New Blog Banner Photos Posted

Have you noticed the Blog banner changes every time you visit? The photos are submitted by readers like you — and Donna Potter Phillips of Spokane who sent all the current photos in the banner. Her photographic wonders include Banks Lake, rhododendrons in Port Angeles, spring lilacs, fall leaves and the ferry Coho leaving Port Angeles for Victoria. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your talents!

We’re always looking for scenic photos of our beautiful state for the rotating photo gallery on the blog banner. It’s easy — just send a Washington State jpg image to wsgsblog@wasgs.org with a description of the photo. The blog masters will take care of the rest!

Let’s Talk About: Surprising Military Facts

Jun27 by Donna Phillips

(SSBN-617 Alexander Hamilton; on which my husband served during Cold War)Surely somebody in your family, or yourself, served America in a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. The scope and power of this group is truly fascinating. Consider:

1. The scope of our military is spread between six branches (Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard) and employs nearly 3,000,000 people with an annual budget of $700 billion. (All of this to keep you and me safe in our beds; do not forget.)

2. The Army is older than the country itself. George Washington led the first Continental Army in June of 1775.
3. The Department of Defense is the world’s biggest employer with about 2.91 million employees; the Army with its branches is the biggest employer.
4. The Department of Defense owns over 30,000,000 acres of land (bases, testing, training).
5. The Army is responsible for mapping the entire United States. The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery were an army unit and traveled 4900 miles over two years, mapping the way.
6. There have been only five 5-Star generals; the rank didn’t exist until 1944. It was retired in 1981 when Omar Bradley, the final recipient, died.
7. The Air Force used to be part of the Army. The U.S. Army Air Corps, formed in 1907, remained such for forty years until WWII and the need for an independent force was needed.
8. The Army is responsible for creating Ray-Ban sunglasses. In order to help Air Force pilots block the sun’s rays to reduce nausea and headaches while flying, Lt. General John MacCready asked Bausch & Lomb to create special glasses for them to wear.
9. The military used submarines as early as the Revolutionary War. Most people think of submarines as fairly modern inventions; however, the world’s first use of a submarine in warfare took place in 1776 when the American vessel The Turtle attempted to attach a time bomb to the bottom of the British ship Eagle in New York harbor. It was hand powered with only one person aboard; unfortunately the mission failed and the bomb blew up far away from its intended target.

Pacific Northwest SIG

Jun26 by Charles Hansen

Announcing the Pacific Northwest Genealogy SIG

Kenith Fritsche is leading a new Special Interest Group: Pacific Northwest (PNW) SIG. It is scheduled for the first Sunday of every month at 5:30 p.m. (Pacific), starting in July. It will be held online, via Zoom.

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) has a unique history, from hosting the most culturally diverse indigenous populations in the United States, to supporting the arrival of tens of thousands of Oregon Trail settlers, and cultivating the boom years of the Silicon Forest. The PNW region is a special collection of ethnicities, people, and culture that deserves to be studied and learned about. Please join us to discuss genealogy focused research topics, ideas, and project opportunities pertaining to the region.

Register to Attend the PNW Genealogy SIG

Lisa Vollrath Named One of WSGS’s Outstanding Volunteers in 2024

Jun25 by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 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 2024 award recipients and learn why they received they received a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Lisa Atkins Vollrath of Leavenworth, Washington who was selected by the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) as its recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Lisa just naturally likes to help others with their genealogy. Even though she lives 40 miles from Wenatchee, she volunteers at the library regularly, and sometimes even comes to town for extra shifts when others have to cancel.

Her patience and accuracy are exactly what we need for our indexing projects. She works on them in the library as well as at home.

During Covid, Lisa was approached to be our recording secretary, and because of the convenience of Zoom, she accepted. Without having to travel, she is able to take minutes at the board, membership and library team meetings. She is also part of the website team.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award” in the subject line.

Heritage Quest Research Library Genealogical Records in New England

Jun24 by Charles Hansen

Foundation for Eastern European Family History Studies Virtual Conference

Jun24 by Charles Hansen

On behalf of the Foundation for Eastern European Family History Studies (FEEFHS), I’m reaching out to share information about our upcoming virtual conference, taking place August 6–8, 2025. We hope this may be of interest to your members, and we’d be grateful if you’d consider sharing it in your social media or newsletter channels.

We’re currently offering an early bird registration discount for anyone who registers before July 6th. I’ve attached an image below with more information that you’re welcome to use.

If you or your members have any questions about the conference, please feel free to reach out. And if your society has any upcoming events or announcements that might be relevant to our audience, we’d love to feature you in our social media or newsletter as well.

Thank you for your continued work in the field of genealogy!

Warm regards,
Emma Ruddy

FEEFHS Board Member

CONTACT: ruddy.genealogist@gmail.com

Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Legacy Family Tree SIG July 2025

Jun24 by Charles Hansen

Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Legacy Family Tree SIG Meeting
Tuesday, July 1, 2025, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm virtual via Zoom

This is our monthly meeting to share tips & tricks, problems & solutions. Sometimes we will watch videos or share our screens to aid in learning more about using Legacy Family Tree software.

Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in the learning. If you are just thinking about trying Legacy for the first time, you’ve been using it for a year or two or you are an old pro with many years of experience using Legacy this is the group for you. If you have any suggestions for future topics, please send them in.

We look forward to meeting with you, every month on the First Tuesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time
Download: Meeting invite with Links

Meeting Invite with Links in file attached below:

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Monthly Calendar Reminder: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYpfuyuqDovHNwtBgxtQjWKOjDQ8k5Q9bPD/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqjIvHNKUtR-PRpwQBor4Z-7wpn5Ygo1KiD3iGzRiaDTdGehmA-p0RemJ

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82495661568?pwd=dy85YmluVzF5aEU4SzFTcTUrVDlTUT09

Meeting ID: 824 9566 1568
Passcode: 715731

One tap mobile:
+12532050468,,82495661568#,,,,*715731# US
+12532158782,,82495661568#,,,,*715731# US (Tacoma)

Dial by your location:
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 824 9566 1568
Passcode: 715731

Find your local number:
https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcphK19I1E

Let’s Talk About: Cigar Store Indians

Jun24 by Donna Phillips

(Skaneateles, New York)

Have you ever seen a “real” cigar store Indian? Weren’t they often seen in days of yore?

The cigar store Indian was an advertisement figure, in the likeness of a Native American, used to represent tobacconists. The figures were often three-dimensional wooden sculptures measuring several feet tall. They are still used for their original advertising purpose but today are more often seen as decorations or advertising collectibles.

Why wooden Indians to sell tobacco??? Because of general illiteracy of the populace, early store owners used descriptive emblems of figures to advertise their shops’ wares; for example, barber poles advertise barber shops and the three gold balls represent pawn shops. American Indians and tobacco had always been associated because American Indians introduced tobacco to Europeans. As early as the 17th century, European tobacconists used figures of American Indians to advertise their shops.

Don’t we still today look for advertising images??? The Golden Arches? The Starbucks mermaid? The Nike swoosh?

Let’s Talk About: Balloons Bomb Oregon?

Jun20 by Donna Phillips

In the last desperate year of WWII, the Japanese attacked the American continent with thousands of large balloons carrying bombs.

Using the newly discovered Jet Stream, the first such weapon was launched from Honshu, directly beneath the Jet Stream, on 3 Nov 1944. U.S. officials at first thought the balloons were errant weather balloons. Between that November and the following July, some 9000 bombs were launched and 268 of them making it to North America.

Imagine! These balloons were constructed by Japanese school children to paste together paper balloons in seven factories near Tokyo. By 1944, Japan was suffering acute wartime material shortages.

The only American fatalities were the Mitchell family. On Sunday, May 5, 1945, the Rev. Archie Mitchell and his pregnant wife, Elsie, were taking five of their Sunday School students on a picnic near their home in Bly, Oregon. As Mitchell was parking his car, he heard his wife call out: “Look what we found! It looks like some kind of balloon!” Before Mitchell could warn his wife to keep away, the bomb went off. Elsie and four boys were instantly killed and one girl died later from her injuries. The above image is of a memorial to those dear Americans.

The really sad part of this tale is that the War Department had known about these balloons since December, 1944, but had its Office of Censorship keep information out of the news in order not to cause panic. That press blackout was lifted o May 22 in an effort to prevent further injuries or deaths.

Sources: Charles Apple’s Further Review in The Spokesman Review newspaper, 4 May 2025; The Pacific Northwesterner, Summer 1976, article by Randall A. Johnson: image from Wikipedia.

Hazel Thornton Named One of WSGS’s Outstanding Volunteers in 2024

Jun18 by Roxanne Lowe

Today we’re introducing Hazel Leise Thornton of Wenatchee, Washington who was selected by the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) as its recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Hazel became interested in genealogy when computers first came into our lives in the early ‘90s. By the early 2000s, she was busy volunteering at the Puget Sound Genealogical Society in Kitsap County. Early in 2020, their loss became WAGS’s gain when she moved to Wenatchee.

Hazel volunteered immediately to help where and how she could. We gave her a big job — membership chair – and she jumped right in, learning the website’s membership procedures and offering suggestions to improve the service in the future. Besides heading up membership, she works as a librarian, board member, and on the website advisory team. She always has her eye out for things that can be better organized or improved. Her energy and passion are vital to our organization’s success!

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award” in the subject line.