GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News

by Charles Hansen
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition June 20, 2019
Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!
gfo.org | 503-963-1932 | info@gfo.org Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR.
Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider
Nanci Remington Named to GFO Hall of Fame
This year, the board of directors is proud to name Nanci Remington as the GFO’s 2019 Hall of Fame honoree. We’ve almost lost track of all the hats Nanci Remington has worn during her decade of volunteering at the GFO. Nanci is more than just a Research Assistant. She has her own fan club. Patrons make a point of coming down on days they know she will be at the library.
GFO President Vince Patton presents the Hall of Fame Award to long time volunteer Nanci Remington.
Among her many other hats over the years: ▪ She goes above and behond answering emails sent to info@gfo.org. ▪ Served as Education Chair and headed the Open House for several years. ▪ Filled the gap when the Seminars Committee lost its co-chair and filled that role all on her own for several well-organized years. ▪ She founded the German Special Interest Group. ▪ She was also one of the key players in the predecessor or our current Problem Solvers Special Interest Group—the Hunting and Gathering SIG. ▪ Formed and still co-leads the Manuscripts Committee, helping to make the treasures within available to researchers worldwide. ▪ She’s been writing interesting articles for the Bulletin for ages, and most recently agreed to become its co-editor. ▪ Our good fortune seems to be that if she burns out of one role, she always pops up in another. For her true leadership, service, and accomplishments, we are proud to add the name of Nanci Remington to the GFO Hall of Fame.
Italian Ancestry Group Returns
We are pleased that the Italian Special Interest Group is returning from hiatus! It will meet on a new day, under the leadership of GFO member Nancy Matheny. Nancy has set up a series of topics to fill the rest of the year. ▪ Jul 2 – Lecture #1: Italian-Americans: Find your ancestral home in the old country ▪ Aug 6 – Lecture #2: Italian-Americans: Find your ancestor’s passenger list ▪ Sep 3 – Lecture #3: Italian-Americans: Find your ancestor’s naturalization records ▪ Oct 1 – Lecture #4: Italian-Americans: Find your ancestor’s Italian civil records ▪ Nov 5 – Lecture #5: Italian-Americans: Find your ancestor’s Italian church records ▪ Dec 3 – Lecture #6: Italian-Americans: Find your ancestor’s Italian military records The Italian group will meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to Noon at the GFO Library. All meetings are free and open to the public. Questions? Contact Italian@gfo.org
Half-Day Workshop: Adding Historical Context
Adding Historical Context: A Hands-On Approach Join GFO’s Kate Eakman July 14 from 9:30 a.m. – Noon for a half-day of learning about how to add historical context to your genealogical research to make it richer and more interesting. In this workshop you will: ▪ Practice identifying items, events, and topics ripe for historical research. ▪ Once the questions have been asked, learn how to find the answers. ▪ Discuss how to add this new-found information to one’s family’s history. Take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Register by June 30 and save $5.00!
Register Now
PMUG Clinic Debuts at the GFO
June 26th 6:00 – 7:45 p.m. in the GFO Classroom. If you missed our meeting on June 12th, Portland Macintosh Users Group will be repeating one of our most successful events at the GFO – the PMUG Clinic. The Clinic is a friendly place where you can bring in that Mac/iPad/iPhone that is giving you problem for free diagnostics, as well as help with many other issues. Some examples of how PMUG Clinic can help you include:
• If you have questions on one of the basic Apple software apps, you don’t need to take a whole class to get your questions answered.
• If you are having problems with your Mac/iPhone/iPad, you can bring it in for a free diagnostic.
• If you want to find the best backup system for your genealogy archives, you can get a custom recommendation based your actual needs. No need to register, just show up during clinic hours: Bring your Mac or Apple mobile device. If you would like additional information for attending PMUG Clinic, please email us at college@pmug.org.
Help Us Finish the Year with a Cushion!
In our personal lives, June doesn’t typically trigger us think to think about the money we’re spending. At the GFO, this is the last month of our fiscal year. We see how some expenses rose more than we expected. In fact, we learned recently we must replace three computers which are on death’s door. This is an unexpected expense. We’re all volunteer. No one gets paid. Every dime of your support goes directly into the GFO’s operations. The GFO preserves heritage in our 50,000 holdings, and offers more than 180 classes during the year. Please make a gift today to help us fuel the lifelong learning genealogists enjoy.
Contribute now
FGS Family History Conference Early Registration closing soon
Federation of Genealogical Societies’ FGS 2019 Family History Conference is just two months away (August 21 – 24) in Washington, DC, and now is the time to lock in the advance registration discount rate while it lasts! Five Reasons to attend FGS 2019:
▪ Four full days of inclusive topics presented by the nation’s top family history experts with sessions aimed at strengthening your research skills regardless of your level or area of expertise. ▪ Pre-conference opportunities to visit and research at the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the DAR Library. ▪ A variety of tracks such as American’s Resources, Mid-Atlantic Region, Colonial History and Settlement, Women’s studies, and three DNA tracks to cover DNA foundations, methods, and practice. ▪ Ten luncheons to network with fellow genealogists and enjoy lighter presentations from sponsoring organizations such as Family Search, My Heritage, and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. ▪ An Exhibit Hall featuring the latest software, books, maps, and gadgets for genealogists as well as information about genealogical organizations. When you register by June 30th you save $30 on full conference registration, or $10 on single day registration. Attendees who provide 8 hours or more of volunteer service during the conference are eligible for partial refunds of their registration fee!
Register Here
Surplus Book of the Week: Historical Atlas of Indiana
Here’s a treat for map lovers or anyone with Indiana roots. This week’s surplus book is the Illustrated Historical Atlas of Indiana. The maps are from 1876, depicting every county in the state at that time. It includes the plat of Indianapolis and a sampling of illustrations. This handsome, oversized volume measures 14 inches by 17 1/2 inches and is in perfect condition.
Note: This is a 1968 reproduction by the Indiana Historical Society of the original 1876 publication. We have found this atlas for sale online for $50 to $100. Our price: $30 if you pickup at the GFO. $37 if we mail it to you. Contact booksales@gfo.org if you’d like to buy it. (Please don’t just come to the library first to get it.)
Survey Results: Correcting Errors on Ancestry.com
Well done!
Nearly 76% of our survey respondents know that it is possible to submit corrections to errors on Ancestry and they’ve done just that. 16% didn’t know, but say they’ll send in corrections now. 8% said they did know about the feature but have never submitted a fix.
New Survey:
Davy Crockett, George Washington, Queen Victoria … Do family stories say you are related to a famous person? Take our survey this week to tell us more.
Take the Survey
This week at GFO …
Sunday, June 23rd
Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
There’s another work party at the GFO library today for those of you who can come. There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9 and work usually wraps up around noon. Some people come for just an hour or so; others work the full time. You are welcome to do either. Any time you can share is valuable. Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, June 19th
PMUG Clinic 6:00 – 7:45 p.m.
For the month of June, the Portland Macintosh Users Group will bring one of our most successful events to the GFO – the PMUG Clinic. The Clinic is a friendly place where you can bring in that Mac/iPad/iPhone that you are having problems with for free diagnostics, as well as many other issues.

GU272 Memory Project

by Charles Hansen

American Ancestors has started the GU272 Memory project which is a project that several EWGS Members form Spokane have worked on. Patricia Bayonne-Johnson a former EWGS president had found out with the help of a paid genealogist that her Butler family had been born in Maryland, were Catholic and ended up in Louisana. She formed the Butler group in Spokane and wrote a blog post on the information they had found.

This is 7 of the 8 members of the Butler Group Pat formed at the Spokane Public Library. Georgetown was pretty sure none of the 272 slaves they had sold had lived until they found the blog post Pat had done on finding her family from Maryland.

Today the GU272 Georgetown project has found more than 8000 descendants of the original slaves sold to start Georgetown University and they are still searching for more. Check here to see how to search to see if you have an ancestor connected with the GU272 Memory Project or to help with the project.

Heritage Quest Research Library

by Charles Hansen
Janet Camarata
Wednesday, June 26th 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.   Understanding DNA This is a GREAT class for beginners and for brushing up on your skills. After receiving your DNA results, the questions begin. Learn how to navigate the results, understand an ethnicity report, geographical background maps and identifying cousin matches with Ancestry, Family Tree DNA and 23and me.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A CHANGE FROM THE ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED CLASS.   $20.00 members / $25.00 non-members

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK WEEK – IRISH NAMING PATTERN  

Looking back through the centuries in Ireland, there has traditionally been a very strong naming pattern for the children born into a family. Perhaps knowing this pattern will assist you in your research. eldest son usually named after his paternal grandfather second son usually named after his maternal grandfather third son usually named for his father fourth son usually named for his father’s eldest brother fifth son usually named for his mother’s eldest brother   eldest daughter usually named after her maternal grandmother second daughter usually named after her paternal grandmother third daughter usually named for her mother fourth daughter usually named for her mother’s eldest sister fifth daughter usually named for her father’s eldest sister  

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen
BERNICE KELLER,
VOLUNTEER OF WINTER QUARTER Each quarter, the Seattle Genealogical Society recognizes one volunteer as our Volunteer of the Quarter. Our Volunteer for Winter 2019 is Bernice Keller.

Bernice has been both a member and volunteer of SGS for over 20 years. Bernice caught the genealogy bug early in life – her mother researched their family history, interviewed the previous generation and passed along her findings and love of genealogy to Bernice. Bernice began her own research in the 1970’s, including New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Germany, Kentucky and Indiana. That is a lot of ground to cover! Bernice still finds new information on her ancestors, as more resources and tools have become available.

One of her first, and still memorable, experiences at SGS was a beginning genealogy class taught by our Past President, Marilyn Rose. Bernice has volunteered with our seminars, at the front desk (monthly), as a library trustee and with the archives committee (weekly). Bernice enjoys greeting new people and introducing them to our library and online research tools. As a member of the our archives committee, Bernice enjoys working with other SGS members and finding treasures in the archives donated to SGS.

Besides her passion for genealogy and dedication to the Seattle Genealogical Society, Bernice enjoys hiking, gardening, church activities and spending time with her family, including four great-grandchildren.

This is our second time recognizing Bernice as Volunteer of the Quarter – she was Volunteer of the Quarter for Spring, 2012.

Thank you, Bernice, for your ongoing contributions to SGS!
  SGS TO LAUNCH THE NEW WEBSITE SOON!
  Seattle Genealogical Society is thrilled to announce we will be launching our new website in the upcoming weeks. SGS members should watch their email for notification of the new website and login instructions. Other subscribers to the enews! can watch this space for an announcement with the address to the new website. We hope you find the new website not only easier to use, but that it provides more comprehensive information on our activities, library and databases.

Our new website is hosted by Easy Net Sites, a service specifically designed for genealogical societies. This will allow us to provide more digital content to our online visitors.

  DID YOU RENEW YOUR SGS MEMBERSHIP? SGS Members! Thank you for your participation in our all-volunteer, non-profit society. We look forward to your continued support during our 96th year, as we face the challenges of maintaining our public research library, preserving records and providing educational programs and activities for exploring family history.

Annual memberships expired May 31, 2019. If you have not already done so, please use one of the links below to renew your membership through May 31, 2020.

Not a member yet? Now is a great time to join SGS and obtain a full year of discounted class and event registration fees, free research requests, and access to exclusive SGS publications and databases.
  Join or Renew Online

Print out a Membership Application     SAVE THE DATE “Researching Family in Pennsylvania”,
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA
July 29-August 2, 2019 Do you have Pennsylvania ancestors? Is a research trip to Philadelphia on your wish list? If so, here is an opportunity for a one-week immersion in Pennsylvania record sources, in the heart of Center City Philadelphia.
 
Geared to all researcher levels, with a focus on original record sources as well as the outstanding holdings in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Library, this course will deepen your research skills and acquaint you with Pennsylvania¹s unique resources. Course highlights:
  * Pennsylvania court and vital records 
* Land and tax records 
* Revolutionary War and militia records 
* Early German, Moravian, and Quaker and Welsh settlers 
* Western Pennsylvania research        
 
The Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia-Midtown, 1305 Walnut Street, has rooms available for registrants at $144.00/night. To reserve a room call: 215-735-9300 and mention HSP.   
 
To view the course outline, speaker biographies, and to register, visit  www.hsp.org/events   
Or you may call the Historical Society of Pennsylvania with your questions, (215) 732-6200.
      
Plan to arrive early or stay on after the course to extend your research in Philadelphia, or the surrounding counties. Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties all have an archive and a historical society.
SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather.   JUNE
  Saturday, June 15, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, Irish Special Interest Group,  with Jean Roth
Saturday, June 15, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, German Special Interest Group,  with Jean Roth

Thursday, June 20, 6:00 pm-7:45 pm, DNA Learning Series Class 3: “I Got My Results… Now What?”,  with Cary Bright and Craig K Gowen. This series is for current members of the Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS) and the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society (SIGS) only. Free advance registration is required for each class.  These classes will be held at the Mountlake Terrace – Sno-Isle Libraries, 23300 58th Ave W, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043. To register, email : sgsdnasig@gmail.com

Saturday, June 22, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, “Dissecting A Civil War Pension Record–Union and Confederate,” presented by Jill Morrelli. Have you identified a Union or Confederate Civil War soldier in your ancestry? Lucky you! These records are the most accessible and information-rich of all military records. We will discuss the history of these records, who was included and excluded, and the changes in the law. Typical contents will be reviewed of two examples and, of course, there is a story. This is a beta test.

Saturday, June 29, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm,  DNA SIG, this group meets quarterly at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. Co-chaired by Cary Bright and Herb McDaniel.
For more information, contact sgsdnasig@gmail.com
  JULY   Saturday, July 13, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker (FTM) Users Group –  Special presentation: Using Source Templates in Family Tree Maker, presented by Janet Stroebel, leader of the FTM Users Group at the Eastside Genealogical Society. Come learn how the templates in Family Tree Maker can help streamline the important and often challenging process of creating source citations.

Sunday, July 14, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Scandinavian Special Interest Group, with Karen Knudson.  Bring your projects and share your discoveries with others. We’ll look at what’s new in Arkivdigital for Swedish researchers and review the best way to use Digitalarkivet for Norwegian researchers. If you are researching in Finland or Denmark, come and share your expertise.
  Thursday, July 18, 6:00 pm – 7:45 pm, “DNA Learning Series”, at Mountlake Terrace Sno-Isle Library  
Seattle and Sno-Isle Genealogical Societies are co-sponsoring the “DNA Learning Series.” 
Class 4 of the seven series is “Understanding your Autosomal DNA & DNA inheritance.” 

This is a class you must pre-register for by sending an email to sgsdnasig@gmail.com Deadline to register is July 15, to allow enough time for you to do the assignment. Pre-class assignments are part of the learning experience and you must be on our list to receive them by email.  

GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News

by Charles Hansen
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition June 13, 2019
Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!
gfo.org | 503-963-1932 | info@gfo.org Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR.
Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider
Please Attend Our Member Meeting This Saturday
We encourage all GFO Members to attend our annual membership meeting this Saturday, June 15, at 2 p.m.
(Yes, that’s the correct date. We apologize for the typo last week.)
Richard Crockett will present the budget for the new fiscal year which starts on July 1. You, the members, will be asked to vote to approve the board’s plan. It’s your chance to see our new board members who join the board next month. And, we’ll reveal this year’s Hall of Fame Award winner. This is the GFO’s highest honor, which carries with it lifetime membership in the GFO. The meeting lasts 30 minutes. Then, please stay on for a free GenTalk by Kristin Parks. She’ll talk about land records and how to reach them from our library computers.
Donations Delivered to Paradise Genealogical Society
All 28 boxes fit in the car! President Vince Patton shows every nook and cranny we used to do it.
The Paradise Genealogical Society in northern California hasn’t had much to smile about since a wildfire burned their library to the ground.
Smiles returned today as they received nearly 1,500 books and periodicals. We delivered donations from the GFO and the Clark County Genealogical Society a few hours ago. A team from Paradise drove north, and GFO President Vince Patton drove south. We met halfway in Medford for the transfer of 28 boxes. It’s a great way to jumpstart the rebuilding of their library in a new temporary location in Chico, California.
Joyce Higgins and Carol Sutherland of the Paradise Genealogy Society were thrilled to have a van load of books to drive back home.
Half-Day Workshop: Adding Historical Context
Adding Historical Context: A Hands-On Approach Join GFO’s Kate Eakman July 14 from 9:30 a.m. – Noon for a half-day of learning about how to add historical context to your genealogical research to make it richer and more interesting. In this workshop you will: ▪ Practice identifying items, events, and topics ripe for historical research. ▪ Once the questions have been asked, learn how to find the answers. ▪ Discuss how to add this new-found information to one’s family’s history. Take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Register by June 30 and save $5.00!
Register Now
GenTalk: Locating Land Using the GLO, HistoryGeo & GFO
The website of the Bureau of Land Management’s General Land Office (GLO) is an incredibly valuable resource for researching your Federal Land State ancestors. Even those ancestors who never left the east coast can sometimes be found if you know how to look. Using the GLO, HistoryGeo, and the GFO’s collection of Oregon Donation Land Claim materials can lead you on a rewarding journey of discovery that covers a lot more territory than you might think.
Join GFO Research Assistant and Education Committee Chair Kristin Parks this Saturday, June 15, from 2:15 – 3:15 p.m. to learn more about these helpful resources.
Member Dues Rise July 1 – Renew Early Before the Increase
Anyone may renew early, before July 1, to lock in this year’s lower rates. NOTE: If you are midway into a standard membership and would like to become a Life member, we will credit your life member dues with the unused amount of what you have already paid. Life members can pay everything in one lump sum or spread payments out over three years.
Renew or Join Now
Great Lakes Region Interest Group is looking for your help!
The Great Lakes Region Interest Group is looking for presenters for the coming year! Do you know someone who might be interested? If you send us the person’s name and email address, we’ll do the rest. Contact us at greatlakes@gfo.org. Our next meeting is Saturday, September 14 at 9:30 a.m. Until then, we wish you happy trails and a summer of productive genealogy research!
Surplus Book of the Week: First Hundred Years of Lincoln County
This week’s surplus book is a special commemorative book that beautifully captures the first 100 years of Lincoln County, Oregon, from 1893 to 1993. It was published by the News-Times of Newport in 1993 and includes 192 pages of historic photos and advertisements.
This softcover book captures the fishing, timber, rail, and cultural history of Newport. It’s in very good condition with no marks inside or out. We’ve found it for sale online for $40 plus shipping. Your price:
$30 – pickup at GFO
$35 – we’ll mail it to you If interested, please email booksales@gfo.org. (Please contact them first; don’t just show up at the library to purchase.)
Survey Results: Family Tree Errors
There were 46 responses with lots of “Other” answers.
23 – Try to get the tree owner to correct it
13 – Ignore it To see all the results, click here.
Have you ever looked for trees with errors about your ancestors for the purpose of correcting them?
No 39 (84.8%)
Yes 7 (15.2%) If you tried to correct the errors, how did you do it?
(respondents could select more than one answer.)
We’re glad to see some of you are working hard to get those trees corrected! 37 of you responded.
22 Sent the tree owner corrected information
19 Sent the tree owner documentation (or a link to documentation)
17 Added a comment to their tree
10 Tried to educate the tree owner about the value of reliable sources
New Survey: Correcting Errors on Ancestry.com
Have you ever looked and looked for a record on Ancestry.com, to discover when you find it that it was indexed incorrectly?
It can be frustrating, for sure. And Ancestry will not correct them—but you can. It doesn’t change the incorrect information, but it adds information to help others find the record more easily.
This week we ask if you already know about and/or post corrections.
Please take our survey now.
Take the Survey
This week at GFO …
Friday, June 14th
Mexican Ancestry Group 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Finding your Hispanic ancestors from Mexico, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California
This Special Interest Group (SIG) pertains specifically to Mexican ancestors from Mexico and the American Southwest (New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California). Beginning and intermediate researchers are welcome.
Some subjects will include online parish records, Hispanic genealogy societies, Family History Library/FamilySearch.org. Ancestry.com, solving genealogical problems, methodology of organizing your research, etc. Of course this group will also be about sharing our research experiences, and having fun.
For questions or comments, please email Vince Ramirez at sw@gfo.org.
Saturday, June 15th
Genealogy Problem Solvers 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
No meeting this month.
African American Ancestry Group 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
This meeting will be our second attempt at a “transcribathon” – we will work together on transcribing Freedmen’s Bureau records for the Smithsonian’s massive undertaking of creating an every-word transcription of every document in the Freedmen’s Bureau collection.
Please plan ahead: Visit The Freedman’s Bureau website before the June 15 meeting and sign up. You will need to bring a laptop to the meeting to work on. If you have an extra laptop, consider bringing it in case someone else doesn’t have one, so that more people can help.
For more information, contact us at african_american@gfo.org.
Annual Membership Meeting 2:00 – 2:15 p.m.
Come to see new officers installed, learn who is receiving the Hall of Fame award, and vote to approve the budget for the coming fiscal year.
GenTalk: Using the GLO and HistoryGeo 2:15 – 3:15 p.m.
Presenter Kristin Parks will show you how using the General Land Office website, HistoryGeo.com and the GFO’s collection of Oregon Donation Land Claim material can help take you on a path of discovery to learn more about your ancestors.
Sunday, June 16th
Father’s Day – GFO Closed.
Wednesday, June 19th
Learn and Chat 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Topic: Census – Part Two. The census is often the first place we search for “instant gratification,” a place to see our people and their community (FAN Club). The 2020 Census is now front-and-center in the news.
Join us for Part Two of a discussion of how this constitutionally-mandated enumeration has changed over time. We share our experiences and are working together on a list of resources useful to all.
A lively discussion and a lot of fun!
Facilitated by Jean Quan and Sandy Alto. Questions? learnandchat@gfo.org
DNA Q&A 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Lisa McCullough leads a discussion on various DNA related subjects, with each meeting focused on a particular subject. General questions are welcome at the end of each planned discussion. Questions? dna_qa@gfo.org
Irish Group 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
In our first hour, we will interactively explore those new and improved Irish genealogy websites, or even a great general genealogy website that you have found useful. Email a couple of your favorite URLs to Irish@gfo.org by June 12th and everyone can have a copy of all the URLs at the meeting! We will be sure the laptop and projector screen are ready! Share what you liked about the site and we will all be a wee bit closer to our next ancestor discovery!
Second hour we will address current challenges/brick walls/research obstacles – bring a concise outline of your challenge, and we will put our heads together to help move you forward.
We’re planning now for August and October meetings. What topics/speakers would you like to hear? Please share at the meeting or email us at Irish@gfo.org with questions and suggestions.

Heritage Quest Research Library Autumn Quest

by Charles Hansen
Early bird dates for Autumn Quest are fast approaching. Be sure to get your registration in before July 1, 2019 to Register for the Early Bird price of $65.00 Members, $75.00 Non-Members.  Lunch is included.
 
After July 1, $75.00 Members, $85.00 Non-members.  Lunch is included.

Register at the door price is $95.00.  Space and lunch are not guaranteed.

We look forward to seeing all of you on October 12, 2019 at the Emerald Queen Conference Center in Fife, Washington as we welcome speaker Dave Obee.
 

Call for Blog Articles

by Charles Hansen

If you have noticed the blog has been rather boring lately, the lists of meetings is very important, probably the most used part of the blog. The articles of interest have always been near the top of the most read articles each week, so I am asking for our members to submit articles to me to post on the blog. It could be a local attraction, a historical society, a cemetery, a project your society is working on, a review of a book, review of a genealogy program, a tip of the week. or anything else that might interest 800+ Washington State genealogists. Although many people reading this blog are not from Washington, the top city for readers has been Chicago for months edging out Seattle by a large margin.

My E-Mail is CharlesMike4903@gmail.com

GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday E-News

by Charles Hansen
THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition June 6, 2019
Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!
gfo.org | 503-963-1932 | info@gfo.org Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR.
Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider
Half-Day Workshop: Adding Historical Context
Adding Historical Context: A Hands-On Approach Join GFO’s Kate Eakman July 14 from 9:30 a.m. – Noon for a half-day of learning about how to add historical context to your genealogical research to make it richer and more interesting. In this workshop you will: ▪ Practice identifying items, events, and topics ripe for historical research. ▪ Once the questions have been asked, learn how to find the answers. ▪ Discuss how to add this new-found information to one’s family’s history. Take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Register by June 30 and save $5.00!
Register Now
GFO June Star: Remi Newhouse
You could not ask for anyone more organized than Remi Newhouse. Singlehandedly, he has launched our online sales of a variety of donated items. Plus, he’s a data extraction dynamo, indexing Multnomah County Marriage Record books. These are among the GFO’s most valuable, unique resources, and indexes will open them to the wider world. We couldn’t ask for better
help than Remi is giving to the GFO. Thank you, Remi!
Clark County Steps Up With Paradise Donations
The steamroller of generosity continues to roll as we help the Paradise Genealogical Society rebuilding their library that burned last year. Last Sunday, the Clark County Genealogical Society dropped off 13 boxes of books! We’ve added them to the stacks of boxes we’ve already put together with our surplus holdings. This may mean we have more boxes than we can easily carry in early June. Fortunately, another GFO member is driving to Paradise itself in the middle of the month and has offered to take the remainders then. Thank you all for your generosity to assist Paradise in getting back on its feet.
Donations for Paradise at the Clark County Genealogical Society
You’re Invited! – Annual Membership Meeting June 15
Please join us for the annual Membership Meeting on Saturday, July 15 at 2 p.m. at the GFO library. Each year we honor a stellar volunteer with our Hall of Fame Award, ask you to approve our budget by voice vote, and introduce you to the newest board members who will take office next month. The meeting lasts only 30 minutes and we’d love to see you there.
But there’s another great reason to come that afternoon. Right after the meeting, our GenTalk from 2:30-3:30 p.m. presents Using the General Land Office and History Geo. Kristin Parks will show you incredibly useful land records which you can reach from the GFO computers. Using the GLO website, HistoryGeo.com and the GFO’s collection of Oregon Donation Land Claim material can lead you on a rewarding journey of discovery that covers a lot more territory than you might think. See you June 15!
Member Dues Rise July 1 – Renew Early Before the Increase
Each year the GFO has raised its basic, individual member dues by $1, and $2 for joint members. This almost covered the increase in our rent, but nothing more. The board also learned that our Life Memberships had fallen way behind what the board several decades ago intended. Life dues were meant to reflect a cost 20 times that of a one-year membership. Over the years, that information was not passed on to later boards, and the Life Memberships have not been raised in 13 years. Life Member dues are an investment in the GFO, placed in our Endowment Fund to help finance operations in perpetuity.
Given rising expenses, the GFO Board of Directors has approved increases to both of these categories. For one year, effective July 1, 2019, annual Individual and Student memberships will increase $2 while Joint Memberships increase $4. On July 1, 2019, Individual Life Member dues will increase from $750 to $875 and Joint Life Memberships from $1,000 to $1,220. In subsequent fiscal years they will rise again so that by 2022 they will equal 20 times an individual membership. Anyone may renew early, before July 1, to lock in this year’s lower rates. NOTE: If you are mid-way into a standard membership and would like to become a Life member, we will credit your life member dues with the unused amount of what you have already paid. Life members can pay everything in one lump sum, or spread payments out over three years.
Renew or Join Now
PMUG Clinic Debuts at the GFO
June 12th & 26th 6:00 – 7:45 p.m. in the GFO Classroom For the month of June, the Portland Macintosh Users Group will bring one of our most successful events to the GFO – the PMUG Clinic. The Clinic is a friendly place where you can bring in that Mac/iPad/iPhone that you are having problems with for free diagnostics, as well as many other issues. Some examples of how PMUG Clinic can help you include:
• If you have questions on one of the basic Apple software apps, you don’t need to take a whole class to get your questions answered.
• If you are having problems with your Mac/iPhone/iPad, you can bring it in for a free diagnostic.
• If you want to find the best backup system for your genealogy archives, you can get a custom recommendation based your actual needs. No need to register, just show up during clinic hours: Bring your Mac or Apple mobile device. If you would like additional information for attending PMUG Clinic, please email us at college@pmug.org.
(Mug) Book of the Week
This week we’re offering a 1980 reprint of the 1683 History of Duchess [Dutchess] County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers by James H. Smith. This is a soft-cover version, has library stamps, and notes from a prior owner.
“Mug” books, as they are often called, are great resources for learning about a community around the turn of the century.
Often when they are reprinted, the pages are significantly reduced in size—but not this one! Pages measure 8.25″ by 11″, and there are 562 of them, not counting the introductory material and an appendix naming (and giving particulars about) contributors.
This material is available in digital form online, but if your family is from Dutchess County, wouldn’t it be nice to have this on your bookshelf at home?
Pick it up at the GFO for $18, or we can mail it to you for $26.
Contact booksales@gfo.org to get your hands on this terrific book.
Survey Results: Has DNA helped you solve any brick wall problems?
There were 32 responses to our question, “Has DNA helped you solve any brick-wall problems?” And the answers were split right down the middle, with 16 answering, “Yes,” and 16 answering “No.” There were 19 written responses to our request for more information. You can read all the responses here. And six people gave us some suggestions for future surveys. We thank them and offer one of the suggestions this week.
New Survey: What do you do when you find family trees with errors?
Anyone who’s spent any time looking at online family trees knows they often have inaccuracies. Okay, information that is just plain wrong! An e-news reader wants to know: What do you do when you find a tree that has the wrong information about your ancestor?
Take the Survey
This week at GFO …
Saturday, June 8th
Great Lakes Region SIG 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
We welcome guest speaker Duane Funk who will discuss Quaker records and what we can learn from them. The records of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, include births, deaths, marriages, migration certificates, and detailed monthly meeting minutes. Even if you don’t have Quaker ancestors, this promises to be a fascinating look at Quaker history and research methods in general. If your ancestors were in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, or Ontario CANADA, or if you simply want to come hear about this fascinating topic, you are most welcome to attend. Please note that the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade is this same morning – give yourself plenty of travel time! We hope to see you there.
Sunday, June 9th
Library Work Party – 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Family Tree Maker Users Group – 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Join other users who want to work through the 2017 Companion Guide to Family TreeMaker.
Bring your laptop with 2017 version of FTM installed . If you haven’t been for a number of meetings or are new, please come 30 minutes early so we can provide you a newer version of our fake practice tree. We currently have 34 people in our practice tree..
Facilitated by Joyce Grant-Worley. FTM@gfo.org
French Canada Group – 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Sharing stories of our history. Come and join this group to learn more about French Canadian ancestry and Acadia. The group leader is Bob LaMarche.
Monday, June 10th
Beginners Boot Camp 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Laurel Smith will present a day of beginning genealogy. There will be sessions about the census, vital records, immigration and naturalization, discussions about genealogy software and database use, organizing your research and more — all geared toward beginners. Those registered should bring a sack lunch so the discussion can continue while we eat. This class is currently full. If you wish to put your name on the wait list, click here.
Tuesday, June 11th
Board Meeting 6:10 – 8:10 p.m.
Wednesday, June 12th
PMUG Clinic – 6:00 – 7:45 p.m.
For the month of June, the Portland Macintosh Users Group will bring one of our most successful events to the GFO – the PMUG Clinic. The Clinic is a friendly place where you can bring in that Mac/iPad/iPhone that you are having problems with for free diagnostics, as well as many other issues.
PMUG is a group of users helping each other, which is what user groups are all about. We have been running these clinics for several years and enjoy offering the unique opportunity for people to access free one on one consultations with our knowledgeable experts.