Monday’s Mystery

by Charles Hansen

Roberta Sunday.  Does that name ring a bell with anybody? How about Robert Martin of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho?  When Robert served in Vietnam in 1970, his platoon rescued a baby girl among the dead and in the remains of a bombed out bunker. They turned the baby over to the Catholic orphanage and when asked for her name, and of course not having one, the platoon suggested naming her after Robert: Roberta. And Sunday since she was found on a Sunday. Now 48, and perhaps living in New Zealand, Robert wants to much to find out what happened to her……….. Any WSGS readers know anything??

I read about this in the 7 Feb 2018 edition of The New Zealand Herald (Auckland) and found that my paper, The Spokesman Review, had published the story back on 23 Jun 2017.

So, I wonder, have Robert and Roberta connected? Anybody know anything??

German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) March Meeting

by Charles Hansen

The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) will meet on Friday, April 6, 2018, from 1 to 3 pm in the Relief Society Room of the LDS Church at 10675 NE 20thSt, Bellevue, WA 98004 with doors opening at 12:45 pm for networking. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings.       

Topic: “A travelogue through ancestral German homelands, with a little side trip into World War II France”

   Join Jon and Marilyn Schunke as they travel through Germany discovering the origins of Jon Schunke’s paternal immigrant ancestors – Schunke in Sachen-Anhalt, and Himmelsbach and Stumpf in Bavaria. Along the way, you’ll see how using information at home led them to the correct research facilities in Germany to search for birth records and land locations.

   Their study of maps, current and historical, was critical in finding the right locations…and oh the benefits of visiting the local Landeshaupt. Is it Bobbe and Wulfen or Bobbau and Wolfin? It makes a difference of 25 miles.

Discover why you should “like” Facebook pages and join Facebook groups. This led to learning about the recent discovery of the German origins of Jon’s maternal “Volga German” or “Germans from Russia” ancestors. The Conrad and Anna Margaretha “Reuswig” family emigrated to Norka, Russia, on the Volga River in 1766. See a “Pleve Chart” which shows their descendants down to the three generations of their “Reispich” descendants who immigrated to America in 1878. Jon’s “Reisbick” grandparents migrated to Portland, Oregon, by 1901. Prime example of why you can’t say spellings of names don’t change over time.

   And finally, they’ll take a look at Marilyn’s most recent ancestor, her father, who landed on Omaha Beach 13 days after D-Day. They’ll journey through Normandy and along the Brittany coast. While retracing her dad’s footsteps, they discovered firsthand how the French have not forgotten the American servicemen.

 

Presenter: Marilyn A. Schunke has been researching her family for 20 years. She is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Genealogy and Family History Certificate Program. She is currently a member of the New York Genealogical Society, Washington State Genealogical Society, Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS), as well as South King County Genealogical Society (SKCGS).  She has supported genealogy education in Puget Sound as Education Coordinator at Heritage Quest Research Library for several years and presenter of a Microsoft Windows 10 class. Marilyn is currently serving as co-leader of the EGS Legacy Special Interest and on the SKCGS Board as circulating librarian.

For more information, kindly visit our website

GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News

by Charles Hansen

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s

Thursday Evening

E-News, Edition

8 March 2018

For more information visit www.gfo.org, contact us at info@gfo.org, or call our library at 503-963-1932. We love hearing from you!

For a complete GFO CALENDAR click here.

Also, if you missed your free copy of our monthly Insider for February 2018, you’re in luck because we saved you a copy HERE. NOTE: The Insider issues are now located under the “Learn” > “Our Publications” menu at www.gfo.org.

Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!
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Clocks go one hour forward on Saturday night…
DaylightSavingTime
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Only Three Days Left of GFO’s Open House!

Be sure you don’t miss out on all the fun that’s left through this weekend at GFO’s Open House this year.

A full schedule with detailed class descriptions is located HERE, or you can also view our online CALENDAR for all the events.

FRIDAY, March 9th

Intro to Researching your Mexican Ancestors • Google for Genealogists • Making the Most of Your Time (10am – 3:30pm)

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, March 10th & 11th

DNA! DNA! DNA! DNA! Come on out to learn all you could ever want and more about this amazingly hot topic in genealogy.

Saturday: Comparing Three Testing Companies • Y-DNA & mtDNA Basics • atDNA Basics • Organizing Data & Contacting Matches • Dealing with NPEs • Q & A (9am – 5pm)

Sunday: Convincing People to Test and Why • Four Autosomal Testing Companies • Case Study Using atDNA • GEDmatch • DNAGEDCOM • Q & A (9am – 5pm)
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Special Location: Writers’ Forum Moves on March 10th
GFO-SIG-Writers

Due to the Open House this week, the GFO Writers’ Forum will meet in a conference room on the main floor of the Ford Building, Room 136.

The meeting time is Saturday, March 10th, 1 – 3pm.

This is a peer group of genealogists, who meet to learn about writing and to share their writing with each other.

Peggy Baldwin facilitates this group and can be reached at peggyrbaldwin@gmail.com.
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Newest SIG at the GFO – French Canada
GFO-SIG-FrenchCanada

The French Canadian Special Interest Group (SIG) will have its first meeting on Sunday, March 18th, 3:30 – 5pm.

Bob LaMarche will be our fearless facilitator.

Please check the GFO CALENDAR for updates and more information.

We will discuss topics of interest in French Canada as well as Acadian genealogy and history.
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Genealogy Problem Solvers – March 17th
AnnaRosettaFrenchSullyPortrait

Join this month’s Genealogy Problem Solvers (GPS) on Saturday, March 17th, 9:30 – 11:30am

This month’s brick wall is the 3rd great grandmother, Anna Rosetta (Halverson) French of one of our members.

The only documented fact is her death at age 36, and her marriage to William French in 1812 in Philadelphia. Only her mothers’ first name and married surname are known, and her sea captain father is said to be anything from a Slave Trader to a shipper of Catholics to the Colonies. He is dead before 1800.

GPS is a monthly support group where we help each other find information about a family line. We will learn to do a reasonably exhaustive search and develop research plans. The focus will shift depending on the needs of the group. Several experienced researchers have volunteered to help. Beginners and intermediate researchers are encouraged to submit problems to work on. For more information contact Katie Daly at GPS@gfo.org.

All of the GFO’s Special Interest Groups are FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC.

Noel McRae Awarded 2017 Outstanding Volunteer Honor

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 500 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2017 award recipients and learn why they received the 2017 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Noel McRae

Today we’re introducing Noel McRae of Kelso, Washington, who was nominated by the Lower Columbia Genealogical Society (LCGS). Noel has been an exemplary member of the LCGS, as he is not a genealogist. He has been a member of the society for the past eight years in order to support his wife’s genealogical pursuits.

Noel has served as president of the society for three years. He has shared his technical experience for all program presentations, and has served as the society’s liaison with the head of the meeting facility to ensure that all equipment is in good working order. He has headed a computer interest group which meets twice a year, and has devoted his time working at the annual rest stop fundraiser.

Noel has also assisted several members who are not as computer adept as he to design PowerPoint presentations.

Noel is highly deserving of being awarded a 2017 Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Washington State Genealogical Society and Lower Columbia Genealogical Society.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Interim Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Friday Serendipity

by Charles Hansen

Hubby and I recently spent over two weeks in New Zealand; it was (of course) fabulous. In this blog-spot and over the next few weeks, I shall share some New Zealand serendipity with you………… Scotch Broom, as we call it, is found all over the Puget Sound region…… I look forward to visiting my family in Port Angeles in spring for the extra reason of seeing all the Scotch Broom in bloom. BUT…………………..

This familiar plant, also known as Scot’s Broom, is an invasive flowering shrub that grows commonly throughout the Puget Sound region. Originally introduced from Europe as an ornamental and for erosion control, it is highly aggressive and forms dense, monotypic stands which reduce wildlife habitat and hinder re-vegetation of upland sites and wetland buffers.

We saw this plant (not blooming, too late in the summer) all over New Zealand. Very surprised to see it but people from Scotland did settle there, especially in Dunedin on the South Island.

In fact, Mark Twain must have visited Dunedin because he wrote, “This town was settled by the Scotch. They were on their way home to heaven and stopped here. Thinking they had arrived, they stayed.”

So think of it! Washington and New Zealand have something in common, Scotch Broom!

Tri-City Genealogical Society March Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Dear TCGS Members and Guests:

I hope you are planning on attending our March 14th meeting where Heather Murphy will be teaching the Beginning Genealogy Class on “Using FamilySearch Wiki” at 6:15 p.m.

Then, at 7:00 p.m., Jan Seely and Ericka Young will be talking about Researching Adoption Records and A Personal Adoption Journey.

We will continue to have our Genealogy Book Sale, so come and see what may be on the table that you may need.

As always, please invite a friend. Thanks for your continued support for TCGS.

Sincerely,

Art Kelly

 

Flyer  TCGS Mar 2018 Flyer

Wednesday Nostalgia

by Charles Hansen

 

Dandelions. The bane of a pretty-lawn-seekers existence. What earthly good are dandelions?? WELL!

According to the magazine Birds & Blooms, Apr/May 2017, dandelions make a dandy drink…”Pharmacists in 19th century England made tea from roasted dandelion roots; the drink is still trendy today, thanks to a coffee-like taste and color without the caffeine.” Google dandelion tea for many hits………. even today it’s a desirable drink.

Bet you did not know that dandelion flowers can reach heights of 6 to 24 inches and their roots can be as deep as 10 to 15 feet………..which I can attest to! Every spring, my digger, bucket and I go on a killing spree…….. but now I know why the rascals always come back.

From blossom to root, 100% of this plant is edible “for most people.” (Humm….what might that mean?)  A cup of chopped raw dandelion greens provides 112% of the daily requirement for Vitamin A at only 25 calories.

Tuesday Trivia`

by Charles Hansen

Prospective parents ponder long and hard to find just the right name for their baby. This is true today and it certainly must have been true yesterday. In our genealogy we often “fuss” when Richard Allen-1 names his son Richard Allen-2 and then comes Richard Allen-3, and so on. But we raise our eyebrows equally high to find some downright (          ) (you fill in the blank!!) first names. I say odd, unusual, seemingly crazy and hard to spell much less pronounce.

Did you read where Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have three children named, North (girl), Saint (boy) and now Chicago (girl). Those dear children will never find their name on a doodad.

Yesterday first-naming a baby was no different. Cases in point:

Nicholas, King of the Jews……….. a baby boy in 1870 in Tennessee.

Alabama, Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, all big sisters to baby brother Northwest Territory, another census finding.

What crazy-odd-funny-unusual first names are found in your family tree?

(Thanks to Google and “meandmason” blog on WordPress.)