The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society will present its February general meeting on Saturday, February 4 at 10:00 am at the library at 1901 S. 12th Ave., Union Gap. The public is welcome. The presentation will be about Immigration Policies. Call 509-248-1328 for further information.
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.
Virginia Forney Majewski
In today’s “Meet the Board” series, we’re introducing you to Virginia Majewski from Sequim. Virginia, more familiarly known to us as Ginny, is WSGS’s new President, having been elected last month. Her dedication to WSGS is longstanding as she has previously served as WSGS’s Secretary, Region 3 Representative and Vice President.
Virginia Ann was born in Yakima to Wesley Roy and Nancy Jane (Grabill) Forney. She is a proud 4th generation Washingtonian and descendant of a Washington State Pioneer family. Ginny’s name was handed down through her mother’s family – great grandmother, great aunts and aunts – even though Ginny’s dad maintains he picked out her name.
Ginny is a graduate of Quincy High School in Quincy, Washington (Grant County) and Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Spokane. She is married to her husband of 30 years, Moe. She is the mother of four grown children and, most importantly, grandmother of eight, ages 17-1. She retired from her career of 42 years as an Obstetrical Nurse in 2013.
Ginny has been involved in genealogy for more than 20 years. It all started with a couple of boxes of “junk” from her grandparent’s estate. She was bitten by the genealogy bug and it became one of her life’s passions. Her maternal and paternal lines go back to exiled Mennonites in Switzerland. In 2000, she took a three-week genealogical tour of Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands – following the path of her exiled ancestors.
Proud 4th generation Washingtonian
Virginia holds a Certification in Advanced Genealogical Studies in both American Records and Methodology from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies in Toronto, Canada. Currently, she is the President of Clallam County Genealogical Society. She is also a member of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, New York Genealogical Society and Polish Genealogical Society.
When asked what she finds most interesting about genealogy, Ginny muses about a bigamist, unknown illegitimate cousins, a civil war hero and many more interesting characters!
A few more interesting tidbits about Ginny:
Now you know a little more about one of the WSGS Board members. The next time you see Ginny, say hello and thank her for her service to the WSGS.
The Yakima Valley Genealogy Society will present its monthly meeting and program Saturday, January 7 at 10:00 am. The public is welcome at 1901 S. 12th Ave. in Union Gap (509-248-1328 for further information) The program presenter will be Judy Schuster speaking on “Immigration Policies”
The Yakima Valley Genealogy Society is holding its annual Christmas party at 10:00 am at the library on Saturday, December 3. This will be in lieu of the regular business meeting. Refreshments will be served and gifts for the library will be presented. Call 509-248-1328 for information.
Now is the time for genealogical societies and organizations to select their local outstanding volunteers and teams so they can be honored at the WSGS Annual Meeting on April 22, 2017 in Yakima. The annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society’s Spring Seminar.
Each year, the State Society recognizes local volunteers and teams nominated by their society or organization at the annual conference. In 2016, more than 20 local volunteers and four teams from 20 organizations were recognized for their support and dedication to their society and the researching public.
The process for this year’s Outstanding Volunteer Award program is much like last year’s – no significant changes. In addition to the traditional Outstanding Volunteer Award program, there are three other recognition awards: Outstanding Project, Outstanding Communication, and the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. Information about those awards will be forthcoming, but should not impact organizations’ Outstanding Volunteer Award nominations.
Letters to local societies and organizations, with additional details, have been emailed to society contacts. If you have not received that information, please contact Roxanne Lowe, WSGS Recognition Chair. The milestones for this year’s nomination process are:
• No later than January 15, 2017: Submit the name(s) of your honorees to the Recognition Committee.
• By February 15, 2017: Submit a narrative (approximately 150 words) explaining the accomplishments of your nominee and why you are honoring him/her. Include a good quality digital photograph (at least 300 dpi).
• April 22, 2017: Formal announcement and presentation of certificates at the Annual Meeting in Yakima.
Additional details and deadlines, plus indexes and narratives of accomplishments of past honorees, since 2003, may be found at the WSGS website here.
Please contact Roxanne Lowe at roxanne@thekeeffes.com if you have questions or suggestions.
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.
Sue Ericksen
In today’s “Meet the Board” series, we’re introducing you to Sue Ericksen from Zillah in Yakima County. Sue is WSGS’s Treasurer, but her involvement has been longstanding: WSGS’s President from 2009 – 2012, membership chair, web manager and Region 5 representative.
In addition to her WSGS dedication, Sue is an active member of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, currently serving as its vice president and web manager. She was also a major player in YVGS’s recent acquisition of the massive Yakima Family History library collection that used to be housed in the LDS Yakima Family History library (approximately 6,000 microfilm and 6,000 microfiche). You can also add presenter to Sue’s long list of credentials. She will be presenting a talk on “Copyright vs. Plagiarism” at the February 4, 2017 YVGS meeting.
Susan Bernice Semenza was born to Norman and Sallie (Gallupe) Semenza in National City, California, not far from San Diego. Sue has researched her family lines for many, many years, following their migrations and journeys through Germany, Italy, England and Canada. When she does find time to do her research, she often uses Ancestry.com.
Sue married William Leroy Ericksen on 18 Sept 1965 in Wapato (Yakima County). They celebrated 50 years of marriage before his passing earlier this year. Together, they were successful orchardists in the fertile Zillah area, growing apples, peaches and pears. They are the parents of three children and grandparents of five.
A few other tidbits about Sue:
• Hobbies besides genealogy – reading, bird watching
• Favorite color – yellow
• Favorite dessert – cherry pie
• Word that best describes her – busy!
Now you know a little more about one of the WSGS Board members. The next time you see Sue, say hello and thank her for her service to the WSGS.
The Yakima Valley Genealogy Society is holding a general business meeting Saturday, November 5 at 10:00 at the library at 1901 S. 12the Avenue (off Washington). The public is welcome. The presentation will be “Accessing State Archives and Genealogical Society Libraries Online.” Call 509-248-1328 for information.
Take a road trip to Yakima on Friday, the last day of September and enjoy the Union Gap Agricultural Museum tram tours on a beautiful fall day. Then, Saturday October 1 attend the Yakima Genealogy Society fall workshop 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at Mt. Olive Church 7809 Tieton Drive. 12 separate genealogical classes.
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Sue Semenza Ericksen has been appointed by WSGS President Mikal McKinnon to take over the state society’s treasurer’s duties. Sue replaces Kathy Bowen who moved out of the state to be closer to family.
Sue’s presence in WSGS is long-standing. She is Immediate Past President and previously served as membership chair, web manager and Region 5 representative. In addition to her WSGS dedication, Sue is an active member of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, currently serving as its vice president and web manager.
A routine audit was conducted on the WSGS finances and all was in order. A big thank-you to Sue for stepping into this important position.
The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society is holding its general meeting Saturday, September 3 at the library at 1901 S. 12th Avenue in Yakima. The presentation is on special censuses. The public is welcome. Call 509-248-1328 for more information.