FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

The SGS Fall Membership Meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 1:00 pm at the SGS Library.

At this meeting, Julia Marconi, Director of Membership, will be presenting the program “The Use of Social Media in Genealogy”. She will help us understand some of the ways that the various social media sites can assist in your search for those elusive ancestors, and how you may possibly find cousins that you didn’t know existed. SGS is going to focus on enhancing our social media presence. Learn how you could benefit from the use of research tools that you may not have yet explored.

Also at this meeting the Financial Review Committee will be presenting their report to the membership on their review of the finances of the society.

Each year, the Washington State Genealogical Society presents a number of special citations, in recognition and appreciation of the dedication and commitment exhibited to the genealogical community in Washington State. This year SGS is pleased to have our outstanding Library Team recognized. The team was selected for its dedicated volunteer efforts to enlarge and improve the society’s library. Team members are Dona Bubelis, Daniel P. Harmon, Kathi McGinnes, Charlotte Wixon and Ann Wright.

This will be an interesting meeting, please put the date on your calendar and plan to join us on the 10th of October at SGS.

Coming soon on Saturday, October 17th, the SGS 2015 Fall Seminar
“The Family History Detective: Finding Solutions to Your Toughest Research Problems.”

(SGS members $50, non-members $60)

This is a special opportunity for us in the Pacific Northwest to hear Dr. Thomas W. Jones, co-editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and a nationally renowned speaker.

If you’d like some interactive, small group time with Dr. Jones, be sure to sign up for one of the two special classes he will teach at the SGS library on Sunday, October 18th. (SGS members $35, non-members $40)  Class size is limited to 30 persons each, so sign up now before all the spaces are filled!

For seminar and class details, visit http://seattlegenealogicalsociety.org/fallseminar

To register online for the seminar and special classes, visit www.seattlegenealogicalsociety.org/content/2015-fall-seminar-registration

SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

All programs are at the SGS Library at 6200 Sand Point Way unless otherwise indicated. Please Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be postponed. Continue reading →

Seattle Genealogical Society

FALL SEMINAR 2015

“The Family History Detective: Finding Solutions to Your Toughest Research Problems”
Speaker: Dr. Thomas W. Jones, CG, CGL, FASG

Saturday, 17 October 2015
9:00am – 4:00pm
Nordic Heritage Museum
Registration: $50 SGS Members / $60 Non-members

Seminar Topics:

• Can a Complex Research Problem be Solves Solely Online?
  Step by step, attendees will suggest online sources and research strategies for tracing an ancestor who seems to disappear and reappear. The interactive case study will show both how such cases can be solved online and the limits of material online today.
• Five Ways to Prove Who Your Ancestor Was (Some Reliable and Others Not Reliable)
  Case studies will illustrate five ways – some reliable and others not – that genealogists “prove” an ancestor’s identity: using information provided by others; using a single source; following a chain of evidence; correlating evidence from multiple sources; and weighing conflicting evidence. Attendees will learn how to use the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) to identify their ancestors accurately.
• Inferential Genealogy: Deducing Ancestors’ Identities Correctly
  Participants will learn how to accurately deduce ancestors’ identities and many aspects of their lives by digging below “surface information” in genealogical records and by combining information from several sources.
• Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Ancestor
  Genealogists may be frustrated by not finding ancestors in the records and places where they logically expect them to be. This presentation will explain seven reasons why such ancestors seem to have disappeared, provide examples of each from actual case studies, and suggest strategies to help attendees find their elusive ancestors.

Special Events: 

• Famous SGS book sale to benefit the SGS Library Fund

Don’t miss the additional Special Classes on Sunday, October 18th! Registration is limited!

STAY CONNECTED WITH SGS –  FACEBOOK & TWITTER

SGS has started a closed Facebook group led by member Lisa Chan – “The Seattle Genealogical Society Network”.  Available to anyone interested in SGS and genealogy, it’s an opportunity to discuss research interests and socialize with other genealogists from the Northwest and beyond.  Participants must have a Facebook account in order to join the group, but need not be a SGS member. To join, in Facebook search for the group by name and then click “Join Group”.

SGS is also on Twitter!  Keep up on interesting news and events concerning SGS and the world of genealogy.  Follow SGS at SeaGenealogicalSociety@SeattleSgs.

A NEW SIG FOR SGS

The first meeting of the Scandinavian Special Interest Group will be held on Sunday, September 20, 1:00pm-3:00pm, at the SGS Library. The time will be used to organize future meetings by reviewing people’s country of interest, level of experience, resources and simple facts on what is needed to get started. At least 10 people are needed to start a SIG so please email Karen Knudson at jerriamir@gmail.com if you are interested, but cannot attend the first meeting. Also note there will be a Scandinavian Workshop Program, Sunday, October 11th.  See the SGS Calendar of Events below.

Immigration and Nationality Records Review:
At the Seattle Public Library

US Citizenship and Immigration Services historical records expert Marian L. Smith will present an “Immigration and Nationality Records Review,” an overview of the Federal immigration and nationality records housed both at the National Archives (NARA) and USCIS.  The talk will include examples, identify finding aids, and explain research procedures.

The Seattle Public Library
Central Library – Level 4 – Room 1
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
7:00pm – 8:30pm

Marian L. Smith specializes in the history and uses of immigration and naturalization records.  She served as Chief Historian for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from 1988 to 2003, then its successor the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from 2003 to 2014.  During that time her articles appeared in the National Archives journal Prologue, the FGS Forum, and other publications.  Marian now serves the USCIS Records Division as an historical records subject matter expert, whose current work focuses on automation, digitization, data integrity, and training.

Registration is encouraged, but not required.  Send an email using the library’s Ask-A-Librarian service or call 206-386-4636 and ask for the genealogy desk to register.  Space is limited at library events. Please come early to make sure you get a seat.
SGS CEASES PUBLICATION OF THE SGS NEWSLETTER,
REPLACED BY THE SGS eNews!

At its most recent meeting, the SGS Board of Directors decided to cease publication of the SGS Newsletter, our quarterly eight page publication containing news, announcements and the SGS Calendar of Events for the coming quarter.  Originally the SGS Newsletter was mailed to all SGS members; recently, due to cost constraints, SGS stopped mailing the SGS Newsletter, instead posting it online on the Members Only section of the SGS web site.

In making this decision, the Board recognized that the SGS eNews!, our twice-a-month electronic publication, has subsumed the SGS Newsletter, providing the same content in a much more frequent and timely fashion.  In addition, it reaches far more members than the SGS Newsletter did.

Our plan at this time is to post a link to each issue of the SGS eNews! online, where the SGS Newsletter has been posted recently, as well as to continue to email it to all SGS members and anyone else who signs up to receive it, whether SGS member or not.

If you have any questions or concerns about this decision, feel free to contact Reiley Kidd at SGSsecretary@gmail.com.

SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS Continue reading →

Kudos for Our SGS Library from “The Legal Genealogist”

This weekend of August 13-15, The Northwest Genealogy conference in Arlington featured Ms. Judy Russell, otherwise known as The Legal Genealogist.  In 2013, SGS had the pleasure of hosting Ms. Russell as the speaker at our Spring Seminar, after which she had the opportunity to visit our library.  She then wrote about our library in her blog “The Legal Genealogist” under the title “Sleepless in Seattle?”. Since that time, the library has added about 2,000 new volumes and undergone a couple of changes.

For additional interesting content check out her blog at http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog and if you haven’t been here lately, come check out our SGS Library as well!

SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

All programs are at the SGS Library at 6200 Sand Point Way unless otherwise indicated. Please Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be postponed.

Sunday, August 16, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
PROGRAM MEETING: “LOVE, COURTSHIP, SEX & MARRIAGE”
Until Eve – It was a man’s world.  Without women, there would be no genealogy; but their status has changed throughout history, and this has had a profound effect on the records we use for research.  We’ll explore the surprising customs and practices of our ancestors, and the place of women in society over time. Speaker: Jean A. Roth

Saturday, August 22, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
ETHNIC WORKSHOP: “BREAKING THROUGH THE WALL OF SLAVERY: AN INTRODUCTION to AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY” Speaker:  Janice Lovelace, SGS Vice-President

Sunday, August 23, 1:30pm-3:30pm BRICK WALL PROBLEM SOLVING
Join SGS members for a problem-solving session.  This is an open forum format.

Sunday August 30, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm   PROGRAM MEETING: “USING FIRE INSURANCE MAPS” These maps, including the famous Sandborn Maps, were originally created in the years following the Civil War and used for assessing fire insurance liability in urban areas in the United States. They are a highly useful resource for historical and genealogical research. Speaker: Jill Morelli

SEPTEMBER  Continue reading →

SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

All programs are at the SGS Library at 6200 Sand Point Way unless otherwise indicated. Please Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be postponed.

Sunday, August 2, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
PROGRAM MEETING: “USING “FIND A GRAVE” FOR GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH.” 
“Find A Grave” is a resource for finding the final disposition of family, friends, and famous people as a virtual cemetery experience.  “Find a Grave” memorials may contain rich content including pictures, biographies and more specific information. Speaker: Karen Sipe.

Sunday, August 16, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
PROGRAM MEETING: “LOVE, COURTSHIP, SEX & MARRIAGE”
Until Eve – It was a man’s world.  Without women, there would be no genealogy; but their status has changed throughout history, and this has had a profound effect on the records we use for research.  We’ll explore the surprising customs and practices of our ancestors, and the place of women in society over time. Speaker: Jean A. Roth

Saturday, August 22, 1:30 pm  – 4:00 pm
ETHNIC WORKSHOP: “BREAKING THROUGH THE WALL OF SLAVERY: AN INTRODUCTION to AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY” Speaker:  Janice Lovelace, SGS Vice-President

Sunday, August 23, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
BRICK WALL PROBLEM SOLVING 
Join SGS members for a problem-solving session.  This is an open forum format.

Sunday August 30, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
PROGRAM MEETING: “USING FIRE INSURANCE MAPS”
These maps, including the famous Sandborn Maps, were originally created in the years following the Civil War and used for assessing fire insurance liability in urban areas in the United States. They are a highly useful resource for historical and genealogical research.   Speaker: Jill Morelli

SAVE THE DATES Continue reading →