TIP OF THE WEEK –
SGS  Book Procurement Program

When SGS moved to its new location in the Good Shepherd Center, a team of volunteers, led by the Library Trustees, curated our existing collection to focus on the Pacific Northwest. In that process they discovered that we had several incomplete sets of books and many underrepresented counties. The SGS Librarian submitted to the Board of Trustee’s a request for funding, which was granted. With a purchasing plan in place, the Trustees have been active in procuring these volumes as they become available. 

If you would like to support this effort, please consider a donation to the Society. If you have book(s) in your personal library which might supplement our Pacific Northwest collection, please first contact Director of Library at library@seagensoc.org. Thanks!

TIP OF THE WEEK – DO YOU REMEMBER THIS ELEPHIND TIP?

Elephind, is a the Search Engine for Historical Newspapers. Many genealogist love the Library of Congress –  Chronicling America – historical, digitized newspapers website, but have you heard of Elephind.com? Their goal is to search all the world’s digitized, historical newspapers from one place at one time; it’s similar to the idea behind Travelocity.com with the airline industry.

Elephind currently is at over 200 million items from over 4,300 newspaper titles worldwide. That is far more than what you will find at Chronicling America.  In fact, Chronicling America is one of the sites Elephind has covered. Also like Chronicling America, Elephind is adding volume almost daily.

At the website for elephind,  start with the Search Tips.

The “proximity search” is particularly useful.  An example, using this syntax  “Jane Doe”~4 in Search will find for you : 

•Jane Doe
•Jane E Doe
•Jane Elizabeth Doe
•Elizabeth Jane Smith, nee Doe

But it will exclude something like “Jane and Sally found a young, frightened doe in the woods”.

Elephind.com will be a good addition to your arsenal of historical newspapers websites and someday it might become the only one you will ever need.

Visit: https://elephind.com

TIP OF THE WEEK –
THIS NEW BOOK IS GREAT!

By Lisa White, SGS Director of Publiations

Recently I had the pleasure of reading Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy by Genealogy Guys Podcast co-host Drew Smith.Coincidently it came to me at a very appropriate time. Lately I have been involved in many discussions about how best to get started in genealogy. This book addresses this question wonderfully.

Directed towards beginning genealogists, this book provides an upbeat and clear guide to the steps involved in doing good genealogical research. The main focus is on United States records, but there is also a chapter devoted to research outside of the U.S. such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The chapter on DNA testing is especially good as it provides the basics for understanding types of DNA and how testing can help us with our projects.

Even if you are a seasoned genealogist, I recommend that you read this book. In genealogy, as in most things, there is always something to learn, and I came away rejuvenated with so many ideas and insights. I can’t wait to put some of these suggestions to work, especially in regards to organizing my digital files. Some of the tips can even save you money!

To help start or boost your research, you can get your copy at:  
https://www.genealogical.com
 

TIP OF THE WEEK –
SGS 2023 SPRING SEMINAR
 RECORDING

DID YOU MISS THE SGS 2023 SPRING SEMINAR?

The seminar has concluded, but you may still “Learn to Research Like a Pro” with Diana Elder AGⓇ and Nicole Dyer! Register for access to view the recorded seminar presentations, which will be available until Monday, April 10, 2023. 

Register for the SGS 2023 Spring Seminar

TIP OF THE WEEK –
“HERITAGE FROM THE HEARTLAND” SERIES

The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society has been running a webinar series on research in the Heartland of America. There are 4 webinars left; they are hybrid, meaning you can attend in person or online virtual. They will take place:

March 4, 2023 : Michigan
April 1, 2023   : Ohio, Minnesota, and Iowa
May 6, 2023    : Kansas
June 3, 2023   : Oklahoma 

Interested in finding out more, visit their website: 
https://ewgsi.org

Once there follow the tab to Upcoming Events. 

TIP OF THE WEEK – IMAGE ONLY RECORDS ON FAMILYSEARCH

A large percentage of FamilySearch records are not indexed. Sunday, February 19, 2023, at 1:00 pm, for our “Virtual Sundays: Something Old, Something New”, Jill Morelli will teach you how to navigate the image only records on FamilySearch. Preregistration is required. Visit our SGS website for registration. 

TIP OF THE WEEK –
SGS CENTENNIAL STORE

Commemorate 100 Years of the Seattle Genealogical Society with t-shirts, mugs, totes and more, available in the Centennial store here https://www.cafepress.com/seattlegenealogicalsociety100
 

Show your support at events this year as we continue to honor our SGS legacy and look to the future. 
 
Don’t see something you would like to have? We can make that happen. Just contact pastpresident@seagensoc.org

TIP OF THE WEEK –
EDUCATION AT FISKE

Like many other genealogical organizations, due to COVID 19 worries, the Fiske Library in Seattle started conducting their classes online via Zoom in 2020. Fiske has an online class opportunity each Wednesday. The Wednesday class usually runs from 10:00 AM until noon. They recently published their Winter 2023 Class Schedule. You can find it here: 
https://fiskelibrary.org/2023WinterClasses.pdf

TIP OF THE WEEK –
WANT A TIP OF THE DAY?

If you like the tip-of-the-week, how about a tip-of-the day?

On their website, The Family History Guide blog offers a genealogy related tip of the day. You can find it here: 
https://www.thefhguide.com/tip-of-the-day.html

Now, don’t confuse The Family History Guide with the Family History Library or FamilySearch.  But FamilySearch does have a relationship with The Family History Guide and here’s what they have to say about them:

“Note: The Family History Guide is an additional resource for help with FamilySearch.org. The guide contains free lessons on using the website FamilySearch.org and on topics related to family history and genealogy. The content is provided by a FamilySearch partner. The guide is written in English and made available in other languages through Google Translate.”