The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society will hold its annual Christmas party at the library at 1901 S. 12th Avenue at 10:00 AM Saturday, December 2. The public is invited to attend.
Northwest Genealogy Conference Call for Presentations
The Call for Presentations for Northwest Genealogy Conference is open now through November 30th. Following is an announcement that I sent to a couple of other organizations to send to their members, would you be able to post it?
Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society in Arlington, WA hosts the Northwest Genealogy Conference in August each year. This year our theme is “Beyond Your Family Tree”, in which we are taking a look at the events that shaped our family tree. The conference is August 15-18 and our keynote speakers are CeCe Moore, Beth Foulk and Peggy Lauritzen. The call for for presentations can be found here https://stillygen.org/cpage.php?pt=51 and is open until November 30th. Please share with all folks that give genealogy presentations.
Pam Liebelt
Publicity Chair
Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society
Wednesday Nostalgia
Ever heard of “printers devils?” Ever seen one? If you have ever been in downtown Spokane, you’ve had the opportunity to see a “real life” printers devil, aka a gargoyle. Look high atop the Spokesman-Review newspaper building….
The Spokesman-Review/Spokane Daily Chronicle newspaper building was constructed in 1891. Keeping with the custom for newspaper buildings of that day, printers devils, aka gargoyles, were set on the top of the building. The idea? To scare away any demons that might hinder the presses from getting the news out on time.
Did your hometown newspaper building have printers devils to protect the presses?
Tuesday Trivia
All us dog lovers will enjoy this story….. In September, when daughter and I took our trip to Maine, we visited the Owls Head Lighthouse near Rockland. I did notice a small “tombstone” near the steps up to the light: For SPOT, the Lighthouse Dog. I knew there was a story so I looked….
Spot was a springer spaniel belonging to the lighthouse keeper. “The dog learned to pull the fog bell rope with his teeth when he saw an approaching vessel. Boats would answer with a whistle or bell and Spot would bark a reply. One stormy winter night in the 1890s, the mailboat was headed towards Owls Head. The fog bell rope was buried in the snow but Spot’s constant barking warned the captain in time to guide his vessel around the peninsula, clear the rocks and sound a whistle to acknowledge safe passage. The spaniel is buried on the hillside near the former location of the fog bell.” (Discovering Marine’s Lighthouses & Harbors, Summer 2017)
What do you think of this story? Would you want a marker for your beloved dogger pet???
Tuesday Trivia
Knowing the origins of surnames is a most interesting study. I submit to you today that knowing the origin of YOUR first name is way-cool too. I often ask folks, “Do you know why your parents chose ( ) for your name?” Sometimes they know but often they do not. Transfer that thought to your ancestor’s first names. I have, back in the late 1700s in Connecticut, a John and Sarah Gurney family. They had children Sarah (after mother), Elizabeth (after grandmother) and John (after father) and then Bezaleel. After nobody! Where on earth?
Well, knowing that the only “baby names book” those good Christian folks had was the Bible, I went looking. Sure enough, There are plenty of references to a Bezaleel…”the Lord called Bezaleel and filled him with knowledge of how to do the job of making the Ark of the Covenant.” (Exodus 35:30). Exodus 37 and 38 describe how he did the job.
P.S. He did not pass down that name!
Monday Mystery
That little unknown-to-me tool that I showed last week? Roy Rutherford guessed it might be a shoehorn? I just don’t know. But Patty Olsen suggested I retake and re-post a photo of it opened. Will do.
Below is a photo of what was a mystery. This small concrete marker sat in a corner of the grounds of the Spokane County courthouse, ignored and mostly forgotten. Then Stefanie Pettit, who does the Landmarks features for our paper, The Spokesman-Review, zoomed in on it and told us all about it.
It’s called the Latitude Pier; it was originally built in 1896 “and it soon became the starting point of a project to establish the precise border between Idaho and Montana along the 39th parallel.”
“An 1897 USCGS contract called for identifying the 39th parallel , the (north-south) border between Idaho and Montana, and establishing where the (east-west) meridian intersects with it, from the Canadian border .”
But why start this marking in Spokane? The crew chief in charge at the time had the right to pick the starting spot and he picked Spokane.
You do realize that these official government measurements of so long ago still impact our buying and selling of land today??
Lower Columbia Genealogical Society December Meeting
As the holidays approach, the Lower Columbia Genealogical Society is happy to welcome representatives of the
COWLITZ COUNTY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
to our December meeting. The presentation will include Cowlitz County history and activities, information about Habitat’s national organization and international disaster relief.
DONATIONS OF NO LONGER NEEDED BUT USABLE ITEMS AROUND YOUR HOME CAN BE GIVEN TO THE HABITAT STORE AT 1321 S. 13TH AVENUE, KELSO, WA, 9 TO 5, WED THRU SATURDAY. 360-636-6765
LOWER COLUMBIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~walcolgs/
SOMERSET RETIREMENT APARTMENTS
2025 TIBBETTS DRIVE, LONGVIEW
DINING ROOM 7:00 PM
DECEMBER 14, 2017
Visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.
GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’sWednesday EveningE-News15 November 2017 |
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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 November 2017, 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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GFO’s GPS Group Has A Treat For You This Saturday!! Nov 18th, 9:30 – 11:30amGFO’s Genealogy Problem Solvers FINDING VITAL STATISTIC DATAAt this meeting, come learn about research tools that can help you locate obscure documentation of life’s major events. While many vital statistic records are open to the public, others have restricted access under state law. Share in the GPS’s research tips about searching for one particularly elusive divorce document. Genealogy Problem Solvers is led by Harold Hinds Jr., Duane Funk, and Tom O’Brien. All of our special interest groups are free and open to the public. Bring a friend, or seven of them! |
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Unravel the mysteries of DNA research with presenter and author Don Anderson.Come out to the GFO Library this Saturday, Nov 18th, at 2pm, to hear author Don Anderson discuss his new book, Paper and Spit. Don, like many adoptees, wanted to know where he came from. His presentation at this month’s GenTalk will help you figure out what to say when making first contact with newly discovered relatives. Remember! GFO’s Monthly GenTalks are Always Free and Open to the Public!! |
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“So, why forty-four dollars?” – GFO Membership |
Ever wonder at GFO’s membership fee? $44 per year seems like it may be more than other similar societies ask, but here’s how GFO stands out:
Maybe you’d like to learn more? Give our new promotional video a spin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80c8hIMQtuA. We hope you’ll consider becoming a member if you aren’t already or if you’ve been on the fence about it. It’s our membership support that has kept us going strong for 71 years! |
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Thank you, as always, for all you do for the GFO!We’re very excited about this event every year! No need to sign up! No requirement to stay the whole day. Come when you can, eat some delicious food, learn some new skills, and chat with some truly amazing people! |
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We’re putting ’em online for you to research from home!Did you know the GFO has a digital manuscripts collection? Do you know what type of material it contains? It contains some very exciting genealogical gems, my darlings! Jesuale Collection (2014-12)This week we found that this collection’s creator was connected to the author of Aunt Jane of Kentucky, a book written in 1907. The documentation in this manuscript collection shows that Aunt Jane’s author, Lydia/Lida/Liza Obenchain, pen name Elizabeth Calvert Hall (also Liza Calvert Hall), was the wife of William Obenchain. The first chapter of Ms. Obenchain’s book, titled “Sally Ann’s Experience,” was recommended by Theodore Roosevelt during his speech “Industrial Training and National Development,” delivered on May 31, 1907 at the semi-centennial celebration of the founding of agricultural colleges in the U.S. in Lansing, Michigan. This collection is currently being indexed, but click HERE for a preview or email manuscripts@gfo.org to order a copy of the complete manuscript. |
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Ford Building Parking Updates |
We recently learned about the following changes and wanted to give you all a heads-up:
Please note, these changes have been implemented by the Ford Building Management. |
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This Week at the GFO… |
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18thGenealogical Problem Solvers Group 9:30 – 11:30am FINDING VITAL STATISTIC DATA – Join us as Harold, Duane, and Tom share research tips about their search for an elusive divorce document. GenTalk 2 – 3pm This GenTalk will focus on using Don’s story to illustrate “What to say when making contact with new matches.” This can be one of the most delicate and challenging aspects of finding close relatives, or wanting to create a positive experience with new cousins. Discovering a new match is much like finding a fish at the end of your pole, and now you need to reel in the fish. There is a method – what you say and how you say it is important. BOTH THESE EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19thLibrary Work Party 9am – noon There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so and you’re welcome to do the same. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there. Beginner DNA 1 – 3pm Topic: Triangulation! While waiting for this class, research your genealogy deep and wide (as far back as you can, bringing down all the ancestors you can to the 1900s, and download your matches’ segments into a spreadsheet. Also, test any 2-4th cousins you can. Do as much as you can, but know that all of these help you determine your common ancestor(s) more easily. There are two handouts. Click here to download. Please bring a copy of the evaluation form which can be found here. Questions? Ask Emily at aulicino@hevanet.com. HOLIDAY SCHEDULEWednesday, November 23nd GFO’s library will close at 1pm. Researcher early this day! Thursday, November 24th GFO’s library will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. See you again at 9:30am on Friday, November 25th! |
Friday Serendipity
**** The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society just celebrated their 50th anniversary in October. Three of the original charter members are still alive; one of those is Maxine Bissell, age 100+, and they hoped she’d be able to attend the party. The day of celebration was Saturday, Oct 21st, and included a potluck by the members and an open house and sharing of stories. Sue Ericksen, a member for 25 years, and current president, arranged the day. Way to go, YVGS!!
How many other genealogical societies in our state have 50 years under their belt? Skagit Valley Genealogical Society just marked their 30th. The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society, founded in 1935, has been serving genealogists in Spokane and surrounding areas for 82 years. Any society top that?
**** This is truly a serendipity story. Last time I visited the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society library, Frank McLean showed me their newest treasure….. 16 volumes of Mortgages of Yakima County, dating from 1898. And where did these books come from? Frank said that some time ago a fellow called from Hawaii to say he had spotted these at a yard sale there and did some looking on the Internet, found YVGS, and so called to see if YVGS wanted these books. (“Duh,” quoth Frank.) This wonderful fellow paid to ship all 16 volumes to Yakima. The YVGS plan now is to digitize all the pages (“nearly done,” said Frank) and index it all and make it available on the YVGS website. The question begs: How on earth did these books end up in Hawaii?????
Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week
TIP OF THE WEEK –
PAY-PER-VIEW AT SCOTLAND’S PEOPLE
Set up an account, register for free and search for free! I often shy away from this offer, finding it to be more trouble than it’s worth. But not in this case. I truly like the National Records of Scotland – Scotland’s People website.
A list of records you will find there include :
• Statutory Records – Birth, Marriage, Death – 1855 to present
• Census Returns – 1841 to 1911
• Valuation Rolls – 1855 to 1935
• Legal Records – Wills, Etc. – some as old as 1513
• Old Parish Records – some as old as 1553
The search tool is very comprehensive. Check out all the search options – exact, fuzzy, wild card. Valuation rolls are tax rolls of structures showing owner/occupant data including occupation.
Sometimes you can take what information you can glean from the search results and use it to find additional information in your Ancestry, FindMyPast, or FamilySearch account, thus avoiding having to pay-per-view at Scotland’s People.
If you want to purchase the actual record image it’s a simple process. You buy “credits” with a credit card or PayPal. Remember currency conversion and fees may apply. These credits are good for a year. If you allow them to go inactive after a year, they will be reactivated when, and if, you purchase more credits. The cost of record types varies. One experienced user estimates a ballpark figure for the cost of a record averages less than $2.50 US Dollars. Certified copies are more expensive and usually unnecessary, is another good tip from experienced users. Once you have purchased an image it is stored on your account. There will be no need to purchase it again. A purchase buys you the entire page, not just the record of the individual you are researching.
At Youtube, there are four videos, about 15 minutes each, on using Scotland’s People by Amberly B. They are worthwhile in helping you get started and comfortable with the process. The urls you will need are listed below.
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIl94cdX_zU