The Puget Sound Civil War Roundtable is hosting a monument rededication ceremony at Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park (east side of SR99) on October 20th at 1:00 p.m. The monument is to Hiram Randall Gale, the last Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) national commander and the last living Civil War veteran in Washington State. For more information, visit the Puget Sound Civil War Roundtable website.
Genealogical Forum of Oregon Workshop Sold Out
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’sSpecial News FlashSunday’s Workshop SOLD OUT16 October 2016 |
THIS SUNDAY’s WORKSHOP IS SOLD OUT!!We sincerely apologize for any confusion, but this Sunday’s Workshop with Mr. Taylor is SOLD OUT. The Library will be closed until 1pm. NO FAMILY TREE MAKER CLASSAgain, we apologize for any inconvenience, but to make room for the sold out workshop, the Family Tree Maker class has been canceled. Researchers and general visitors to the Library are welcome to share the GFO’s Library resources after 1pm on Sunday, October 16th. Thanks so much for your understanding and consideration. Sincerely, The GFO |
Seattle Genealogical Society Fall Seminar
Reminder!
The SGS Fall Seminar is this Saturday at
Fairview Christian School!
Haven’t signed up? No problem! Sign up online –
$50 for members, $60 for non-members.
Go to http://seattlegenealogicalsociety.org/2016-fall-seminar-information
We will also accept walk-in registrations at the door.
Eastern Washington GS’s Tuesday Gals Awarded 2016 Outstanding Team Award
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 a 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Today we’re introducing the Tuesday Gals Team who were nominated by the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society (EWGS). Members of this dedicated team include Carol Anderson, Patricia Ayers, Patricia Bayonne-Johnson, Barbara Brazington, Mary Holcomb, Juanita McBride and Dolly Webb.
EWGS’s Tuesday Gals
Started in the 1950s, the “Tuesday Gals” are a longtime tradition of Gene-Helpers in the local library. In addition to helping people with genealogical research, the Tuesday Gals support EWGS’s genealogical holdings that are housed in the downtown branch of the Spokane Public Library by ordering books, binding and/or repairing them and cataloging them. Although they’re usually at the library on Tuesday’s (thus the name), they’re quick to help if needed on a different day.
This group of dedicated volunteers richly deserve being recipients of a 2016 Outstanding Volunteer Team by the Washington State Genealogical Society.
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.
Alice Whitman Chapter DAR Meeting
Saturday – 15 Oct 2016
ALICE WHITMAN CHAPTER
DAR is “Historic Preservation – Education – Patriotism”
Ridge Point Clubhouse, 1400 SE Fancy Free Drive, Pullman WA
Luncheon at 12:00 Noon — Meeting begins at 1 p.m.
Hostesses: Mmes. Lohrey-Birch, Dillman, Petura, Muir, Trail, Hawbaker
Please RSVP by 12 Oct with lunch count to Doris Lohrey-Birch – ph 509-338-0425
Program: DAR Museum – Period Rooms
Speaker: Joye Dillman, CDIT
Directions to Ridge Pointe Clubhouse:
From South, continue on WA27 (ignore the bypass) to enter Pullman, turn right onto Bishop Blvd at the first stoplight (about 1.2 miles). Proceed on Bishop through the next two stop lights (about ¾ mile) then turn left into Ridge Pointe and hang a tight left onto Fancy Free Drive. The clearly marked Clubhouse will be around the bend and on your right. It is two miles from the bypass). Ridge Pointe entry is directly across from the emergency entrance to Pullman Regional Hospital.
Directions from East: Enter via 270 Pullman/Moscow Highway. Turn left at the Bishop Blvd intersection and stay on Bishop as it winds past the river and curves up the hill. Turn right into Ridge Point community. The turn is directly across the small sign marking the emergency entrance to the hospital. It’s about 8/10 mile from the turnoff from 270.
Parking: There are spaces in front of the clubhouse and a few across the street. Also a group of about six spaces on the left at the dead end of Fancy Free at the next left.
Ancestry Day — Quite a Day
Over 700 enthusiastic genealogists and family history buffs, new and experienced, packed into the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center recently for Ancestry Day.
People lined up to talk to Crista Cowan at Ancestry Day — we couldn’t get enough of her!
Many of us had attended the previous day’s lectures at the Washington State History Museum (see my 9/24/16 blog post), but Saturday, Sept. 25, was the “main event,” sponsored by genealogy records giant Ancestry.com. After an opening welcome by Secretary of State Kim Wyman and presentation of the colors by the Washington State Color Guard, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), we launched into “Ancestry 101, a Beginner’s Basics Class” with Crista Cowan, the Barefoot Genealogist. (I’m always amazed at how much new info I can learn in a “beginners” class!) Crista has been employed by Ancestry since 2004, and really knows her stuff. (Check out her YouTube Channel for a plethora of genealogy videos.) Her witty stories and valuable lessons entertained us all day.
After the beginner’s class, Crista guided us through the benefits (and cautions) about shaky leaf hints (that don’t shake anymore), family trees, suggested records and the card catalog (her personal favorite resource). My only wish during the info-packed hour was that there was a handout — nearly got writer’s cramp taking notes as fast as I could!
Meet the Board: Charles Hansen
Do you know who’s running the show at the Washington State Genealogical Society? Did you know we have an Executive Committee, six standing committee chairs and three appointed non-elected officers? Who are all these people? In the coming months, we’ll introduce them to you, so you can say “hi” the next time you see them.
Web Blog Manager Charles Hansen
In our new “Meet the Board” series, we’re introducing you to Charles Hansen from Spokane. Charles is WSGS’s Blog Master, as well as chair of the Resource Guide Project. He is a longtime member of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society where he serves as their Registered Agent, email chair, chief researcher (since 1998), head of library volunteers and one of their bloggers.
We know him as Charles, but he was born Charles Michael Hansen and called “Mike” by his family for as long as he can remember – probably to avoid confusion with his maternal grandfather Charles Rupert Kelly after whom he was named. His middle name honored his paternal grandfather Anton Mikkel Hansen.
Born in Spokane, Charles graduated from Washington State University in Pullman in 1971. For many years, he’s been an “Enrolled Agent,” someone considered by the IRS to be the equivalent of a CPA – able to do examinations, collections and appeals. In case you were wondering, the name Enrolled Agent came about soon after the Civil War when Enrolled Agents were authorized by the government to fill out paperwork for the veterans and families of the veterans for benefits provided by the government.
Charles and his grandfather Charles Kelly, Aunt Mayme McMichael and his grandmother Cleo Kelly
Charles became interested in genealogy back in 1990 after he and his sister Jacque decided to hold a family reunion. They started looking for their Hansen relatives – not an easy task considering that Charles and Jacque have more than 100 second cousins! After corresponding with their Dad’s first cousin Lorraine Erickson, a Family History Center volunteer in Arizona, Lorraine sent them a group sheet — something Charles and Jacque had never seen before! Lorraine suggested they send blank group sheets with the reunion packets. Imagine their surprise when they got 350 family group sheets back! They dutifully typed the information into a program called the “Enhanced Family Tree” and printed a book for everyone that came to the reunion.
That started the ball rolling. Wanting to find out more about their family, they took a beginning genealogical course through the local community college taught by Donna Potter-Phillips, past president of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society — and WSGS Vice President. She encouraged Charles and Jacque to join EWGS and the rest is, well…history.
A tip from Charles: I didn’t record who sent me each group sheet, so for the first 500 names in my genealogical file today most have no sources, but I do have the hard copy group sheets. Also the Enhanced Family Tree program did not have the ability to save data as a GEDCOM so when I switched to a better program, I had to retype all the data I had.
Charles and Jacque recently returned from a road trip to visit family and the Montana State Genealogical Society conference in Missoula to hear Judy Russell and Amy Crow. Charles has also visited Minnesota where the five original Hansen brothers settled. He’s also got ancestors from Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, New England, Denmark, England, Scotland and Germany.
When Charles isn’t blogging on the WSGS Blog (or his own blog http://charles-mikkelshus.blogspot.com/), researching at the county courthouse, volunteering at EWGS or doing his own genealogy, he’s out in his garden puttering here and there.
More trivia about Charles:
- His favorite color is blue.
- His favorite dessert is ice cream.
- His most used genealogy website is the Washington State Digital Archives – where he’s transcribed over 523,000 records!
- He says the single word that best describes him is “introvert.”
Now you know a little more about one of the WSGS Board members. The next time you see Charles, say hello and thank him for his service to the WSGS.
Tacoma Pierce County Gen Society Newsflash
The next Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Monthly Meeting is Tuesday, October 11, 2016.
Do you still have a brick wall that needs to be broken through, or do you still need that one bit of information on where you could look to find the ancestor that seems to hiding so well? We want to help, so October’s meeting is going to start off with “Your Brickwall”. Join us at 6pm on October 11th and bring your questions (or answers for others) and let see if we can’t break through that wall.
Then, after our short business meeting, we will have a presentation from Liz Osborn, one of our TPCGS members, on her historic family cookbook, and how it all started with a phone call…..do you have Grandma’s recipe for……how many of us have asked that question before! What a great adventure Liz and her daughter had on creating the cookbook…I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Hope to see everyone there! And remember, visitors are always welcome, so bring a friend.
TPCGS monthly meetings are held September – May at Bates Technical College, South Campus, Building E, 2201 South 78th St., Tacoma. Meetings are from 6pm – 9pm. In between the two talks, there will be a short business meeting along with a social time and light refreshments. Find more information at www.tpcgs.org
Serendipity Day
Quite short today; just back from cruising the coast of Norway. And it was fabulous (Hurtigruten; we recommend it). I learned that second to Ireland, Norway lost the most folks to emigration and I could certainly imagine why. Too many rocks, too little farm area, too few forests, rocks, cold seawater, monotonous diet (cod), etc. Apparently many left from Trondheim where next to a statue of Leif Ericson (hubby John posing) there was a 30-foot long wall with plaques bearing the names and dates of many of those emigrants. Is all this info in a database somewhere???
No wonder they left………. what would lure YOU away from such as this? See the drying codfish?
Serendipity Day
Granger Tombstone Story
By Donna Potter Phillips, July 2016
Having a nice summer walk in my favorite place, Fairmount Cemetery (west end of Wellesley in Spokane) I happened to park right next to this grave marker.
Father, Charles W. Granger, 1854-1935 // Mother, Edith C. Granger, 1868-1962.
Right next to this was a marker for their son:
Louis (named after his paternal grandfather) was born in 1893 in Washington and died on 21 Jun 1919 at the family home in Nine Mile Falls.
According to the history etched upon his tombstone, Louis served as a member of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. The 91st Division was constituted in 1917 at Camp Lewis, Washington and departed for England in the summer of 1918. Louis was with his unit in Sept 1918 when they fought in France at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In 1919 the 91st Division was inactivated at the Presidio in San Francisco.
Louis died on 21 Jun 1919 and I wonder if it was from wounds of war??