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Tuesday’s Trivia
I DO NOT KNOW WHY
BUT MY TRIVIA PHOTO WON’T COOPERATE
AND APPEAR WHERE I TOLD IT TO!
NOR WOULD THE PHOTO I WANTED
TO ACCOMPANY THIS TRIVIA BIT
DANGNABBIT
Did you know that on May 6, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA was just one of the many Great Depression relief programs all designed to put unemployed American to work in return for temporary financial assistance.
If you live within driving distance of the TriCities, Donna Potter Phillips will be presenting a program on the WPA to the Tri-City Genealogical Society on Wednesday, May 9th. Come on down!
Monday’s Mystery
As a city girl, this was a “mystery” to me. According to last Sunday’s edition of The Spokesman Review seven counties in Washington have more cows than people. Would that surprise YOU?
What was even more surprising to me was that I thought the taking of an agricultural census was a thing of yesterday but NOT SO. There is a 24-page form sent to Washington farmers periodically asking “how much acreage they farm, the animals and crops they raise, the sale value of products and their own demographics.” Interesting, no?
Rachel Alexander’s article concluded with “Spokane leads the state in llama population with 518. Don’t get spit on.” Who would have guessed?
Tacoma-Pierce County Seminar Kicks Off
Roxanne Lowe and Mark Lowe are still looking for their family confluence — somewhere in the hills of North Carolina.
If Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society‘s kick-off Meet & Greet with J. Mark Lowe is any indication, the main event on Saturday, April 28, 2018 is going to be a fun ride! At the Friday night event, Mark entertained the attendees while they dined on a scrumptious dessert buffet. What could be better than laughter and chocolate!
A good ol’ Southern boy from Tennessee, Mark is a born storyteller from a long line of storytellers. Every lesson he shared had a witty, entertaining story behind it — from driving sheep to Atlanta to the escapades of his pistol-packin’ grandma. For him, it’s all about the story, urging all of us to “tell your stories or they’ll die.”
You can register on-site for the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society’s Spring Seminar at the LaQuinta Inn, 1425 East 27th Street in Tacoma. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. with opening remarks by Cyndi Ingle at 9:00.
GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’sThursday EveningE-News, Edition26 April 2018 |
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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 April 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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Did you vote yet? Ballots are due super soon! |
Member Ballots for GFO’s Elections must be received by May 7th, by 5pm.President2-year term
Secretary2-year term
Director-At-Largeone position, 2-year term
Endowment Committeeone position
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Friday Serendipity
Today a most different kind of serendipity……… good news for genealogical societies who have a “pet” cemetery they sponsor:
The newspaper bit read: “Historic cemeteries can now apply for grants for cemetery rehabilitation and preservation through the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Cemeteries must be more than 50 years old, and the funding is for capital project that assist with improving and/or preserving the cemetery.”
For more info click to: dahp.wa.gov/historiccemeterygrant
Or call Julianne Patterson at 206-624-9449 for more information.
Eastern Washington Genealogical Society May Meeting
Saturday, May 5
The 1883 Gold Rush – The Inland Northwest’s Best Kept Secret (EWGS Meetings)
12:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Spokane Public Library Auditorium, Downtown Spokane
Presenters – Tony and Suzanne Bamonte.
Tony and Suzanne Bamonte will be speaking on the 1883 gold rush, which drew thousands of fortune seekers to the confluence of Prichard and Eagle creeks in the remote Coeur d’Alene National Forest of northern Idaho. The gold seekers were met with excitement, disappointment, success, and failure, but the impact of the gold rush extended far beyond the initial hysteria. It marked the origin of the internationally renowned Coeur d’Alene Mining District (known locally as the Silver Valley), the mineral wealth from which became the economic backbone of the Inland Northwest. The initial impact transformed Spokane from a barely surviving to a thriving community, whose population simply exploded. It also gave rise to other Inland Northwest towns and supporting industries. We will touch on some of the people who brought their newfound wealth from the Silver Valley to Spokane and built numerous mansions and stately commercial buildings that still exist today. The program will include historical images to help tell the story.
Cookies & Social Time: 12:30 PM
Meeting starts at 1:00 PM
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society May Meeting
The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society is be holding its general meeting at 10:00 am on Saturday, May 5 at the library at 1901 S. 12th Avenue (off Washington Ave.). The public is welcome to attend the presentation by Barbee Buchanan on “Tombstone Symbology.” Snacks will be provided.
Rootsweb Lists Spring Back to Life!
Rootsweb Lists Spring Back to Life!
Rootsweb was offline for some months, and is now coming back online,one piece at a time. First to return was World Connect:
https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ and t he Message Boards have continued to work and were not offline.
http://boards.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
Now lists have been upgraded and restored, and the archives are being re-filled from backups. Find your way here:
https://mailinglists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/listindexes/. Create a new login here: https://mailinglists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lists/setupmail. Once you have set up your account, you will be able to control list mail and how you receive it. Remember to link older email accounts as well.
Washington State lists are here:
https://mailinglists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/listindexes/USA/Washington/ — including the WSGS lists.
If you would like to support this effort, why not become a listowner?
Create a login: https://mailinglists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lists/setupadmin and then head over to http://home.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lists/orphanedlists to adopt one. There is even a list for new listowners: https://mailinglists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/listindexes/search/NEWBIE-LISTOWNER
Once lists are working perfectly, the websites will return too!
Olympia Gen Soc Hosts Successful Seminar
Keynote speaker Lisa Alzo and OGS President Nancy Neville Cordell
It comes as no surprise that the Olympia Genealogical Society‘s Spring Seminar was a resounding success. Lisa Alzo, professional writer, lecturer and genealogist rolled into one terrific presenter, entertained and educated more than 110 attendees on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Her topics included:
- Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Present and Future
- Silent Voices: Telling the Stories of Your Female Immigrant Ancestors
- Diseases, Disasters and Distress: Bad for Your Ancestors, Good for Genealogy
- Murder, Mayhem and Town Tragedy Making Those Skeletons Dance: Exploring Your Family’s Dark Side
Roger Newman from Shelton won one of the raffles. Photo by Patty Olsen.
Always a first-rate affair, Olympia’s Spring Seminar also included book sales and fabulous raffle baskets. It was also a great opportunity to welcome and network with fellow genealogists from the area.
There are a number of upcoming seminars in the region. Check out this blog post for a list.
Societies: If you’d like to promote your workshop or seminar on the WSGS Blog, send a flyer or paragraph to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org. We’d love to share it with our readers!