THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News 07 December 2016
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 go to www.gfo.org/calendar.htm.
Also, if you missed your free copy of our monthly Insider for November 2016, you’re in luck because we saved you a copy at http://www.gfo.org/insider/16-Nov.pdf.
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The weather outside might be frightful…
We’re in for some possible / probable snow and ice on the roads tomorrow, Thurs, Dec 8th.
Just a friendly public service reminder to please please call before coming to the library if there is snow or ice in the area. Even if schools are open, some of our Research Assistants, despite their other multi-faceted talents and superpowers, can’t get out even if the east side has thawed.
Call us at 503-963-1932 to double-check the GFO Library is open!
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It’s Never Too Late To Plan WAY Ahead!
Mark your calendars, folks, for one of the best Spring Seminars and Workshops the GFO has ever seen!!
John Philip Colletta will be presenting April 29-30, 2017
WHAT Immigration and Naturalization Research Topics
WHERE Saturday at the Milwaukie Center and Sunday at the GFO Library
HOW Why, just click HERE to for all the details and to register before all the seats get gobbled up!
REGISTER
Skagit Valley Genealogical Society
to present
“The Scandinavian Immigrant Experience”
BURLINGTON — The Skagit Valley Genealogical Society’s Saturday, January 14, 2017 meeting features the program: “The Scandinavian Immigrant Experience”. Guest speaker, professional genealogist, Linda Duffield, will discuss her research using the Pacific Lutheran University’s (PLU) archives and how to access this on-line information. SVGSmeets 1-3pm, Burlington Senior Center, 1011 Greenleaf Ave., (Use the east entrance). For details: skagitvalleygenealogy.org.
PLU is home to a collection called the “Scandinavian Immigrant Experiences”. The collection, stored in their Archives, is accessible for research in person or using an on-line database and includes oral interviews, taped conversations, and photographs.
This presentation will assist the audience in how to navigate the on-line access to documentation of the 282 immigrants interviewed by Pacific Lutheran University students. Come learn how this resource can help family historians discover more about their Pacific Northwest Scandinavian ancestors.
Do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? Just post to the WSGS Blog! You can reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state. Just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and the blog masters will do the rest.
We’re always looking to publicize local events and workshops, feature stories, updates from your society, and other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers.
We hope to hear from you soon! And don’t forget to encourage your Society members to subscribe to the Blog for the most up-to-date information from around the state.
You may manage your subscription options from your profile.
The Washington State Genealogical Society’s “Innovative Grant Program” is accepting applications. The deadline is March 1, 2017.
The grants, up to $100, are designed to support the inventive and creative efforts of WSGS-member societies and organizations. Up to five grants will be awarded in 2017.
Last year’s grant awards were made to:
• Jefferson County Genealogical Society – upgrade software designed to index and preserve more than 400,000 local records.
• Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society – promotion of adoption of “Coyote Reading a Candy Wrapper” sculpture. This project will be featured in an upcoming Blog post.
• Whitman County Genealogical Society – assist purchase of new society computer, 22” monitor and portable hard drive to ensure back-up of files.
The deadline for the Innovative Grant application is March 1, 2017. The simple application is only ONE page and is available here. Additional guidance on the program is here.
For more information, contact Roxanne Lowe, WSGS Recognition Chair, at roxanne@thekeeffes.com.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized almost 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 2016 award recipients and learn why they received the 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Patricia Deutsch
Today we’re introducing Patricia Deutsch of Seattle, Washington, who was nominated by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State (JGSWS). She was recognized for her organizational skills to improve access to the JGSWS holdings.
The JGSWS owns a collection of over 200 resources, including books, research guides, methodologies, atlases, histories and maps of particular interest to Jewish genealogists. This collection had previously been unavailable to members of the society having been stored in boxes at the Jewish Community Center and in one of the society member’s garage. Ms. Deutsch moved the collection to a more advantageous location, and made them available for members to use. She arranged the books on shelves for easy browsing and devised a system for the items to be loaned out to members for their use at home. These efforts have given the JGSWS members an additional way to improve their knowledge of research methods and resources and to further their own efforts to trace their families.
Ms. Deutsch’s efforts to improve access to their resources were much appreciated by the JGSWS, thus proving she richly deserved being a recipient of a 2016 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, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.
Take advantage of the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society (WAGS) Library’s extra day open next week! WAGS doesn’t usually have a membership meeting in December, so their librarians took matters into their own hands, and decided to open their library an extra day. Stop by on Monday, December 12, anytime from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Even in the midst of all your December busy-ness, here is an opportunity to do a bit of quiet research. Be sure to check out their new digital preservation equipment, and see how this technique might fit your goals for preserving and sharing your family’s genealogy!
The WAGS Library is located in the Museum Annex Building, 127 South Mission Street, Wenatchee (corner of Mission and Yakima). Besides this extra day, their regular library hours are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday and Saturday. Call the Library at 509-888-6246 or visit their website for more information.
*** Jacobus’ TAG article still good advice.
*** Swedish/Norwegian/Danish meatballs
*** DNA Quicksheets
Back in 1954, The American Genealogist (TAG) published an article by Donald Lines Jacobus, M.A., F.A.S.G. titled Tricks In Using Indexed Genealogy Books. He began his article with a touch of humor:
“Intelligent and experienced readers will, I fear, feel insulted to be told things they long have known. Those who are sure they know all the tricks that can be employed in handling the indexes in family histories are therefore requested to skip this page with a sniff of disdain.”
From the article I outlined his points for you:
** Many old family histories are just not indexed but somewhere along the line some group may have compiled an index.
** Many older family histories have a series of indexes and unless you pay attention and peek at only one, you won’t find much.
** Some family histories have indexes at the front and some in the middle…. “one 7-volume set has an index plump (sic) in the middle of the 7th volume!”
**Some family histories have a total, every-name index but some only the main surnames and not the married-in surnames.
** Some index these married-in surnames only by surname, not first name.
**Some list surnames with a string of pages numbers, rather than breaking the listing down by first name.
** Some names are indexed under spellings that you would never guess.
** Some index all spellings: Wooster/Worchester; Gaylord/Gaillard.
Jacobus ended his article with this: “Those who use the indexes in genealogical books must bear all the above factors in mind….. many (of these indexes) have been compiled by inexperienced people, some by careless people, and some by doctrinaires who followed their own eccentric—even bizarre–notions. The best and most experienced indexers are occasionally guilty of some oversight or of a lapse in judgement. The moral is for the searcher not to give up too easily……”
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News 30 November 2016
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 go to www.gfo.org/calendar.htm.
Also, if you missed your free copy of our monthly Insider for November 2016, you’re in luck because we saved you a copy at http://www.gfo.org/insider/16-Nov.pdf.
TIP OF THE WEEK – Family Tree DNA Tests on Sale
During the entire month of December, Family Tree DNA (FTDNA.COM), is having a substantial sale on their most popular DNA tests. Family Finder, the autosomal DNA test, is on sale for $59; this is a $40 savings from the regular $99 price. The mtDNA Full Sequence test is marked down to $179, a $20 savings, and the Y-DNA37 test is marked down $30 to $139. Some of the combination tests for male or female lines are also on sale. The Family Finder + mtfullSequence has been reduced to $228, a $70 savings, and the Family Finder + Y37 is now $188, an $80 savings. Sale prices will be in effect until 12/31/2016.