This is a postcard to my grandmother Anna (Dillingham) Hansen from Allie. Allie is Alice Costello (DeRemer) Hansen, wife of Peter Hansen, the older brother to my grandfather Anton Hansen. Peter was the first of five Hansen brothers to come to Austin Minnesota from Denmark in the 1880s. Four of the brothers never left Minnesota, but my grandfather was the one that went west, first to Columbus Montana and then to Blanchard Idaho.
Anna’s Dillingham family came to New England in 1632, and they were Quakers. They later married into six Mayflower families, Alden, Cooke, Doty, Hopkins, Mullins, and Soule.
GRAND OPENING December 7, 2019 Announcing Grand Opening of CCGS Research Library at 3205 NE 52nd St., Vancouver, WA 98663; Open House begins from 11am and Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle will officiate at 5pm ribbon cutting ceremony. Serving Paper Tiger Coffee Roasters custom CCGS coffee blend “Library Blend,” Tea and Christmas cookies. See you there!
WSGS has received an invitation to attend Clark County Gen
Society’s Grand Opening of their new research library on December 7,
2019 at 5 pm 3205 NE 52nd St Vancouver, WA RSVP ccgslibrarian@outlook.com
Olympia Genealogical Society’s December meeting will be ” DNA Redux.” Using DNA for genealogy is no longer the “new thing” and we should all have some knowledge about it. At our December 12 meeting, we will get a crash refresher course about DNA— what it is, how to test it and what it can, and can’t, tell us about our ancestors. Our presenter is longtime OGS member, Carol Ballard, who also leads the genealogy and DNA efforts at Panorama. Please join us for our 7:00 pm meeting and presentation at Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152. Info, 360-349-2493 or www.OlyGenSoc.org.
=================================================== Joyce T. Ogden jtogden@comcast.net
Not many readers responded to our Survey
last week asking about participation in our upcoming Giving Tuesday –
which has us a little concerned. Of those that did, there was good mix
of all day, morning, and afternoon participants. We need your help! Remember,
volunteering for Giving Tuesday will entitle you to a free GFO pass
which you can use later or pass on to someone else. And there will be
food! For GFO, GivingTuesday isn’t about fundraising. It’s
about banding together for a volunteer blitz to accomplish one large
task. What if all GFO’s members came together on just one day to give
back by lending their time and talent?
Please save the date: December 3rd and come to the GFO all or part of the day to help. GFO will provide pastries, fruit, and coffee in the morning, pizza and pop in the afternoon. You provide the people power. Please give some time.
GFO Star: Kelly Thornburg
Our
GFO Star for December is Kelly Thornburg. When the GFO needed
volunteers for its for its annual financial review, Kelly offered to
help. She
has decades of accounting experience and happens to be the mother of
our incoming treasurer Erin Randall. While not a GFO member, we welcomed
a set of “outside expert” eyes. She lives in Pendleton,
and drove over three hours – twice! – to help pore over long columns of
numbers and match up receipts in working sessions of the Financial
Review Committee. A million thanks, Kelly!
SPECIAL OFFER! If you give a GFO membership as a gift, we’ll give you two extra months on your current membership! If you give two gifts, you’ll get four extra months. Give the meaningful gift of family history this holiday season with a membership to the GFO. It’s so easy. Visit our gift page for information.
Join
Laurel Smith on Saturday, January 9 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm at the GFO
for a day of beginning genealogy. There will be sessions about the
census, vital records, discussions about genealogy software and database
use, organizing your research, using Ancestry.com, and more — all
geared toward beginners — but 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.
The
Clark County Genealogical Society has moved. Come celebrate their grand
opening at their new research library on December 7, at 5 p.m. Address: 3205 NE 52nd St., Vancouver, WA 98663 Please RSVP to ccgslibrarian@outlook.com.
If
you work at Intel – or at any company that offers matching funds to
charitable organizations – you have the chance to double your donations
to the GFO!
If you’re unsure if your company provides matching funds to the GFO, inquire with your HR department.
What may qualify for matching: ▪ General monetary donations to the GFO ▪ Membership dues ▪ Volunteer hours (Intel matches hours at $10/hour) For Intel, the following people are eligible to request matching donations: ▪ Active U.S. blue badge employees ▪ Spouses of Active U.S. blue badge employees ▪ U.S. Intel Retirees *Tip:
For Intel Donors who want to reduce the amount of fees taken out of
your matching donation, you can make a payment directly to the GFO and
then submit a match request through Intel’s Benevity Portal. If you make a payment to GFO via PayPal or credit card directly through Benevity, they will take out management fees of up to 3%. Your company may offer a similar payment alternative.
This week we have a surplus book that’s just plain fun. The Forecast Atlas of the World prepared by the Kiplinger Washington Editors, who, in 1964, took a stab at forecasting the future. This
300-page, hardcover book is chock full of full-color spreads on topics
ranging from space technology to population growth to climate.
But it’s not just future casting. It also holds reams of factual statistics on all 50 United States. This
snapshot in time can be yours. It’s in very good condition with no
marks inside, but with some wear on the edges of the cover. Pick-it-up price: $10 Mail-it-to-you price: $15 Please email booksales@gfo.org if you’re interested.
New Survey: Thanksgiving Traditions Thanksgiving
is right around the corner. We’d like to know if you have family
traditions or recipes you’ll be including this year.
Saturday, November 23rd DNA Beginners 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. will have two guest speakers, Phyllis Coyne and Sheryita Mason-Cruise. Besides their presentations, Emily Aulicino will speak on two short topics: Quick Tips for Finding Common Ancestors in AncestryDNA and atDNA Tools: CAUTION . Download handouts here. Burgeoning Connections and Surprises through DNA Matches. Speaker Phyllis Coyne will share her journey as a beginner using DNA match results to expand her family tree. She has experienced the exhilaration of finding previously unknown connections, long lost cousins, and family secrets with the supportive genealogical comradery of newly discovered relatives. Finding Ancestors And Connecting Living Family With DNA Testing. Our second speaker, Sherylita Mason-Cruise, will share some examples of how she located birth family for her family members as well as finding biological family for her friends. She has united testers with their siblings, and confirmed connections to prove their parents. Every path to breaking a brick walls is different, and the more ideas you get from those who are successful, the better chance you have in eliminating your dead-ends.
You are welcome to send your questions before the meeting. Email: dna@gfo.org Sunday, November 24th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon There’s another work party at the GFO library today! We’re getting ready for GivingTuesday. 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. Wednesday, November 27th GFO Library Closes at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, November 28th GFO Library Closed for Thanksgiving.
Toys for Tots, Christmas Cookies and Pack up EWGS Supplies
(EWGS Meetings) 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Spokane Public Library Auditorium – Downtown Spokane
Please bring a new, unwrapped toy or book as a donation for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots to our annual Christmas meeting. Bring cookies with the recipe to share as we celebrate our last meeting in the downtown library. If willing feel free to share a brief (5-7 minute) Christmas memory. Remember, visitors are always welcome so bring friends.
TIP OF THE WEEK – FREEBIES
Both American Ancestors and Ancestry have free access promotions this
month. If you hurry, you can get in on the last few days.
Between Tuesday, November 12 and Tuesday, November 19, 2019, anyone
can access the many research databases of American Ancestors by
registering as a FREE Guest Member. That link is AmericanAncestors.org/Free-Billion
AmericanAncestors.org
contains some of the most important online databases for researching
American ancestry, with more than 1.4 billion names in records covering
18 countries.
For Veterans Day, Ancestry.Com is offering free access to their military records collection covering all 50 states and nearly 400 years of American history, from the Colonial era to Vietnam—and beyond. Search for free now through November 17
HELP SGS WHILE YOU SHOP
Black
Friday and Cyber Monday, kicking off the holiday shopping season, are
just around the corner. Think about helping SGS while you do your online
shopping by using AmazonSmile with Seattle Genealogical Society
selected as your charity of choice.
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization you choose.
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. Fritz’ self-description says, “I read old documents in German, Dutch, French, Latin, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, help people with their genealogical research, teach classes, publish articles, and lecture at conferences.” SGS is happy to have Fritz as the presenter for our spring seminar. Save the date. 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 from November 24, 2019 through December 2, 2019, for the Thanksgiving Holiday. NOVEMBER Saturday, November 16, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Irish Interest Group, with Jean Roth Saturday, November 16, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, German Interest Group, with Jean Roth
Saturday, November 16, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Digging Deeper: Comparing Genealogical Software, presenters will compare Legacy, Family Tree Maker, and RootsMagic. Come see which one is right for you.
Tuesday, November 19, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Family History Writers’ Group, contact Gail Stevens for more info at stevens_gail@hotmail.com DECEMBER
Saturday, December 7, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree for Family Search Interest Group, with leader Lou Daly. Saturday, December 14, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Second Saturday – Holiday Potluck – watch for details
Come hear our speaker, Lori Washburn, this Saturday, Nov. 16 from 2 – 3 p.m. as she presents GFO’s November GenTalk, Scanning and Archiving Your Family Photos and Documents. Whether
you want to scan just a few photos, have inherited a box of photos, or
plan on visiting a relative who might have photos, this class is for
you. We will briefly discuss scanners and then learn how to scan and
archive those precious photos and documents, as well as how to file the
scans. We will also touch on the basics of touching up your scans. Join us at the GFO. GenTalks are free and open to the public.
Join
the African American Interest Group as they host a special webinar on
Saturday, November 16, from 12:00 to 2:00 at the GFO. Dr. Charles Foy,
Associate Professor of Early American and Atlantic History, Emeritus, at
Eastern Illinois University and a scholar of 18th-century Black
maritime culture will present “Black Hands, White Profits: The Critical Role Black Mariners Played in 18th-century America.”
During
the 18th century, when North America lacked a network of highways, the
country’s economy was maritime-centered. In his talk, Dr. Foy, will
detail how Southern planters, Northern merchants, ship captains, and
government officials relied upon Black maritime labor for profits and to
develop the new American economy. He will also provide an overview of
how this drive by whites for profits offered enslaved Blacks
opportunities for freedom and economic independence. Dr.
Foy is the creator of the Black Mariner Database, a data set of more
than 30,000 18th-century Black Atlantic mariners and maritime fugitives.
He is completing a book manuscript, Liberty’s Labyrinth: Freedom in the 18th-Century Black Atlantic, that details the nature of freedom in the 18th century through an analysis of the lives of black mariners. All GFO Interest Group meetings are free and open to the public.
For GFO, GivingTuesday isn’t about fundraising. It’s
about banding together for a volunteer blitz to accomplish one large
task. What if all GFO’s members came together on just one day to give
back by lending their time and talent?
Please save the date: December 3rd and come to the GFO all or part of the day to help. GFO will provide pastries, fruit, and coffee in the morning, pizza and pop in the afternoon. You provide the people power. Please help.
GFO Gift Memberships
Give the meaningful gift of family history this holiday season with a gift membership to the GFO. It’s so easy. Just download and complete the form and send it with a check to Membership at the GFO. You’ll receive a holiday card (in an envelope) you can use to announce the gift. All memberships will begin January 1, 2020. Orders
received by December 10 will be mailed out on or before December 15.
Orders received after December 10 may not be fulfilled in time for
Christmas gift giving.
News from the Library: No new books?
Q: Why is the new book shelf empty? Isn’t the GFO getting any new books? A:
Actually, we have a number of new books that have been donated, and
some that we’ve purchased. But, for now, the library team is working to
get ready for GivingTuesday–and that means getting the books that are
already in the collection on the shelves where they can be inventoried
on December 3. Watch for more new books the second week of December.
This is the last weekend to take advantage of the Portland Center Stage offer to friends of GFO for a currently running play that happens to revolve around genealogy! Redwood
is billed as “a beautiful, humor-filled excavation of our shared
history. When Steve Durbin sets out to chart his Black family’s ancestry
online, his revelations unwittingly throw his entire family into
turmoil.” You can read Amy Wang’s review of the play in The Oregonian, here.
Redwood runs from now through November 17 at Portland Center Stage at the Armory. PCS has a deal for Friends of the GFO: Now through November 17: Use promo code “COMMUNITY*” for $10 off tickets. Get tickets here.
This week’s surplus books take us on a little local time travel. We have two spare copies of Portland’s Lincoln High School yearbook, The Cardinal, from 1917 and 1918. You’ll love the photos of the students, the advertisements for local businesses, and the articles from a bygone era.
These small paperbound volumes have seen better days, but they still hold together. Pick up at GFO Price: $15 for the set of two. Ship to You Price: $20 for the set of two. If you’re interested in buying these please contact booksales@gfo.org.
Survey Results: Personal Family Tree Software Usage
We
received 68 responses to last week’s query about what software E-News
readers use for their own family tree. We’re curious what you like best
and what could be better about the software you use. One person has used (COSMI) Perfect Family Tree for over 10 years and described it as cheap, functional, but can’t print in color. Two over-10-year users of Ancestral Quest report it is easy to use but could be better handling photos in the notes.
One person reports using Brother’s Keeper for between 5 and 10 years—but doesn’t have time to use it much and finds it confusing. Family Tree Maker
has the most reported users (32). Two people using it for less than a
year, 5 people for 1-5 years, 8 people for 5-10 years, and 17 over
10-year users. The most repeated feature they liked was the ability to
sync with Ancestry. Also mentioned were ease of use and the report
functions. We heard from 7 Legacy Family Tree
users—two users for 1-5 years, 4 for 5-10 years, and 1 for more than 10
years. Users like the reports and the citation template, and while
there were some ideas, there was no consensus on things that could be
improved. One user of MacFamily Tree (10+ years) who likes the ease of use and support. Three Master Genealogist users (10+ years) who wish the program was still supported.
PAF (Personal Ancestral File) – 3 users for 10+ years who like the ease of use but wish the program was still updated and supported. Six Reunion
users (1 less than a year; 2 for 5-10 years, 3 for 10+ years) the
comments in favor were varied, and the only request for improvement was
the ability to sync with Ancestry. RootsMagic
had twelve users respond. Seven have used it for 1-5 years, two 5-10,
and one didn’t say. Users like the ability to sync with Ancestry is just
one of many favored features. Several noted that source citation
templates could be improved. To see all the responses click here.
New Survey: Are you attending GivingTuesday?
We hope you are planning to join us on December 3 for our GivingTuesday volunteer blitz. We need you! A large turnout will make this event a success. Please take our survey to let us know if you’re coming.
Saturday, November 16th Genealogy Problem Solvers 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. If you are part of a big family tree, there is a good chance that you have some famous relatives. When doing family history research, we all get excited when we discover that a relative or ancestor is someone famous. This month’s challenge is to determine how our GFO member is related to Claire Lee Chennault, the U.S. major general who commanded the U.S. Army Air Forces in China during WWII. For more information contact Katie Daly at GPS@gfo.org. African American Group 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Our speaker will be Dr. Charles Foy joining us remotely from the UK via Webinar. His talk will be Black Hands, White Profits: The Critical Role Black Mariners Played in 18th-century America and will detail how Southern planters, Northern merchants, ship captains, and government officials relied upon black maritime labor for profits and to develop the new American economy. He will also provide an overview of how this drive by whites for profits offered enslaved blacks opportunities for freedom and economic independence. For more information, see the feature article above or contact Janice Sellers african_american@gfo.org. GenTalk: Scanning and Archiving Your Family Photos and Documents 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Presented by Lori Washburn Whether you want to scan just a few photos, have inherited a box of photos, or plan on visiting a relative who might have photos, this class is for you. We will briefly discuss scanners and then learn how to scan and archive those precious photos and documents, as well as how to file the scans. We will also touch on the basics of touching up your scans. GenTalks are free and open to the public. Sunday, November 17th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. 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. Family Tree Maker User’s Group 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Join other users who want to work through the 2017 Companion Guide to Family TreeMaker. Bring your laptop with 2017 version of FTM installed – build 1-480 of FTM installed. Come 30 minutes earlier if you’ve never been or have skipped sessions. You might need an update of the “fake” practice tree we are using. For questions or info, contact Joyce Grant-Worley 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, November 20th Learn & Chat 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. In the next several sessions, we will be looking at the three aspects of the Genealogy Proof Standard as set forth by the Board for Certification of Genealogists 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 breakdown more brick walls. Join us to talk about your genealogy, support others, and hopefully learn something new. 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 GFO Library Open Late to 8:00 p.m.
We want to share with you a presentation given by one of our Whitman County Genealogical Society members, Joye Dillman.
Joye Dillman of Pullman will give a historical presentation on toys and games enjoyed by children before computer games and the internet at 6:30 PM, Wed., Nov. 20, at the Troy Historical Society. Joye’s presentation is titled “For the Fun of it: American Childhood Toys and Games.” She is a museum correspondent docent with the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and a retired professor of human development at WSU. Attendees are welcome to bring their antique toys to add to the displays at the event. The society is located at 421 S. Main St., Troy, Idaho.
One of the more interesting part of posting all these articles on the blog is checking to see which blog posts are read by the most people. Google Analytics keeps track of which blog posts are read the most, which have the highest bounce rate (people that only read one article), and duration of time on the article. They recently added a switch to turn off listings from known search bots which really are not blog readers.
The majority of our readers are from the United States, but we get readers from many countries, today ten countries are listed from Brazil to Slovakia. I am always amazed we get very few from Canada even though we are very close to British Columbia.
To break down where the readers are, Google Analytics also lists the city of the reader, and for the past year or so that city is Chicago. In case you did not know they collect information on conferences, seminars and even monthly genealogical programs and post them on a list of genealogical happenings for the whole country and that is done in Chicago. Number 2 on that list is always Seattle, I guess since they are the largest city in Washington. Past Seattle is a bunch of other cities that change places almost daily, but usually the next two are Spokane and Wenatchee. In this weeks top 25 is Brookline, San Francisco, Des Moines Iowa, San Antonio, Ashburn and New York. There was also two readers from Busan in Korea.
We have as of today 875 subscribers to this blog, and I guess it is one of the largest of any of the blogs from the Easy Net sites that many genealogical societies subscribe to. Only about half of those subscribed read the blog weekly. So how do others find the blog? Google is the most used method. All blogs are easily found by Google and all the other search engines. So what article was most searched by Google this last month? It was an article on the University of Washington genealogy Class that was posted in 2015: http://wp.wasgs.org/2015/06/04/university-of-washington-genealogy-class/
You are free to copy articles to any non-commercial web site or message board or printed publication you wish. Don’t bother to ask permission, just do it.
