Friday Serendipity

by Charles Hansen

Falling under the “you really just never know what you’re going to find” category, here’s my story. Visiting the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society’s fantastic library, I only had time to browse the shelves. (They have feet and feet and feet of books on shelves.) And I came across this:

Tracing Your Icelandic Family Tree, by Eric Jonasson, 1975, published in Winnipeg, Canada. Of course this 20-page, mimeographed guide was (I assume) muchly antiquated, but still. To find such a guide in a little genealogy society library? Made me wonder what other treasures did this library hold?

And what treasures does the genealogy society library in your area hold that you don’t even know about? Perhaps you might ought to go take a looksee?

Did learn from this guide (well, from something stuck in) that an Icelandic gastronomic delicacy includes pickled ram’s testicles.  Okay….

 

FGS September Class

by Charles Hansen

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is pleased to announce the September 2018 webinar, “Using Classes and Research Trips to Expand Your Membership,” presented by Pat Stamm.
Societies are always looking for ways to expand their membership. One of the best ways is to offer benefits. Two potential added values are educational classes and research trips. Learn how to establish these types of programs.
This webinar will be held on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. Central Time, and will be recorded for viewing on the FGS website shortly after its conclusion. Please register in advance.

Register here: Complete Flyer 

Skagit Valley Genealogical Society September Program

by Charles Hansen

I’d like to let you know about an upcoming educational program we are offering on September 8, 2018 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. in partnership with Skagit Valley Genealogical Society. The topic of the program is “Google Tools for Genealogists” and will be presented by George Ridgeway. This event is free and open to the public. I’ve attached a flyer with more information. Please feel free to forward or post on any wall you wish! We appreciate your help in getting the word out, because we would like as many people as possible to benefit from our programs.

 

Hope to see you there!

 

Kathleen Headden, Reference Librarian

Burlington Public Library

820 E. Washington Ave.

Burlington, WA 98233

360-755-0760, ext. 7906

National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair

by Charles Hansen

National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair 2018

October 24, 2018 – Save the date!

Sixth Annual Virtual Genealogy Fair

Every year, the National Archives hosts a virtual Genealogy Fair via live webcast on YouTube. The sessions offer family history research tools on Federal records for all skill levels. Thousands of family historians participate in the live event.

As a virtual attendee, you can:

  • Watch the entire day on YouTube.
  • Join us – from wherever and whenever.
  • Participate with the presenters and other family historians during the live event.
  • Watch individual sessions and download the materials at your convenience — live or after the event.
  • Attend free of charge and registration!

Full Flyer

Seattle Genealogical Society is Now a Family Search Affiliate Library

by Charles Hansen

GREAT NEWS!
We have just become an Affiliate Library for FamilySearch.org. This means that when you are inside our Library either using your own computer or our Patron Computers you will be able to access the “locked” records on FamilySearch.org. You will be prompted to sign up for a FREE account through FamilySearch.org, or to sign in to your own account and then you can access the records. We are very excited about this affiliation with FamilySearch.org.

Sue Schack Jensen

Library Director
Seattle Genealogical Society
6200 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
206-522-8658

Tuesday Trivia

by Charles Hansen

A connection between Napoleon I of France and Seattle??? Yepper. Keep reading.

Ever been to the Fiske Genealogy Library in Seattle? This is a wonderful private library and well worth the time, trouble and effort to get there. Ask Google for more information.

Last fall when I was there, Gary Zimmerman, current director of the library, gave us the tour and told us the story of how Napoleon has a connection to the Fiske Library……

Of course you cannot read the story, written by Gary, so here goes:

“Genealogy brings many surprises into our lives. We need to be open to those little moments of “aha!” when we become aware of a new connection or new relationship that is totally unexpected.

“Take the Emperor Napoleon I, for instance. In the Fiske collection, I came across a very clear picture of the house of his exile on the small island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. It was accompanied by the story of his final days, in poor health, far removed from his beloved France, where he hoped that his ashes would be laid to rest on the banks of the Seine. But that was not to be. He died on 5 May 1821. He was dressed in his favorite uniform and covered with the cloak he wore at the battle of Marengo. He was buried “in a lonely spot near a spring shaded by two weeping willows.”

“And there is the “aha.” There is a weeping willow here on the property where the Fiske Library is located. That tree has an interesting “genealogy.”

In 1835, a French naval officer took cuttings from the grave of Napoleon and they were presented as a gift of the French nation to the United States. The cuttings were planted at Mount Vernon next to the grave of George Washingon, where they thrived.

“Following the end of the Civil War, an officer who was preparing to move west, brought similar clippings from the now flourishing willows at Mount Vernon, to Washington Territory. They were planted at the officer’s new home on the hill above downtown Seattle. They thrived in this climate as well.

“In 1962 the State of Washington decided that I-5 should be built across the property of the now deceased Civil War veteran. His son, James Vernon Metcalfe, had grown up with the story of the willow tree in the yard and he felt it was worth saving from the bulldozers. He convinced the City of Seattle to take cuttings and plant them in appropriate locations to maintain the lineage of the St. Helena willow.

“Metcalfe also happened to be the historian of the Pioneer Association of Washington and he arranged for the city arborist to place some cuttings of the willow on the property at Pioneer Hall. Once again, a few feet from the shores of Lake Washington, the tree thrived. For the past 40 years it has graced the building that the Fiske Library now calls home.

“It may be far-fetched to trace the story of a tree for 180 years, in four widely separated physical locations, and call it genealogy, but the parallel is not too far removed from what we seek whenever we trace the peripatetic path of our predecessors.’

Wednesday Nostalgia

by Charles Hansen

Many of us are bird watchers. Some casual, some hard-core. Me, I’m casual but I do enjoy Close Encounters of the Avian Kind.

My son, Timothy, took this photo of baby barn swallows on the cusp of fledging (they were gone next day). Momma built her nest in a hollow of an upright dock-holding-log on Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Barn swallows, with their blue and white coloration, and forked tail, are widely recognized all over the U.S. Might say they’re everybody’s most-recognizable bird. Did you know they can swallow 60 insects per hour? Or a whopping 850 million in one day??

Don’t you think our ancestors were bird watchers too? I’ve read diaries where New England,  Atlantic seacoast transplants and immigrants from forested countries to the mid-western prairies missed their birds (among many other things). There were none-to-few trees and hence, no birds. Another culture shock for sure.

Olympia Genealogical Society Ask the Experts

by Charles Hansen

For fans of “Genealogy Roadshow”, Olympia’s own version called “Ask the Experts” from Puget Sound Chapter Association of Professional Genealogists is coming Saturday October 27 to the Olympia Center, 222 N Columbia ST from 10 am to 2 pm. By registering BEFORE September 22 with only the $20 Olympia Genealogical Society member registration fee at www.OlyGenSoc.org  you, too, can ASK THE EXPERTS.

JOYCE OGDEN   PUBLICITY

=======================================================================
Joyce T. Ogden
jtogden@comcast.net

Jewish Genealogical Society September Event

by Charles Hansen

Dear Genealogy Friends,

 

You are invited to attend our upcoming free genealogy event, on
Monday evening, September 17, 2018.

 

We would also appreciate it if you could help us publicize this event using this email or our flyer, attached below, by emailing or posting it on your bulletin board or calendar, and/or website,
or handing out flyers to or sharing this email with those you think might be interested.

Flyer: 9-17-18 Flyer for Janice M. Sellers–Using Online Historical Jewish Newspapers for Genealogical Research

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State is pleased to present our February meeting program

 

Using Online Historical Jewish Newspapers for Genealogical Research
By Janice M. Sellers, Professional Genealogist

 

DATE: Monday, September 17, 2018 (this is the 3rd Monday of September)

LDS Factoria Church Building
4200 124th Ave SE

Bellevue, WA 98006

(just off I-90 and I-405)

  • Doors open at 6:30 p.m., for all to enjoy the extensive JGSWS Library’s genealogical resources!
  • Free Wi-Fi available and come early to network with other attendees
  • Presentation starts promptly at 7:15 p.m.
  • Free admission and refreshments

 

ABOUT OUR PROGRAM: “Using Online Historical Jewish Newspapers for Genealogical Research”    

Many historical Jewish newspapers are now available online, with more being added regularly. Most are on free sites. This presentation gives an overview of which ones are online and where they can be found, suggests access strategies, discusses what to do if you don’t read Hebrew or Yiddish, and shows sample search results.

 

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER

Janice Sellers, a professional genealogist, has been researching her family since 1975 and has conducted genealogical research for others since 2005. She is the editor of four genealogical periodicals: ZichronNote, the journal of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (SFBAJGS); The Baobab Tree, the journal of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC); The California Nugget, the semiannual journal of the California Genealogical Society; and the CSGA Newsletter, the newsletter of the California State Genealogical Alliance. She is also the vice president and publicity & programming director for San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, board member and journal committee chairman for AAGSNC, board member for CSGA, and a staff member of the Oakland Regional Family History Center since 2000.

Janice has a B.A. in French with minors in Spanish and Russian and has completed graduate studies in library and information science, computer programming, and music. She has worked as an editor, indexer, and translator since 1983. Her genealogical areas of specialization are in family history research for the 18th-21st centuries, specializing in Jewish, black American, newspaper, and forensic genealogy.

 

 

Please visit our website at http://www.jgsws.org to join or to donate to JGSWS to help support the incredible speakers and workshops we bring to you, to view library listings, download handouts, or for more information.  JGSWS is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. Membership dues and donations are tax deductible.

 

Thank you very much and we look forward to seeing you, your friends and family!

Karen vanHaagen Campbell
Secretary & Publicity, Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
www.jgsws.org

 

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