Joanne Calhoun Honored with President’s Award

by Roxanne Lowe

President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement honoree Joanne Egbert Calhoun

In an announcement made at the WSGS Annual Meeting on 22 Apr 2017, Joanne Egbert Calhoun was awarded the WSGS President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award, made by WSGS President Virginia Majewski, is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization that has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations. And Joanne certainly exemplifies that.

Veterans memorial shrine, Wenatchee City Cemetery

Joanne has been a member of the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) and its predecessor since 1945, and is often called the “glue” that has kept the society active and strong.  Her willingness to serve as WAGS Treasurer for over 40 years, as well as president for three years, demonstrates exemplary service above and beyond expectations.

Over the years, Joanne has recorded and indexed cemeteries in Chelan and Douglas Counties, as well as indexed 38 years of society’s “Appleland Bulletin” (1972 – 2010). But a few years ago, she really stepped up her involvement, turning a community project that began with the observation, “somebody ought to…” into a full-time commitment.  She identified and collected the histories of World War I veterans once honored in an American Legion Memorial Shrine located at the Veterans’ Memorial Hall, which, sadly, was abandoned when the Hall was destroyed by fire. In 2009, representatives of WAGS, the Wenatchee Valley Museum and the City of Wenatchee arranged for relocation of the memorial building to a place of honor in the Veterans’ section of the Wenatchee City Cemetery.  Joanne’s extensive research and compilation of records included those whose identities had been desecrated or were missing from the monument. After completing four large notebooks containing records for all Chelan and Douglas County veterans serving in World War I, Joanne summarized her efforts, “I thought they shouldn’t be forgotten.”

In determining the award recipient, President Majewski said, “There were some great nominations for the President’s Award and all are certainly deserving, but Joanne stood out as demonstrating a lifetime of contribution to the community.” We honor her accomplishments.

Kittitas County Genealogical Society May Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Monday May 1, 2017 KCGenealogical Soc meeting

7 PM at 413 N. Main St, Suite L, Ellensburg WA

 

Our next meeting on Monday, May 1, will feature two shorter programs, The first “Removed Cousins” by Erik Bakke to help explain how the cousin relationship is determined. Mary Christensen will present a talk about “The Doukhobors, Russian Immigrants to Canada.”

 

Refreshments by Bob and Nancy Wieking.

May 2017 we will attend a Memorial Day Upper County Heritage Club with ethnic food available

 

Tuesday Trivia

by Charles Hansen

Have a great trivia tidbit for you today! It comes from a book published in 1978 by the Franklin County Historical Society titled Railroads, Reclamation & The River, A History of Pasco, by Walter A. Oberst.

In this book, Oberst explains how the town got its name. On page 6 of his book, he quotes from an article in the Pasco Express, a Pasco weekly newspaper, on July 31, 1914:  Man Who Named Pasco Visits City.

“V.C. Bogue, now an eminent engineer of New York City, renews acquaintances in Pasco on Monday. This was his fist visit in nearly thirty years. Mr. Bogue, as an engineer for the Northern Pacific Railroad, located the route of the N.P. through Stampede Pass in the Cascade Mountains, and he also located and named Pasco.

“Just how he came to choose the name was news to this reporter …… just prior to his engagement with the N.P., Bogue had successfully constructed a line of railway across the Andes Mountains in South America. The highest point on the railway was a mining town named Cerro de Pasco. It was distinguished as a windy, dusty place, and so on the first day he spent in our city, and meeting with a good old-fashioned dust storm, he was reminded of this place in the Andes and tagged the new townsite “Pasco.'”

P.S. This town still exists! This from Wikipedia: Cerro de Pasco is a city in central Peru, located at the top of the Andean mountains. It is the capital of the Pasco region, and an important mining center.

Support Kim Wyman with Silly Socks!

by Roxanne Lowe

Clark County Genealogical Society’s Brian Runyan shows his support by wearing his wacky socks.

Washington’s Secretary of State Kim Wyman has been diagnosed with colon cancer and could use our support.

Since her diagnosis, many have asked her how they could bring her cheer and show support. In her April 2017 newsletter “Wyman’s Wire,” Kim encouraged us to take pictures of our silly, wacky socks and post them to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #wymanrocksthesocks. Or you can email your photo to kim.wyman@sos.wa.gov.  In addition, WSGS will have a membership table at some of the larger workshops and conferences around the state where you can sign a paper sock with your best wishes. We’ll make sure she gets the messages.

Kim is a good friend to our genealogical community. As Secretary of State, she oversees elections, corporation and charity filings, the Washington State Library, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, State Archives and Digital Archives.

Show Kim that our genealogical family supports her!  #wymanrocksthesocks

Whitman County Gen Soc Plans Summer Outing

by Roxanne Lowe

The Whitman County Genealogical Society will have a Summer Outing on Friday, June 2, 2017 starting at 1 PM. It begins with a tour of Bruning Funeral Home, 109 N. Mill St., Colfax. In addition to a tour of this wonderful historic building, we will learn about the research possibilities to be found there. There is limited space for this tour, so please RSVP no later than Monday, May 22 if you plan to attend. You can call Judy McMurray at 509-332-2386 or e-mail WCGS at whitmancgs@gmail.com.

After the Bruning tour, weather permitting, we will do a self-guided tour of the historic buildings on Main Street in Colfax. In case of inclement weather we will visit either the Whitman County Library (102 S. Main in Colfax) or the historic Perkins House (623 N. Perkins Ave. in Colfax).

Monday’s Mystery

by Charles Hansen

Ah, another mystery question from Washington’s history.

When and where was the final boundary between the U.S. and Canada established? This boundary divided Canada from the Oregon Territory, not Washington, at that time, remember.

And a WSGS cupcake to both Barbara Johnson (who was first) and Sonji Rutan, both of whom had good answers to the question “how was Dry Falls created?  Barbara explained, “They were cut during the Breitz Floods and are part of the Channeled Scablands.”  Sonji said, “They were formed by the multiple ice dam breaks due to the Missoula Floods.”

I recently learned the more exact explanation: The beginning of Dry Falls was actually way further downstream and the water  continually under cut the stream bed to work their way upstream………. just like Niagara Falls is doing today.

Enjoy your cupcakes, Barbara and Sonji, and thanks for participating!

Outstanding Volunteers and Teams Honored

by Roxanne Lowe

Almost 40 local genealogical society members were honored for their outstanding volunteerism at the WSGS Annual Meeting and Recognition Event in Yakima, Washington, on 22 Apr 2017. Nominated by their local societies, these individuals and teams spent countless hours supporting their local organizations, researching, cataloging, inventorying, teaching, and inspiring others. We are proud to announce the 2017 Outstanding Volunteer Awards:

Shirley Acheson, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Jody Alfiere, Mason County Genealogical Society
Veronica Anquiano, Library Recataloging and Renumbering Team, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Phyllis Barnett, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Margie Beldin, Library Recataloging and Renumbering Team, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Lisa K. Chan, Seattle Genealogical Society
Barbara Congdon, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Catherine Crabtree Cook, Grays Harbor Genealogical Society
Sandra Floberg, Library Recataloging and Renumbering Team, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Oweta Floyd, Eastern Washington Genealogical Society
Patricia Hert, Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
Barbara Freese Jolly, Eastern Washington Genealogical Society
John Hayes, Skagit Valley Genealogical Society
Darryl Jones, Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
Art Kelly, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Mary Kathryn Kozy, Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
Janis Littlefield, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Hank LuBean, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Sandra McBride, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Mikal McKinnon, Library Recataloging and Renumbering Team, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Patricia McCann Manning, Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society
Noel McRae, Lower Columbia Genealogical Society
Dan Metzger, Library Recataloging and Renumbering Team, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Patty Ostendorff, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Barb Peterson, Jefferson County Genealogical Society
Lynda Pheasant, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Susan Jensen Pointer, Lower Columbia Genealogical Society
Susan Rumble, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Beatrice “Bea” Ritter, Clark Cou Genealogical Society
Claire Smith, Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society
Linda Stephens, Library Recataloging and Renumbering Team, Tri-City Genealogical Society
Natalie Stien, Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
Pam Stinson, Jefferson County Genealogical Society
Mary Swartz, Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
John Jay Winsor (posthumous), Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society
Catherine Wooden, South King County Genealogical Society
Gilbert Wooden, South King County Genealogical Society
Norma Yost, Northeast Washington Genealogical Society

To read each individual’s accomplishments and why they were nominated, visit the Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program page.

For more information about the Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program, contact Roxanne Lowe at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Eastside Genealogical Society May Meeting

by Charles Hansen

The Eastside Genealogical Society will meet on Thursday, May 11, 2017 in the Bellevue Regional Library (Room 1), 1111 – 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6:30 pm for networking.

 

Topic:

Publishing Your Family History:  For 41 years, Gorham Printing of Centralia has produced short run, self-published books for people wanting to share their family history.  If you want to publish that novel you always had in you, they will do that as well.  Please come and see what Gorham can do for you and your project.

 

Also see our website for FREE genealogical help and other Special Interest Group meetings. Visitors are always welcome at all meetings.

Puget Sound Genealogical Society May Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Puget Sound Genealogical Society
Tuesday, May 2, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
at Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton
with Mary Kircher Roddy – Get up to speed on using Excel
and learn new tricks to work smarter. Let spreadsheets
analyze data and keep track of your research.
Eveyone welcome!
Thanks Jackie Horton, Publicity Chairperson

German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society

by Charles Hansen

 

The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society will meet on Friday, May 5, 2017, from 1 to 3 pm in the Relief Society Room of the LDS Church at 10675 NE 20thSt, Bellevue, WA 98004 with doors opening at 12:45 pm for networking. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings.

 

Topic:  “What’s Your Family’s Story?”  – “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”  Maya Angelou.  Three of the many ways in which to capture your family’s history will be addressed: 1) Family Medical History, 2) Legacy Statements and 3) Family Biographical Stories.  Utilizing the facts that genealogists research, information can be presented in a way that descendants will want to read or see more about their ancestors lives versus dust covering their copy of your ancestral pedigree charts.  Bringing these stories of our ancestors to life will benefit future generations.

 

Presenter:  Paula R. Seeger. Paula is an ESG member and will share information she’s gathered over the years of research, interviewing and writing her family history and working with others to capture their story by voice recording, video recording, slide shows, biographies, family history memoires as well as interviewing nursing home residents and writing the text for a book of their legacy statements.

For more information, kindly visit our website at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  .