for their grant in support of our project. For more information, see https://www.suffrage100wa.com/.
Olympia Genealogical Society’s March meeting will feature OGS member Dee Bright and her talk “Who is Dorothy Bright?” Dee’s mother Dorothy was born in 1909, adopted as an infant, but did not know she was adopted until she was an adult. Dee will tell us about the steps she has taken to search for her mother’s birth parents – her progress, successes, and failures. Join us on Thursday, March 12 at 7 pm at Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152. 2000 Lakeridge DR SW, Olympia WA. 360-349-2493
=============================================================
Joyce T. Ogden
jtogden@comcast.net
| Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member! |
| gfo.org | 503-963-1932 | info@gfo.org Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR. Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider |
| A
few weeks ago, the GFO strongly objected to the plan to close the
National Archives in Seattle. The closure was approved just days after
news of the secret proposal leaked out. Now
the Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman is also speaking up, and
urges everyone to contact lawmakers to fight the closure. Read more here on the secretary’s web page. Find your representative Find your senator All the history of the Pacific Northwest stored in Seattle is set to be divided and shipped away to Kansas City, Missouri, and Riverside, California. So far, no date for this closure has been publicly revealed. We urge you to add your voice to get this terrible decision overturned. In the meantime, northwest tribes are also speaking up against the move. Seattle’s KIRO radio reports the Archives has not answered a single question from the public. “No one from the national NARA offices present at the Seattle facility today would go on the record with KIRO Radio about anything. Period. Like OMB, NARA has not responded substantively to any inquiries from KIRO Radio for weeks.” |
| Join us at the GFO this Saturday, February 15, from 2 – 3 p.m. for a hands-on beginner’s tutorial Intro to Excel® for Genealogy. Spreadsheets are a powerful tool for analyzing your genealogical data, organizing your research and presenting your conclusions. But as with any tool, you have to know how to use it to get results. GFO member and Microsoft-certified trainer Kendra Blumberg will get beginners started with Excel and some simple, genealogy-specific spreadsheets. Please bring your laptop with Excel® loaded. Otherwise, a limited number of computers are available for free reservation at gfo.org/computer. Join us at the GFO. GenTalks are free and open to the public.** |
| DNA has become the hot topic in genealogy and we’re bringing an expert to Portland to help you make sense of it all! Join us for our 2020 Spring Seminar, “Solve Puzzles with DNA,” on April 4 & 5, with nationally-known genetic genealogy author and educator Karen Stanbary, CG®, MA, LCSW. |
| The Saturday, April 4 classes will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Portland’s Center for Self Enhancement (SEI). Seats are still available. . Saturday classes include: ▪ Tips to Manage Conversations about Unexpected DNA Results – handle challenging discussions both before and after DNA testing ▪ The DNA You Need – It’s Not Always Who You Think – Results from a 4th cousin once removed you’ve never met may tell you more than another aunt or uncle ▪ Avoiding Common Mistakes When Working with atDNA – Learn common errors in atDNA interpretation and strategies to avoid them ▪ Spit and You Shall Find! Autosomal DNA Identifies a Charming Scoundrel: Walk through research planning, evidence analysis, correlation and proof in a fun case study If you register by Feb. 29, the cost for GFO members for this full day is just $45 and for non-members, $50. |
| The Sunday half-day classes on April 5 will be held at the GFO from 9:30 a.m. – noon. This session is already 3/4 full. Sunday includes two complex case studies demonstrating a wide variety of research strategies at every point in the planning, analysis and correlation process. One unknown parentage case and one distant ancestor case illustrate the integration of evidence from paper and DNA sources to prove genetic relationship conclusions. Early registration price for this half-day is just $25 for GFO members and $30 for non-members. Download the Seminar Flyer for more details. Take advantage of those Early-Bird Registration prices! On March 1, all prices will increase by $5. This is a great opportunity to learn more about solving those genealogy puzzles with the use of DNA. |
| Mark your calendar. Please join us for a live webinar with Deborah Abbott, on Saturday, February 15 at noon at the GFO library. Our African American Ancestry Group is pleased to present Dr. Abbott’s discussion of using manuscript collections at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D is a professional genealogist specializing in Black American research, manuscript collections, and genealogy methods. She serves as a trustee on the Board of the Ohio Genealogical Society, a member of the Cuyahoga County Archives Advisory Board in Cleveland, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Federation of Genealogical Societies. Non-Members are welcome! This group is free and open to the public. |
| Who doesn’t like a free genealogy conference? Save these dates for the 2020 GFO Genealogy Open House: March 13-22. Over these 10 days, the library is free to the public and everyone is invited to all classes. Of particular note, we have an Evening with Special Guest John Schmal on Mexican Ancestry, a Beginners Day, DNA Day, Software Day, and Irish Day. |
| Save your favorite classes on your calendar! No registration required for any events. 42 events in all! It’s like having a free genealogy conference in your own backyard. Join us! |
| The
Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon will feature GFO Member and
professional genealogist Pam Vestal at their February Meeting, Sunday,
February 16 at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful
Lane, Portland. Pam’s presentation, Why They Left, Where They Went, and the Tales Their Journeys Can Reveal,
will explore the secrets our ancestors’ migrations and what they can
reveal as we track them from place to place, across the ocean, across
the country, and even across town. The program is free and doors open at 10:00 a.m. with time for conversation and sharing. |
| News from the Library |
| New Digital Content • Kern-Gen (Kern Co., California) • Santa Clara County Connections • Valley Genealogist of Hemet-San Jacinto • The Epistle (Batchelder, Carpenter, and Rice) • Lifeliner (Riverside, California) • Kansas City Genealogist New Books • Adams County, Ohio deeds, 1797-1812 • Confederate military history: a library of Confederate States history • Diamond jubilee, Medina, North Dakota: 1899-1974 • Fish families records and lines • Germans in Wisconsin • History of Jennings County, Indiana • Indian New England before the Mayflower • Little known tales from Oregon history • London’s churches • Magruder’s Maryland colonial abstracts: wills, accounts, and inventories, 1772-1777 • Milford and vicinity sesquicentennial souvenir book, 1830-1980 • Reunion celebration: together with an historical sketch of Peru, Bennington County, Vermont, and its inhabitants from the first settlement of the town • Soap Lake [Washington] • Southern crossing: a history of the American South, 1877-1906 • Tracing your Church of England ancestors: a guide for family and local historians • The captive’s quest for freedom: fugitive slaves, the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, and the politics of slavery • The city of New York in the year of Washington’s inauguration, 1789 • The Hatfield book • The slave economy of the Old South: selected essays in economic and social history • The Spanish archives of New Mexico: compiled and chronologically arranged with historical, genealogical, geographical, and other annotations, by authority of the State of New Mexico |
| Have a Beaver in the family? They may love this step back into history, back when Oregon State University was known as the Oregon Agricultural College. We have a spare copy of the The Orange from 1913, OAC’s yearbook in truly excellent condition. There is only one half inch of noticeable wear at the top of the spine. |
| This yearbook runs 366 pages and bears the names of Editor R.A. Blanchard and Manager W.S. Sibray. It includes a message from OAC President William Jasper Rice. Price to pickup at the GFO: $30 Price to ship to you: $37 If you’re interested in this piece of Oregon history, contact booksales@gfo.org |
| Survey Results: Free Genealogy Websites |
| Here are the favorite free websites of our readers: |
| FamilySearch tops the list–for its scope, better indexing, lots of images, deepest resources around, and other reasons. One person cautioned about the family tree, unsourced facts and misinformation. |
| FamilySearch Community Feed After joining a group, you can upload an image of a foreign language document (even written in impossible to read old German script) and someone will translate it for you – usually within just a couple of hours or maybe overnight. WikiTree (2 people) Because it’s collaborative and there’s a huge emphasis on citing sources for the facts you add. It makes it so much easier to verify information and find the sources yourself for your own records. FindAGrave for the help of the volunteers who take photos. Fultonhistory.com (no reason given) GEDmatch because it has DNA data from different sources. Heritage Quest accessed with Multnomah County Library card. |
| IrishGenealogy.ie The website has all the RC church records for County Kerry – the ancestral home of my father’s side of family. It also has images for civil records of births, marriages, and deaths for all of Ireland with exception of images of death records before 1877. BTW the website has links to other Irish websites. The Ancestor Hunt for its fabulous links to online newspapers. The Library of Virginia (no reason given) |
| New Survey: Cousins |
| We all have lots of distant cousins, found through various means. We’re curious if finding them has been helpful in your genealogical research. |
| Friday, February 14th Mexican Ancestry Group 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. This Special Interest Group (SIG) pertains specifically to Mexican ancestors from Mexico and the American Southwest (New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California). Beginning and intermediate researchers are welcome. Some subjects will include online parish records, Hispanic genealogy societies, solving genealogical problems, organizing your research, etc. Come share research experiences and have fun. Questions or comments to Vince Ramirez at sw@gfo.org. Saturday, February 15th Genealogical Problem Solvers 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Finding your ancestors before 1850 The 1850 US census was the first to enumerate each member of the household by name, making pre-1850 research tricky, particularly for families already moving West. Adding to the challenge, extended family members tended to migrate in groups, with individuals frequently joining households other than those of their nuclear family …or not. Join us as the Genealogy Problem Solvers attempt to locate the parents of a GFO member’s 2nd great- grandfather, Charles McFarland (1815-1898), who was born in Virginia (or West Virginia) and who died in Missouri. Learn the tools researchers use to solve the problem of finding ancestors on the move before 1850. Questions – contact Katy Daly: gps@gfo.org African American Ancestry Group 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Live Webinar on Black College Records Featuring Deborah Abbott. See article above for details. This group is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Janice Sellers african_american@gfo.org. GenTalk: Intro to Excel® for Genealogy 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. See feature article above to join us for our February GenTalk presented by Kendra Blumberg. You may reserve one of the GFO’s PCs for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Note to Library Patrons: The GenTalk will be held in the research area of the library, at the computer tables, and at least 5 of the computers are reserved for event attendees. The stacks and the classroom are of the library will remain open for all other patrons. Sunday, February 16th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – noon We have a special project to work on this Sunday. We received 3 tubs of books and periodicals that have a mildewy odor to them. We don’t want to introduce them to the library. So, we’ll be sorting through them to inventory and reorganize them. Your help is needed. Any time you can share is appreciated. Family Tree Maker Users Group 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Join other users who want to work through the 2019 Companion Guide to Family TreeMaker. Bring your laptop with 2019 or 2017 version of FTM installed. Click here for the full agenda. It also has links to two small files to download to your FTM directory. Click on the ‘more details’ at the bottom left._ Contact the group leaders at ftm@gfo.org. French Canada Group 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Share stories of our history. Come and join this group to learn more about French Canadian ancestry and Acadia. The group leader is Bob LaMarche. FrCan@gfo.org Wednesday, February 19th Learn & Chat 10:00 a.m. – Noon Join us as our “Chat” consisting of lively unplanned discussion as we share successes, frustrations, challenges, tech tips, report on research trips, seminars, conferences and so on. In the next several sessions, our in our “Learn” portion, we will look at the 3 aspects of the Genealogy Proof Standards as set forth in the BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. The goal is to learn together to integrate these standards and methods into our daily routines to become better genealogists, maximize our efficiency, reach more accurate solutions and break down more brick walls. Facilitated by Sandy Alto and Jeanne Quan. Questions? learnandchat@gfo.org DNA Q&A: The Basics 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. This meeting is for those who are just beginning to use DNA testing for genealogy. Each class begins with a presentation of general information about DNA testing. General questions regarding DNA testing are welcome at the end of each planned discussion. Lisa McCullough leads this group.. Questions? dna_qa@gfo.org. Irish Interest Group 6:00 – 7:45 p.m. We will hear Patricia Delich’s, “Searching for Great-Great-Grandfather John Spillan.” Patricia’s research has taken numerous twists and turns since she gave us a glimpse of her search at our Oct. 2019 meeting. In our second hour we will examine current challenges, brick walls, obstacles and conflicting sources for your ancestor. Please bring the following information: * Who are you researching? * What information are you seeking? * Where did this person live? * What time period? * What resources have you tried? Contact Irish@gfo.org for more information. GFO Library Open Late to 8:00 p.m. |
Well it looks like vital records bill 1550 that was introduced into the Washington Legislature this year is dead. Click here to see the bill.
All bills had to be out of committee by February 11 or they died in the regular session, and House Bill 1550 never even had a hearing. It could come back if they have a special session.
Beginners
Genealogy Class
Tuesday, Feb.25
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Heritage Quest Research Library
Downtown Sumner
1007 Main Street
Sumner, WA
******
Please pre-register for class
space is limited
253-863-1806
Officials from Washington DC were in Seattle meeting with Puget Sound Native American Tribes: Click Here to read the whole story. https://mynorthwest.com/1715022/national-archives-tries-re-set-seattle-closure/
Meanwhile, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson continues to weigh legal action, and last week sent document requests to multiple federal agencies involved in the Seattle facility. Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman is leading an effort to identify alternatives to the priceless materials being shipped to California.
| THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition February 6, 2020 |
| Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member! |
| gfo.org | 503-963-1932 | info@gfo.org Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR. Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider |
| We’d like to offer our deep thanks to Lynn Rossing for leading our Great Lakes Special Interest Group for several years. Lynn has now stepped down. The next meeting is this Saturday, Feb. 8, from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., where guest speaker Dale Deatherage will discuss Taverns and Inns. He has found records for his ancestors by researching business licenses in the Great Lakes region, and will share his research journey so that we can all do the same. This is a topic with information that likely would be hard to find elsewhere. However, this will be the last meeting until someone steps up to help keep this group active. Would you be willing to facilitate this group dedicated to helping people find ancestors from the Great Lakes region? The group has met on the second Saturday of each month except in July, August, and December, but this can be changed. Please contact our president, Vince Patton, at president@gfo.org if you’d be willing to keep this group alive. |
| Join us for our 2020 Spring Seminar, “Solve Puzzles with DNA,” on April 4 & 5, to be presented by nationally-known genetic genealogy author and educator Karen Stanbary, CG®, MA, LCSW. |
| The Saturday, April 4 classes, will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.at Portland’s Center for Self Enhancement (SEI).
Karen will guide experienced beginners and above in learning how to
manage and interpret DNA evidence, then how to incorporate it into
existing documentary research and provide guidance on managing
conversations about unexpected DNA results. If you register now, the
cost for GFO members for this full day is just $45 and for non-members,
$50. The
Sunday half-day classes on April 5 will be held at the GFO from 9:30
a.m. – Noon. Deepen and expand your intermediate- to advanced-level
skills as Karen presents more complex genealogy puzzles requiring more
complex DNA evidence analysis. Early registration price for this
half-day is just $25 for GFO members and $30 for non-members. Download the Seminar Flyer for more details. Remember, we have Early-Bird Registration prices! On March 1, all prices will increase by $5. This is a great opportunity to learn more about solving those genealogy puzzles with the use of DNA. |
| From 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 23, join BCG Certified Genealogist Mary Kircher Roddy as she presents a hands-on guide for the experienced spreadsheet user using Excel to gain perspective on and to further your genealogy research. For a more complete description, download the seminar flyer. Seating is limited to 30 people! Everyone gets a spot at a table. Participants should bring their (fully charged) laptops pre-loaded with Excel. Mary is an active member of Seattle Genealogical Society, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the National Genealogical Society. She has published articles in Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, and the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. The fee is $35.00 for GFO Members and $40.00 for non-members. |
| It’s time for a genealogy conference in your backyard–one which doesn’t cost a dime! Save these dates for the 2020 GFO Genealogy Open House: March 13-22. Over these 10 days, the library is free to the public and everyone is invited to all classes. Of particular note, we have an Evening with Special Guest John Schmal on Mexican Ancestry, a Beginners Day, DNA Day, Software Day, and Irish Day. |
| Save your favorite classes on your calendar! No registration required for any events. 42 events in all! It’s like having a free genealogy conference in your own backyard. Join us! |
| News from the Library |
| New Books • An informal history of the German language: with chapters on Dutch and Afrikaans, Frisian and Yiddish • Cheapside before the Great Fire • Divorce records for Washington County, Indiana, 1814-1921 • Early marriages in Indiana • Historical Shaniko tales • History of the Sierra Nevada • Newport, Oregon: 1882-1982: centennial magazine • Pathways to Michigan’s Black heritage • Preceding the Mayflower: the Pilgrims in England and in the Netherlands • Searching for Black Confederates: the Civil War’s most persistent myth • Slavery remembered: a record of twentieth-century slave narratives • Textiles in America 1650-1870: A dictionary based on original documents, prints and paintings, commercial records, American merchants’ papers, shopkeepers’ advertisements, and pattern books with original swatches of cloth • The families of County Donegal, Ireland: over one thousand entries from the archives of the Irish Genealogical Foundation • The guarded gate: bigotry, eugenics, and the law that kept two generations of Jews, Italians, and other European immigrants out of America • The life of Mark Twain: the early years, 1835-1871 • The Minutemen and their world • Time on the cross: economics of American Negro slavery • Time on the cross: evidence and methods, a supplement • When women didn’t count: the chronic mismeasure and marginalization of American women in federal statistics New Digital Content • Bulletin of the California Central Coast Genealogical Society • Genealogical Goldmine (Paradise, California) • Quicksilver Diggin’s (Santa Clara County, California) • San Diego Leaves and Saplings • San Francisco Historical and Genealogy Bulletin • The Sonoma Searcher |
| U.S. is Hiring Census Workers |
| Genealogists depend on the census. Some of our ancestors were census enumerators, collecting the information we value so much. Now you can do the same. The Census Bureau is hiring through the first week of March. They are seeking census takers to work flexible hours, earn $18-$20 per hour, and receive paid training. Apply Online: 2020census.gov/jobs For more information or help applying, call 1-855-JOB-2020. |
| Will You Be Our Valentine? |
| Shop at smile.amazon.com and AmazonSmile donates to Genealogical Forum Of Oregon at no cost to you! |
| Take a step back in time to 1866 and see what Muskingum County, Ohio looked like 154 years ago. The GFO library is retiring this reprint from 1973 as a nicer copy was donated. Its full title is Atlas of Muskingum Co., Ohio From actual Surveys by and under the direction of F. W. Beers, assisted by Beach Nichols and others. It was published by Beers, Soule & Co. of New York. |
| As a library copy, it has library marks inside the front and back covers and a label on the spine. Otherwise, it is in excellent condition. Its 48 pages include maps of townships and cities, and it includes some illustrations of prominent buildings at that time. |
| As an atlas, it’s large, measuring 14“ by 14″. Our price to pickup at the GFO: $28 Price to ship to you: $38 If you’d like to buy it, please email booksales@gfo.org. |
| Survey Results: Vintage Family Photos |
| Here are the results of our question about old photos in your collection. Twenty-five percent report having photos that are pre 1860, and 34.4% have photos that date from 1850 to 1860. |
| We also asked how you dated your photo. Many reported that the images they had were wedding photos—and they had the marriage date. Some used hairstyles and clothing styles, some used children in the image, and others knew the date of death. Here are just a few of the many replies: |
| •
My third great grandmother – a young woman with hair and dress from
1860s. She was born in 1827 and drowned crossing a river in 1883. • It is a photo of my third great-grandfather Ishmael G Smith, taken in Joliet, IL about 1865. The date is from a tax stamp on back of the photo. |
| Tintype image courtesy of Laurel Smith •
I have a Daguerreotype in a metal frame, of a young woman in period
dress. With technology available at the time and clothing and hairstyle I
estimate this dates to 1860s, Civil War era. I do not know who it is,
but am working on it. • Approximately 1857/58. Ambrotype of my 2nd great-grandparents, James and Martha Smalley, holding their first born, Edna, my great-grandmother, born 1 May 1857. Edna looks to be between 6 and 9 months old in the photo, helping me date it. • Civil War soldier, a great-great-uncle, Andy Miller. A book on the GFO library about his unit noted his death and included a section on the unique uniforms his unit had which matched the photo and help identify him. Photo before July 1863 when he died at Gettysburg. • My oldest photo is of my husband’s grandmother in 1905, age 5. She wrote the date on the back. • Likely early 1860s. Two photos on glass in gold frames, handed down through the family, show my great-great-great aunt and her husband. These are ambrotypes, a form of photography that only lasted one decade into the early 1860s. |
| General James S. Jackson, photo dated 31 Dec 1861, image credit: Wikipedia • The
photo is from Dec 31, 1861. It is of my great-great-grandfather,
General James S. Jackson. He was a general on the Union side of the
Civil War. He was killed in 1862 in the battle of Gettysburg. I have his
actual photo, but there is a copy on Wikipedia. • About 1890. My great-great-grandparents and their first child. I identified my great-great-grandmother because of her uncanny resemblance to one of her daughters and then extrapolated the rest. It also helped that the photo frame indicated it was taken in Kamenets Podolsky, Russia. • I have several daguerreotypes from the 1850s to 1860s of my great-great-grandparents who lived in Massachusetts. They are in the little books and are identified by name, date and place. One is of my great-great-grandmother, Betsy Anne Richmond, who died in 1852. • The oldest photo I have is hand dated on the back from the 1850s of a 3rd great-grandfather, James M Hassler. I also checked the photographer’s insignia on the paper frame with information online showing that photographer was working in the same city and time of this ancestor’s dated photo._ |
| New Survey: Free Genealogy Websites We all love free genealogy websites—what’s your favorite? |
| Saturday, February 8th Great Lakes Interest Group 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Guest speaker Dale Deatherage will discuss Taverns and Inns. He has found records for his ancestors by researching business licenses in the Great Lakes region, and will share his research journey so that we can all do the same. For more information contact Lynn Rossing at GreatLakes@gfo.org. Writers’ Forum 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Join this peer group of genealogists, who meet to learn about writing and to share their writing with each other. Peggy Baldwin facilitates this group and can be reached at writers@gfo.org. Sunday, February 9th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – noon Prepping periodicals for scanning is on the agenda, and we sure could use your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there. Research Assistant Training 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Training for GFO volunteer research assistants focused on procedures, OPALS, and Q&A. Wednesday, February 12th PMUG College: Browsers and Email 6:00-7:55 p.m. To register: Call 503-228-1779; Email: college@pmug.org. Bring your Mac/iPad to participate with instruction. If you would like additional info for attending this class, please email us. Free to GFO and PMUG members. GFO Library Open Late to 8:00 p.m. |
Our February Monthly Meeting is this coming Tuesday, February 11 at Bates Community College, South Campus.
6:00 pm Member Networking and Sharing6:30 – 8:30 pm Business Meeting and Program
Our speaker is Cyndi Ingle, and her topic is TIMELINES.
You will need a 2020 parking permit; so if you do not have one, we will have some extras at the sign in desk.
Hope to see everyone there!
TPCGS
monthly meetings are held September through June from 6 pm to 9 pm,
usually at Bates Technical College, South Campus, Building E, 2201 South
78th St., Tacoma.
Guests are always welcome, so bring a friend! For more information check our website at www.tpcgs.org.
Jane Irish Nelson, TPCGS Webmaster
