Tuesday Trivia

by Charles Hansen

 

Haven’t yet gotten around to crafting some Genealogy New Year’s Resolutions? Or, like Maxine, have you broken them all already?

A full year ago, my friend Thomas MacEntee wrote a blog post wherein he came up with a list of seven “Cs” for Genealogy New Year’s Resolutions:

  1. CLEAN: Take inventory, get organized, and clean out!
  2. COLLECT:  Create a solid system for keeping track of gene info.
  3. CURATE: Review source material… is it true or false?
  4. CONNECT: Don’t get stuck on one source….connect with libraries, archives and other genealogists.
  5. CREATE: Write up a concise proof for each fact and relationship.
  6. CONSERVE: Have multiple backup plans!
  7. CONTINUE: “Basically,” said Thomas, “this is the rinse-and-repeat cycle.”

Whatever YOU come up with for YOUR Genealogy New Year’s Resolutions, I hope you stick to them and by next December can be proud of your progress.

 

Seattle genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –
SVAR, the National Archives of Sweden

Don’t have an ancestry account, but want to access original Swedish records? Beginning this year, SVAR, the National Archives of Sweden, are offering their previous subscription records for free. These records are the same film you see if you log into Ancestry. It is still an open question of how many of the other records they possess will be made available under this program. Thanks to the Swedish government who funded this initiative in an effort to make all Swedish records freely available to all. Did you catch the word “free”?

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

CERTIFICATION DISCUSSION GROUP
SIGN UP FOR SPRING 

SGS is seeking individuals who are interested in becoming a Certified Genealogist, or who are interested in knowing more about it. Registration is now open for the Spring Certification Discussion Group series. SGS members and Washington State residents will be given priority. The 7-part series is entirely online. The goal of the program is to demystify the process and ensure you are “really ready” when you submit your portfolio.

You can learn more of the details here :  https://gallery.mailchimp.com/2b76c2acbc8531a2e530e3d9c/files/b0446169-1809-47f5-abf2-e2ea8a02ea36/CDG_poster_2018.pdf

To sign up, or ask a question, send an email to jkmorelli@gmail.com

BEGINNING GENEALOGY CLASS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2
10:15 AM – 3:00 PM 

New to genealogy? Get started on the right foot. Research veteran and past president of SGS, Linda Fitzgerald, will teach you how to get your genealogy project going. Come join in. It’s a full day, so bring a sack lunch. Laptops welcome, but not necessary.

DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL?

The SGS Publications Committee invites you to submit articles for the Journal of the Seattle Genealogical Society. We are looking for articles about genealogical research and family history that would be of interest to our members. We welcome submissions from all areas of genealogy. Some possibilities include memoirs, research articles, how-to and problem solving articles, and genealogical technology. Book reviews, historical photographs, and blog posts are also welcome.

Help is available for inexperienced writers!

Send submissions or questions to: publications@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org.

SAVE THE DATE 

Family History Fanatics,
eConference,
“Finding Family Stories and Passing Them On”,
January 19th at 8:45 am Central Time. 

Speakers will be Randy Seaver, Eric Wells, Victoria Woo and Tammy Hepps. Participants will learn about how to find, preserve, and share their family stories.  Five hours of interactive instruction for the early bird price of $19.99 through January 10th, and $24.99 thereafter. More details and registration can be found at: https://www.familyhistoryfanatics.com/jan2018. Feel free to let any of your friends or family know about this eConference.

          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.

JANUARY 

Wednesday, January 17, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, MAC SIG, Sponsored jointly by SGS, Fiske, and dBug, meets quarterly at the Fiske Genealogical Library, 1644 43rd Ave E, Seattle

Saturday, January 20, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean Roth
Saturday, January 20, 1:00pm – 2:30pm, German SIG, with Jean Roth

Saturday, January 27, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm, DNA SIG, this group meets at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. For more information contact SGSDNASIG@gmail.com Co-chaired by Cary Bright and Herb McDaniel. This is an extended meeting. The first 30 minutes will be dedicated to beginners, those new to DNA.

FEBRUARY

Friday, February 2, 10:15 am – 3:00 pm, Beginning Genealogy Class,  All you need to bring is a pencil and a sack lunch! You are welcome to bring your laptop. The instructor, Linda Fitzgerald, will provide a handout of class materials.

Saturday, February 3, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Family Tree Interest Group, Lou Daly, leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org

Sunday, February 4, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, DNA Workshop, Led by Cary Bright with first hour on a specific topic, and the second hour open for sharing DNA issues with focus on GenomeMate Pro.

Saturday, February 10, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Family Tree Maker (FTM) Users Group, leaders Reiley Kidd & Betty Ravenholt, this group meets  the second Saturday of every even month, FTM is the tool long associated with Ancestry.com

Saturday, February 10 , 1:00pm – 3:00pm, Second Saturday Speaker Series, “Using Academic Libraries for genealogy Research” with Lisa Oberg

Sunday, February 11, 1:30pm – 3:00pm, Scandinavian SIG, with Karen Knudson. Jill Morelli will give her talk “Finding your Nordic Parish of Birth” & be available for questions following the presentation.

Saturday, February 17, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean Roth
Saturday, February 17, 1:00pm – 2:30pm, German SIG, with Jean Roth

Monday Mystery

by Charles Hansen

It’s a mystery to me………… the experts proclaim that not one snowflake in 100 Bezillion is like another. (Has anybody looked at 100 bezillion??) Given for Christmas a cool book all about snowflakes, how they form and how to photograph them. Mysteriously interesting. One really cool factoid: Anybody, with a handheld magnifying glass and a black surface, can go outside and see the mystery that is a snowflake. 

Somehow I think our ancestors had a very different opinion of a snowflake than we do today……… we who sit warm and dry. 

Olympia Genealogical Society Seminar

by Charles Hansen

In the event that you haven’t yet been notified, I want to let you know
that the OGS Web site now can be found at http://OlyGenSoc.org.  In
response to the ongoing RootsWeb issue and other considerations, we have
undertaken the redevelopment of our site through EasyNetSites.  We
expect to complete this project within 2-3 months.  In the interim,
we’ll provide limited info at our new URL.

Full Brochure: 2018SpringSeminarBrochure

Seattle Municipal Archives Adds New Resource

by Roxanne Lowe

The Seattle Municipal Archives recently added a guide to SMA’s genealogical resources and how to find your ancestors in city records. The guide is available on their website.

The Seattle Municipal Archives is located on the third floor of Seattle’s City Hall at 600 Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle. The building is between Fourth and Fifth Avenues and James and Cherry Streets. The Archives is co-located with the Office of the City Clerk.

For more information about the SMA, contact Jeanie Fisher, Reference Archivist, Seattle Municipal Archives at Jean.Fisher@seattle.gov.

GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News

by Charles Hansen

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s

Wednesday Evening

E-News, Edition

10 January 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 January 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!

 

GFO’s 2018 Elections Need Some Super Superhero’s!!

The following positions are available for new candidates this coming fiscal year:

▪ GFO President
▪ Director-at-Large
▪ Secretary

Interested in taking on one of these roles! Please email president@gfo.org today! We need candidates candidates candidates. And there is on-the-job training available for all of these positions.

These people help keep the GFO going in so many ways. Just curious?? Send a note to Laurel Smith at president@gfo.org for more information!

Insider Editors Needed

We also need two or three people to help take over editing and publication of the Insider this summer.

This is our monthly newsletter and our fearless editor is stepping down this summer. Interested in helping out? Email Jackie Olson at insider@gfo.org.

Continue reading →

Innovative Grant Applications Due March 1

by Roxanne Lowe

Is your local genealogy society interested in some FREE CASH for a special project? Applications for the WSGS Innovative Grants are being accepted through March 1, 2018.

The grants, up to $100, are designed to support the inventive and creative efforts of WSGS-member societies and organizations. The awards do not have to be repaid — they’re FREE MONEY to support worthy projects. Up to five grants will be awarded in 2018.

Last year’s grant awards were made to:

The simple application is only ONE page and is available here, as well as additional guidance on the program. For more information, visit the Innovative Grant page on our website

For more information, contact Roxanne Lowe, Interim Chair, WSGS Recognition Committee, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Jody Alfiere 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.

Jody Alfiere

Today we’re introducing Jody Alfiere of Olympia, Washington, who was nominated by the Mason County Genealogical Society (MCGS). She was recognized for her exceptional efforts to preserve and document the headstones in a local cemetery in the Mason County area.

Single-handedly, Ms. Alfiere took on the task of documenting more than 11,000 headstones in Shelton Memorial Park. Some years ago, MCGS took on the task of correcting the errors and omissions of their cemetery’s records and to photograph the headstones. The project floundered for some time, however, until Ms. Alfiere took it upon herself to get the job done. She mapped out the project, section by section, and recruited volunteers to help. On many mornings for the past three years, Ms. Alfiere was seen documenting and photographing headstones, and even identifying unearthed sunken grave markers by herself.  On other mornings, she enlisted some helpers, but her commitment to documenting and photographing the headstones never wavered.

Now, thanks to Ms. Alfiere’s untiring work, the MCGS is closer to completing this project.  Her dedication to this task, and to the MCGS, is remarkable. It is for these reasons, Ms. Alfiere richly deserved being a recipient of a 2017 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

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

Did anybody take advantage of the subscription offer from Rick Cree of Internet Magazine?????? YOU, right along with WSGS, would benefit!

Hi Donna,  This is a great idea.

I have temporarily reduced the one year new subscription price to $20, but normally it is $27.95. Just so you know, Ed and I normally only offer the $20 at the big conferences.
In any case, you can send your readers to https://internet-genealogy.com or https://yourgenealogytoday.com and the option for a $20 1 year subscription is available through the regular channels. This applies to all three of our magazines.
In order for us to give you back the $3 per subscription, it is imperative that they indicate the code WSGS. This will have to be put in the area where we ask for their ID number (the actual wording on the box is: If available, please include your subscription ID number when renewing your subscription…).
I hope this helps.   Rick

Rick Cree
Associate Publisher
Moorshead Magazines Ltd
Publisher of Your Genealogy Today, Internet Genealogy, History Magazine