Innovative Grant Deadline Nears

The deadline for applying for a WSGS Innovative Grant has been extended to June 1, 2016.

The grants, up to $100, are designed to support the inventive and creative efforts of WSGS-member societies and organizations. The awards do not have to be repaid — they’re FREE MONEY to support worthy projects. Up to five grants will be awarded in 2016.

Last year’s grant awards were made to:
•Chelan Valley GS for the purchase of a computer at the local library for the exclusive use of accessing Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
•Northeast Washington GS for the removal of diseased trees at a local pioneer cemetery.
•Skagit Valley GS for the purchase of a new computer for society presentations and transcription of documents at the regional archives.
•Tri-City GS for promotion monies to support the society’s “Archives Records Contest” and augmentation of the prize pool.
•Wenatchee Area GS for the purchase of specialized software to manage the society’s extensive genealogical holdings.

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.

Heritage Quest Research Library Upcoming Meetings

May5 by Charles Hansen

May 9th, Monday 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. $15.00

Iowa: The American Heartland with Dee Haviland Fournier

Iowa is Dee Haviland Fournier’s home state. Join us as she shares about genealogical researching in Iowa. Learn about sources and where they are available. The Midwest Center in Independence, Missouri and the Kansas City NARA will also be included. She will also discuss the controversy brewing at the State Historical Society.

May 16th, Monday 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. $15.00

Digging Deeper Into Your German Roots with Dee Haviland Fournier

This is an intense class that provides a deeper understanding of German history in order to understand where to search for records. The discussion will continue about the 5 repositories for locating German records. Lots of notes and websites are provided.

May 17th, Tuesday 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Beginning Family History Research with Dee Haviland Fournier

Join us in a FREE class and learn about Heritage Quest Research Library (HQRL). This class will help you in the search for your ancestor, by learning how to find and use birth, marriage, and death records. Along with a discussion on how to use Census Records to further your research and some genealogy hints. Everyone is welcome and you may attend as many times as you like.

May 27, Friday – May 30th, Monday – HQRL is closed for Memorial Day.

Coming soon to HQRL classes in Adoption, Digital Organization, Handwriting Analysis, Kansas, and Publishing Your Family History.

As a courtesy, please do not wear perfume or strong cologne to class.

3 ways to sign-up:

In person at HQRL, 1007 S. Main St., Sumner, WA. The sign-up notebook is at the Front Desk.
E-mail HQRLinfo@gmail.com– provide name, telephone number and your HQRL membership number, if you are a member.
Telephone HQRL at 253-863-1806between 10:00 am – 4 pm, Monday through Saturday. Provide you name, telephone number and HQRL membership number, if you are a member.

You are receiving this email, because you are a member of Heritage Quest Research Library (HQRL) or you have requested to be notified of HQRL events. If you have received this email in error or you wish to be removed from the list, type “Remove” in the subject line and you will be removed immediately.

German Interest Group Upcoming Genealogical Talks and Conferences

May5 by Charles Hansen

Dear GIG Friends,

New Books

Dorothy will bring the new book, “Trace Your German Roots Online – A Complete Guide to German Genealogy Websites” by James Beidler, to the May GIG meeting so you can see it. You may want to try the possible 15% discount from Lisa Louise Cooke by using this discount code GENEALOGYGEMS15 http://www.shopfamilytree.com/trace-your-german-roots-online?utm_source=linkconnector&utm_medium=affiliate&cid=affiliate

There is another book to be published shortly that may interest you, too. “German Census Records, 1816 – 1916: The When, Where, And How of a Valuable Genealogical Resource” by Roger Minert. http://www.familyrootspublishing.com/store/product_view.php?id=3145

Free webinars about German research on Wed, May 18th:

1) “Mining the Über-sites for German Ancestors” by James Beidler at 11 am but free for 7 days afterwards http://familytreewebinars.com/upcoming-webinars.php

2) “Translating Latin Records of German (and other) Catholic Churches” by Jean Wilcox Hibben at 6pm but must watch live unless you are a member. http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/webinar/jes-index.html You must register here to obtain the weblink to watch it live.

Some websites & articles:

“German Civil Registration” Guide by Ancestry at http://c.ancestry.com/cs/media/social-research-german-civil-registration.pdf?o_xid=63231&o_lid=63231&o_sch=Email+-+Programs

“German Resource Spotlight: Archion.de ” about German Protestant church books http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/2016/03/15/GermanResourceSpotlightArchionde.aspx

“German Resource Spotlight: The German Genealogy Facebook Group” details at http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/2016/03/23/GermanResourceSpotlightTheGermanGenealogyFacebookGroup.aspx

Upcoming Genealogy Talks, Conferences, etc.

Seattle Genealogical Society Spring Seminar

“Finding Solutions To Your Toughest Research Problems, Utilizing Migration Routes, Civil War Records And Online Techniques” & the speaker is William Dollarhide. Sat, May 21 from 9:45am to 3:30pm at the Fairview Christian School. For more details go to http://seattlegenealogicalsociety.org/2016springseminar-info

For those researching in Eastern Europe, Lisa Alzo & Thomas MacEntee are doing the “Eastern European Boot Camp” on Sat, May 14th, 8 am- 11:30 am PDT. For more details about viewing later & the special $9.95 sale price go to http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e6b48e8de3ee2e5430b75a4d5&id=63c88f8a29&e=eaf0e894bf

**s

Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State presents 2 speakers in one evening on Monday, May 9, 2016:

THE JOURNEY OF ALBERT LEVY by Ashley-Rae Bobman AND
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SEATTLE SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY by Isaac Azose

Location:
LDS Factoria Building
4200 124th Ave SE
Bellevue, WA 98006
· Doors open at 6:30 p.m., for all to enjoy the extensive JGSWS Library and Family History Center’s genealogical resources!· Both presentations start promptly at 7:15 p.m.

· FREE Wi-Fi and FREE access to for-fee genealogical websites available

· Free admission and refreshments

Our website:

We are looking for a photo to use as a banner for our new website–it must be wider than tall. The other option would be to use two or three photos.

Please send photos to us at GermanInterestGroupEGS@outlook.com

See you on Friday, 5/6/16 at 1 p.m.!

Brian Runyan Named Outstanding Volunteer in 2015

May4 by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 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 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Brian Runyan of Vancouver, Washington, who was nominated by the Clark County Genealogical Society (CCGS). He was recognized for his enthusiastic, forward-thinking volunteer efforts.

Brian Runyan

Since joining CCGS in 2012, Mr. Runyan has quickly become a valued member. He is a creative thinker, with a positive outlook, good ideas, and always ready to help with any task that needs doing. As chair of the education committee, Mr. Runyan has refined and expanded the society’s educational offerings. He has been especially effective in advocating for increased use of computer technology and social media.

Mr. Runyan is quick to accurately assess other people’s strengths and encourages them to use their abilities to further the goals and operations of the society. His willingness to help with whatever needs doing, his encouragement of others, and his sense of humor all help him as he moves into the forefront of the CCGS leadership.

Mr. Runyan’s enthusiasm and willingness to serve demonstrate that he richly deserved being a recipient of a 2015 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.

Tacoma-Pierce County Gen Society Newsflash

May2 by Charles Hansen

Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Monthly Meeting at Bates Technical College, South Campus, Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Tacoma Pierce GS

Do you have a brick wall that you need help with? Dusty Gorman will lead a brainstorming session that will hopefully help give you another idea on where to look. Join us at 6 and to get some help, or to help someone with their brick wall.

Then after a short business meeting, Jean Fisher will be presenting an overview of how to use Find My Past, Tacoma Public Library’s newest online genealogy resource, thanks to the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society! Find My Past provides access to an ever-expanding collection of over 2 billion historical records. With especially strong in coverage in Ireland, England and Scotland, it also includes thousands of records from Canada and the United States. You’ll find parish and census records, vital records, military records, and enhanced access to PERSI (the PERiodical Source Index). I’ll also demonstrate how to create a free account to save your research and build a family tree. Find My Past is available for free in-library use at all Tacoma Public Library locations through the generous support of the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society.

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

Lower Columbia Gen Society Newsflash

May2 by Charles Hansen

Lower Columbia GS

What’s new at at our meeting! Come join us and see!

The creators of FIND A GRAVE had the ultimate goal of creating a comprehensive ‘virtual cemetery’ online where loved ones could visit graves, leave flowers, etc. when they cannot do so in real life. With the development of the internet, it rapidly became a valuable resource tool for genealogists. Our member MARILYN CLARK has spent considerable time learning to effectively use this tool, and in the past has shared some of her knowledge with the

LOWER COLUMBIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

We are fortunate that she again will review the basics, and move on to share everything new at the May meeting. Please join us!!

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~walcolgs/

SOMERSET RETIREMENT APARTMENTS

2025 TIBBETTS DRIVE, LONGVIEW

DINING ROOM 7:00 PM

Thursday, May 12, 2016

VISITORS ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

May1 by Charles Hansen

Seattle

Tip of the Week – Ravenstein Atlas of Germany

Courtesy of the University of Wisconsin an on-line version of Ludwig Ravenstein’s important “Atlas des Deutschen Reichs” published in 1883 is available to all and absolutely free. In addition to Germany, the maps of this atlas also cover the bordering portions of present-day Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, and Switzerland. Even small towns can be located in this very detailed atlas.

There are 30 pages of index/gazetteer (namen-register) pp i-xxx, followed by 4 pages of statistics pp xxxi-xxxiv , and finally 11 map sections Ia, Ib, IIIa, IIIb through map section IX. Once you locate your town in the gazetteer portion, proceed to the map and quadrants cited in the gazetteer entry.

Navigating at this site is a little cumbersome and less than intuitive so here’s an example using a search for the town of Offenburg. Proceed to the site:

https://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/collections/german/ravenstein/

•Click on the BROWSE THE ATLAS
•Search for word or phrase within this work Offenburg Search

That returns 2 matches :
• “Namen-Register Page xix” and
• “Statistische Page xxxiv”

Click on Page xix ; that displays a useless thumbnail of page 19 in the gazetteer, but above that you’ll see a PDF (154.8B) ; clicking on that opens the 30 page PDF of the gazetteer (takes a little while). Using the arrow, proceed to page 19 and find the Offenburg entry which cites map VII F6. Back out of this PDF.

Click on the top line “Ravenstein, Ludwig Atlas des Deutschen Reichs” which will take you to the contents page; find [Map section VII] and click on it. Again it opens a useless thumbnail of the map, but above that is the PDF(14.4MB) you need to click on. Voila, that displays a very detailed map you can Zoom In and Zoom Out at will. This should keep you entertained for a while.

Seattle Genealogical Society News

May1 by Charles Hansen

Seattle

JUST IN TO THE LIBRARY!

The May/June 2016 issue of Your Genealogy Today is now in the SGS Library. The issue features a synopsis of several different websites for German Surname Distribution Maps. Here you may be able to locate your ancestor’s village! Also featured is an article about solving mysteries in cemeteries. Come on into the library and check out this newest issue of Your Genealogy Today; it’s on the coffee table!

Don’t Miss SGS’s Featured Speaker:
William Dollarhide !!

Nationally Renowned Speaker and Author
“Finding Solutions to Your Toughest Research Problems”

SGS’s Spring Seminar
May 21st
Fairview Christian School
844 NE 78th Street
Seattle, WA

For more information go to the SGS Website:

http://seattlegenealogicalsociety.org – or –

call the Library @ 206.622.8658

** Remember if you have a PayPal account you can use the new “Online Registration” feature

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Eastside Genealogical Society German Interest Group Meeting

May1 by Charles Hansen

EGS

Dear Genealogy Friends,

Our next German Interest Group Meeting will be held next Friday, May 6, 2016, from 1 – 3 p.m. Please invite your friends and relatives – anyone who would be interested in genealogy and our meeting topics – all are welcome!

The location is: the LDS Church at 10675 NE 20th Street, Bellevue, WA 98004.

Attached is the flyer for this meeting, as well as one of the Location and Surname Sheet you need to fill out and return to us. The other alternatives are for you to just send us an email at GermanInterestGroupEGS@outlook.com that lists the German State names, the city/town names, and the surnames that you are researching. If you don’t fill out the form prior to next Friday’s meeting, please bring it with you.
Flyer for 5-6-16 GIG Meeting
Our program will be:

“Small Group Sharing – Divided into specific German Empire Regions”

We will break into small groups of the 16^th States of Germany and adjacent countries for discussion of where our ancestors came from:

Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia.

Discussion will include sharing research tips, possible answers to research questions & maybe locating someone researching in the same village or even the same surname. It will be an interesting & interactive meeting as groups discuss the various parts of Germany, Russia, Poland, France/Alsace, etc., where their German speaking ancestors had lived.

Please email us at GermanInterestGroupEGS@outlook.com with a list of the States/Countries your ancestors lived in and the surnames you are researching. Alternatively, you can fill out the attached form and email it to us at the same email address.

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Serendipity Day!

Apr29 by Charles Hansen

Blurb in our daily paper explained that Spokane has been visited by a dozen U.S. presidents plus some VPs, wives and others. Our list is Taft, Harding, both Roosevelts, Truman, Carter, Nixon, Clinton, Reagan, Ford and GW Bush. How about your town? How many presidential visits do you mark?

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Cemeteries have always been of great interest to family historians. It’s always interesting to me to read about cemeteries of yore and of other cultures. In December 1634, three men set out from Fort Orange (now Albany) New York to make contact with the Mohawks to convince them that the Dutch made better trades than the French or English. They visited a series of villages, “surprising Harmen with their level of civilization. They encountered cemeteries, surrounded by palisades, ‘so neatly made that it was a wonder,’ and graves painted red, white and black. A chief’s tomb they found was large enough to have an entrance and was decorated with carvings and paintings of animals.” (From The Island at the Center of the World: Epic Story of Dutch in Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America, by Russell Shorto, 2005.)

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