FGS Conference August 30-September 2

by Charles Hansen


Register now for “Building Bridges to the Past” in Pittsburgh, PA

4/10/2017 – Austin, TX.

Online registration is now open for the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ 2017 National Conference.

The conference will be held August 30 – September 2, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. This year’s local host is the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society and the theme is “Building Bridges to the Past.” Register by July 1, 2017 for the early-bird discount at FGSConference.org.

Attendees can look forward to strengthening their research abilities no matter their skill level or area of interest. The program is available online at http://www.FGSConference.org. An 8-page pdf download is also available at http://fgs.org/upload/files/FGS2017-ProgramPreview.pdf.

Rorey Cathcart, FGS President, shares, “FGS Conferences offer genealogists of all skill levels an incredible learning opportunity as well as a chance to meet others who share their passion. Whether you are beginning your genealogy adventure or have been at it for decades, FGS welcomes all. With a day devoted to programming for society leaders and members, followed by three days of genealogy programming that features world-famous speakers, exciting workshops, a variety of special events and luncheons, FGS 2017 has something unique to interest all attendees. Don’t miss your chance to join the Federation for a fun-filled and informative experience in Pittsburgh!”

Conference Highlights

Keynote Speaker

Rick Sebak makes unusual television programs. His slightly wacky documentaries now celebrate various aspects of modern American life and the unexpected charms of Pittsburgh. In “Take the Unexpected Bridge,” he will explore the idea that when searching for information of any sort, from historic and genealogical to gastronomic and adventurous, often the best route is along unfamiliar roads and across unexpected bridges.

Conference Sessions

Learning opportunities abound in the FGS 2017 program. The program includes four full days of sessions, workshops, and interactive seminars. Learning tracks include Immigrant/Ethnic, Records, Regional, DNA, Methodology, Analysis, Skills, African American, Land & Taxes, Religion, Occupations, and more. Attendees of all skill levels will find new ways to uncover more about their family history.

Exhibit Hall

The large exhibit hall will feature the latest software, books, maps, databases, and gadgets on the market for family historians. Many genealogical organizations will be present to share information as well. Society Showcase will feature representatives of FGS Member Societies to share how their society can help attendees with their family history.

Special Events

Wednesday evening’s event is sponsored and hosted by Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. Registrants are invited to a dinner cruise along Pittsburgh’s three rivers on board the Gateway Clipper Princess. Friday and Saturday evening offer a special treat for baseball fans. FGS is partnering with the Pittsburgh Pirates to offer discounted tickets for games against the Cincinnati Reds.

Focus on Societies

Wednesday, August 30 is Focus on Societies Day. Sessions are jam-packed with ideas and tools to help societies promote themselves, develop projects, increase membership, and leverage technology. D. Joshua Taylor will kick off the day with the plenary session. He will discuss ways to package genealogical societies for non-genealogical partners, including local media, donors, charitable organizations, and politicians.

Librarians’ Day

Tuesday, August 29, is the pre-conference event sponsored by ProQuest. Librarians, archivists, and other information professionals won’t want to miss this event. It will be a full day of sessions focused on serving family history researchers.

Sponsors

Platinum sponsors include leading family history companies Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, and MyHeritage. Bronze sponsors include AncestryProGenealogists and Internet Genealogy/Your Genealogy Today. For the complete list of sponsors and partner organizations, visit https://www.fgsconference.org/exhibits/sponsors/.

Also visit the conference website at http://www.FGSConference.org for details including links to conference hotels, research opportunities, and more. Keep up with conference news and announcements by reading the FGS Voice blog at http://voice.fgs.org and by subscribing to the FGS Voice Newsletter at http://fgs.org/cpage.php?pt=71.

Learn More and Stay Connected

 

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and empowers the genealogical and family history community, especially its societies and organizations, by advocating for the preservation and access of records and providing resources that enable genealogical organizations to succeed in pursuing their missions. FGS helps genealogical societies and family history enthusiasts alike to strengthen and grow through online resources, FGS FORUM magazine, and through its annual national conference which provides four days of excellent learning opportunities for both societies and family history enthusiasts. To learn more about FGS visit fgs.org. To learn more about the next annual conference to be held in Springfield, Illinois, visit fgsconference.org. Also, find FGS on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FGSgenealogy, on Twitter @FGSgenealogy and on the FGS Voice blog at http://voice.fgs.org.

Monday’s Mystery

by Charles Hansen

In the 1840s at Fort Vancouver (Vancouver, Clark County, Washington), a food delicacy was Black Pudding. What was this? Would you have enjoyed it??

 

And a great big WSGS calorie-free cupcake to Gary Parfitt who knew that the answer to the previous Mystery was TRUE. According to “Ask Marilyn” in the Sunday Parade Magazine, water runs down a drain either way depending on many factors. Thanks to all who answered but Gary was the first; maybe he’ll share his cupcake with you??

 

Family Search May Online Programs

by Charles Hansen

FamilySearch — 5 Day Western European Family History Conference (Virtual or in person) [15-19 May 2017]
6 UpFront with NGS by Diane L Richard  /  3h  //  keep unread  //  hide

FamilySearch — 5 Day Western European Family History Conference (Virtual or in person) [15-19 May 2017]

The NGS 2017 Family History Conference will have just ended and so you have some time to further your education even more!

From our friends at FamilySearch …

Salt Lake City, Utah (26 March 2017), FamilySearch’s world-renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, will be offering its free Western European Family History Conference, May 15 to May 19, 2017. Guests can attend classes in person or online. The conference will focus exclusively on select Western European research and is intended for beginning and intermediate researchers. Classes are free, but registration is required due to class size and webinar bandwidth limitations. For more information or to register, go to FamilySearch Wiki. Easily find and share this news release online in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

Classes will be taught by the Family History Library’s staff of experts and guest genealogists. Content will focus primarily on how to research records from Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Topics addressed will include census, church, immigration, and vital records.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Use the following links to register for desired conference classes online or in the library:  webinar guests.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/western-european-family-history-conference-2017-webinar-guests-tickets-32271902128

List of Classes

https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Western_European_Family_History_Conference

 

 

 

Clark County Genealogical Society April & May Meetings

by Charles Hansen

Clark County Genealogical Society (CCGS)
717 Grand Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661-4821
360-750-5688

Clark County Genealogical Society

THIS WEEK AT CCGS
Wednesday, 5pm – webinar (see below)
Thursday, 10am – Scandinavian Focus Group
Friday, 11am – webinar (see below)

SCANDINAVIAN FOCUS GROUP
The Scandinavian Focus group meeting on Thursday, April 13th will have a guest presenter, Fred Hasle. The topic will be Danish genealogy research. He will explore the various resources available for exploring your Danish roots. This should be a very informative presentation. You do not have to be a member of the Focus Group to attend this meeting. Everyone is welcome.

SPRING CLASSES AT CCGS
Fee Classes – $12 for members, $15 for non-members

Timelines and Analysis, instructor Lethene Parks
Tuesday, April 25, 10am-12n
You’ve been hot on the trail of an illusive ancestor. You’ve gathered quite a bit of information about them. But, what does it all mean? Organizing all these disparate “facts” into a timeline and subjecting them to critical analysis will help you make sense of it.

Family Search Strategies, instructor Alice Allen
Tuesday, May 2, 10am-12n
Family Search is a major go-to site for genealogical research. In addition to continuously adding searchable records, Family Search is constantly improving how we access those records. Alice is a “power user” of Family Search and will share her insights as to how to make the site “dance” for you.

Getting Started Tracing Your Ancestors, instructor Brian Runyan   FREE
Thursday May 11, 7pm – 9pm, CCGS Annex
This class will get you started researching your family tree.  Topics include collecting information from the family, family group sheets, pedigree charts, genealogy database programs and best practices for research.

Getting Started with Your Norwegian Research, instructor Kathy Solheim
Tuesday, May 16, 10am-12n
This class will guide the researcher through the process of searching for key ancestral information in FamilySearch, then locating and interpreting the original Norwegian parish records in Digitalarkivet.

CCGS NEWSLETTER
The deadline for the May newsletter is Wednesday, April 19.  If you have something for the newsletter, send an email, with CCGS newsletter in the subject, to allen.alice@gmail.com

LIBRARY TRAINING
Monday, April 24, 10am

Normally we hold our periodic Librarians Training meetings during months with five Mondays. Because the next time this occurs will be Memorial Day, it was decided to move our next training meeting to Monday, April 24th, at 10 a.m. in the CCGS Annex. This meeting is for all current CCGS Librarians as well as anyone who is interested in becoming a Librarian. Presentations are being prepared which will help us all be better librarians, and to better serve those who visit us. Hope to see you there!

CCGS GENERAL MEETING
Tuesday, April 25, 7pm
Meagan Huff – The McLoughlin Women
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site’s Assistant Curator, Meagan Huff, will talk about the lives of Marguerite and Eloisa McLoughlin, the wife and daughter of Fort Vancouver’s Chief Factor, Dr. John McLoughlin.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR CCGS MEMBERS

The proposed dues increase of $5 per year was approved by the CCGS members in attendance at the March General Meeting. Thank you for your yes votes and for your continued support of CCGS and its activities.

UPCOMING WEBINARS
Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 5:00pm, CCGS Annex.  Discussion to follow
Your Whiteboard in the Cloud: Trello for Genealogists by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A.
Learn how Trello—a free project management tool—can help you streamline your genealogy projects, tackle your “to-do” lists, and improve your workflow.

Friday, April 14, 2017, 11:00am, CCGS Annex.  Discussion to follow
Complete Photo Restoration in 4 Easy Steps by Eric Basir
Learn how to scan, restore and print a photo like the pros from beginning to end in four basic steps. Audience members are encouraged to send photos from which Eric will choose one to use during this demonstration. Includes scanning and restoration.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 11:00am, CCGS Annex.  Discussion to follow
Neighborhood Reconstruction: Effective Use of Land Records by Mary E.V. Hill, MLS, AG
Use USGS topographic maps, tract maps, plat maps, surveys, deeds, census records, and tax lists to reconstruct the neighborhood where your ancestor lived. Plat your ancestor’s land records and discover what unexpected clues might be discovered in the process.

Puget Sound Genealogical Society April Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Puget Sound Genealogical Society
Saturday, April 22, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
at Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton
Detours Around Irish Roadblocks & Stone Walls
Plus Irish Roots Jeopardy
with Steven Morrison. Discover Ireland’s top 10
roadblocks and stone walls preventing you from making
progress in finding your elusive Irish ancestors.
Registration is required: call Genealogical Center
(360)475-9172
Thanks Jackie Horton, Publicity Chairperson

TriCity Genealogical Society April Seminar

by Charles Hansen

Don’t forget our upcoming April 12th meeting which will feature the Sons of the American Revolution: history of the uniforms, flags, weapons and genealogy research tips.
Also, we will be having a Genealogy Book Sale at this meeting so you will want to take advantage of this book sale.
We request that you pay via a check or have the exact amount of cash as we will not be able to give you change.  So you may want to bring more one dollar bills unless you would like to be so kind as to give us more of a donation if you don’t have the correct amount.
We hope to see you at our April 12th meeting and as usual, invite a friend. Please see the attachment below and don’t forget about the Beginning Genealogy Class too. If you have any questions, please call 943-9322.

History of Revolutionary War Uniforms, Weapons & Flags

Speaker
—
Stan Wills, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR)

Tri-City Genealogical Society  (TCGS)

Wednesday, 12 Apr 2017 at the Benton County PUD
7:00 PM
—
2721 W 10th Ave
—
Kennewick WA

[ Genealogy Class –What Tombstones Tell Us – 6:15 to 6:45 PM]
TCGS 12 Apr 2017 Flyer

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News

by Charles Hansen

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News 5 April 2017

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!

Also, if you missed your free copy of our monthly Insider for February 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 our new website (still gfo.org).

Curious about the status of your GFO Membership?? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!
We’ve recently received a lot of questions from our wonderful members asking when their membership expires and how they can track this.

In response, we’re now providing your membership information right here with our weekly e-news blasts. If you want to forward our weekly e-news blasts to a friend, you can also delete your personal information before forwarding the message.

***

Labelers Needed for Sunday’s Library Work Party!

Sunday, April 9th, at the GFO, 9am – noon
We’re planning another amazing and busy Library Work Party this coming Sunday.

Our focus will be on getting a mounting plethora of new book labels on the Washington state collection.

All those interested should come out to lend a hand to our President, Laurel Smith, and the other library volunteers! We’d be so excited to see you, and to share with you the ins and outs of this whole re-labeling project.
As always, thank you for all you do in support of the GFO Library!

***

Don’t forget the Colletta Spring Seminar! Sat. April 29th

REGISTER for SATURDAY’s SEMINAR

There are still PLENTY of seats available for the Saturday Session!!
Online registrations, in-person registration at the GFO Library, or mailed registration. Whatever way is easiest for you!

When APRIL 29TH, 10am – 4:30pm

Where THE MILWAUKIE CENTER

Who JOHN PHILIP COLLETTA

What OUR ANCESTORS FROM OVERSEAS

How It’s so simple! Just click HERE to register right now online.
Please note, the Saturday Seminar is NOT sold out yet. Click HERE to register your seat!
John Philip Colletta is one of America’s most popular genealogical lecturers. Knowledgeable, experienced and entertaining (what a genealogical catch!), he is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. For twenty years, he worked part-time at the Library of Congress and taught workshops at the National Archives.

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Dual Citizenship Allowance?? When did this start?

We recently received a patron question about U.S. regulation regarding these two topics and how they interact.
A great resource on these topics can be found HERE.

The specific question was when the U.S. government began allowing dual citizenship so that people originating in another country would not have to renounce their citizenship from their native land?

So when did all this get sorted as far as the U.S. allowing dual citizenship for naturalized immigrants?

Here’s an article about the history of the issue across both Europe and in regards to the U.S. law and practice.

Further specifics, and at the heart of answering the when question noted above from our patron last week, can be found via a look at the U.S. Supreme Court’s Afroyim v. Rusk ruling in 1967.

***

Portland’s African American Heritage Project…


Rutherford Home, 1920, 833 NE Shaver, First home of the NAACP Credit Union.

The Architectural Heritage Center is currently welcoming submissions of photos, stories, or other documentation that may aid in the documentation of African American historic resources. To share your information, please contact Stephanie Whitlock, AHC Executive Director (stephanie@visitahc.org, tel. 503-231-7264) or Cathy Galbraith, MPD project lead (tel. 503-543-6813).

A community open house will be held on April 29, 2017 to collect additional stories and share progress on the project. To keep informed of this event and receive other information about this project, sign up for the AHC newsletter and follow them on Facebook.

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This Week at the GFO…

SATURDAY, APRIL 8th
Illinois Group 9:30 – 11:30am

The Illinois Interest Group is open to all interested researchers. Just drop in and share the workshop when you can and when you are interested.

At all the meeting times you will receive handouts and/or work sheets for each topic we cover. We focus on the state of Illinois, but the research techniques can be used on all states. This is the thirteenth year that this group has been meeting. The group leaders are Kristy Gravlin, call 630-621-5166 or email hannah @teleport.com, and Harlene Patterson.

Writers’ Forum 1 – 3pm

This is a peer group of genealogists, who meet to learn about writing, and to share our writing with each other. Peggy Baldwin facilitates this group and can be reached at peggyrbaldwin@gmail.com or 503-916-9410.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9th
Library Work Party 9am – Noon

There will be lots to do this Sunday at the GFO’s Library Work Party! This weekend we’re focusing on getting the Washington state books and other items outfitted with brand new labels! We’d love to see you there!! Any time you can spare is always a tremendous help.

Get Acquainted With… 1 – 3pm

This week’s topic is…the GFO’s brand new website! Learn about navigation, new features, and the wealth of resources available to you. Presented by Laurel Smith.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12th
Photoshop Elements 1:30 – 2:30pm

Join us to learn the basics of Photoshop Elements software to preserve, repair and present family history. Through the course of these meetings, held on the second Wednesday of each month, we will learn how to scan and organize photographs so they can be presented in your family history documentation, or displayed in your family décor. Taught by Sarah Holmes.

Get Acquainted With… 6 – 8pm

Missed the Sunday session? No problem at all!! This week’s topic continues to be all about the GFO’s brand new website! Learn about navigation, new features, and the wealth of resources available to you. Presented by Laurel Smith.

Yakima Valley Gen Soc and WSGS Partner for Recognition Awards

by Roxanne Lowe

Featured speaker Jay Fonkert

The WSGS Annual Meeting, which includes the announcement of the Outstanding Volunteers and Teams, Outstanding Communication and Project awards, WSGS President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement and Innovative Grant winners, will be Saturday, April 22, 2017 during the lunch period of Yakima Valley Genealogical Society’s Spring Seminar. The seminar and awards event will be held at the Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Yakima. The seminar’s featured speaker will be professional genealogist Jay Fonkert, a renowned authority on 19th Century Midwest research. His presentations will be:

  • Genealogy Detective Skills: Following Clues from the Census
  • Finding Your Pre-1850 American Ancestors
  • Why Were They There?
  • Who’s on First: Merging and Separating Identities in Family History Research

The YVGS Spring Seminar flyer, including a registration form, can be downloaded here: YVGS Spring Seminar flyer or visit the YVGS website.

JEFFERSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY April Seminar

by Charles Hansen

JEFFERSON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (JCGS)
PO Box 627
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Contact for this press release:  Judy Tough 385-3065 or tough@olympus.net
FOR RELEASE:  April 3 -14

Genealogy Tools for the 21st Century: Facebook and Google
Jefferson County Genealogical Society (JCGS) invites the public to their full-day Seminar comprised of two 1 ½ hour professional programs, Saturday, April 15, 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 W. Valley Rd, Chimacum. In addition, JCGS will host Heritage Quest that will be offering for sale a large selection of genealogy books that will help individuals to find the story of their ancestors. Bring your own lunch and a $10.00 donation. <www.wajcgs.org>

Back by popular demand, Master Genealogist, Mary Kathryn Kozy, will make the two presentations. During the morning session, Mary Kathryn will demonstrate how to use Facebook to locate and find unknown cousins and their family research. During the afternoon session she will demonstrate how to use Google to enhance our research efforts. This may well be the only place such information is available.

Genealogical Serendipity in Aberdeen

by Roxanne Lowe

The “ah ha” moment as captured by photographer Elaine Anderson.

You never know when you’re going to experience one of those stranger-than-fiction “genealogical serendipity” moments that happen ever so often.

While speaking at the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society‘s Spring Workshop recently, professional genealogist Janet Camarata displayed an old Osborne County, Kansas land map of her ancestor Elzy Emmet Curry during her “Mapping an Ancestor” presentation. As she talked about Elzy (who married Ella Adeline Shull in 1890), Patty Olsen, Washington State Genealogical Society Region 4 representative and member of the Lewis County Genealogical Society, exclaimed, “That’s my ancestor, too!” After the initial shock, attendees witnessed the newly discovered cousins finding their common roots through Patty’s husband’s ancestor Ella Adeline, Elzy’s wife.

You never know when or where you’ll meet your long-lost cousin!