Tacoma Pierce County Gen Society Newsflash

by Charles Hansen

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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

by Charles Hansen

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???

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No wonder they left………. what would lure YOU away from such as this? See the drying codfish?

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Serendipity Day

by Charles Hansen

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.

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Father, Charles W. Granger, 1854-1935  //  Mother, Edith C. Granger, 1868-1962.

Right next to this was a marker for their son:

 

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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??

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Wenatchee Area GS Strategic Planning Leadership Duo 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.

Today we’re introducing Shirley Allmon Acheson and Barbara Barker Congdon who were nominated by the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society (WAGS). This dynamic duo made up the WAGS Strategic Planning Leadership Team.

Barbara Barker Congdon

Barbara Barker Congdon

Shirley Allmon Acheson

Shirley Allmon Acheson

Sharing insight gained at a Nonprofit Practices Institute seminar in 2012, this incredible pair facilitated a series of strategic planning sessions, greatly increasing the WAGS’s Board of Directors’ efficiency and purpose. Their exemplary teamwork enabled the board to develop and commit to a strategic plan, launching the society into a smoother, more efficient trajectory.

Ms. Acheson, an 18-year member of WAGS, graciously tackles a spectrum of volunteer tasks, giving her time, enthusiasm and considerable talent to website management, the WAGS “no-work fundraiser,” and maintenance of the Civil War Veterans database. She currently serves on the board of directors as a member-at-large.

Ms. Congdon is a career educator and avid researcher. Having grown up in Poulsbo, Washington, she was drawn to WAGS 20 years ago via their Genealogy Library resources and dedicated volunteers. She is a creative non-stop networker and enthusiastic promoter of WAGS. She is a frequent genealogy library volunteer, serves on the nominating committee, and currently is serving her second term as vice-president.

Ms. Acheson and Ms. Congdon are dedicated volunteers and richly deserve being recipients of a 2016 Outstanding Volunteer Team Award 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.

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.

Related to a Minnesota Medal of Honor Recipient?

by Roxanne Lowe

The Anoka (Minnesota) Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is publishing a book with biographies of 72 Minnesota Medal of Honor Recipients. The book includes the biography of three veterans with ties to Washington State.

  • Jesse T. Barrick was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Civil War. Barrick settled in Suquamish, Kitsap County in 1909 and died in Pasco, Franklin County in 1923. Barrick is buried in Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington.
  • Raymond Erwin Davis joined the U.S. Navy in Puget Sound, Washington. He was awarded a Peace Time Medal of Honor for heroic efforts to rescue comrades when a boiler exploded on the U.S.S. Bennington in San Diego in 1905. He died in Port Orchard, Kitsap County and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Seattle, King County.
  • Leo Thorsness was a Washington State Senator in 1988. Thorsness was a prisoner of war and the only Medal of Honor recipient credited with an aerial victory in the Vietnam War. Colonel Thorsness is one of a few living Medal of Honor recipients.

If you are interested in additional information or want to order a book, please contact:

Marijane Tessman
Member, Anoka Chapter DAR
763-561-2111
minncardinal@gmail.com

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’S Wednesday Evening E-News

by Charles Hansen

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THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’S Wednesday Evening E-News 05 October 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 August 2016, you’re in luck because we saved you a copy at http://www.gfo.org/insider/16-Aug.pdf.

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