Puget Sound Genealogical Society Divorce in the United States

by Charles Hansen

The PSGS Program is Wed, Sep 25th….Hybrid style.  In person at the Sylvan Way Library and on Zoom.  Social time and Zoom doors open at 12:30pm.  The Program is from 1pm-2pm.. 

Our speaker will be Christine Cohen.  She will be presenting her topic on “Alienation of Affection: Divorce in the United States”.

Divorce is not just a 20th Century phenomenon. At first, granted by the State Legislature and then by the Courts, these are public records. The case files can include marriage date and place, names and ages of children, current and former residences, and affidavits by the spouses about their marriage and reason for divorce. Clues are in the Census, City Directories, Military Pensions, County Histories, County Courthouses & especially in Newspapers. This could be the reason for a “lost spouse”.

The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84756295862

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Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Legacy Family Tree SIG Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society Legacy Family Tree SIG Meeting

Tuesday, October 1, 2024, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm virtual via Zoom

This month we will continue reviewing the free Legacy Family Tree software videos hosted by Geoff Rasmussen. Our next video in this series will be “Legacy 9 Unlocked (part 1): Your First Few Tips” it is a longer video so we will be breaking it up and watching the first part Oct 1 and finishing it next month on Nov 5. Even though Legacy 10 was just released in Jun 2024, almost all the features shown in this video are still in the current program.  If you are thinking about trying Legacy or are currently using it, this video can teach or remind you how to properly use the software and be successful with your research. If you have any suggestions for future topics, please send them in. 

This is our monthly meeting to share tips & tricks, problems & solutions. Sometimes we will watch videos or share our screens to aid in learning more about using Legacy Family Tree software.

Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in the learning. If you are just thinking about trying Legacy for the first time, you’ve been using it for a year or two or you are an old pro with many years of experience using Legacy this is the group for you.

We look forward to meeting with you, every month on the First Tuesday at 7:00 PM Pacific Time

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Monthly Calendar Reminder: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYpfuyuqDovHNwtBgxtQjWKOjDQ8k5Q9bPD/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqjIvHNKUtR-PRpwQBor4Z-7wpn5Ygo1KiD3iGzRiaDTdGehmA-p0RemJ

Join Zoom Meeting:

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Meeting ID: 824 9566 1568

Passcode: 715731

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Meeting ID: 824 9566 1568

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Let’s Talk About: Roosevelt’s Dutch Roots

by Donna Phillips


Did you know that FDR had Dutch roots? I did not but I learned that factoid on my spring 2024 trip to Holland. 
The forefather of the Roosevelt family of New York was a man named Claes Martenszen van Rosevelt. Five of his children were baptized in the Reformed Dutch Church in Amsterdam, although the family probably lived in what we’d today call a suburb, Oud-Vossemeer.  In 1655, Claes had moved his family to Manhattan and bought a farm. 
The website for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum lists the complete ancestral pedigree of FDR as well as listing his descendants. 
The little town of Oud-Vossemeer is very proud of its connection to the American Roosevelt presidential family. They have established a website (www.rooseveltoudvosemeer.nl) and here’s what I learned: 

The Roosevelt Foundation of Oud-Vossemeer was established on September 17, 2015.

Its goal is to set up and maintain an information centre that allows visitors to discover more about the place of origin of the American presidential family Roosevelt. Exchanging and spreading information on this subject to organizations and persons is also part of our objective. Amongst other things, the foundation organizes exhibitions in order to realize this goal.

A continuing big question is were FDR and “Teddy” related? Well, distantly.

Theodore, 1858-1919, s/o            FDR, 1882-1945, s/o

Theodore, 1831-1876, s/o            James, 1828-1900, s/o

Cornelius, 1794-1817, s/o            Isaac, 1790-1863, s/o

James, 1759-1840                        James, 1760-1847

Why the discrepancy with dates for James???? Well, that’s what Google found for me………….. you check it out. 🙂 

Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board Missing an Ancestor? Look South or East

by Charles Hansen

Missing an Ancestor? Look East or South

Many times, while researching our ancestors, they just “disappear” from where they “should be” located. Is this true with your ancestor? Perhaps the young man or woman in your lineage decided to heed Horace Greeley’s quote, “Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.”1 Opportunities abounded with cheap land, the lure of gold / silver / precious gems, religious freedom, or just the opportunity to start a new life. Perhaps your ancestor came to Arizona for one of these reasons?

The Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board (AzGAB) is honoring those people and their descendants who lived in the geographical area of what is now Arizona prior to statehood on 14 February 1912 with an Arizona Pioneer Descendant certificate. Certificates will be awarded to a descendant who submits evidence acceptable to AzGAB (vital records, territory or federal census, church records, brand books [livestock markings], city directory listings, etc.). Records showing relationship from the pioneer to the applicant is required for the certificate. (https://azgab.org/cpage.php?pt=14).

For those ancestors / relatives who lived in Arizona from statehood until 01 April 1950, a Second Wave Certificate is available. (https://azgab.org/cpage.php?pt=51). The same chain of descendancy is required.

Not sure if your ancestor “was” in Arizona on their way to California, Nevada or other points West? Please use the Arizona Pioneers Database on the AzGAB website, https://azgab.org/cstm_pioneer.php, to see if their names appear. Female names as well as male names are mentioned.

This is a meaningful way to honor your ancestors and have a preserved record of it. The approved application forms, photos and accompanying documentation are housed in the Arizona State Archives. A modest fee for the certificate is expected at the time of submission. If two certificates are requested for the same ancestor from different descendants, there is a reduced fee for the second certificate. Questions? Contact the Arizona Pioneer Descendant

Administrator, Peggy Morphew at certificates@azgab.org.

1 The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Oxford University Press, TME. 1999. p. 351. ISBN 9780198601739. Retrieved 12 October 2023.

—
Linda McCleary

AzGAB Vice President

Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society 10 Must Haves for Genealogy Success

by Charles Hansen

October is National Family History Month! Join us for a hour with Thomas MacEntee. Thomas is a internationally known family history speaker, author, tech guy and founder of Abundant Genealogy, GeneaBloggers,Genealogy Bargains,  High-Definition Genealogy. Thomas is a regular speaker at annual RootsTech in Salt Lake City and gives over 250 webinars a year for groups in the US and Canada. Our presentations are free and visitors are welcome.

Please register to attend. Registration here:

https://gorgegen.blogspot.com

Let’s Talk About: Cause of Irish Potato Blight

by Donna Phillips


How did the Irish Potato Famine of the mid-1800s originate? I came upon one possible answer in an unlikely book: The Conquest of Nature: Water, Landscapes and the Making of Modern Germany, by David Blackbourn, 2006. He wrote:

 “One result of the greatly increased traffic across the world’s oceans was that we would now call ‘biological invasions.’ It was not just people, cotton and tobacco that crossed the Atlantic but other, less desireable  species also made these journeys as stowaways in cargo holds, ballast tanks or attached to the ship. The invasive species that created the most alarm in the newly unified Germany were two arrivals from North America… the vine disease phylloxera and the Colorado Beetle, both of which attacked potatoes.”

Wanting to know more, I turned to Google. Wikipedia stated: “it is assumed that winds spread the spores (of phytophthora infestans) that caused the widespread devastation of potato crops in Ireland and northern Europe beginning in 1845, leading to the Irish Potato Famine.” Also, ” The potato blight was found across the Eastern part of the U.S. and Canada and crossed the Atlantic in 1845, probably with a shipment of seed potatoes for Belgian farmers which ultimately spread to all the potato-growing countries in Europe.  

If you’d want to read more, Google to The History Place: Irish Potato Famine, the Blight Begins or Milestones in History: The Great Hunger, article by Eugene Finerman, 2009. 

This last article was subtitled: “Ireland’s potato famine was caused as much by a government’s gross negligence as by a devastation of crops.”    

2024 WSGS Presidents Award Winner

by Charles Hansen

Roxanne Lowe Named President’s Award Recipient

WSGS President Kathleen Sizer is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2024 President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement: Roxanne Lowe of Grays Harbor Genealogical Society. The announcement was made at the WSGS Annual Meeting on 30 Aug 2024.

Created in 2015, the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations. The award is not given every year as it is based on merit and accomplishments. This year, to avoid any conflict of interest, an individual from outside WSGS with professional experience assessing proposals, evaluated the submissions. As you’ll see from reading about Roxanne’s dedication, she is worthy of this recognition.

Roxanne Ferbrache Lowe

Roxanne has been described as energetic, enthusiastic, a cheerleader and a positive influence to members of the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society (GHGS), as well as the Washington State Genealogical Society (WSGS) and the Washington Presidents’ Council.

Roxanne has been a member of GHGS since 2006. At one of her first meetings, she volunteered to be the newsletter editor and now, more than 100 issues later, she’s still the editor. She also served as president from 2019 – 2023, shepherding the society through the COVID-19 pandemic shut-down and transitioning to hybrid meetings. She similarly led the effort to recover from the 2018 devastating fire that destroyed the Aberdeen Museum of History where GHGS’s research library was housed. She is currently volunteering at the Museum’s warehouse where post-fire artifacts and new donations are being inventoried for a future museum which will also house the GHGS.

Roxanne’s commitment to the genealogy community doesn’t just stay in Grays Harbor. She joined WSGS in 2008 and has served on the WSGS Board of Directors as Recognition and Special Awards Chair and now as Webmaster. She also became an early member of the newly formed Washington Presidents’ Council. She has volunteered frequently to make presentations to community groups and help with one-on-one research.

Roxanne will receive a personalized pen/pencil set. Her name will be added to the perpetual plaque for display at GHGS for the next year.

More about the award

If you want to know more about the qualities needed for this prestigious award, click here. Previous recipients are listed here.