Yakima Valley Genealogical Society January Meeting
Heritage Quest Research Library Closed for Holidays
| Holiday Greetings No matter how you choose to celebrate the holidays, we take this opportunity to wish you a joyous New Year and to THANK YOU for your support of Heritage Quest Research Library. We exist because of you and we continue to serve the genealogy community with your help. The Library will be CLOSED: Tuesday, December 24th Wednesday, December 25th Tuesday, December 31st Wednesday, January 1, 2020 so that our volunteers may celebrate with their families. We look forward to seeing you in the near future to help you “become the family historian and bring your ancestors to life.” |
GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News
| THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition December 19, 2019 |
| 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 |
| Your Tax-Deductible Dollars Help Support the GFO |
| Thank you! We are a bit more than halfway to our fundraising goal! There is still time to make your tax-deductible, end-of-year donation to support the GFO’s mission and to give a gift that helps us preserve heritage to share with future generations. |
| We have a Gold Star rating with GuideStar. Plus, there are ways to help maximize your chartiable giving. The GFO belongs to the Oregon Cultural Trust. Also, your employer may provide matching donations, especially through Benevity. The GFO opens it’s doors to all. We offer so many benefits to those who visit the library, search our website, or preserve their family history with us. Your support is crucial and so very appreciated. |
| You may remember that, in October, we announced that Blaine Bettinger would be our speaker at our next Spring Seminar. Last month, Blaine contacted us apologizing profusely. He’d double-booked himself and could not come to Portland after all. Naturally, we were disappointed. But, we know how important DNA has become in genealogy, and wanted to keep this important topic. We were thrilled to learn that an exceptionally accomplished DNA expert is available. We’re proud to announce that Certified Genealogist® Karen Stanbary is coming to speak April 4 and 5 to help you Solve Your Puzzles with DNA. |
| Karen is an author and national lecturer focusing on using genetic evidence correlated with documentary evidence to solve genealogical brick walls. Her genealogical practice specializes in Midwestern U.S., Chicago, and Mexican research as well as complex problem-solving, unknown parentage, and DNA analysis. She is a coordinator and faculty member at GRIP, IGHR, and SLIG. She received the NGSQ Award for Excellence for her complex evidence case study incorporating traditional documentary research and autosomal DNA analysis in the June 2016 issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. Registration for our GFO Spring Seminar opens on December 21. Be sure to get your seat early! |
| Basic computer skills are a prerequisite. All communications are done via email, and you must be able to download and print the class notes. Bring a sack lunch, snacks, and a beverage so you can keep going as the class does. GFO members may attend for free, non-members $20. |
| December Star: Kendra Blumberg |
| Kendra Blumberg is an organizational marvel. In her first year at the GFO, she helped us land a record number of donations for our spring raffle. This fall, she stepped in again to schedule speakers for the next Open House. In a whirl of efficiency, she filled most of the slots in just two weeks. Watch for her to teach some computer classes here soon too! Thank you, Kendra! |
| Your Last Minute Gifts Can Mean Cash for the GFO |
| Remember that when you shop for the holidays at AmazonSmile, each purchase nets a small donation for the Genealogical Forum Of Oregon, with no impact on the price you pay! It is a great way to tackle your last minute holiday shopping while helping the GFO. As of November 2019, the GFO has received over $820 from AmazonSmile! Every little bit counts. |
| New Tables Save Your Knees and Our Backs |
| We hope you like the new tables in our GFO classroom. You won’t whack your knees any more on the leg supports, because the cross bars are at the rear of each table. Also, these tables are super light weight. That makes it easier for us to move them around when we need to rearrange the table formations. |
| We’ve got a unique piece of Oregon history available. The Oregonian’s Handbook of the Pacific Northwest was published as a hardcover book by The Oregonian newspaper in 1894. The “Handbook” describes itself as containing “a mass of interesting matter on the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Western Montana as well as extended mention of British Columbia and Alaska.” What follows are 631 pages of articles and |
| illustrations of life in this part of the country before the turn of the 20th Century. Take a step back in time by owning this piece of history. We’ve found this book for sale for $125 elsewhere. Our version is in good shape, still well bound, but has light damage on the |
| cover, on the title page, and has a few marks inside. Our price to pickup at the GFO: $70 Our price to ship to you: $78 Please contact booksales@gfo.org if you’re interested. |
| Survey Results: Holiday Genealogy Gifts |
| Results from last week: About 75% of last week’s respondents indicated that their wish list contained genealogy items. Here are some of the replies: |
| An Ancestry DNA kit for my sister (who’s not interested in genealogy). I bought it as a gift for myself. I just hope she takes it because I haven’t asked her yet! Back issues of the Virginia Genealogist by Dorman. I don’t make a list, I just gift myself what I want. My latest purchase was RootsMagic 8. I’m looking forward to it’s release. |
| Finding the son my aunt gave up for adoption in 1945. That the copyright office approves the book I submitted about the 1841 wagon train so it can be made available to all the people who have been asking for it. |
| Scholarship to GRIP. Travel to New England. The gift of memberships. Books! Time to visit where my ancestors lived. |
| And the survey editor thanks Juli for sending the spinach casserole recipe! |
| New Survey: Giving the Gift of Genealogy |
| This week, we’re asking if you are giving any genealogy-related gifts to others this holiday season. |
| Saturday, December 21st No GenTalk this month Sunday, December 22nd Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon There’s always lots to do and we’d love to have 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. Tuesday, December 24th GFO Closed – Christmas Eve Wednesday, December 25th GFO Closed – Christmas Day |
A Merry Christmas
A Christmas card to my Grandmother Anna (Dillingham) Hansen from Alice Costello (DeRemer) Hansen wife of Peter Hansen. Peter was my grandfather Anton Hansen’s older brother. The card was not mailed so I don’t know the date. The postcard is heavily embossed.
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week
TIP OF THE WEEK –
GENEALOGY RELATED HOLIDAY SALES As with sweaters and toys, December is a good time to shop for genealogy related deals. Here are a few of those deals.
Now through December 26, 2019, Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) is advertising significant discounts on all their various DNA kits, as well as free standard shipping. Currently the autosomal kit is $49 (save $30), their maternal mtDNA kit is $139 (save $60), and the Y-37 test for men is now $99 (save $70). Check their website for the prices of their other Y test kits.
If you are in the market for an autosomal DNA Kit from Ancestry.com, it is on sale now through December 31, 2019 for $59 plus shipping. They are also offering subscription discounts to new subscribers.
Finally, if you’d like to attend Roots Tech 2020, in Salt Lake City, UT, February 26-29, 2020, as of today the four day pass is being offered at a promotional price of $189 (save $110). No telling how long this deal will last – so hurry.
www.FamilyTreeDNA.com
www.Ancestry.com
Rootstech.org/salt-lake
Seattle Genealogical Society News
| SPEAK OUT NOW TO PRESERVE PUBLIC ACCESS TO GENEALOGY RECORDS – HELP! Dear SGS members and supporters, You have all probably seen some mention of a significant proposed fee increase by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Essentially what they are proposing for fees are: raising the search fee 269% from $65 to $240 and the cost of the actual file 481% from $65 to $385. For those not familiar with the types of records genealogists want from USCIS, here is a sample: Naturalization Certificate Files (C-Files), September 27, 1906 to March 31, 1956 Alien Registration Forms (Form AR-2), August 1940 to March 1944 Visa Files, July 1, 1924 to March 31, 1944 Registry Files, March 1929 to March 31, 1944 A-Files, April 1, 1944 to May 1, 1951 If you had relatives who immigrated to the United States in the 20th century, USCIS is the place to order the above records. USCIS has provided an opportunity for the genealogical community to comment on this proposed Rule that dramatically impacts the USCIS Genealogy Records Program. We want to encourage our members to make their voices heard and express your concern with this outrageous proposal. The Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC) is sending in a letter outlining some of our objections. Your help is needed! Please write to the NCIS responding to their request for comment. The deadline is 30 December. You can find a link to sign up and more information at “Records, Not Revenue” at: https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com Be sure to contact your Congress people as well! If you would like to read the proposed rule, see: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-11-14/pdf/2019-24366.pdf The Genealogy section is Section N which starts on page 62315-62316. See Section 103.40 for Genealogical Research Requests on page 62359. The Washington Post had an article on the proposed fee increases last Thursday which may be read at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/05/genealogy-boom-has-hit-roadblock-trump-administration-plans-huge-fee-hikes-immigration-records/ The link to send a comment is at https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/ We encourage the individual members of our society to get behind this process and let USCIS and your local representatives know that you object to this unsupportable, exorbitant charge for access to value genealogical documentation. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, you may feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Jill Morelli President, Seattle Genealogical Society IT’S THE GIVING SEASON! Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support the Seattle Genealogical Society and Library during our Annual Appeal this December. SGS 2019 Annual Appeal Donate Now Online If you have a Paypal account, you may donate to SGS via the Paypal Giving Fund. The transaction fee will be waived and your gift will be matched with an additional 1% by the fund. Go to: Paypal Giving Fund – SGS THANK YOU! 2020 CENSUS JOB OPPORTUNITIES Want a temporary job? If you are an experienced genealogist, you may be interested in and well qualified for positions supporting the 2020 U.S. Census. The Census Bureau is looking to fill literally thousands of positions – enumerators, clerks, supervisors. SGS member, Ellen Stewart, wants to help out with the 2020 Census so she’s very excited about her new position and encourages other SGS members to check out the opportunities. She suggests you visit the official site, set up an account, and complete the application online. The application includes an assessment to help match your skills to the available job opportunities. Here’s the link for the official website: 2020census.gov/jobs 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 EVENTS 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. The Library will be closed Dec 21, 2019 – Jan 1, 2020 for the Winter Holiday. JANUARY Saturday, January 4, 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. Sunday, January 5, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, DNA Workshop SIG with leader Cary Bright Wednesday, January 8, 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, January 11, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Second Saturday Series: “Fraktur und Fremdworter: Hacks for Reading Foreign Books & Newspapers” – presenter will be Mary Kircher Roddy. Sunday, January 12, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Scandinavian SIG, lead by Karen Knudson, this group will be reviewing new searches from Arkivdigital (Swedish Research) and Digitalarkivet (Norwegian Research). Everyone is welcome to come and share their research. Saturday, January 18, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Irish SIG, with Jean Roth Saturday, January 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, German SIG, with Jean Roth Saturday, January 25, 10:00am-12:30pm, DNA SIG, Meets quarterly in the fellowship hall of Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. Come early for the Beginner Session 9:30-10:00am. Co-chairs Cary Bright & Herb McDaniel. An annual $5 contribution is collected at the door to fund rental of the space. |
German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) Meeting
The German Interest Group
of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS)meeting
When: Friday, January 3, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm
(Doors open at 12:10 for networking)
Where: Relief Society Room of the Latter-day Saints Church
10675 NE 20th St, Bellevue, WA 98004
Topic: “German Immigration Patterns Prior to the Revolutionary War” – There were 3 waves of German immigrants to America prior to the Revolutionary war. He will emphasize the 3rd wave of immigrants, those coming from 1717 to 1775. It’ll include where they came from and why plus where they went. He will also cover why most did not come to America but went to Eastern Europe. Much of his material is drawn from Hopeful Journeys, German Immigration, Settlement and Political Culture in Colonial America from the late 1600’s to the start of the Revolutionary war.
Presenter: Bill Frisinger – His ancestor Ludwig Friderich Freysinger immigrated to Philadelphia in 1754. The ship and where most of its immigrants came from are well documented but no one has any documentation of where in Europe he came from although most “know” where. It is just that they are almost certainly wrong. It is this puzzle that drew him into genealogy. Later when he received a copy of a journal passed down on his maternal side, he began a more formal study of his ancestors.
More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/ . Visitors are always welcome.
GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News
| THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition December 12, 2019 |
| 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 |
| Your support can go even farther too. The GFO is a member of the Oregon Cultural Trust. You can match the amounts you’ve given to Cultural Trust nonprofits like the GFO and you’ll get 100% of that match back on your Oregon state tax form. (Up to $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples filing jointly.) Be sure to click over to the Cultural Trust website to get the information you need. |
| All communications are done via email, and you must be able to download and print the class notes. Bring a sack lunch, snacks, and a beverage so you can keep going as the class does. GFO members may attend for free, non-members $20. |
| Have you Moved? Please Tell Us |
| Please tell us if you’ve moved in the last year. Recently, we had a large number of letters returned to us that could not be delivered. The post office charges more for each returned letter than it costs to mail them out the first time. As a small non-profit we’d rather spend our limited budget on keeping the library open and bolstering resources for you. Please notify membership@gfo.org of any changes to your mailing address. |
| GFO Files Objection to USCIS Genealogy Fee Hike |
| We’ve told you in previous weeks that the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service wants to increase fees by nearly 500% for copies of genealogy records. The GFO Board has now filed formal objections to these outrageous fee hikes for access to records like naturalization certificates, alien registration forms, Visa files, registry files, and A-Files. Fees could total $240 to $385 per record! We believe the exorbitant fee increase appears to be an attempt to deny Americans access to the records at all. It will slam the door and close off public records because such fees are simply beyond the means of most of us. |
| USCIS Genealogy Fee Hikes as charted by Records, Not Revenue. |
| In addition to filing our objection during the comment period, we have also contacted all federal elected officials from Oregon to urge them to use their influence to stop this as well. We urge all of you who care about keeping public records public to file your own comment. USCIS has reportedly extended the deadline for comments to December 30. Be sure to specifically note both the Genealogy Program and DHS Docket No. USCIS-2019-0010 in your comments. |
| As many of you may know, the Oregon Historical Society is counting down to an exciting new chapter for their Research Library. To allow for extensive renovations of their downtown Portland library starting in March 2020, library staff and collections are moving offsite. The downtown library will remain open through December 28, 2019. They will reopen to researchers by appointment at a temporary offsite location in early spring, and continue to answer reference questions by email and phone during the construction phase. The OHS museum will remain open; no interruption to other OHS activities is anticipated during this time. Details and updates can be found on the OHS website. Questions may be directed to libreference@ohs.org. We at the GFO are looking forward to OHS’s new, enhanced library. We offer our resources for anyone eager to keep researching in the interim. |
| TriMet has big changes planned for Division Street, starting in front of GFO’s building and extending far to the east. The agency has an “online open house” where you can learn more about the design. Public comments can be submitted through Friday, Dec. 13. |
| If It Snows, We May Close |
| Here’s a reminder before any winter weather really hits Portland: if it snows, we may reduce hours or close altogether. The best place to find out is online. You can check three places: ▪ Local media website winter closure lists. If we close, we notify Flash Alert Newswire, which instantly adds us to the lists displayed by local media. ▪ The GFO Webpage. We’ll post closures on our homepage. ▪ The GFO Facebook page. Or, you can call us. If no one answers, please don’t come in. |
| No pretty pictures or detailed maps in our book of the week—but what a treasure trove of genealogical information! Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies by Hugh F. Gingerich and Rachel W. Kreider, 1986, is chock full of names, dates, and locations gleaned from over 125 different sources. The foreword by Joseph F. Beiler states, “This volume offers actual accounts of all known Amish or Amish related immigrants, who came to America |
| as European peasants who were, in one way or another, denied religious freedom and civil rights—to the promised land.” It provides a preface, introduction, history of the first Amish communities in America, instructions on how to use the book, a code list for sources, and a code list for location—and then, all those names and family |
| groups in this 848-page tome. There are even two indexes of individuals—one for coded and one for uncoded. Thumbing through the book, one pencil notation was found. The pages are clean and tight, and the binding is secure. But there is damage to the cover which can be seen in the photo—and the pages closest to that end board have been wrinkled, but not torn. Don’t let this one get away! If interested, please contact booksales@gfo.org. Price if picked up at the GFO is $48. Shipped is $55 (it’s heavy!) |
| Survey Results: Sweet Traditions |
| We were a little surprised that more people didn’t have holiday cookie or treat recipes handed down, but we did get a few interesting replies. (However, the survey editor is sad that the prior weeks’ respondents didn’t reach out to share their Thanksgiving cranberry sorbet or decadent spinach recipes.) |
| Here are a few of the responses we received: My grandmother, and then my mother, used to make cookies at Christmastime called Lard Nuts. They contained (you guessed it) lard, and ammonia. I’m sure you can understand why we don’t make them any longer. As a child, I thought they were pretty nasty. Lebkuchen. I’ve often wondered about how this recipe was passed down. My grandmother made it. She was Scotch. Her husband was German–so perhaps from my paternal great-grandmother? I hear this can be a perfectly lovely treat. But not the way grandma made it–in a jelly roll pan and frosted (the only good part). But it was like the hardest, chewiest, dry fruitcake I’ve ever had. When she died, thankfully the lebkuchen recipe disappeared. |
| My mother always made “Mary’s Cookies” at Christmas. They are cut outs and my siblings and I decorated them. I did the same with my kids. No one seems to remember who Mary was! Actually there is no recipe…it was all in my grandmother’s head and I observed many times the making of paklava with phyllo made from scratch. I got to sprinkle the nut, sugar & clove filling, roll and cut up the pieces. It’s the dough that is in question because my grandmother made it without measuring…she just knew by the feel when the ratio of milk and butter to flour was right. It was beautiful to watch a small round of dough become a huge paper thin circle. A large table is required for this which is one of the reasons I haven’t tried to recreate the movements I watched so many times … |
| New Survey: Holiday Genealogy Gifts |
| This week we’re asking if you have any genealogical gifts on your wish list. Take the survey now. |
| Saturday, December 14th Writer’s Forum 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Join our peer group of genealogists, who meet to learn about writing and to share our writing with each other. Peggy Baldwin facilitates this group and can be reached at writers@gfo.org. Sunday, December 15th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon There’s lots to do and we’d love to have 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. 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, December 18th Learn & Chat 10:00 a.m. – Noon Co-facilitator Sandy Alto aptly named Learn and Chat as a “genealogy self-help” group. Come attend the Learn and Chat group if you want to learn about anything genealogical. Contact facilitator Sandy Alto with your questions at 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 GFO Library Open Late Until 8:00 p.m. |
Clark County Genealogical Society in the News
I thought you might like to see this recent article about the Clark County Genealogical Society’s recent move in The Columbian newspaper.
Thank you,
Kay Cooke
Eastern Washington Genealogical Society January Luncheon
Save the Date
Our Year of Change!
Join us for a great Pasta Luncheon at Mukogowa. Enjoy an informative webinar: “Do You Have Brick Walls?” from the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). And Honor and visit with our past Presidents.
When: January 4, 2020. Time: Doors open at 11:30 Lunch at 12:00-
Program to Follow
Where: Mukogowa | 4000 W. Randolph Road | Spokane, WA. 99224
Buffet Pasta Bar and Webinar
Registration: $25.00
By Pay Pal at ewsgi.org
OR
Mail Check to:
EWGS
P.O. Box 1826
Spokane, WA 99210