Genealogy Forum of Oregon Special Weather Announcement

by Charles Hansen

Special Weather Announcement
from the GFO for
15 December 2016

We’re in for some possible snow and ice on the roads today, Thurs, Dec 15th, and again throughout the weekend.
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 may still not be able to safely get to the library to throw open the doors that you love. While we humbly apologize for any inconvenience, we also beg that you be safe yourself!
Call us at 503-963-1932 to double-check whether the weather has not allowed the GFO Library to open!

 

Ginny Majewski Elected WSGS President

by Roxanne Lowe

Virginia “Ginny” Majewski

Virginia “Ginny” Majewski from Sequim has been elected President of the Washington State Genealogical Society for the 2017 – 2018 term. Currently, Ginny is WSGS Secretary and also President of the Clallam County Genealogical Society. She replaces Mikal McKinnon from Richland who presided over the society for two terms, 2013 – 2017.

In other election news, Karin Coppernoll from Monroe and Opal Myhres from Yakima were elected Secretary and Region 5 Representative (Kittitas, Klickitat, and Yakima counties), respectively.

For more information about Ginny and Karin, read the 01 Dec 2017 blog post.

Lewis County’s Ulster Workshop Team Awarded 2016 Outstanding Team Award

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 a 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Ulster Workshop Team

Ulster Workshop Team

Today we’re introducing the Ulster Workshop Team who was nominated by the Lewis County Genealogical Society (LCGS). Team members included Leslee Dunlap, Leslie Parnell, Patricia Olsen, Joann Hulse, Sam McReynolds, Margie Lloyd, and Pam Hopwood.

Braving significant financial risk by the small society, the workshop team took on the herculean task of hosting the Ulster Historical Foundation on one of only 12 stops on its 2016 North American tour. Members of the team worked countless hours advertising the event, coordinating with the host facility, arranging door prizes and making decorations for the event. As a result of their efforts, nearly 100 enthusiastic attendees enjoyed a day of learning and discovery.

The group did an outstanding job of advertising, organizing, and executing the workshop. As a result, they are richly deserving of being named 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.

German Interest Group of Eastside Genealogical Society Meeting

by Charles Hansen

The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society will meet on Friday, January 6, 2017, from 1 to 3 pm in the Relief Society Room of the LDS Church at 10675 NE 20thSt, Bellevue, WA 98004 with doors opening at 12:45 pm for networking. For more information, kindly visit our website at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  .   Visitors are always welcome at our meetings.

 

Topic: “Finding the German Village of Birth for Grietje (Wienenga) Bode”

Jill Morelli will share how she learned the name of the German village where Grietje was born in 1850.   Ostfriesland is located in the extreme northwest corner of Germany and its isolation resulted in many differences of culture and customs from the more typically studied Palatine and Bavaria sections of the country. Come hear about this little known area of Germany, it’s relationship with The Netherlands, the people’s emigration patterns, and the cultural norms they brought to Midwest America. If you are Ostfriesen–even better!

Speaker: Jill Morelli is a professional genealogist who lives in the Pacific Northwest and lectures across the country specializing in methodology, 19th century Midwest and her Scandinavian and Northern German ancestors. She belongs to numerous societies, is currently President of Seattle Genealogical Society and shares her enthusiasm for her passion with whoever will listen.  You can find her at http://genealogycertification.wordpress.com where she blogs about the lessons she has learned while being “on the clock” and her journey to become a certified genealogist.

 

Eastside Genealogical Society January Meeting

by Charles Hansen

The Eastside Genealogical Society will meet on Thursday, January 12, 2017 in the Bellevue Regional Library (Room 1), 1111 – 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6:45 pm for networking.

Topic: “Maps and Genealogy”

Genealogists have many tools to describe what our ancestors did. Maps allow us to describe where they did it. This presentation will demonstrate how to build a custom ancestral map in Google Earth.  Resources to build a custom map, like the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries and U.S. Geological Survey, will be discussed. Other online mapping resources, some directly applicable to Google Earth and some not, will also be discussed.

 

Presenter: Joe Flint

Joe has been doing Genealogy for about 16 years. He is a retired computer programmer and has a Bachelor degree in History from the University of Washington. (Go Dawgs!)  He has been fascinated with maps since childhood and is eager to share the wonders of Maps and Genealogy.

 

Also see our website for FREE genealogical help and other Special Interest Group meetings. Visitors are always welcome at all meetings. www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wakcegs/

 

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News

by Charles Hansen

 

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.

***

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!

***

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

 

 

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Skagit Valley Genealogical Society The Scandinavian Immigrant Experience

by Charles Hansen

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.

How to Post on the Blog

by Roxanne Lowe

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.

Now’s the Time to Apply for Innovative Grant

by Roxanne Lowe

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.