Serendipity Monday

Highlights of today’s post:

• Using Pinterest for Genealogy
• Association for Gravestone Studies
• Flipster
• Spotlight on Wilbur, Washington
• “Skulls among Goodwill donations.”

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) magazine, American Spirit, carried an article by Maureen Taylor in their Sept-Oct 2014 issue. Titled “5 Ways to Use Pinterest for Genealogy” it was a good read. Taylor offered these five ways to use this social media website:

• Follow your favorites…. Like Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilyTree Magazine, etc. “These sites’ boards feature abundant research tips.”
• Keep track of your sources for research…. Keep images of books you’ve checked, or want to check.
• Create boards for ancestors….. quoting Taylor: “Create a photo album of your ancestors’ lives using photographs, documents found online (if allowed) and links to images of places they lived….”
• Document local history………..you could do a “come visit this area and do genealogy” by listing/showing the repositories in your area.
• Compile a virtual family history cookbook……..

If this “piques your beak,” as they say, click to Amazon.com and order a copy of Thomas MacEntee’s book, Pinning Your Family History, for your Kindle for a whopping $2.99.

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Ever hear of The Association for Gravestone Studies? This is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and preservation of grave markers. Founded in 1977, AGSincreases public awareness of the significance of historic grave markers and cemeteries and links groups and individuals that share its interests. For a membership of $20 annually, you will receive their annual journal, Markers, their quarterly magazine and their monthly newsletter. Contact them at www.gravestonestudies.org.  The group is headquartered in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

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Flipster is now available…. This fun app is available for free from your community library (maybe). Some 40 e-magazines are available from any computer, laptop or mobile device as long as you’re connected to the Internet. This is a free digital magazine service provided courtesy of your library. The Flipster app manages your magazine online from the Flipster website for anytime viewing on your iPad, computer, or mobile dvice. The magazines you know and love are  available digitally…. All you need is your library card. Check to see if your library offers this service.

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If you’ve ever driven to the westside (or home to the eastside) on Highway 2, then you’ve gone through the town of Wilbur in Lincoln County. The town was named for founding father, Samuel Wilbur Condon, and was finally incorporated in August 1890. Old Samuel claimed he discovered the site in the 1860s and established his ranch on Goose Creek. Samuel Wilbur Condon died in January 1895 in a gunfight over a woman…… he had been married and divorced from two Indian women and was the father of three sons. Another claim to fame for Wilbur is that M.E. Hay, Washington governor from 1909-1912, was born in Wilbur.   The Big Bend Historical Society Museum, just off the main street, has many items on display including the gun taken from the dead hand of Samuel Wilbur Condon.

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In August of 2014, our paper, The Spokesman Review, carried an article from the Seattle Times:  “Skulls among Goodwill donations.”   Quoting the article:  “Three human skulls turned up last month among the donations to a Goodwill store in Bellevue. Employees at the store found the skulls in a donation bin. Once workers realized they were human, they reported the find to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.”  The article ended with, “The Medical Examiner’s Office is seeking help from the public to track down the person who donated the skulls to Goodwill……….”   Yah, I guess so!