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Wednesday Nostalgia
All my Wenatchee friends kept talking about “the Pybus” as in “it’s happening at the Pybus” or “let’s go to lunch at the Pybus.” What the heck was the Pybus I wondered??
The Pybus is a thriving, vibrant community center in downtown Wenatchee! There are shops and eateries….a totally fun place. And what a transformation from an old steel-plant-warehouse.
E.T.Pybus was reared in northern England, immigrated early to the U.S., married in the Midwest, and ultimately moved his family west, settling in Wenatchee in 1911 where he founded a steel manufacturing plant. If you want to know more (and there is lots more!) just Google his name. I found two most interesting articles outlining his life and career.
E.T. “Tom” Pybus lies resting in the Wenatchee City Cemetery. I wonder how wide his eyes would pop open to see the transformation of his business into our businesses………..
Jefferson County Genealogical Society Brick Wall Problems Solved
BRICK WALLS: THE PROBLEM OF COMMON NAMES
Once a year Jefferson County Genealogical Society (JCGS) members have an opportunity to ask for help with their research problems. The 2018 Brick Wall Program will focus on the problem of “common names”. Members have been invited to submit their “common name” Brick Walls to a panel of “experts” who will do their best to point them in the right direction. Join us for the fun of learning some tricks and hints. Public is invited. Free. Saturday morning, October 20th, 9:30-11:30 at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 W. Valley Rd, Chimacum. <www.wajcgs.org>
Monday Mystery
How did you do answering those ten questions about Washington history and geography? Here are the answers:
- I-90 spans 3022 miles going from Seattle to Boston.
- Tri-Cities are comprised of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland.
- The “kettles” near Kettle Falls on the upper Columbia River were made by large stones swirled in the current to make “kettles” in the rock; they are now under water.
- Lake Roosevelt, the man-made lake formed behind Grand Coulee Dam, is the state’s largest river….. it is also the Columbia River.
- The Hoh River is a river in the S. state of Washington, located on the Olympic Peninsula. About 56 miles (90 km) long,[3] the Hoh River originates at the Hoh Glacier on Mount Olympus and flows west through the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, then through the foothills in a broad valley, emptying into the Pacific Ocean at the Hoh Indian Reservation.
- Vampires in Forks? Have you read the Twilight series? You tell me.
- Deception Pass was so named when a group of sailors led by Joseph Whidbey, part of the Vancouver Expedition, found and mapped Deception Pass on June 7, 1792.[2]George Vancouver gave it the name “Deception” because it had misled him into thinking Whidbey Island was a peninsula.
- Baldy was given the more dignified name of Mt. Spokane in 1912.
- Spotted Owls in the forests? I’ve never seen one…have you?
- According to a big sign on I-90 going east after crossing the Vantage Bridge, Grant County claims that honor.
Puget Sound Civil War Roundtable Meeting
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GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News
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Friday Serendipity
My newspaper, The Spokesman Review, is both blessed and lucky to have Jim Kershner as a regular correspondent. Here is his bit from Sunday, 9 Sep 2018……. and fits well for a WSGS Serendipity blog post:
A mass meeting of citizens in Krupp, Wash., west of Odessa, unanimously voted to petition the U.S. Post Office and the Great Northern Railway to change the name of the post office and the station from Krupp to Marlin.
With war raging against Germany, people had turned against German-sounding names. The name Krupp was particularly problematic, since it was the name of a German munitions company.
Apparently few were in favor of keeping the name Krupp. Yet plenty of debate was devoted to selecting a new name. Some of the suggestions included Wheatland, Marne, Merica, and Wheat.
They settled on Marlin, in honor of Henry Marlin, one of the earliest settlers in the area.
“Marlin raised 12 children here, and his cattle ranged all the way between what is now Odessa and Wilson Creek,” said a correspondent.
The name of the post office was, in fact, duly changed to Marlin. Yet changing the official name of the town itself was another matter. The town had already been incorporated as Krupp in 1911, and to this day it has never been changed, even though the post office is still named Marlin.
On maps, the name is sometimes listed as both Krupp and Marlin — or as Krupp, with ‘Marlin P.O.” in parentheses.
In the 2010 census, Krupp had a population of 48, making it the smallest incorporated town in the state.
In 1918, it had about twice as many residents.
Did you have ancestors who lived in Krupp…… or Marlin???
Latest on Grays Harbor Research Library
Fire at Aberdeen Armory, home of the GHGS Research Library, 09 Jun 2018
The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society has had a few ups and downs recently as they begin to rebuild their research library. As you may remember, their library was destroyed by a three-alarm fire that destroyed the Aberdeen Armory on 09 Jun 2018. The fire also destroyed much of the Aberdeen Museum of History, Coastal Community Action Program and the Aberdeen Senior Center.
What GHGS lost
While it may take years to determine everything that was lost, the society is particularly saddened about the loss of:
- More than 22,000 hard copy obituaries that were taped to index cards and stuffed tightly in metal file cabinets. Fortunately, a digital newspaper obit index was stored off-site. Efforts are being made to find area obituaries at other locations, such as local libraries.
- Thousands of mortuary records from now closed Whiteside and Elerding Funeral Homes, for funerals from 1907 – 2015. The Washington State Library has graciously offered to scan their collection of over 200 four-inch binders.
- Birth, marriage and death records from the 1970s to 1907.
- Chehalis County Marriage Index from the 1850s to 1990s.
- Unique compilations of cemetery inventories for outlying cemeteries.
- Tables, chairs, pencils, pens, notepads, wastepaper baskets, bulletin boards, photographs, signage…you get the idea.
Current situation
The cause of the fire is still undetermined. In addition, we are still unable to get inside the building. At last report, the City of Aberdeen (owners of the building) need to hire a structural engineer to assess the building’s integrity. After that, a separate company will be hired to clean up the building, then a third company to carry out the recovery. The City has activated a Board of Museum and History to discuss the future of the Aberdeen Museum.
Thanks to the generous donations from fellow genealogical societies and individuals, we were able to purchase a photocopier and two computers. We were also able to find a temporary space, compliments of the Hoquiam Library. Due to a remodeling project at the library, however, we have had to move again — into members’ spare rooms and storage.
What we’re looking for
Donation from Clallam County Genealogical Society
We’ve been extraordinarily grateful to those local societies and individuals who have offered financial aid and resources. We have suspended our Go Fund Me page, but donations may still be made directly to GHGS, P.O. Box 916, Aberdeen, WA 98520.
We’re very much on the lookout for Grays Harbor-related materials like old city directories, telephone books, school yearbooks, family histories, obituaries, etc. No donation is too small. Many societies have scoured their holdings and sent us area-specific books. If you have materials related specifically to Grays Harbor or Chehalis Counties, we’d love to hear from you at Info@GraysHarborGenealogy.com.
What’s next
We are sponsoring a workshop fundraiser on Saturday, October 13, from 1:00 – 3:15 at the American Legion Hall, 115 W. First Street, Aberdeen. Professional genealogist Pam Vestal from the Portland area has donated her time and talent for the two-session workshop fundraiser. The cost is $25 per person. Those that sign up early may attend a free class with Pam in the morning. For more information, contact Info@GraysHarborGenealogy.com.
Final word
No update on our situation would be complete without thanking all those who have contacted us to express their sympathies and support. Every message, donation and kind word has been humbly appreciated.
Eastside Gen Soc Uses Innovative Grant for Workshop
Maureen Taylor (left) and Celia McNay, Eastside Genealogical Society President
The Eastside Genealogical Society threw itself a 40th birthday party on Saturday, 15 Sep 2018. The society has been celebrating every month this year in a small way, but really hit the big time hosting Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, in an all-day workshop in Bellevue. The workshop was free to EGS members as a thank you for 40 years of support, while others paid a small fee. Ms. Taylor presented Photo Detecting 101, Google Images and Beyond and Discovering Genealogical Clues in Photographs. Well done, value-added presentations all around.
EGS used its 2018 WSGS Innovative Grant to help fund the workshop — an excellent use of the grant. Besides the Eastside Genealogical Society, the four other successful 2018 grant winners were:
- Lower Columbia Genealogical Society to purchase genealogical books to donate to the Longview Public Library for public use. Lower Columbia has generously donated books for a number of years, using money from membership dues and their coffee stops.
- Okanogan Genealogical Society to help purchase supplies to repair and preserve books holding the “Tonasket Times” newspaper from 1913 – 1952.
- Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society to help publish a book on “Early Stillaguamish Valley Schools” in the Arlington Area.
- Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society for digital preservation of family records, library holdings and archival documents.
More information about the deadlines for the 2019 Innovative Grants will be publicized in the coming months.
Frenchtown Rendezvous
The upcoming Frenchtown Rendezvous, this October 6, 2018, in Walla Walla, WA.
This is a great event for anyone who is interested in the history of Eastern Washington. Our program this year is of particular interest to archaeologists and geneaologists. It features a workshop on writing and publishing family history led by Christina Dubois, retired editor of Columbia Magazine of the Washington State Historical Society, and a presentation by historical archaeologist Maryanne Maddoux about the ongoing digitization of the Harriet D. Munnick Papers by the St. Paul Mission Historical Society, and her experiences as lab manager at the field school excavation of a French-Canadian homestead at Champoeg, OR.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. We’d love to see you there!
Sarah Hurlburt
Secretary, Frenchtown Historical Foundation