Senate Bill 5332 limiting access to vital records passed the House Health Care and Wellness Committee on April 2nd. On April 3rd it was referred to the Appropriations Committee and then on to the full House for debate and a vote. If it passes the House it will go to the governor for his signature or veto. Click here for the schedule for Senate Bill 5332
Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Spring Seminar
Just a reminder that our Spring seminar is just around the corner . . . have you registered yet? If you haven’t, time is running out!
On Friday, April 26th and Saturday, April 27th the Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society will be holding its annual Spring Seminar. This year we have invited the professional genealogist, Michael D. Lacopo, D.V.M. to be our speaker.
Friday evening’s topic is:
TOP TEN THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN OVER THREE DECADES OF GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
Join
your speaker on a trip down Memory Lane and share his tales of
serendipity, woe, discovery, and frustration… with a touch of humor.
Put away your notebooks and prepare to nod in agreement at things only
fellow genealogists would understand!
Saturday’s topics are:
MORE THAN THE CENSUS – OUR FAMILIES DID EXIST WITHIN THOSE TEN-YEAR INTERVALS!
This
lecture will show the researcher that it is important to identify our
ancestors’ whereabouts in as many local records as possible. A lot can
happen in ten years! If you don’t look harder, you won’t find them.
GERMAN GENEALOGY ON THE INTERNET: BEYOND THE BASICS
The
Internet age has brought genealogy to our fingertips over the last two
decades, and subsequently we can find our German ancestors easier. But
it still takes some digging and some know-how. This lecture will discuss
some online sites that all German genealogists should be aware of.
American sites will be covered, but a strong concentration on lesser
used German sites will be discussed, as we are missing vital clues by
not being truly “international” in our Internet research endeavors!
INCORPORATING SOCIAL HISTORY INTO YOUR RESEARCH
Family
history should be more than names and dates. What motivated our
ancestors? Why did they migrate? Who did they interact with? How do
social customs of another era affect our research? Social history and
its bearing on genealogical research will be covered and a “must-read”
bibliography for serious researchers will be discussed.
“SHE CAME FROM NOWHERE . . .” – A CASE STUDY APPROACH TO A DIFFICULT GENEALOGICAL PROBLEM
This
lecture illustrates the joys and pitfalls of Virginia research as well
as employing a problem-solving approach utilizing social history, female
research and family analysis to identify the parents of Elizabeth
Stith, the ancestor “from nowhere.” One need not have Virginia ancestors
to see the Genealogical Proof Standard at work!
As usual, we will be having our used book sale. This year, we were lucky to receive a large donation of books from private libraries. I understand there is quite the selection of books on just about any topic you can think of. And best of all, they are priced to sell!
The Spring Seminar will again be held at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Tacoma (253-383-0146). If you would like to stay at the La Quinta a limited number of rooms will be made available at the discounted price. Please note, this offer is only available until April 5th and only through the above phone number. Also be sure to identify yourself as a conference attendee when reserving a room.
Jane Irish Nelson, TPCGS Seminar Co-Chair
Wednesday Nostalgia
Do you have ancestry back in Illinois? Do you like to write? Here’s an opportunity for you. The Illinois Genealogical Society’s Quarterly for Spring 2019 carried a plea from Richard R. Anderson, editor of the Quarterly. “We Need Your Stories!” he begs.
My ancestor, Matthew Potter, was quite the guy, apparently. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War from his home in Illinois. His is a pretty ordinary story until, I found, until I scanned the images from his Civil War Pension File. One last document, filed in 1922 by his last wife (yes, there’s a story) says she “divorced him on account of finding him in a vile act with a chicken.” Hummmm. Think that would make a good story for the Illinois State Genealogical Society’s Quarterly??
Tuesday Trivia
David Rencher, currently the Head Honcho of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, was the speaker at the 2015 conference of the Washington State Genealogical Society held that year in Ellensburg. David introduced us to the concept of framing the problem.
David began his presentation by showing three slides of the Golden Gate Bridge and explained, “If you’re driving on the bridge, you see the bridge from that angle. If you’re on a boat on the bay, looking up, you’ll see the bridge from that angle. And if you’re landing in a airplane in San Francisco, looking down,you’ll see the bridge from that angle.”
His point with this illustration was that the way you’re currently viewing your genealogy problem is only one way to view it. Right now that’s all you can see. You must “frame your picture differently” and then from that new angle you might see things that you did not see before.
David went on for an hour explaining how to do that but his words of counsel all boil down to this: LOOK-LEARN-DO.
He ended with his quip: “I know where lots of my ancestors aren’t because I’ve looked there.”
Tuesday Trivia
Thought you might like to read an article I wrote back in 1991 for Heritage Quest Magazine:
A short while back I visited my sis-in-law in Kansas City and we visited the old Union Cemetery. This toppled-stone-not-well-cared-for place has quite a history.
In the first half of the 1800s, Westport (8 miles from Kansas City, Missouri) was “quite the metropolis. It was the final “civilized” stop for those setting out on the Santa Fe Trail or the Oregon Trail.” As the town grew, churches sprang up and with them, cemeteries. Soon it was apparent that the church cemeteries would not suffice for burying grounds.
Meanwhile, north of Westport a settlement was growing where river boats unloaded goods found for Westport. This little town grew and by 1840 the Town of Kansas (later to become Kansas City) had a population of several hundred.
An event occurred in 1849 that changed both towns forever. That spring, some 300 settlers arrived on a steamboat from New Orleans. That steamboat also carried cholera; soon over 200 of the settlers had perished.
Union Cemetery was the answer. In 1857 it was so named from an amiable agreement between Westport and the Town of Kansas, not for anything connected to the Civil War. There are fifteen Confederate soldiers buried there in a mass grave who died as prisoners of war after the Battle of Westport in 1864.
One especially tender moment came when I spotted the grave marker for 8-year-old Little Miss Mata Erath who died in 1885. (I had a photo but dang! It won’t upload for me today. Bad computer!)
(Reference: Recent book compiled and published by the Union Cemetery Historical Association.)
Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week
TIP OF THE WEEK –
USING CONTROL F
You
have a powerful function at your disposal when you’re in a web browser
and want to search for a word or phrase. It’s called Control F, and very
often you will see it written and referred to as CTRL+F.
This performs the same way as the search function in many of the applications you use.
While
holding down the Control key (labeled CTRL), hit the F key. A search
box will pop up on your screen. In this search, or find box, enter the
word or phrase you want to locate.
This
function comes in particularly handy when you want to search long web
pages, blogs, or online books for something specific. I find it useful
in searching through family history books that are online at
archive.org.
Here’s
a sample exercise for you to try out. Click on the link at the bottom
of this article to go to an online version of “War and Peace” in text
format.
While
holding down the CTRL key, hit the F key. Now enter the word Nicholas
in the search box that appears, and hit enter. Nicholas occurs 631 times
in “War and Peace”. See the 1/631 in the search box? See the up and
down arrows in the search box? Using the up and down arrows you can rapidly jump through “War and Peace” to each mention of Nicholas.
https://archive.org/stream/warandpeace030164mbp/warandpeace030164mbp_djvu.txt
The
instructions and descriptions above are using the Chrome browser and a
PC. If you have a PC and are using Internet Explorer or another
browser, the find box may look and behave a little differently. If you
have a Mac, not a problem. It’s just Command F, instead of Control F.
Seattle Genealogical Society News
COMING SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2019!
Don’t miss our 2019 Spring Seminar, “Next
Steps for Your DNA Test Results”, featuring Diahan Southard. From
beginner to advanced genealogist, Diahan will help you understand and
help you organize your results to find those lost relatives.
Topics for the 4 workshops are:
- Let Your DNA Tell Your Story
- Me and My 1,000+ DNA 4th Cousins
- Making YDNA and mtDNApart of Your Family History
- Three Next Steps for Your DNA Test Results
Also look for the Special Workshops on Sunday morning, May 19: “Organizing Your DNA Results”.
For more information and online registration: http://seattlegenealogicalsociety.org/
THANK YOU, IRISH FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS
For
more than 15 years, dedicated SGS volunteers have staffed a table at
the Irish Festival each March. This well-attended festival brings people
from all around Puget Sound to the Seattle Center to learn and
celebrate Irish culture, history, and music. SGS volunteers answered
questions about Irish genealogy to a steady stream of visitors. Some
stayed for long, in-depth conversations about their family histories and
roadblocks. Visitors to the SGS booth also learned about our library
and upcoming events including the Spring Seminar, “Next Steps for Your
DNA Results” with Diahan Southard on May 18th and 19th. Jean Roth’s
lectures on Saturday and Sunday, “Introduction to Irish Genealogy”, were
well attended.
A
big thank you to our Irish Festival volunteers: Jean Roth, Jim Ryan,
Donna Judd, Vern Judd, Ida McCormick, Jack Donahue, George Kulstad,
Annette Dwyer and Karen Portzer.
THE SPRING RAFFLE IS RAMPING UP!
We
are now accepting donations of goods or services for the Spring
Workshop raffle (May 18). In the past, we have gratefully received items
such as DNA kits, genealogy books, jewelry, ballet tickets, quilts, and
genealogy tools. Use your imagination. Proceeds from the raffle support
the SGS library, and donations are tax deductible. Donated items can
be sent or brought to the SGS library. Please also send an email message
to volunteers@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org telling us of your donation prior to mailing or delivering the item so we will be on the alert for its delivery.
MEMBER MILESTONE
Karin Borgersen, member and friend of SGS, recently started a new position as
the program manager for the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program at
University of Washington. She’s excited to be working with a great team
to launch a program that she feels is going to be really fantastic. A
professional genealogist, Karin says she still will be taking clients at
her business, Borgersen Research, albeit on a reduced schedule.
SAVE THE DATE
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State,
“Breaking Down Brick Walls” with Mary Kathryn Kozy,
LDS Factoria Church Building,
4200 124th Ave SE
Bellevue, WA 98006
Monday, April 8, 2019
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Come early to network with other attendees.
Presentation starts promptly at 7:15 p.m. Free WIFI, admission, and
refreshmentsS
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.
APRIL
Family Tree Interest Group,10:15 am – 12:15 pm,
Saturday, April 6, Lou Daly is leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org Come learn about the proposed changes coming to Family Search and Family Tree.
Sunday, April 7, 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, April 13, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Second Saturday Speakers Series – “Using the Collections of NARA Seattle” with Trish Hackett Nicola
Sunday, April 14, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Scandinavian Special Interest Group, with Karen Knudson
Jefferson County Genealogical Society Meeting
JEFFERSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (JCGS)
FOR RELEASE: April, 2019
WRITING THEIR STORIES WHEN THEY LEFT NO STORY
Some ancestors left a scant amount of information about their life. How can you take that meager data and write about it so it is interesting? Mary Roddy, a professional genealogist, will share her ideas for writing a story so your family will enjoy reading about that ancestor.
Jefferson County Genealogical Society welcomes back Mary Roddy who earned a certificate from the Genealogy and Family History program at the University of Washington. She is an active member of Seattle Genealogical Society, a contributor to “YourGenealogyToday” and “Internet Genealogy” magazines and a webinar presenter with Legacy Family Tree Webinars. She speaks frequently in the Seattle area.
Meeting is free and open to the public.
More information: www.wajcgs.org ; phone 360-385-9495
Saturday, April 20th, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Tri-Area Community Center
10 West Valley Rd.
Chimacum, Washington
Contact for this release: Judy Tough 360-385-3065 or tough@olympus.net
Friday Serendipity
I’m a collector of thoughts as expressed in words. I enjoy finding images to depict these appealing words. Example:
Think of doing genealogy as weaving the story of your family’s life extending back generations. Each life is a colorful addition to the whole.
GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News
| THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition March 28, 2019 |
| Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member! |
|
For more information visit www.gfo.org. Contact us at info@gfo.org or 503-963-1932. Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR. Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider |
| Open House Breaks Records! |
| Only three days left! Friday, March 29th – Sunday, Mar. 31st |
| Wow! Just wow! We’re blown away by how many people are coming to the annual GFO Open House this week! Irish Day kicked things off last weekend with our classroom jammed with enthusiastic genealogists. We thought attendance might drop during the week, but we were wrong! By the half way point more people had joined us than in all 9 days last year. By the time this email goes out, we still have 3 more days of classes left. Friday, March 29 will include classes on Citing Sources, Mexican Ancestry, & Ohio River Area Research. Closing weekend, March 30 & 31 features DNA Days. Please come down! All of the classes are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. |
| Class List with Times & Details |
| Ingredients for a successful Open House: ▪ Great Speakers ▪ Free Access to Library ▪ Drool-inducing treats! Meet our Coffee Queen! Judith Leppert comes every morning to our Open House this week to make fresh coffee and share her latest home-baked treats! Come see what she brings during the rest of this week through Sunday, March 31. Thank you, Judith! |
| Another Brick Wall Comes Tumbling Down! United States and Irish Record Research… |
| Military documents reported Patrick Powers as a native of Ireland who came to the US and then became a US citizen in 1892 by virtue of his US military service. His descendants knew nothing of his Irish roots or his family connections as his early death resulted in almost no verbal history for him. April’s Genealogy Problem Solvers presentation will demonstrate the use of a wide range of records in both the US and Ireland, including detailed examination of Catholic Parish records, Valuation Renewal Books, and Civil records. Utilizing these records, we will pinpoint Patrick’s birthplace, and identify some of his ancestors as well as additional kin. We will focus on how detailed examination of many records, the use of spreadsheets, a timeline, and even a distant DNA connection can contribute to finding the story of an elusive ancestor. Join us Saturday, April 20th, at 9:30 a.m. to learn how this technique can help you in organizing your research. For more information contact Katie Daly at GPS@gfo.org. |
| GFO’s in the Oregonian… |
| Did you see the marvelous story about the GFO in the Oregonian? Tom Hallman, Oregonian’s Pulitzer winning feature writer, wrote about us on Sunday, March 24. Many people coming to the Open House say they learned about the GFO for the first time from this story. You can read it online here. |
| GFO Hall of Fame Nominations Needed by May 1st |
| The Hall of Fame Award is our way of honoring GFO members who have performed outstanding service to the Forum. The award is limited to one person per year, except in the case where a pair of members has worked together or the Board waives the limitation. A nomination may be made by any Forum member and the recipient will be selected from the panel of nominations by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The recipient must have a well-documented history of… * Service * Leadership * Accomplishment …in more than one facet of the Forum over a significant period of time. Please include examples of how this nominee fulfilled all three categories. Any current GFO Member may nominate a member for the Hall of Fame. Please send nominations to secretary@gfo.org before May 1st. |
| German Genealogy Conference is Around the Corner |
| Register Now! |
| Beginning on Saturday, June 15, 2019, Sacramento will host the second international conference of the International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP). More than 700 people are expected to attend the conference to focus on the history and genealogy of those with German ancestry, wherever they live in the world. Regular pricing ends April 15th. Don’t forget to sign up soon! |
| We Regret the Error… We apologize for a typo in the Financial Report in our most recent Forum Insider. The GFO posted a gain in February of $5,388.24, not a loss. |
| This week at GFO … |
| FRIDAY, March 29th OPEN HOUSE – Citing Sources, Mexican Ancestry, & Ohio River Area Research 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. See the full detailed class list here. SATURDAY & SUNDAY, March 30th & 31st OPEN HOUSE – DNA Days! 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. See the full detailed class list here. Two sessions with guest speaker Barbara Rae-Venter are sold out: Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. All others are open on walk-in basis until the room is full. Please also be sure to check our Open House website. MONDAY, April 1st Free First Monday! 9:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Please note! We’re open late (until 8 p.m.) for this month’s Free First Monday. Stop by after work! Come visit our research library each first Monday of every month and splurge on all GFO’s wonderful resources for FREE. Explore our online databases like Fold3, Ancestry World Library Edition, Newspapers.com, and many more. Our analog and microfilm collections total over 50,000 items. Don’t miss out! WEDNESDAY, April 3rd Library Open Late Until 8 p.m. Learn & Chat 10 a.m. – noon 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 – 3 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. Questions? Email the facilitators dna_qa@gfo.org. |