Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
1901 S. 12th Avenue
Union Gap, WA 98903
Phone: (509) 248-1328
Email: yvgs@yvgs.net
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
General Meeting will be held in the library.
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Speaker – Judy Schuster will be giving a presentation on Draft Registrations for the Civil War, WW1 and WW2.
Carla Adams
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
1901 S. 12th Avenue
Union Gap, WA 98903
Phone: (509) 248-1328
Email: yvgs@yvgs.net
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society
Y.V.G.S. Huge Spring Yard Sale will be held in the Library Parking Lot
Date: Thursday, thru Saturday, May 8th, 9th, and 10th
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
To name a few items: Furniture, clothes, books, baby clothes,
kitchen items used in cooking, sewing items, arts & crafts,
office equipment, sports equipment, pictures, etc.
Carla Adams
Social Media
Salt is one of the most common elements on our planet and is essential for all life. As far back as 6000 B.C., salt has been an integral part the history of the world and a fundamental element in the rise and fall of countless civilizations.
Throughout history, salt has been highly valued and even used as currency. Did you know the term salary was derived from the word salt? Countless treaties and wartime strategies revolved around the making or denying of salt and it was closely tied to the rise of power and dominance by rulers.
Salt is the subject of generations of lore, tales and idioms. Terms like “not worth his salt” and “salt of the earth.” In many civilizations, salt has been extensively used for the improvement of luck, wellbeing, cleansing and purifying.
Today we hear that “salt is essential for all life” and the media blasts that we consume too much salt in our daily diet which is detrimental to our health. And is there a “healthy” salt?
Google says: There isn’t a single “healthiest” salt, as all types are primarily sodium chloride, and the differences in trace minerals are negligible for most people. However, sea salt and pink Himalayan salt, which are less processed and retain some trace minerals, are often considered slightly healthier than table salt.
(Thanks to a Salt Lake Visitors’ Guide for this info. And Google.)
The eager researchers still queue up and stampede into the FamilySearch Library when the doors open at 9:00. Some things never change. But there have been a long list up changes to “our favorite library” since you were there last.
For openers, the entire first floor is now a Discovery Center where an army of experienced volunteers guide visitors to discover their ancestry. There is a new and expanded snack room on the first floor.
On the second floor, ALL the cabinets of microfilm are GONE and the huge now-open area is filled with computer stations… with each station having TWO monitors! All our beloved books remain on the third floor. Down on B-1 and B-2, the International floors, the layout has completely changed too.
There are more helpers…. from your computer station you sign up for a helper with your particular question and they will come to you! Copies are now free, as are flash drives. (Gee, first no more dimes and now no more copy cards. 🙂
Even the restrooms have been redone (at least the women’s rooms). There is new carpeting, new signs and displays and no more rather obnoxious loud speaker announcements.
The Salt Lake Airport is now almost overwhelmingly HUGE! The main corridor has this “salt waves” (what I call it) art work as a welcome display.
Makes me eager to go back even as I type this. When shall we go?
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 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 2024 award recipients and learn why they received they received a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Today we’re introducing Kelly Martin of Spokane, Washington who was selected by the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society as its recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Even though Kelly has been a member of EWGS for only two years, she has jumped right in on a number of different activities. She has been a gene helper in the library, and even substituted for others that were not able to attend their shift. Her knowledge of North Idaho sources has been invaluable to people coming to the library researching that area.
Kelly has started an Irish special interest group, whose goal is to discuss resources and tools to aid Irish genealogical research. She also was one of the participants in the recent “Walking with Ancestors” event. Kelly has been an enthusiastic researcher on the well-known Best family in the library. She portrayed Emily and Edward Best. (Best Road in Spokane Valley was named for them.)
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award” in the subject line.
 Share Your Italian Family Artifact, Document or Photo |
| Description: At our May meeting we invite you to share something related to your Italian family history or research. Perhaps you have an interesting family artifact or a photo from long ago. Or you may have found documents relating to your family’s past in Italy. Even if you don’t have keepsakes from your ancestors, you may wish to show us their Ellis Island passenger manifest or a photo of the Italian town where they lived. Feel free to be creative. We will all learn from this experience. Please share your item and tell us a little about the person it relates to, or how you discovered it, and what it means to your Italian family history. |
| ZOOM Meeting When: 17-May-2025, Saturday Time: 1:30 PM (PDT) |
| If you aren’t a registered member, you must request meeting access. Below is the button to request a meeting invitation. |
| COUNTDOWN TO THE MEETING: |
 Days Hours Minutes Seconds |
| Eastside Genealogical Society – Italian Interest Group P.O. Box 374 Bellevue, WA 98009-0374 |
| The Washington Digital Newspapers program of the Washington State Library has been working closely with Sound Publishing, the newspaper publisher that provides news on community activities in northwestern Washington. Due to a recent purchase of Sound Publishing by Carpenter Media, several regional publications & distribution offices have closed in Port Angeles, Everett, Whidbey and other areas. Bound newspaper issues ranging from the late 1890s through the early 2000s are in danger of being recycled. In some cases, we know there are bound volumes that have not been preserved on microfilm or other formats and may be the only copies left in existence. The State Library would like to eventually preserve these on microfilm, but they must find a new location for them before the end of June where they will be safe until they can be filmed. This is where they need your help! Below is the list of newspaper titles that will need to be re-housed by June 30. Action timeline By April 30th: Please email Shawn Schollmeyer with which titles your organization is interested in preserving and storing. She will provide further detail on the quantity of bound volumes and approximate date ranges. Forward this message to other preservation colleagues in your city or county who may be able to assist May Arrange to pick up titles by the end of May. If there are a large number of volumes we may be able to arrange a truck delivery via Sound Publishing in some cases. June All arrangements will need to be made before the end of June. Due to federal and state budget cuts there will be little to no capacity to make arrangements for you to pick up your titles and related archival press photos after this time. Sound Publishing can no longer house the materials after June. Email Shawn if you are interested in preserving one of the newspaper titles listed below: |
| Arlington Times East Bremerton Advertiser Northwest Guardian (JBLM Northwest Guardian) Shoreline Reporter Auburn Reporter East Bremerton News Northwest Navigator Silverdale Reporter Bainbridge Island Review Eastside Journal Oak Harbor News Snohomish Eye Bainbridge Review Eastside Week Paine Field South County Journal Bellevue American Everett Daily Herald Peninsula Daily News South Whidbey Record Bellingham Business Journal Everett Herald Peninsula Business Journal Southwest Seattle Burien Guide Bothell Citizen Forks Forum Peninsula Shopper Southwest Seattle Shopping Guide Bothell – Kenmore Reporter Island County Farm Bureau News Port Angeles Daily News Tacoma Daily Index Bremerton Patriot Island County News Port Angeles Evening News The Progress Burien Guide Journal Issaquah Reporter Port Orchard Independent Times Central County Press Journal American | Puget Sound Navy News Trident Tides Central Kitsap Reporter Central Kitsap Style King County Journal Renton Reporter Whidbey Crosswind Community Style Kent Reporter Redmond Reporter Weekly Central Kitsap Style King County Journal Renton Reporter Whidbey Crosswind Community Style Kirkland Reporter Reporter (Silverdale) Whidbey Examiner Coupeville Examiner Kitsap County Herald Sammamish Reporter Whidbey Island Record Covington Maple Valley Reporter Kitsap Daily Seattle Shopper Whidbey News-Times Daily Globe News Marysville Globe The Seattle Weekly Whidbey Record Times Daily Journal American Mercer Island Reporter The Seattle Weekly (Eastzone) Whidbey Today Daily News Journal News Advertiser Sequim Gazette Des Moines Midway North Kitsap Herald Des Moines – Normandy Park Tribune Northshore Citizen Des Moines Tribune |
| ”The Washington State Historical Society partners with our communities to explore how history connects us all.” |
Perhaps you’re missing out on a research bet? And if something is free, why not consider using it? Well!
The FamilySearch Center Portal is exactly what those words signify. At any designated FamilySearch Center, any researcher can access FOR FREE, a long list of websites that otherwise would be accessibly by personal subscription only. Did you catch that: FREE?
Think your research might be helped by looking into one of these:
All of these wonderful opportunities but don’t overlook checking out the nearly 2,000,000,000 names in the FamilySearch trees!! This database is compiled by folks like you and me and while it may contain errors and inconsistencies, it also can provide great clues.
Find one near you and GO!
Sons of Union Veterans of CW. Fort Walla Walla Camp 3 to hold a quarterly meeting April 26 at Spokane Valley VFW 1435. Public welcome. Program by Mr Stan Wells-CW Flags. Details; at www.suvpnw.org Dept web site under FWW 3 events and info on the meeting. Time 11;30 to 3;00.
Thank you , Don Jameson Past Camp Commander, FWW 3 Cell phone if needed is 509 945 0549
Suz Bates has been researching her family history for over 50 years. After a full career in education, she now combines teaching skills with extensive genealogy research experience and training in work as a presenter, researcher, and consultant. Suz’ presentation specialty is step by step instructions for various researching, archiving, and technology skills for genealogists and family historians. When: