Tag Archives: Olympia Genealogical Society

Olympia Genealogical Society June Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Erin Quinn Valcho, curator at the Lacey Museum, will share her expertise in the preservation of old photographs and documents. A museum professional for 20 years, Erin has a passion for ensuring the long-term preservation of objects which tell stories that illuminate life in the past.  Join us on Thursday June 14 at 7 pm, Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152.  Info 360-451-1059   www.OlyGenSoc.org

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Joyce T. Ogden
jtogden@comcast.net

Olympia Gen Soc Hosts Successful Seminar

by Roxanne Lowe

Keynote speaker Lisa Alzo and OGS President Nancy Neville Cordell

It comes as no surprise that the Olympia Genealogical Society‘s Spring Seminar was a resounding success. Lisa Alzo, professional writer, lecturer and genealogist rolled into one terrific presenter, entertained and educated more than 110 attendees on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Her topics included:

  • Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Present and Future
  • Silent Voices: Telling the Stories of Your Female Immigrant Ancestors
  • Diseases, Disasters and Distress: Bad for Your Ancestors, Good for Genealogy
  • Murder, Mayhem and Town Tragedy Making Those Skeletons Dance: Exploring Your Family’s Dark Side

Roger Newman from Shelton won one of the raffles. Photo by Patty Olsen.

Always a first-rate affair, Olympia’s Spring Seminar also included book sales and fabulous raffle baskets. It was also a great opportunity to welcome and network with fellow genealogists from the area.

There are a number of upcoming seminars in the region. Check out this blog post for a list.

Societies: If you’d like to promote your workshop or seminar on the WSGS Blog, send a flyer or paragraph to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org. We’d love to share it with our readers!

Olympia Genealogical Society May Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Paul Lundborg, will speak on the US/Dakota War of 1862, a disastrous time in Minnesota history. Paul, great-great-grandson of Swedish farmers who settled in Minnesota in 1861, and author of “Death of a Dream: One Family’s Experience of the 1862 US/Dakota Wars“, will tell of his ancestors who died, and those who survived to tell the tale.  Join us on Thursday May 10 at 7 pm, Thurston County Courthouse, Building 1, Room 152.  www.OlyGenSoc.org

Joyce T. Ogden
jtogden@comcast.net

Olympia Genealogical Society Seminar

by Charles Hansen

In the event that you haven’t yet been notified, I want to let you know
that the OGS Web site now can be found at http://OlyGenSoc.org.  In
response to the ongoing RootsWeb issue and other considerations, we have
undertaken the redevelopment of our site through EasyNetSites.  We
expect to complete this project within 2-3 months.  In the interim,
we’ll provide limited info at our new URL.

Full Brochure: 2018SpringSeminarBrochure

Meet the Board: Nancy Cordell

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you know who’s running the show at the Washington State Genealogical Society? Did you know we have an Executive Committee, six standing committee chairs and three appointed non-elected officers? Who are all these people? In the coming months, we’ll introduce them to you, so you can say “hi” the next time you see them.

Nancy Cordell, Region 3 Representative

In today’s “Meet the Board” series, we’re introducing you to Nancy Cordell. Nancy lives in Tumwater and is WSGS’s Region 3 Representative (Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, and Thurston Counties). She is also a member of the Olympia Genealogical Society where she has been president since July 2016.

Nancy, 1961 in Madrid, Spain

Nancy was born in southern California to Harry and Bertie (Grange) Neville. She earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology, specializing in biological anthropology, in 1991 at the University of Washington in Seattle. “Dr. Nancy” then taught biological anthropology to undergraduates for 30 years. What is biological anthropology, you ask? It’s a branch of anthropology that explores the biology of humans in the present and in the past, with a strong emphasis on understanding and exploring human diversity. Sounds like a perfect segue to her becoming a professional genealogist, earning a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. Now retired from her educational career, Nancy owns her own genealogical business, “Diggin’ Our Past.”

Nancy’s interest in genealogy came early. Her mother’s family migrated to Utah in the mid-1800s from England and Denmark as converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Nancy is proud of her early Utah pioneer roots.

Nancy’s great grandparents Annie and Walter Boyed, 1914

Featured in the photo on the right are Nancy’s great grandparents, Annie Louisa Mullens and Walter Eugene Boyed. The photo was taken in 1914 in Las Vegas, Nevada, just after they had moved from the mining town of Rhyolite, Nevada where they’d lived for nearly 10 years. Walter, born in 1861 in Texas, was a prospector and miner. He married Annie in 1899 in Tooele, Utah at the age of 38. Nancy’s still “diggin’ her past” to find out more about Walter before his marriage to Annie.

Nancy and her husband have two grown daughters. Besides being a proud member of WSGS and OGS, Nancy is a member of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Association of Professional Genealogists, International Society of Genetic Genealogy, and the National Genealogical Society.

A few more interesting tidbits about Nancy:
• Favorite genealogy websites: Ancestry
• When asked one word that describes her, Nancy replied, “Curious.” A very good characteristic for a biological anthropologist – and a genealogist!

Now you know a little more about another of the WSGS Board members. The next time you see Nancy say hello and thank her for her service to WSGS.