Kittitas Valley Gen Society Newsflash

by Charles Hansen

KCGS_logo

 

Next Kittitas Co. Genealogical Society meeting May 2nd is

A Field Trip to the CWU library , which has an archives–different from the State Archives on the CWU campus.  CWU library is the huge 4 story building on south side of 14th Ave in Ellensburg WA, a block East of D Street (Wildcat Way). Entrance on East side of that CWU library.

Meeting will be by 3rd floor desk, but we can meet at 6:45 PM in CWU library lobby.

Easiest parking if you can walk easily is SW corner of 14th and D St (Wildcat Way), or get dropped off, or take your chances getting parking at the CWU library lot.

Those archivists actually did attend our April meeting and should be ready for us.

Speaking of Family History Center, starting May 1, their new hours will be Wed 10-noon, and BY APPT ONLY at 7pm (if Thurs evening inconvenient).  Thurs 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm and every week evening hours Thurs. 7 pm- 8:30 pm. For appointments and questions call Director Christine Fowler 509-306-9279.  We will be open this summer.  As of now, the only week for sure closed is 4th of July week.  KCGS member Tuck Forsythe works Wed 10-12 shift, but rarely during the summer.  You pump up your skills&spirit, just by coming in to experience Chris Fowler’s infectious enthusiasm!

 

 Special announcements:

Wed Apr 27 our KCGS library will not be open only 10 AM – noon so that afternoon, Mary can attend county archive-librarians association CAMAH meeting.

 June Meeting also a field trip Sat June 25th to KCGS member Angela Neller’s new interpretive museum at Priest Rapids Dam on Columbia River.  Angie spent 5 years planning this great new museum.  Car Pool at 9 AM in parking lot on Water Street behind our KCGS office. BRING A SACK LUNCH.

 7 pm June 6th (would have been our meeting night) President Diane Huckabay will show movies of Priest Rapids (or other) dam construction, preparatory to our field trip there 9AMJune 25th, 2016.

 Friday May 13th from 2 pm to 5 pm at the 420 Building (SE corner of Pearl and 5th in Ellensburg) President Diane Huckabay will show us how to learn digital indexing of 1890s newspapers currently stored in our KCGS library.  She needs to train more of us to help make an index to genealogical events in 1897 Ellensburg newspapers.

 August 14 at 4pm annual KCGS picnic at Mary and Lew Christensens’s home (also her childhood Mary Lou Rizer’s home) 60 Moe Road (directions coming later).

 No Sept meeting because of Labor Day and County Fair

Oct program Judy Clayton

Nov program Erik Bakke on Special Censuses

5 Dec 6 PM Annual KCGS Dinner (if you pay your fee early) at Methodist Church

 PLEA TO TELL Tuck Forsythe, Treas, who returned 2016 KCGS membership payment a month ago in a self-­addressed-stamped envelope (it was just cash with no name)  Whom should I credit with 2016 dues?

Tuck’s email  : forsythe (at) fairpoint.net

Or KCGS, 413 N. Main St, Suite L, Ellensburg WA 98926-3083

or  Tuck’s phone message 509 925 2356

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Serendipity Day

by Charles Hansen

Did you get the answers to my trivia-quiz?  The sun never sets in northern Norway from May 12 until August 1st………….. no wonder one reason possibly why our Norwegian ancestors wanted to come to the sunny U.S. Midwest.  Robinson Caruso was the fictional character created by Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk.  And it was true, the Spanish Flu sprang to life at Fort Riley, Kansas, was carried over to Europe and then back to the U.S. Who guessed correctly?

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Few weeks back I explained a bit about burned counties. (From James Tanner’s Genealogy’s Star blog, Monday, March 7th.) I referred you to the FamilySearch Research Wiki, article on “Burned Counties Research,” and the map that accompanied this Wiki article.  One thing we must realize is that a burned courthouse is not the end of the records or the research world. Tanner explained in that post that if/when you encounter a burned county, “look for records in adjoining counties and other jurisdictions….. here are some of the places you might start looking:”

  • University libraries, especially special collections sections
  • Local, county and state libraries
  • Adjoining counties
  • State and local archives
  • Local and state historical societies

“Remember,” Tanner added, “that the same type of information you are searching for may also be in alternative records kept in another level of jurisdiction. A good place to start is a record selection table. See the FamilySearch.org Research Wiki, “United States Record Selection Table.”

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Special Society Awards Deadline Next Week

by Roxanne Lowe

Societies: The deadline for WSGS’s special recognition awards is Saturday, May 1, 2016. Societies are urged and encouraged to submit nominations for Outstanding Communication, Outstanding Project and the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. For more information and nomination information, click on the links below.

•Outstanding Communication – Recognizes the importance of how local genealogical societies or organizations communicate. Includes all forms of communication, including websites, social media, newsletters, lectures, videos, podcasts, etc.
•Outstanding Project – Awarded to local genealogical society or organization in recognition of exceptional genealogical or historical projects implemented during the past year.
•President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement – Recognizes that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations.

There’s also another society support your group may want to consider: the Education Assistance Fund — funding assistance to societies so they can provide quality educational events such as conferences, workshops, seminars and programs.

Questions about any of this? Contact Roxanne Lowe, WSGS Recognition Chair.

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM OF OREGON Wednesday Evening E-News

by Charles Hansen

GFO1

THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM OF OREGON Wednesday Evening E-News 20 April 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, you’re in luck because we saved you a copy at http://www.gfo.org/insider/16-Apr.pdf.

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AmazonSmile Deals for Mothers’ Day??

Mothers

Dear GFO Guests and Members,

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8th. By shopping at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase total to the Genealogical Forum Of Oregon Inc.

Use the link HERE to go to Amazon’s website, sign in as you usually would and begin shopping as you usually would. It’s that easy!

As always, thank you for your continued support of the GFO.

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Diane Ulrich Partington Named Outstanding Volunteer in 2015

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 Diane Ulrich Partington of Mount Vernon, Washington, who was nominated by the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). She was recognized for her ardent commitment to researching genealogical queries.

Diane Partington

Diane Partington

Ms. Partington is SVGS’s resident researcher. She spends countless hours researching information for people from all over the world. She gathers obituaries and funeral home records, as well as Skagit County birth and death records. She does courthouse genealogical research and frequently makes visits to county cemeteries to locate and photograph headstones.

In addition to local research, Ms. Partington frequently assists other communities in the preservation of cemetery records for the development of research databases. She has been instrumental in maintaining SVGS’s collection of records from local funeral homes and collecting and preserving obituaries from local newspapers.

Ms. Partington is a valued and dynamic member of the SVGS. Her qualities illustrate that she 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.

Eastside Genealogical Society May Meeting

by Charles Hansen

EGS

 

The Eastside Genealogical Society will meet on Thursday, May 12, 2016 in the Bellevue Regional Library, Room 1, 1111 – 110th Ave NE, Bellevue 98004 at 7pm, with doors opening at 6:45 pm for networking.

Topic:  “Discover Yourself at the Discovery Center” – Representatives from the newest family history center will be here to tell us about this exciting multimedia Discovery Center.  Designed to interest all ages, including your grandchildren, you can learn the origin of your name, see where your family migrated from on a large touch screen map, and record stories in the state of the art recording booths.  Bring a thumb drive to take your stories home and share them with others.  This unique Discovery Center is free and open to the public by appointment.  EGS has reserved the entire Center for a May 19th field trip at 6-8 pm.  Sign up at our May 12th meeting to join this field trip.

 

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/

 

Dorothy Pretare

EGS Publicity Chairperson

dpgen@comcast.net

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Heritage Quest Research Library Upcoming Meetings

by Charles Hansen

You asked for it……..here is another nighttime class!

April 22nd, Friday 6:00 – 8:00 $15.00

Newspaper Research with Dee Haviland Fournier

Dee Haviland Fournier talks about Newspaper Research and how it can enhance your family history. This is a class not to be missed with lots of websites to help your search. Turn your ancestor’s statistics into a once living being.

April 25th, Monday 1:00 – 3:00 $15.00

Texas “The Lone Star State” with Jim Johnson

Texas is also home to Jim Johnson. Join us as he talks about researching in Texas. Remember, Texas shares borders with Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Mexico.

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 will also be included. She will also discuss the controversy brewing at the State Historical Society of Iowa.

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Seattle genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

Seattle

Tip of the Week – Info Added to the American Ancestors Database at SGS

The following Family Search Collections are only some of the U.S. records recently added to the American Ancestors database that you can access from our computers at the SGS Library.

United States Vital Records collections (#of records in parentheses):

Illinois, Cook County, Birth certificates, 1871-1940, (2,400,900)
Indiana, Births and Christenings, 1773-1933  (103,680)
Indiana Marriages, 1790-1992  (5,951,441)
Iowa, Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990  (693,974)
Iowa, Marriages, 1860-1992  (7,661,803)
Georgia, Confederate Home Records, 1901-1930  (1,282)
New Jersey, Births, 1670-1980,  ( 1,107,159)
New Jersey, Deaths, 1670-1988  (654,798)
Utah, Birth Certificates, 1903-1914  (53,183)
Missouri, Civil Marriages, 1820-1874  (5,668)
Tennessee, Church Marriages, 1810-1965  (1,533)
Oklahoma, School Records, 1895-1936  (90,841)
Montana, Chouteau County Records, 1876-2011  (8,857)
Montana, Granite County Records, 1865-2009  (4,960)
Georgia, Deaths, 1928-1940  (485,669)
New Jersey, Births and Christenings, 1660-1980  (1,148,023)
New Jersey, Marriages, 1670-1980  (581,963)
New Jersey, Marriages, 1678-1985  (324,149)
Minnesota, Marriages, 1849-1950  (438,331)
Texas, Laredo Arrival Manifests, 1903-1985  (866,687)
Montana, Mineral County Obituaries, 1870-1910  (5,266)
Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915  (3,831,485)
United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925  (2,528,371)
United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815  (1,130,851)

This is a sampling of the over 2,100 collections from all over the world that have been added to Family Search in the last six years. It may be worth your time to look at what is now available to you without having to drive to Salt Lake City!

To access the list go to FamilySearch.org, click on “Records”, on that page click on “Browse All Public Collections” which will show you “Historical Records Collections”; click on “Last Updated” which will reorganize the records, showing you the most recent additions first.

Happy Hunting!

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Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

Seattle
ANNE JENNER TO BE GUEST SPEAKER AT THE SCANDINAVIAN SIG

We’re delighted to have Anne Jenner, Pacific Northwest Curator, University of Washington Special Collections, as our speaker at the May meeting of the Scandinavian Special Interest Group, on Sunday, May 15, from 1:30-3:30pm, at the Seattle Genealogical Society, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle.

Anne served as the head of the library at the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Swedish-American Historical Society. Anne will discuss resources of interest to those researching their Scandinavian roots, Swedish in particular!

Anne comes to us with extensive knowledge of Swedish language and culture. She received a B.A. in Swedish, with a minor in history, from North Park College in Chicago and her MLIS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Anne also has a M.A. in Scandinavian Languages and Literature from the University of Washington.

Check out her blog at pnwblog.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter @pnwcurator

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