Puget Sound Genealogical Society Timelines & Chronologies & Land Records

by Charles Hansen

PSGS Program:

Oct 23 (Wed), 1pm.  “Your Ancestor’s Occupation – Exploring the 1821 Irish Census” with Steven Morrison.  A short business meeting will follow the program.  This will be hybrid with in person at the Sylvan Way Library and on Zoom.

PSGS Class:

Oct 26 (Sat), 10:30am.  “Timelines & Chronologies and Land Records” with Janet Camarata

This class will be hybrid.  You can join us in person at the Sylvan Way Library in Bremerton or on Zoom.

*Zoom link posted the day before on our website and Facebook page.  If you are a PSGS member, the link will be emailed to you 2 days prior.

Heritage Quest Research Library November Preview

by Charles Hansen
NOVEMBER PREVIEW
Recreating the Great War: Finding Military Service Information for your WWI Veteran Many federal WWI personnel records were destroyed during a National Archives fire in the 1970s. Tina offers ways to locate copies of peripheral federal military records and provides solutions for recreating some of the lost history in these “fire” records by using local government documents, newspapers, service organization memberships and base records.  Tina Beaird is the owner of Tamarack Genealogy and is a Genealogy & Local History Librarian at the Plainfield Library in Plainfield, IL. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree with a specialization in Archives/Preservation from Dominican University. Tina has won multiple research and digitization grants to preserve and digitize historic documents and photographs. 
If you liked our classes last year on “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” & “Internet Archives”, you’ll like this one too! When: Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024
Where: ZOOM & in-person
Cost: $20 members / $25 non-members Sign-up & Payment ZOOM: Go to hqrl.com. Click on the HQRL Store and complete the registration form. Be sure to log-in as a member to receive your discount.
In-Person (8 only) Call HQRL at 253-863-1806 or come into the library at 2102 East Main, Suite 105, Puyallup, WA 98372
Copyright © 2024 Heritage Quest Research Library, All rights reserved.
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Heritage Quest Research Library
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Puyallup, WA98372-3205

Let’s Talk About: Punishment in Old Virginia

by Donna Phillips


Reading Ulysses P. Joyner’s The First Settlers of Orange County, Virginia, I thought to share bits about early forms of punishments there and the reasons for such punishments. 

Reasons for punishment in the early 1700s included: killing a slave, stealing a horse, absenting oneself from church, illicit cohabitation/adultery, failure to pay taxes, insulting the minister,  failure to keep his appointed stretch of road in good repair. having a “base born” child, drunkenness, stealing, murder, disturbing the peace and being a vagabond.

Punishments included:  time in the stocks (either the stand-up or sit-down sort). “This was a form of public ridicule and humiliation since the prisoner’s ankles, wrists and neck were shackled in the stocks on the courthouse lawn and the public gathered to taunt him/her.” 

Those convicted of stealing would have one or both of their ears nailed to the pillory for a specified time at the conclusion of which the sheriff used his sword to cut the sorry soul loose, leaving the ear affixed to the pillory.

Though women criminals were often dealt with as harshly as men, the usual punishment imposed on women for minor offenses was the “ducking pool” or “dunking stool.” The lady was placed on the stool attached to the end of a long pole in a public area and was “ducked” or dunked in a pool of water, a spectacle enjoyed by all except the victim.

As I read these pages, I was stuck by how much the idea of public humiliation was part of the punishment. Yes, loosing an ear was painful and awful but being put on display as a criminal was likely just as painful for the victim. I personally think that using thirty minutes in public stocks would be great punishment for minor offenders today.

Let’s Talk About: Trees!

by Donna Phillips


 I purchased this little book in an airport gift shop, killing time between flights. It’s been a deee-lightful and most informative read. For instance: 

“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.” (Welsh Proverb)

“A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches to the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded and that no matter how high we go it is from our roots that we draw sustenance.” (Wangari Maathai, Kenyan Political activist, 1940-2011)

“Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.” (Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965)

“Into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.” (John Muir, 1838-1914)

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.” (Greek proverb)

“What we are going to the forest of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” (Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948)

“A person who loves trees and forests is known as a dendrophile. That person could also be called another obscure term: nemophilist. Or you could simple call that person a tree hugger.”

“You might come across a miniature whirlwind of leaves, thought by some to be created by a fairy dance, with tiny fairies riding on the leaves. Try catching a leaf in the air before it touches the ground…the fairy riding it will grant you a wish.”

“Acts of creating are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god or poet; one need only own a shovel.” (Aldo Leopard, 1887-1948)

P.S. This little book cost $8.95.

Lewiston, Idaho, High School Yearbook 1924

by Donna Phillips

In a Spokane thrift store, I rescued this wonderful treasure! Inscribed: Property of Allene Robinson, who was a Junior that year. Besides pages of names of current students, this annual contains Alumni Lists dating back to 1890!!! There are also pages of class news bits, jokes, etc. What a find, I thought. If you want this, do let me know. It will not never go back to a thrift store! Donna

Eastern Washington Genealogical Society Discovering Spokane’s Lost Immigrant Neighborhoods

by Charles Hansen

Mark your calendar now!

Come have coffee and cookies together as we learn about Early Spokane Neighborhoods

Saturday, November 2
“Where Did They Live? – Discovering Early Spokane’s Lost Immigrant Neighborhoods”
12:30 pm to 3:00 pm
THE HIVE; 2904 E Sprague, Spokane, WA
(also available on ZOOM)
Presented by Richard Sola

Join us for the story of immigrants who came to Spokane in the early 1900s where they created vibrant neighborhoods that have long since disappeared.

Research tips will weave throughout this presentation so you can start using accessible primary resources to find lost immigrant neighborhoods, both in Spokane and other communities of your ancestors.

Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society DNA SIG Meeting

by Charles Hansen

Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society DNA Special Interest Group Meeting
Tuesday, October 22, Starting at 7:00 pm via Zoom

At this meeting we will be discussing the free Family Tree Webinar Boosting Your Family History Discoveries with MyHeritage DNA by Gal Zrihen. Please watch it before the meeting and be ready to talk about it. All questions welcome!

Calendar reminder: TPCGS DNA Special Interest Group Meeting

Every month on the Fourth Tuesday beginning at 7:00 PM Pacific Time

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

Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqdeyrrz0iEtx-c_J3gNfcI8mebT1zajLo/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqTkvGdWTuBGPRpwQB4joZ-nzmCFHj7dF0RzaKXNUTAX1H7pPN7BLQcLR

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82725316888?pwd=MDc3UEZrUVJNbmxmK2ZORmw5YzdDdz09

Meeting ID: 827 2531 6888
Passcode: 811780

One tap mobile:
+12532050468,,82725316888#,,,,*811780# US
+12532158782,,82725316888#,,,,*811780# US (Tacoma)

Dial by your location:
        +1 253 205 0468 US
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 827 2531 6888
Passcode: 811780

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kIKCyZLQy

Genealogical Forum of Oregon A Feast of DNA Topics

by Charles Hansen

Intermediate & Advanced DNA Seminar: Early Registration Deadline Soon!

The Genealogical Forum of Oregon is pleased to host our fall seminar focused on intermediate and advanced DNA topics. The seminar will be held online.

Our featured speaker is Paul Woodbury, veteran of hundreds of genealogy cases and senior researcher on the DNA Team at Legacy Tree Genealogists. This seminar will introduce you to topics that are not commonly offered, from constructing a DNA-assisted proof argument, to finding misattributed ancestry (more common than realized!), to handling false positives in endogamous populations.  Even the most experienced genealogist will learn something new!

As a bonus, seminar registration includes a special session on the evening of Friday, November 1, “Intro to DNA for Beginners”, also taught by Mr. Woodbury.

Register now and save $10! Early registration deadline is October 20.

Registration: gfo.org/seminar; inquiries: education@gfo.org

Let’s Talk About: Creating A Locality Guide

by Donna Phillips

Remember the old TripTik Travel Planners offered by AAA? When you were planning a trip, you’d contact AAA and ask for a customized TripTik and a little flip-booklet of all the roads, attractions, lodging and eats was furnished to you. It became the “bible” for your trip. 

I propose to you today that a Locality Guide for your genealogy research is parallel to the old TripTik. When you’re “going to” (researching) in a particular place, don’t you want to know the roads and places there?????  And, F.Y.I., creating a Locality Guide is  part of many how-to genealogical study courses. 

So. What to include in a Locality Guide? For imaginary visual impact, picture creating a Locality Guide for  Washington State or even better, a Washington State county. Here might be the chapters to include:

  • Historical Background & Geography
  • Local & County Government Agencies
  • State or Provincial Government
  • Laws
  • Archives, Libraries, Museums, Historical Societies
  • Historical Context Materials
  • Research Guides
  • Genealogy societies & Social Media
  • Census Records
  • Government Vital Records
  • Maps & Gazetteers
  • City Directories
  • Newspapers
  • Cemeteries & Funeral Homes & Onsite Grave Locators
  • Religious Records
  • Probate Records
  • Local Land Records
  • Federal Land Records
  • Tax Records
  • Immigration & Naturalization Records
  • Military Records

Imagine searching out and then compiling all that information for your target research place!  Seems to me, it would just about guarantee success in your search. 


Robyn M. Smith on her website, Reclaiming Kin, describes what a Locality Guide is: “It’s a document you create that contains key snippets of information relevant to genealogical research in a specific locale. The idea is to have one central guide that you can refer to time and time again when you are researching that place.” I agree!

South King County Genealogical Society WikiTree SIG

by Charles Hansen

Are you curious about the free website WikiTree? South King County Genealogical Society is hosting an interest group for those who are interested in a site that focuses on collaboration, high-quality, well-sourced research, and telling our relatives’ stories.

Whether you are just curious or an experienced user, we welcome you. Let’s together learn how to use all the strengths of the WikiTree website to present our research and collaborate with other users around the globe.

Subscribe here: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG

Also of interest may be an upcoming session: Monday 14 October at 1pm: Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group will discuss  DNA Features at WikiTree. Register at https://www.skcgs.org for a Zoom invitation.