Seattle Genealogical Society Announcements and Calendar

Seattle

LISA CHAN, VOLUNTEER OF THE FALL QUARTER

The Board of Directors has chosen Lisa Chan as SGS Volunteer of the Fall Quarter. Her contributions as the first technology director, and currently as chair of the technology committee, have hugely benefited the society. Lisa introduced us to Google Apps for Non-Profits, a suite of applications and cloud storage provided at no cost to the society. SGS files have been moved from hardcopy or storage on individual computers to a common SGS Drive where they can seamlessly be accessed by all board officers. She has made many SGS Library IT improvements including internal networking and patron computer upgrades. Plus she has been overhauling the SGS website which is so vital to our community outreach efforts.

On the first and third Tuesday of each month from 12:30-3:00 pm, Lisa offers her popular “Technology Tuesday” with discussions on technology, genealogical software, genetic research, internet resources and much more. Be sure to check the eNews! or the SGS website calendars for the webinars Lisa occasionally presents at the SGS library.

Lisa’s interest in genealogy began in 2014 after an autosomal DNA test from 23andMe led her to research the hundreds of matches received. She interviewed her maternal grandmother and learned about her maternal grandfather’s family in southern Illinois, discovering fifth great grandparents buried there, as well as third great grandparents from Ostfriesland, Germany. Relations are still living in the Illinois community the family had helped to settle. Her grandmother entrusted her with records passed down in the family, and Lisa has solved a good number of the “brick walls” going back seventy or more years in family members’ research. Last summer about ten family members met in Illinois near the burial area of shared ancestors Alexander Rhodes (1787) and Elizabeth Poteet (1790). With the help of autosomal DNA analysis Lisa was able to discover her biological father and found that she had both a living half brother and paternal grandmother, as well as many newly found cousins. Her interests in family history led her to join SGS, though her first ancestors in our area were second great grandparents who moved here in the 1940s. Lisa reports that these genealogical discoveries she has made over the last two years have been immeasurably enriching.

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Forgotten Civil War Veteran To Be Honored

Dec1 by Roxanne Lowe

Due to the dogged commitment of a Kent couple, with a passion for searching for remains of veterans lying in unmarked graves and obtaining proper headstones for them, a Civil War veteran and his wife will be buried with full military honors on 10 Dec at the Tahoma National Cemetery near Kent.

Read more about the amazing journey of James Powers and his wife Irene who died in 1921 and 1928, respectively, in this Tacoma News Tribune article.

More information about the burial is available in this blog article.

Gift Idea: Washington Pioneer Certificate

Nov30 by Roxanne Lowe

If your ancestor was one of the 350,000 people who lived in the Washington Territory when it became the nation’s 42nd state on 11 Nov 1889, you may be eligible for a Washington Pioneer certificate. Or if your ancestors arrived a little later — before 31 Dec 1900 — you can get a First Citizen certificate. What a great gift for yourself and your family members!

We began the Washington State Centennial Pioneer Certificate Program in 1984 in anticipation of the state’s centennial admission to the union in 1889. The initial certificates were issued to applicants who could prove their ancestors were in Washington Territory prior to 11 Nov 1889. Those descendants’ names, almost 18,000, were printed in a two-volume set of

books entitled “Washington Pioneers” in 1992. A third volume, published in 1993, included Pioneers and First Citizens (those in the state on or before 31 Dec 1900). The three original volumes are out of print, but an index is available here. WSGS members have access to family lineages in the Members’ Only section of the website.

Pioneer and First Citizen Certificates are still being issued, although they are published only on the WSGS website at this time. If you can prove your ancestor was in Washington prior to 11 Nov 1889, you may be eligible to purchase a Pioneer Certificate. If your ancestor was in Washington on or before 31 Dec 1900, you may be eligible for a First Citizen Certificate. More information, including resources to prove residency, is available in the Pioneer and First Citizen Program brochure. An application and instructions are available here.

Society Award Deadlines Set

Nov30 by Roxanne Lowe

Local genealogical societies:

The deadlines for WSGS awards to local societies have been set. We are encouraging you to promote your society’s activities and accomplishments by submitting a nomination.

Outstanding Communication – The WSGS Outstanding Communication Award is awarded to a local society that promotes its society and/or genealogy and family history to its members and/or the public. The award includes all forms of communication, including websites, social media, newsletters, lectures, videos, podcasts, etc. The nomination deadline is 01 Feb 2017. The application is available here.

Outstanding Project – The WSGS Outstanding Project Award is awarded to a local genealogical society or organization in recognition of exceptional genealogical or historical projects implemented during the past year. The nomination deadline is 01 Feb 2017. The application is available here.

President’s Award: The WSGS President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations. The nomination deadline is 15 Feb 2017. The nomination form and additional details are available here.

For more information, contact Roxanne Lowe, Chair, Recognition Committee at roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Bainbridge Island Gen Society Newsflash

Nov30 by Charles Hansen

bainbridge-island

November 28, 2016

The Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS) will meet Friday, December 16, at the LDS church on Bainbridge Island, 8677 Madison Avenue, from 10:00 AM until 12 noon, for our annual “Holiday Show and Tell” gathering of members sharing ancestral tales, treasures, and research aids (e.g., pictures, letters, bibles, trinkets, etc) and/or tell about a discovery, progress, a breakthrough or other highlight of the year. After a brief sharing, there will be an opportunity to walk around to see each other’s treasures, to visit, and to share a holiday treat. This is a very good time to visit if you are interested in becoming a member. For more information go to www.bigenealogy.org, or call 206-842-4978. BIGS is a 501c(3) non-profit organization.

Thank you!

Sylvia H. Nelson

Director of Publicity and Public Relations

Michele Cozad Awarded 2016 Outstanding Volunteer Honor

Nov30 by Roxanne Lowe

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.

Michele Cozad

Today we’re introducing Michele Cozad of Arlington, Washington, who was nominated by the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). She was recognized for her active volunteerism and many years of service to the society.

Ms. Cozad currently serves as SVGS and Northwest Genealogy Conference secretary and is vital to the success of the organization. Her exemplary recordkeeping skills keep all committees on track. She is also a gifted writer creating entertaining and informative pieces which are published, gaining the society great local press. She has been a librarian at SVGS since 2014 and serves on the Tombstone and Membership committees, and takes the lead on multiple conference teams.

Ms. Cozad also represents SVGS at many community events and at statewide genealogy seminars. In addition, she can be counted on to help others. Her delightful personality makes her a great asset to SVGS, and illustrate that 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.

WSGS Elections Open December 1

Nov29 by Roxanne Lowe

WSGS members will receive a link to their election ballot via email on Thursday, 01 Dec. Offices on the ballot include President, Secretary and Regional Representatives in Regions 1, 3, 5 and 7. Below are profiles for President candidate Virginia Majewski and Secretary candidate Karin Coppernoll.

Virginia “Ginny” Majewski

Virginia “Ginny” Majewski of Sequim, Washington, is running to serve as WSGS President for the next two-year term. For the past two years, she has served as the WSGS Secretary and a member of the Executive Committee. Prior to that she was the Regional Representative for Region 3 (Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason and Thurston counties). She has served as President and on the Board of Directors for Clallam County Genealogical Society for many years. She has given a number of presentations for various societies and Family History Centers throughout Jefferson, Clallam and Kitsap Counties.

Ginny has worked on her personal family history for over 20 years. She attended the National Institute of Genealogical Studies, University of Toronto and graduated with a certification in advanced genealogical studies in both American Records and Methodology.

Ginny’s personal statement: Genealogy is one of my passions. The past 10 years have brought about a tremendous amount of change in genealogy with so many advances in science and technology. We need to keep informed and relevant if both WSGS and local societies are to survive. I believe that WA State Genealogical Society can be a resource and help to local societies. The Board has been working hard the past few years to make WSGS more visible, active and relevant and I hope to continue that effort — and more.

Karin Coppernoll

Karin Coppernoll of Monroe, Washington, is running to serve as WSGS Secretary for the next two-year term.

Karin is a professional genealogist with more than 30 years of experience research her family history. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, as well as two state genealogical societies and trustee of her local historical society. She is also a member of Sno-Isle Genealogical Society.

Karin has a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University and has attended the Salt Lake City Institute of Genealogy. For more information about Karin, visit her website.

Karin’s personal statement: I’m excited about the opportunity to serve genealogists and local societies in Washington on the state board. It’s my way to share my passion and experiences in the wonderful world of genealogy and family history.

Serendipity Day

Nov26 by Charles Hansen

*** Legacy Family Tree Webinars: Great Idea & Value

*** Grandpa’s Moustache cup

*** Funny names in YOUR family tree?

*** Researching UK Vital Records Getting Easier

*** More Washington Trivia

Online learning, or personal-to-you-at-home learning, is a great thing. Legacy Family Tree Webinars fill this bill entirely. And they’re having a Black Friday sale! With membership, you get all the new webinars as well as having access to the webinar archives. I signed up and have mentally committed myself to viewing these webinars and increasing my research knowledge. How about you?

Legacy Family Tree Webinars – Yearly Membership

Price: $49.95 $34.95 annually

1 year unlimited access to our recorded webinars at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com. Also includes access to the instructors’ handouts, chat logs from live webinars, and 1 year of 5% off anything in the store (must be logged in at checkout), and a chance for a bonus subscribers-only door prize during each live webinar.

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Do you have a cup that looks sorta like this? Know what it is? It’s a moustache cup! From Wikipedia: The moustache cup (or mustache cup) is a drinking cup with a semicircular ledge inside. The ledge has a half moon-shaped opening to allow the passage of liquids and serves as a guard to keep moustaches dry. It is generally acknowledged to have been invented in the 1860s by British potter Harvey Adams (born 1835). These cups were specifically constructed so men could drink from them without wetting their perfectly groomed moustaches.

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What were those momma’s thinking? I keep coming across really (to me) bizarre first names for yesterday’s children. How about Barzilla? Ambrosia? The Family Tree Magazine , Jul-Aug 2015, had an article on this topic and listed these names: Petronella, Quixana, Hyacinthe Flower (for a boy!), Kunagunda, Hatevil, Cincinnatus and Orange. Those are not Bible names!

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A recent blurb-update from NGS (National Genealogical Society) shouted that the GRO (General Records Office) in England now has FOR FREE and online indexes to all their birth and death records that have been already been digitized. The index is accessible via the GOV.UK website. Once at the website, this question pops up: “What would you like to do?” You then choose what you want: Search the GRO Indexes, Place an Order, Find out about GRO services, contact GRO, or Find out about researching my family history. Is this is a genealogical need for you, do check it out.

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Who does not know that the headquarters of Microsoft Corporation is in Redmond (north of Seattle)? That the Gov. Albert D. Rosellini Bridge at Evergreen Point is the longest floating bridge in the world? The bridge connects Seattle and Medina across Lake Washington. That Washington is the birthplace of both Jimi Hendrix (Seattle) and Bing Crosby (Tacoma)?

May I post a contest question to YOU: Bet you know that Seattle is the biggest city in Washington but what is the teeniest incorporated town??? Email me at Donna243@gmail.com.

Olympia Genealogical Society Meeting

Nov26 by Charles Hansen

ogsname ogslogog

WRITING YOUR MEMOIRS will be presented by Delores Nelson at the December meeting of Olympia Genealogical Society. Join us on Thursday December 8 at 7 pm at Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152.

Thank you, JOYCE OGDEN, publicity

======================================================================= Joyce T. Ogden jtogden@comcast.net

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News

Nov24 by Charles Hansen

GFO1

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News Early Edition 23 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.

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We cordially wish you a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

thanksgiving

Our Holiday Hours This Week… A gentle reminder that the GFO Library will be closed from 1pm today, Wednesday, November 23rd, until 9:30am on Friday, November 25th. Just think of all the fun turkey-filled stories we’ll have to swap!

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