Serendipity Friday

*** British Isles Research Seminar…FREE

*** BYU Family History Library Teaching Videos….FREE

*** What the FHL will and will not accept; guide for all?

*** QuirKy Genealogy….new to us here in Washington

*** Gotta love the Quaker marriage records 🙂

The Family History Library is presenting a British Isles Research Seminar from 13-17 March 2017 at the FHL in Salt Lake City. Classes include topics for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. AND IT’S FREE! If you can attend in person, super. But if you cannot, you can attend via webinar. Use this link to register: http://bit.ly/2hYNra4* . “All handouts will be made available digitally and will be made available for download at: http://bit.ly/2hZKOqi . (Yes, those are crazy looking web addresses.) The brochure I’m looking at lists 13 classes from which to choose….

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As long as we’re on the topic of webinars, here is another opportunity for FREE genealogical learning. The BYU Family History Library offers about fifty different videos on their YouTube channel that offer free genealogical learning to you. Click to www.YouTube.com and search for the BYU Family History Library channel. (Didn’t know that YouTube had channels? Yep, just like TV, it does!)

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Any society library has faced this situation: a member passes on and their relative bring in boxes of their research…which they profess not to want and it may be organized or messy. In any case, most time a genealogical society will sadly turn down such a donation. Does your society need guidelines for donations? The Family History Library has a one page Gifts, Donations and Loans policy sheet. Google these words: donations genealogy. This will take you to the FamilySearch WIKI; then click an embedded link to the above title. Good, bottom line, advice.

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Evelyn Roehl, APG member, and one “who has been hunting for ancestors as a livlihood since 1995” is offering “a monthly info-sharing service for you by Kin Hunters, Seattle, Washington, USA.” The February 2017 edition (two pages) gave a tip for finding names in the census and the quirks for same: “When is a surname not a real surname?” She says that next month’s topic will be “Field of dreams…” Evelyn’s email is kinhunters@gmail.com. Send her a quick message and request to be added to her mailing list for her QuirKy Genealogy Tip Sheet of the Month. You won’t be sorry you did.

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Browsing through the Minutes of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting I came upon this entry, dated 7 Oct 1685: “Edmond Bennett and Elizabeth Potts appear the second time and declare their intentions of marriage, all things appearing clear, friends left them to their liberty for consummating the same.”

NW Genealogy Conference Registration Continues

Feb16 by Roxanne Lowe

“Where does your story begin? That’s the theme of the 2017 Northwest Genealogy Conference, featuring nationally acclaimed speakers Kenyatta Berry, Daniel Earl and Diahan Southard. August 16 – 19 in Arlington, Washington.

Don’t miss this top-notch conference, full of classes, vendors, networking and more! Register today: full three-day conference -$160, single day – $80. For more information and registration, visit the NWGC website.

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

Feb16 by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK – HAVE A PLAN!

Have an intractable problem? Have a real genealogical brick wall? Consider writing up a research plan. State what you are trying to accomplish or find, and then write up what you know. Revisit all the records while you are writing it up. Then list 5 resources you haven’t looked at–probate, obituaries, vital records, newspapers, land records etc. Now start the search, but with deliberation–write up the citation for each source you investigated and record your findings, even if nothing. Fresh eyes and a fresh initiative will often cause that wall to come tumbling down!

Seattle Genealogical Society News

Feb16 by Charles Hansen

VERDA R. HANSBERRY
August 19, 1919 – February 5, 2017

A life member of the Seattle Genealogical Society, Verda Romayne Hansberry, died on February 5, 2017, in Seattle. Verda, a librarian by profession, worked at the Seattle Public Library for much of her career. She worked in the Mobile Outreach Department, headed the the Circulation Department, and ultimately was Deputy City Librarian in charge of the Central Branch, as well as acting City Librarian in 1975. She also was president of the Washington Library Association in the early 1980s and was active on committees of the American Library Association.

Verda was the driving force in publishing three genealogy books about her father’s family, her mother’s family, and her husband’s ancestors. She is survived by her two sons, Russ (Kitty) Hansberry of Keller, Texas, and Doug (Patti) Hansberry of Beaverton, Oregon, and by her daughter, Anne Hansberry of Seattle, Washington.

A celebration of her life took place on February 10th. The family requests any donations in her memory should be made to the Seattle Genealogical Society or the Seattle Public Library Foundation.

You can read her full obituary or sign the guest book at:

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Verda-Hansberry&lc=4176&pid=184018647&uuid=3874a665-00db-48b0-a8ff-e983a37dd290

“Tracking Down Granddad” at SGS Library

Joyce Lindsey O’Keefe recently wrote a complimentary story about her experience at the SGS Library and the help she received from volunteers, Christine Shomaker and Jean Roth. This story was published in the February edition of the local magazine, Northwest Prime Time. The magazine can be found at King County Library locations as well as on-line. Check it out at :

http://northwestprimetime.com/news/2017/jan/29/tracking-down-granddad

Thank you, Joyce. We appreciate the recognition.

Continue reading →

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News

Feb16 by Charles Hansen

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News 15 February 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!

For a complete GFO CALENDAR click here.

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).

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TAKE US TO YOUR CANDIDATES! We still NEED YOUR HELP for candidate suggestions for March’s elections!

Continue reading →

Eastside Genealogical Society Meeting Thursday, March 9

Feb16 by Charles Hansen

The Eastside Genealogical Society will meet on Thursday, March 9, 2017 in the Bellevue Regional Library (Room 1), 1111 – 110^th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6:30 pm for networking.

Topic:

“Trails West: Crossing the Continent 1840-1869” – Before the transcontinental railroad was completed Easterners and Mid-Westerners began to settle the West. How did they get there and what was the journey like? Presentation covers overland and water routes with descriptions of the journey and using clues to discover how and when your ancestor traveled.

Mary Roddy

Speaker:

Mary Roddy, a Certified Public Accountant, has a certificate from the Genealogy and Family History program at the University of Washington. She speaks frequently in western Washington as well as at regional and national conferences. She is a regular contributor to YourGenealogyToday and Internet Genealogy magazines and a frequent webinar presenter with LegacyFamilyTree Webinars.

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

Ancestry to Offer Free Access to 1+ Billion UK and Irish Records

Feb15 by Charles Hansen

Ancestry.com has announced that it will be offering access to more than 1 billion UK and Irish records this weekend, Feb 17th through the 20th. If you have roots in England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales, and don’t currently have a paid Ancestry subscription, this is a great opportunity to do some no-cost research.

We’ve put together a quick Q&A below to help you take advantage of this free access.

When Will Access to These Records be Made Available?

According to Ancestry, these records will be made available at no cost from 2pm ET on Feb 17th to 11:59PM ET on Feb 20th.

What Collections Will Be Offered?

The collections included in the free access event can all be found here. The free access includes large collections covering wide geographical areas as well as small focused databases. Census records, vital records, parish registers, local histories, old newspapers, family history books, occupational records and more can be found in the list of included collections.

Some records that pertain to the US and Australia are also included, such as New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842 and Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania.

It is important to note that some of the collections, such as the UK Census and those from Find a Grave, can be found elsewhere online for free on a permanent basis. Others are only available online via Ancestry or other paid subscription sites.

Do I Need an Ancestry Account to Access These Records?

Usually, Ancestry requires that you have a free account with them before gaining access to any records on their site – this includes records they offer for free on a permanent basis and records offered during free record events like this one. A free account does not require any payment information to be entered and is different from a free trial.

If I Add These Records to My Family Tree on Ancestry Will I Still Have Access After the Weekend?

We’re glad you asked. The answer to this question is no, unless the record is already part of a free Ancestry record collection. To avoid losing access to these records once the free weekend ends you will need to download these records to your own computer. Simply adding them to your family tree, or saving them to your shoebox, is not enough. We have a how-to for downloading records from Ancestry here.

Visit the list of free record collections linked here starting Feb 17th at 2pm ET. Click on the collection of interest and conduct your search – you may need to sign up for a free account before you will be allowed to access a record. Remember to download any records you would like to keep to your computer, rather than simply adding them to your Ancestry family tree, or you will lose access after the 20th.

George Ridgeway, Jr. Awarded 2016 Outstanding Volunteer Honor

Feb15 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 next few weeks, you will be introduced to each of last year’s award recipients and learn why they received the 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

George Ridgeway, Jr.

Today we’re introducing George Ridgeway, Jr. of Mount Vernon, Washington, who was nominated by the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). He was recognized for his generosity of time and energy dedicated to SVGS.

Mr. Ridgeway has served as the local society’s president, vice president and webmaster. He has spent much of his time designing and maintaining the SVGS website. His most recent website additions include the addition of all newsletters since the organization of the society in 1987. He has added links for a blog, “Stories of our Ancestors” and a PayPal link allowing payment of membership dues and events. In addition, Mr. Ridgeway encouraged SVGS to hold an educational program series for beginners in Anacortes and Burlington, beginning in 2015 and still in operation.

Dedicated volunteers like Mr. Ridgeway are prized assets to any organization. That is why he 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.

Ulster Historical Foundation USA Lecture Tour

Feb15 by Charles Hansen

USA Lecture Tour, 05 March 2017 Tacoma, Washington

Want to discover your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors?

Many people believe that researching Irish ancestors is impossible because of the destruction of the Public Record Office in 1922. While many records were destroyed, others survived and large collections have come online in recent years.

Join Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt from the Foundation during their annual USA lecture tour to learn how to get the most out of Irish resources and records, gain strategies for breaking down brick walls, and grasp important historical context that may help fill in gaps in your research.

Whether you are just beginning your Irish research or have been at it for years, you won’t want to miss these workshops!

Fuller contact details with additional information can be found at: www.ancestryireland.com/northamericantour2017

Sunday, 05 March – Tacoma, WA (1:00pm–5:00pm)

Location: Pierce County Libraries, Administrative Center Library, 3005 112th St E, Tacoma, WA 98446

Host organisation: Lakewood and South Hill Libraries

Tel/e-mail: 253-548-3425 or 316-300-3383 (mobile)

www.facebook.com/events/618976198289299

Tuesday’s Trivia

Feb14 by Charles Hansen

Did you know where Fort Worden (in Port Townsend) got its name?

We all saw Officer and Gentleman filmed there, right? And perhaps we’ve been there, right?

But did you know it was named after U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden (1818-1897), commander of the USS Monitor during the Civil War?? In 1862, commanding the Union’s only warship of this class, USS Monitor, Worden challenged the Confederate vessel Virginia, a converted steam-frigate that had sunk a Union blockader and damaged two others. After a four-hour battle, both ships withdrew, unable to pierce the other’s armour.

But why was a fort 3000 miles from any event in his life, and where he had never been, named for him???? Politics??