Tuesday Trivia

by Charles Hansen

The Pennsylvania Dutch, which as “everybody” knows were not “Dutch” but German folks, had a droll sense of humor according to The Pennsylvania Dutch, by Fredric Klees, 1950. They loved bad riddles:

What kind of stones are found in water?    Wet ones.

On which side does a dog have most hair?  The outside.

Why do farmers build pigsties next to the barn? For the pigs.

Here’s the best one cited by the author:

What is as white as snow, as green as grass, as red as blood, and as black as a hat?   A black cherry!

 

If your ancestry includes Pennsylvania Dutch folks, this book is a must-read for background understanding.  (Found it on Amazon for $26.00.)

 

Janis Littlefield 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.

Janis Littlefield

Today we’re introducing Janis Littlefield of Richland, Washington, who was nominated by the Tri-City Genealogical Society (TCGS). She was recognized for commitment to advance the society’s technological presence and efficiency.

Ms. Littlefield is the webmaster for the Tri-City Genealogical Society’s website and is responsible for all TCGS digital records and archives. During the past year, she has volunteered hundreds of volunteer hours to the redevelopment and redesign of the society’s website, incorporating current technology and providing an online dues payment capability for both TCGS and WSGS submittals.

Ms. Littlefield’s unselfish dedication and willingness to share her talents for the good of the society illustrates that she 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.

Monday Mystery

by Charles Hansen

We all want to know the answer to this mystery….. how to keep from growing old. Just ask Maxine…. she’ll give advice.

Beyond dear Maxine this list of “Ways To Keep From Growing Old” contains no mysteries:

  1. Don’t wear a seatbelt
  2. Do eat with your knife.
  3. Do talk back to a law officer.
  4. Don’t ever wash your hands.
  5. Do eat an exclusive McD’s diet.
  6. Don’t pay any attention to what’s happening around you…. walk on! drive on!
  7. Do step in front of a bus.
  8. Do take a dare and lay down on the railroad tracks.

Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS) Spring Seminar

by Charles Hansen

Saturday, May 19, 2018 SGS Annual Spring Seminar

Family History: What the Future Holds by D.Joshua Taylor

The Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS) invites you attend our Annual Spring Seminar featuring nationally known and recognized genealogical author, lecturer, and researcher, D. Joshua Taylor, M.A., M.L.S. The title of his lecture is: Family History: What the Future Holds. Glimpse the future of family history through changes in technology, research methods, and other community developments.

On Saturday, May 19, from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Fairview Christian School, 844 NE 78th Street, Seattle, WA. For more information visit: http://www.seattlegenealogicalsociety.org/. Questions? Email: seminar@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org

Skagit Valley Genealogical Society March Meeting

by Charles Hansen

 

 

Skagit Valley Genealogical Society’s Educational Program for the Month of March:

“Detours Around Irish Roadblocks and Stone Walls”

with Irish genealogy expert,

Steven W. Morrison

BURLINGTON — Irish genealogy research can be very challenging. Come learn from an expert on Irish research – professional genealogist, Steven W. Morrison, how to overcome those “roadblocks and stone walls.” Steven will share in this beginner level presentation the top 10 challenges and how to work-around them. The Skagit Valley Genealogical Society offers educational programs on the 2nd Saturday of the month from 1-3 pm at the Burlington Senior Center (enter on the east side of the building), 1011 Greenleaf Ave., Burlington. This special lecturer program on Sat., March 10 is offered free to both SVGS members and to first time visitors. Email: genealogy0715@gmail.com or visit www.skagitvalleygenealogy.org for details.

GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News

by Charles Hansen

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s

Thursday Evening

E-News, Edition

22 February 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!

What’s on Feb 25th? GFO’s Civil War Era Workshop!
Register HERE Today!

TOPIC: African American Civil War Military and Pension Files

This coming Sunday, 9:30am to noon, at the GFO.

Presenter: Kate Eakman, M.A.

Come learn all about using the Freedmen’s Bureau Records and other Reconstruction Era documents to trace your African American Ancestors.

After the Civil War’s end in April of 1865 the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) was created to provide assistance to former slaves (and impoverished whites) in the South. The war had resulted in the liberation of about 4 million enslaved people, but it also destroyed many of the southern cities and towns as well as the plantation-based economy. Former slaves were free, but they had been dislocated from their homes and they faced starvation and powerful racial biases and inequalities.

The records from the Freedmen’s Bureau and other records of 1865-1872 include local censuses, marriage records, medical records, bank account records, and voting registers. These, in turn, can provide the names of spouses, children, siblings, parents, and former slave-owners as well as places of birth and locations where an individual lived between birth and freedom. This class will focus on the contents of these documents, where to locate them, and how to use them to add details to, and possibly extend your family tree.
Don’t forget to REGISTER HERE!

Continue reading →

Friday Serendipity

by Charles Hansen

Kenyatta Berry, genealogist on the TV show, “Genealogy Roadshow,” was a keynote speaker at the Northwest Regional Genealogy Conference last August in Arlington. One project that involves her is very near and dear to her heart: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database has “information on almost 36,000 slaving voyages that forcibly embarked over 10 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries.”

If this points to your ancestry, go have a looksee. Included on this website is a database “identifying 91,491 Africans taken from captured slave ships or from African trading sites.” Your ancestor’s name might just be there.

Eastern Washington Genealogical Society March Meeting

by Charles Hansen

 

Saturday, March 3
Free Websites at Family History Centers  (EWGS Meetings)
12:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Spokane Public Library Auditorium, Downtown Spokane
Presenter – Susan Dechant
“Did you say FREE? Free websites at Family History Centers
Our local Family History Centers have over a dozen FREE websites that anyone can access from one of their Centers. Susan will share those websites with tips and tricks for using them.
Susan became interested in researching her family history when she met her in-laws for the first time back in 1972. The genealogy bug immediately bit her and she has been involved in various aspects of this fascinating hobby ever since. She founded the Northeast Washington Genealogy Society in 1981 and has served as an officer almost every year since then. She is currently the webmaster for NeWGS, a researcher for the society, and teaches classes. She is also a longtime member of EWGS.
Cookies & Social Time: 12:30 PM
Meeting starts at 1:00 PM
To obtain the handout for this presentation please click on the link below:
Download: Handout for this presentation

Ulster Historical Foundation North American Lecture Tour

by Charles Hansen

 

Ulster Historical Foundation North American Lecture Tour, 3-20 March 2018

By

Join Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt from the Foundation during their annual North American lecture tour this March (03-20) to learn how to get the most out of Irish resources and records, gain strategies for breaking down brick walls, and grasp important historical context that may help fill in gaps in your research.

They will be speaking in Augusta GA, Pittsburgh PA, Boston MA, Louisville KY, Chicago IL, Madison WI, Ottawa ON, Philadelphia PA, Nashville TN, St Louis MO, Omaha NE, Fair Oaks CA, Seattle WA and Honolulu, HI.

It will be the Foundation’s very first time speaking in the state of Hawaii, in fact the first time the Foundation has spoken outside of the ‘lower 48’ US states. We are also looking forward to visiting Augusta, Louisville, Madison, St Louis, Omaha, Sacramento for the first time as well as offering new programs in Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Nashville and Seattle.

Sunday, 18 March, Seattle WA

Host: Irish Heritage Club, Seattle

Web: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/irish-genealogy-seminar-tickets-42301967323

Whether you are just beginning your Irish research or have been at it for years, you won’t want to miss these workshops.

Book soon to avoid disappointment – places are filling up quickly and some dates have already sold out!

Click here for more information

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