GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News

by Charles Hansen
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition June 13, 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
Please Attend Our Member Meeting This Saturday
We encourage all GFO Members to attend our annual membership meeting this Saturday, June 15, at 2 p.m.
(Yes, that’s the correct date. We apologize for the typo last week.)
Richard Crockett will present the budget for the new fiscal year which starts on July 1. You, the members, will be asked to vote to approve the board’s plan. It’s your chance to see our new board members who join the board next month. And, we’ll reveal this year’s Hall of Fame Award winner. This is the GFO’s highest honor, which carries with it lifetime membership in the GFO. The meeting lasts 30 minutes. Then, please stay on for a free GenTalk by Kristin Parks. She’ll talk about land records and how to reach them from our library computers.
Donations Delivered to Paradise Genealogical Society
All 28 boxes fit in the car! President Vince Patton shows every nook and cranny we used to do it.
The Paradise Genealogical Society in northern California hasn’t had much to smile about since a wildfire burned their library to the ground.
Smiles returned today as they received nearly 1,500 books and periodicals. We delivered donations from the GFO and the Clark County Genealogical Society a few hours ago. A team from Paradise drove north, and GFO President Vince Patton drove south. We met halfway in Medford for the transfer of 28 boxes. It’s a great way to jumpstart the rebuilding of their library in a new temporary location in Chico, California.
Joyce Higgins and Carol Sutherland of the Paradise Genealogy Society were thrilled to have a van load of books to drive back home.
Half-Day Workshop: Adding Historical Context
Adding Historical Context: A Hands-On Approach Join GFO’s Kate Eakman July 14 from 9:30 a.m. – Noon for a half-day of learning about how to add historical context to your genealogical research to make it richer and more interesting. In this workshop you will: ▪ Practice identifying items, events, and topics ripe for historical research. ▪ Once the questions have been asked, learn how to find the answers. ▪ Discuss how to add this new-found information to one’s family’s history. Take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Register by June 30 and save $5.00!
Register Now
GenTalk: Locating Land Using the GLO, HistoryGeo & GFO
The website of the Bureau of Land Management’s General Land Office (GLO) is an incredibly valuable resource for researching your Federal Land State ancestors. Even those ancestors who never left the east coast can sometimes be found if you know how to look. Using the GLO, HistoryGeo, and the GFO’s collection of Oregon Donation Land Claim materials can lead you on a rewarding journey of discovery that covers a lot more territory than you might think.
Join GFO Research Assistant and Education Committee Chair Kristin Parks this Saturday, June 15, from 2:15 – 3:15 p.m. to learn more about these helpful resources.
Member Dues Rise July 1 – Renew Early Before the Increase
Anyone may renew early, before July 1, to lock in this year’s lower rates. NOTE: If you are midway into a standard membership and would like to become a Life member, we will credit your life member dues with the unused amount of what you have already paid. Life members can pay everything in one lump sum or spread payments out over three years.
Renew or Join Now
Great Lakes Region Interest Group is looking for your help!
The Great Lakes Region Interest Group is looking for presenters for the coming year! Do you know someone who might be interested? If you send us the person’s name and email address, we’ll do the rest. Contact us at greatlakes@gfo.org. Our next meeting is Saturday, September 14 at 9:30 a.m. Until then, we wish you happy trails and a summer of productive genealogy research!
Surplus Book of the Week: First Hundred Years of Lincoln County
This week’s surplus book is a special commemorative book that beautifully captures the first 100 years of Lincoln County, Oregon, from 1893 to 1993. It was published by the News-Times of Newport in 1993 and includes 192 pages of historic photos and advertisements.
This softcover book captures the fishing, timber, rail, and cultural history of Newport. It’s in very good condition with no marks inside or out. We’ve found it for sale online for $40 plus shipping. Your price:
$30 – pickup at GFO
$35 – we’ll mail it to you If interested, please email booksales@gfo.org. (Please contact them first; don’t just show up at the library to purchase.)
Survey Results: Family Tree Errors
There were 46 responses with lots of “Other” answers.
23 – Try to get the tree owner to correct it
13 – Ignore it To see all the results, click here.
Have you ever looked for trees with errors about your ancestors for the purpose of correcting them?
No 39 (84.8%)
Yes 7 (15.2%) If you tried to correct the errors, how did you do it?
(respondents could select more than one answer.)
We’re glad to see some of you are working hard to get those trees corrected! 37 of you responded.
22 Sent the tree owner corrected information
19 Sent the tree owner documentation (or a link to documentation)
17 Added a comment to their tree
10 Tried to educate the tree owner about the value of reliable sources
New Survey: Correcting Errors on Ancestry.com
Have you ever looked and looked for a record on Ancestry.com, to discover when you find it that it was indexed incorrectly?
It can be frustrating, for sure. And Ancestry will not correct them—but you can. It doesn’t change the incorrect information, but it adds information to help others find the record more easily.
This week we ask if you already know about and/or post corrections.
Please take our survey now.
Take the Survey
This week at GFO …
Friday, June 14th
Mexican Ancestry Group 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Finding your Hispanic ancestors from Mexico, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California
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, Family History Library/FamilySearch.org. Ancestry.com, solving genealogical problems, methodology of organizing your research, etc. Of course this group will also be about sharing our research experiences, and having fun.
For questions or comments, please email Vince Ramirez at sw@gfo.org.
Saturday, June 15th
Genealogy Problem Solvers 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
No meeting this month.
African American Ancestry Group 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
This meeting will be our second attempt at a “transcribathon” – we will work together on transcribing Freedmen’s Bureau records for the Smithsonian’s massive undertaking of creating an every-word transcription of every document in the Freedmen’s Bureau collection.
Please plan ahead: Visit The Freedman’s Bureau website before the June 15 meeting and sign up. You will need to bring a laptop to the meeting to work on. If you have an extra laptop, consider bringing it in case someone else doesn’t have one, so that more people can help.
For more information, contact us at african_american@gfo.org.
Annual Membership Meeting 2:00 – 2:15 p.m.
Come to see new officers installed, learn who is receiving the Hall of Fame award, and vote to approve the budget for the coming fiscal year.
GenTalk: Using the GLO and HistoryGeo 2:15 – 3:15 p.m.
Presenter Kristin Parks will show you how using the General Land Office website, HistoryGeo.com and the GFO’s collection of Oregon Donation Land Claim material can help take you on a path of discovery to learn more about your ancestors.
Sunday, June 16th
Father’s Day – GFO Closed.
Wednesday, June 19th
Learn and Chat 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Topic: Census – Part Two. The census is often the first place we search for “instant gratification,” a place to see our people and their community (FAN Club). The 2020 Census is now front-and-center in the news.
Join us for Part Two of a discussion of how this constitutionally-mandated enumeration has changed over time. We share our experiences and are working together on a list of resources useful to all.
A lively discussion and a lot of fun!
Facilitated by Jean Quan and Sandy Alto. Questions? learnandchat@gfo.org
DNA Q&A 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Lisa McCullough leads a discussion on various DNA related subjects, with each meeting focused on a particular subject. General questions are welcome at the end of each planned discussion. Questions? dna_qa@gfo.org
Irish Group 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
In our first hour, we will interactively explore those new and improved Irish genealogy websites, or even a great general genealogy website that you have found useful. Email a couple of your favorite URLs to Irish@gfo.org by June 12th and everyone can have a copy of all the URLs at the meeting! We will be sure the laptop and projector screen are ready! Share what you liked about the site and we will all be a wee bit closer to our next ancestor discovery!
Second hour we will address current challenges/brick walls/research obstacles – bring a concise outline of your challenge, and we will put our heads together to help move you forward.
We’re planning now for August and October meetings. What topics/speakers would you like to hear? Please share at the meeting or email us at Irish@gfo.org with questions and suggestions.

Heritage Quest Research Library Autumn Quest

by Charles Hansen
Early bird dates for Autumn Quest are fast approaching. Be sure to get your registration in before July 1, 2019 to Register for the Early Bird price of $65.00 Members, $75.00 Non-Members.  Lunch is included.
 
After July 1, $75.00 Members, $85.00 Non-members.  Lunch is included.

Register at the door price is $95.00.  Space and lunch are not guaranteed.

We look forward to seeing all of you on October 12, 2019 at the Emerald Queen Conference Center in Fife, Washington as we welcome speaker Dave Obee.
 

Call for Blog Articles

by Charles Hansen

If you have noticed the blog has been rather boring lately, the lists of meetings is very important, probably the most used part of the blog. The articles of interest have always been near the top of the most read articles each week, so I am asking for our members to submit articles to me to post on the blog. It could be a local attraction, a historical society, a cemetery, a project your society is working on, a review of a book, review of a genealogy program, a tip of the week. or anything else that might interest 800+ Washington State genealogists. Although many people reading this blog are not from Washington, the top city for readers has been Chicago for months edging out Seattle by a large margin.

My E-Mail is CharlesMike4903@gmail.com

GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News

by Charles Hansen
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition June 6, 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
Half-Day Workshop: Adding Historical Context
Adding Historical Context: A Hands-On Approach Join GFO’s Kate Eakman July 14 from 9:30 a.m. – Noon for a half-day of learning about how to add historical context to your genealogical research to make it richer and more interesting. In this workshop you will: ▪ Practice identifying items, events, and topics ripe for historical research. ▪ Once the questions have been asked, learn how to find the answers. ▪ Discuss how to add this new-found information to one’s family’s history. Take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Register by June 30 and save $5.00!
Register Now
GFO June Star: Remi Newhouse
You could not ask for anyone more organized than Remi Newhouse. Singlehandedly, he has launched our online sales of a variety of donated items. Plus, he’s a data extraction dynamo, indexing Multnomah County Marriage Record books. These are among the GFO’s most valuable, unique resources, and indexes will open them to the wider world. We couldn’t ask for better
help than Remi is giving to the GFO. Thank you, Remi!
Clark County Steps Up With Paradise Donations
The steamroller of generosity continues to roll as we help the Paradise Genealogical Society rebuilding their library that burned last year. Last Sunday, the Clark County Genealogical Society dropped off 13 boxes of books! We’ve added them to the stacks of boxes we’ve already put together with our surplus holdings. This may mean we have more boxes than we can easily carry in early June. Fortunately, another GFO member is driving to Paradise itself in the middle of the month and has offered to take the remainders then. Thank you all for your generosity to assist Paradise in getting back on its feet.
Donations for Paradise at the Clark County Genealogical Society
You’re Invited! – Annual Membership Meeting June 15
Please join us for the annual Membership Meeting on Saturday, July 15 at 2 p.m. at the GFO library. Each year we honor a stellar volunteer with our Hall of Fame Award, ask you to approve our budget by voice vote, and introduce you to the newest board members who will take office next month. The meeting lasts only 30 minutes and we’d love to see you there.
But there’s another great reason to come that afternoon. Right after the meeting, our GenTalk from 2:30-3:30 p.m. presents Using the General Land Office and History Geo. Kristin Parks will show you incredibly useful land records which you can reach from the GFO computers. Using the GLO website, HistoryGeo.com and the GFO’s collection of Oregon Donation Land Claim material can lead you on a rewarding journey of discovery that covers a lot more territory than you might think. See you June 15!
Member Dues Rise July 1 – Renew Early Before the Increase
Each year the GFO has raised its basic, individual member dues by $1, and $2 for joint members. This almost covered the increase in our rent, but nothing more. The board also learned that our Life Memberships had fallen way behind what the board several decades ago intended. Life dues were meant to reflect a cost 20 times that of a one-year membership. Over the years, that information was not passed on to later boards, and the Life Memberships have not been raised in 13 years. Life Member dues are an investment in the GFO, placed in our Endowment Fund to help finance operations in perpetuity.
Given rising expenses, the GFO Board of Directors has approved increases to both of these categories. For one year, effective July 1, 2019, annual Individual and Student memberships will increase $2 while Joint Memberships increase $4. On July 1, 2019, Individual Life Member dues will increase from $750 to $875 and Joint Life Memberships from $1,000 to $1,220. In subsequent fiscal years they will rise again so that by 2022 they will equal 20 times an individual membership. Anyone may renew early, before July 1, to lock in this year’s lower rates. NOTE: If you are mid-way into a standard membership and would like to become a Life member, we will credit your life member dues with the unused amount of what you have already paid. Life members can pay everything in one lump sum, or spread payments out over three years.
Renew or Join Now
PMUG Clinic Debuts at the GFO
June 12th & 26th 6:00 – 7:45 p.m. in the GFO Classroom For the month of June, the Portland Macintosh Users Group will bring one of our most successful events to the GFO – the PMUG Clinic. The Clinic is a friendly place where you can bring in that Mac/iPad/iPhone that you are having problems with for free diagnostics, as well as many other issues. Some examples of how PMUG Clinic can help you include:
• If you have questions on one of the basic Apple software apps, you don’t need to take a whole class to get your questions answered.
• If you are having problems with your Mac/iPhone/iPad, you can bring it in for a free diagnostic.
• If you want to find the best backup system for your genealogy archives, you can get a custom recommendation based your actual needs. No need to register, just show up during clinic hours: Bring your Mac or Apple mobile device. If you would like additional information for attending PMUG Clinic, please email us at college@pmug.org.
(Mug) Book of the Week
This week we’re offering a 1980 reprint of the 1683 History of Duchess [Dutchess] County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers by James H. Smith. This is a soft-cover version, has library stamps, and notes from a prior owner.
“Mug” books, as they are often called, are great resources for learning about a community around the turn of the century.
Often when they are reprinted, the pages are significantly reduced in size—but not this one! Pages measure 8.25″ by 11″, and there are 562 of them, not counting the introductory material and an appendix naming (and giving particulars about) contributors.
This material is available in digital form online, but if your family is from Dutchess County, wouldn’t it be nice to have this on your bookshelf at home?
Pick it up at the GFO for $18, or we can mail it to you for $26.
Contact booksales@gfo.org to get your hands on this terrific book.
Survey Results: Has DNA helped you solve any brick wall problems?
There were 32 responses to our question, “Has DNA helped you solve any brick-wall problems?” And the answers were split right down the middle, with 16 answering, “Yes,” and 16 answering “No.” There were 19 written responses to our request for more information. You can read all the responses here. And six people gave us some suggestions for future surveys. We thank them and offer one of the suggestions this week.
New Survey: What do you do when you find family trees with errors?
Anyone who’s spent any time looking at online family trees knows they often have inaccuracies. Okay, information that is just plain wrong! An e-news reader wants to know: What do you do when you find a tree that has the wrong information about your ancestor?
Take the Survey
This week at GFO …
Saturday, June 8th
Great Lakes Region SIG 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
We welcome guest speaker Duane Funk who will discuss Quaker records and what we can learn from them. The records of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, include births, deaths, marriages, migration certificates, and detailed monthly meeting minutes. Even if you don’t have Quaker ancestors, this promises to be a fascinating look at Quaker history and research methods in general. If your ancestors were in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, or Ontario CANADA, or if you simply want to come hear about this fascinating topic, you are most welcome to attend. Please note that the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade is this same morning – give yourself plenty of travel time! We hope to see you there.
Sunday, June 9th
Library Work Party – 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Family Tree Maker Users 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 . If you haven’t been for a number of meetings or are new, please come 30 minutes early so we can provide you a newer version of our fake practice tree. We currently have 34 people in our practice tree..
Facilitated by Joyce Grant-Worley. FTM@gfo.org
French Canada Group – 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Sharing stories of our history. Come and join this group to learn more about French Canadian ancestry and Acadia. The group leader is Bob LaMarche.
Monday, June 10th
Beginners Boot Camp 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Laurel Smith will present a day of beginning genealogy. There will be sessions about the census, vital records, immigration and naturalization, discussions about genealogy software and database use, organizing your research and more — all geared toward beginners. Those registered should bring a sack lunch so the discussion can continue while we eat. This class is currently full. If you wish to put your name on the wait list, click here.
Tuesday, June 11th
Board Meeting 6:10 – 8:10 p.m.
Wednesday, June 12th
PMUG Clinic – 6:00 – 7:45 p.m.
For the month of June, the Portland Macintosh Users Group will bring one of our most successful events to the GFO – the PMUG Clinic. The Clinic is a friendly place where you can bring in that Mac/iPad/iPhone that you are having problems with for free diagnostics, as well as many other issues.
PMUG is a group of users helping each other, which is what user groups are all about. We have been running these clinics for several years and enjoy offering the unique opportunity for people to access free one on one consultations with our knowledgeable experts.

Jefferson County Genelogical Society June Meeting

by Charles Hansen

JEFFERSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (JCGS)

Contact for this release: Judy Tough 360-385-3065 or tough@olympus.net

FOR RELEASE: June, 2019

Mental Health Issues in the 19th Century

Was an ancestor committed to an asylum? Was someone enumerated as ‘imbecile’ or ‘incompetent’ on a census? Did soldiers suffer PTSD? Learn about mental health diagnosis and treatment in the 1800s.

Jefferson County Genealogical Society’s speaker, Janice Lovelace, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and has 20 years experience in family history research.

Free. Public invited.

Saturday, June 15, 2019

9:30-11:30 a.m.

Tri-Area Community Center

10 W. Valley Rd.

Chimacum, WA.

www.wajcgs.org


JEFFERSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (JCGS)

PO Box 627

Port Townsend, WA 998368



Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK WEEK – UNTAPPED RECORD FILES


RELATED TO THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862   Many genealogists are familiar with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) website and use that site to see if their ancestors acquired land under the Homestead Act, or by any of the other federal land acts.  On this website, one can see the legal description of the land, along with a digital image of the patent itself.
But many people do NOT know that there is a file associated with each patent, that is not online.   Both the affidavit of eligibility and the proof required for the patent after five years may contain detailed genealogical information. In many cases, because non-citizens were eligible to claim land but only citizens could receive a patent, the actual naturalization records of the claimants may be found in the files. Other files, by widows or children of the original claimant, may include marriage or birth records.
The Homestead file itself is available through the National Archives, for a fee of $50.
For more information about these records, and how to order them, see The Legal Genealogist article titled “Happy Birthday, Homestead Act” by Judy Russell at https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/ .  Just scroll down to the May 20, 2019 post.
One can sign up to subscribe to The Legal Genealogist at no charge and receive it as a daily email.  Her daily blog posts are frequently very interesting and informative, as this one is. Consider this a bonus Tip of the Week!  

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

SGS MEMBERSHIP MEETING,
SATURDAY, JUNE 8

Our next membership meeting is June 8 at the library from 12:30-1, with the 2nd Saturday presentation, “Organizing Your Family History in Order to Stay Sane” with Mary Kathryn Kozy to follow.
We will be discussing accomplishments and future plans for SGS.
 

SGS ELECTION RESULTS 

The results of the Seattle Genealogical Society’s (SGS) 2019 Election are in and congratulations go to the recently re-elected officers and directors on the SGS Board:
     President: Jill Morelli
     Treasurer: Karen Knudson
     Secretary: Amandalei Bennett
     Director of Education: Janice Lovelace
     Director of Operations: Rob Sexton
     Director of Volunteers: Heidi Mair
     Director of Technology: David Rimmer
     Director of Library: Sue Jensen
     Director of Membership: Christine Schomaker
 
The positions of Vice President and Publications had no candidates, so the Board is looking for volunteers. Contact Amandalei Bennett at secretary@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org if you would like to serve. Marilyn Rose will serve as Past President and Mahina Oshie is the representative from the Seattle Public Library. There will also be a representative from the LibraryTrustees. This Board will serve from June 2019 through May 2020.
 
In addition, the proposed changes to the Bylaws passed.  
 
Special thanks to our Election Committee: Bruce Finlayson, Lisa Oberg, Marilyn Rose, and Paul Wade. We also thank Julia Marconi for serving on the Board in various positions over the years, particularly Publications. 


TIME TO RENEW YOUR SGS MEMBERSHIP

SGS Members! Thank you for your participation in our all-volunteer, non-profit society. We look forward to your continued support during our 96th year as we face the challenges of maintaining our public research library, preserving records and providing educational programs and activities for exploring family history. Your annual membership expires May 31, 2019.
Please use one of the links below to renew your membership through May 31, 2020.

Not a member yet? Now is a great time to join SGS and obtain a full year of discounted class and event registration fees, free research requests, and access to exclusive SGS publications and databases. 

Join or Renew Online

Print out a Membership Application 

SPRING SEMINAR A SUCCESS!

SGS held our annual Spring Seminar “Next Steps for Your DNA Test Results” with Diahan Southard on May 18 -19. It was a most enjoyable and informative weekend. 
 
On Saturday 136 attendees were welcomed at the Fairview Christian School gym, where they purchased over 10 boxes of books at our Book Sale and over 300 tickets for our raffle of donated database subscriptions and DNA tests. Fortified with abundant snacks, we settled down in the auditorium for Ms. Southard’s insightful presentations about DNA and learned how to understand, organize, and analyze DNA test results to produce a more accurate family genealogy. Lunch brought enrichment in the form of our popular roundtable discussions. We had 14 tables of nine with topics from DNA to Ohio to the DAR. Then on Sunday at the SGS Library, 60 lucky workshop participants used DNA to help solve a real-world genealogical mystery under Ms. Southard’s guidance. 
 
All in all a great success. A special thank you to the Seminar Co-chairs Sandra Stark and Lori Lee Sauber, and to the Seminar Committee and SGS Volunteers who made it all happen!
 
If you missed the seminar and would like a copy of the syllabus, they are available at the SGS Library for $3.00 while the supply lasts. And while we’re on the subject, mark your calendars now for the SGS 2019 Fall Seminar with Tom Jones, PhD, October 5, 2019.  
 

GIVEBIG 2019 RESULTS

In the recent GiveBig program on May 8, SGS received $2035 from 16 donors. These funds will help towards our increasing budgetary demands. The Board sends a hearty ‘Thank You’ to those donors!
 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE 73rd ANNUAL
PACIFIC NORTHWEST SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES
Saturday, July 27 & Sunday, July 28
Enumclaw Expo Center

– Come Listen to the Bagpipes – Watch the Dancers – Visit the Clans  –
– Help SGS Promote Genealogy – 

We need volunteers to help at the Seattle Genealogical Society booth during the Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games in Enumclaw. We have been participating for years and it is a great way to let the public know about SGS and to promote membership. Our participation also gives us valuable community outreach credit for our grant applications.

Game attendance is about 30,000 for the weekend. Most of the people who come to the SGS booth are interested in knowing these two things : 
 

  • What clan do I belong to?   
  • What tartan can I use? 


We will have a number of reference books available at the booth that help answer those questions. You will receive an e-mail attachment prior to the games that will give you a refresher course on Scottish and Celtic genealogy.

Volunteers will work 2 hour sessions. SGS will fund an entry ticket for each volunteer. Parking will be at your own expense. We encourage carpooling.  

If we purchase before July, we can get discounted early bird and senior tickets. Please contact us before June 25th to confirm that you can help. Send along your name, email address, phone contact,  age if you are over 62, and a date/time preference to : volunteers@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org 

You also may contact Jean Roth with any questions at 206 782-2629.  

 

          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.

 JUNE
Saturday, June 1, 10:15 am -12:15 pm, Family Tree on FamilySearch Interest Group, led by Lou Daly.  Come hear about all the new items at FamilySearch.  There will also be time to go over questions and problems you may have. 
This is the last meeting of this Interest Group until October.  
CANCELLATION NOTICE
The program below is canceled due to a a change in Cary’s plans.
Sunday, June 2, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, with Cary Bright

Saturday, June 8, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Second Saturday Speakers Series – “Organizing Your Family History in Order to Stay Sane” with Mary Kathryn Kozy

Saturday, June 15, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, Irish Special Interest Group,  with Jean Roth
Saturday, June 15, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, German Special Interest Group,  with Jean Roth

Thursday, June 20, 6:00 pm-7:45 pm, DNA Learning Series Class 3: “I Got My Results… Now What?”,  with Cary Bright and Craig K Gowen. This series is for current members of the Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS) and the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society (SIGS) only. Free advance registration is required for each class.  These classes will be held at the Mountlake Terrace – Sno-Isle Libraries, 23300 58th Ave W, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043. To register, email : sgsdnasig@gmail.com

Saturday, June 22, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, “Dissecting A Civil War Pension Record–Union and Confederate,” presented by Jill Morrelli.  Have you identified a Union or Confederate Civil War soldier in your ancestry? Lucky you! These records are the most accessible and information-rich of all military records. We will discuss the history of these records, who was included and excluded, and the changes in the law. Typical contents will be reviewed of two examples and, of course, there is a story. This is a beta test.

Saturday, June 29, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm,  DNA SIG, this group meets quarterly at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. Co-chaired by Cary Bright and Herb McDaniel.
For more information, contact sgsdnasig@gmail.com
JULY

Saturday, July 13, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker (FTM) Users Group –  Special presentation: Using Source Templates in Family Tree Maker, presented by Janet Stroebel, leader of the FTM Users Group at the Eastside Genealogical Society.
Come and learn how the templates in Family Tree Maker can help streamline the important and often challenging process of creating source citations.

Sunday, July 14, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Scandinavian Special Interest Group, with Karen Knudson.  Bring your projects and share your discoveries with others. We’ll look at what’s new in Arkivdigital for Swedish researchers and review the best way to use Digitalarkivet for Norwegian researchers. If you are researching in Finland or Denmark, come and share your expertise.

Thursday, July 18, 6:00 pm – 7:45 pm, “DNA Learning Series”, at Mountlake Terrace Sno-Isle Library  
Seattle and Sno-Isle Genealogical Societies are co-sponsoring the “DNA Learning Series.” 
Class 4 of the seven series is “Understanding your Autosomal DNA & DNA inheritance.” 

This is a class you must pre-register for by sending an email to sgsdnasig@gmail.com   Deadline to register is July 15, to allow enough time for you to do the assignment in time.  
Pre-class assignments are part of the learning and you must be on our list to receive them by email.

GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News

by Charles Hansen
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition May 30, 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
Late Hours Now Permanent on Free First Mondays!
We began an experiment this spring by offering late hours, until 8:00 p.m., on our first Monday of the month. These are popular days because the GFO is free to everyone; no membership required. Enough of you enjoyed this feature that we’re now making this part of our regular schedule. The library’s next Free First Monday is coming right up on June 3. We hope we’ll see you. Special Note: If you arrive after 7:00 p.m., the door to the Ford Building may be locked. Call us at 503-963-1932 and we’ll come right up to let you in.
Cancellations make 5 seats available for June 10th Beginners’ Boot Camp!
There are 5 seats left for our upcoming Beginners’ Boot Camp on June 10. Just a reminder that Registration closes on June 6 and we won’t be having another Boot Camp until August! This is a great way to get started in your family tree research. GFO members get in free! Join Laurel Smith at the GFO for a day of beginning genealogy.
Register Now
Half-Day Workshop: Adding Historical Context
Registration now Open! Adding Historical Context: A Hands-On Approach Join GFO’s Kate Eakman for a half-day of learning about how to add historical context to your genealogical research to make it richer and more interesting. In this workshop you will: ▪ Practice identifying items, events, and topics ripe for historical research. ▪ Once the questions have been asked, learn how to find the answers. ▪ Discuss how to add this new-found information to one’s family’s history. Take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Register by June 30 and save $5.00!
Register Here
Deadline Looms for Genealogy Scholarship
Have you ever wanted to study at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy? Now is your chance to land a scholarship. The Laura Prescott SLIG Scholarship covers tuition in the course of your choice, plus six nights at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. You can be a beginner or professional, young or old but you must exhibit a passion for genealogy. The deadline is days away: June 1. Click here to learn more if you’d like to apply.
GFO still needs a Webmaster!
If you are looking for a way to volunteer, this may be the job for you! Our volunteer webmaster is leaving, and we are looking for someone to take her place. Web design skills are not needed since our website provider has a template we follow. We offer many indexes and resources and our site needs updating when our volunteers finish each new project. Please contact president@gfo.org if you have any questions or wish to volunteer. Thank you.
Advanced Notice of GSHA Annual Business Meeting and Conference
The Annual Business Meeting and Conference of the Genealogical Society of Hispanic American will be held in Pueblo, Colorado, August 16-18. The host hotel will once again be the Marriott Hotel located about five minutes from the Rawlings Library and El Pueblo Museum where most of our activities are planned. The discounted rate is $119 plus tax. Call (719) 542-3200 and make sure you tell them you are with the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America to get the discounted rate. Please go to our website for updated information .

Online registration is available thru PayPal here.
Surplus Book of the Week: Guidebook to Historic Germantown
Our featured book this week is The Guidebook to Historic Germantown: Prepared for the Site & Relic Society by Charles F. Jenkins and printed in Germantown (Philadelphia, PA) in 1902. It is inscribed on the flyleaf, “Bought at Relic Show, Germantown Alumni Hall, June 12, 1902.”
There are three news clippings glued to the inside covers and back flyleaf, and one of them is about the Relic Show itself! It’s a sweet little book, filled with illustrations, and there’s even a fold-out map. It has a few little scuffs on the cover—but wouldn’t you, too, if you were born in 1902? Otherwise, it is in absolutely fabulous condition. Pick it up at the GFO for $25 or have it mailed to you for $30. Contact booksales@gfo.org for more information.
Survey Results: Your DNA Experience
We received 82 responses to our survey asking whether your DNA results were surprising or not. There were a lot more surprises than we expected, 35 (42.7%), while 47 (57.3%) reported ho hum results. One participant said, “I was hoping for something more exotic, but no.” The reasons for the surprises were varied and interesting. Respondents could select more than one answer.
▪ Confirming an ancestor in question: 15.8% ▪ Ethnicities you weren’t expecting: 23.7% ▪ Unknown parentage of you or an ancestor: 23.7% ▪ Family members with unexpected parentage: 21.1% ▪ Health issues: 5.2% ▪ Other included Y-DNA matches have not revealed anyone with the same surname; Identified two brick wall great-grandfathers; Descendants of relatives I was not aware of; and What I already knew. We invited participants to tell us more if they wanted to share. Click here to see all the comments.
New Survey: Has DNA testing helped you break through a Brick Wall?
Genealogists often hit “brick walls,” a dead end in their research of a specific ancestor. We’d like to know if DNA has helped you solve any of yours. And for those of you bored with all the DNA questions, we have a query just for you.
Take the Survey
This week at GFO …
Saturday, June 1st
Virginia Group 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Pirates or Privateers – What’s in a Name?
Did your ancestors have contact with pirates or privateers? If they lived anyplace along the Eastern Seaboard, from Canada through New England and the southern colonies, all the way to the Caribbean, their lives were likely affected. Trade routes and the safe exchange of goods was essential for survival, as was security in times of war – Revolutionary, 1812, and the Civil war. Join the Virginia Group to learn a little about this history and its role in the political, social, and economic development of the modern world. Did you know Sir Walter Raleigh was a privateer? Join us to explore this exciting history.
For more information see our blog: Virginia Roots and Vines.
You can also reach this group’s leaders, Judi Scott and Carol Currency, at virginia@gfo.org.
Sunday, June 2nd
Library Work Party – Manuscripts 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Explore our manuscript, personal papers, and Bible collection while we organize, scan, and create finding aids. Drop by at the time that works for you. Questions? Send a note to manuscripts@gfo.org.
Monday, June 3rd
GFO Free Monday 9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
GFO open for free to non-members.
Wednesday, June 5th
Learn and Chat 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
At Learn & Chat some of the learning comes from speakers with particular expertise but most of it comes from the sharing of experiences and knowledge of attendees who have developed methods that work for them. And if you have been doing genealogy for any length time you have likely experienced the wonderful moments of exhilaration, the successes that you then share with others and that drive you to continue researching. Unfortunately those times can be few and far between. Join us to talk about your genealogy questions and help provide support to others. Facilitated by Jeanne Quan.
DNA Q&A 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Lisa McCullough will be available to help answer your DNA questions, whether you are new and just getting started or have more involved questions. You may contact Lisa if you want more information. dna_qa@gfo.org