70th Annual Pacific Northwest
Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering
Did you catch the Scottish Highland Games the last weekend in July? About 20 to 30 thousand people attend the games each summer. It’s a long standing Community Outreach Activity for SGS and a great opportunity for us to connect with people already interested in their heritage. SGS proudly carried the SGS banner in the daily “Parade of the Clans” ceremonies before a grandstand crowd.
Our SGS volunteers helped attendees with their questions. We had Scottish, Scots-Irish and Irish books from our library available for people to reference. We even got the children involved collecting smiley face stickers for their “Children’s Passport” and for their parents we had a genealogy for children handout with a lineage chart. Jean Roth gave a talk on Scottish and Scots-Irish Genealogical Society Research in the Heritage Tent.
Jean Roth and Pat Younie organized our volunteers. A special “Thank you” to Jim Ryan & Richard Ambur for setting up our double booth and displays. And of course “thank you” to all the volunteers including Tom & Kathi Hamilton, Steven & Gloria Morrison, Bill & Annette Dwyer, Joan Kelday, Nancy Martin, Elizabeth Howie, Carol Boyer, Karen Portzer, Linda Luedke, and David Rimmer. Also joining us was Nancy Spieker of the Irish Heritage Club.
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Subscribe to your favorite content producer’s RSS feeds using Feedly.com, and see everything sequentially. Feedly’s motto is, “More signal, less noise”. And it’s true! It’s available for mobile devices and via the web, and comes in feature-rich free and pro versions. You can creating collections, set keyword alerts, and even have the ability to subscribe to YouTube channels. Feedly keeps track of what you’ve read, saves your favorite feed items, and helps you to share them with friends by connecting to social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
If you try Feedly from the web, once logged in, press the “Discover and Follow” button and enter genealogy in the search. You’ll see options to follow Ancestry Blog, Dear MYRTLE, Genealogy Insider, Geneabloggers, The Legal Genealogist and much more!
But don’t abandon Facebook just yet. Facebook’s power lies in its ability to help people communicate with one another. Subscribing to Facebook Groups, as opposed to just liking Pages, allows you to join into communities that share your interests and that contain active people who wish to collaborate. For example, are you interested in delving deep into DNA? Check out the group DNA Detectives moderated by CeCe Moore. And if you’re seeking help with using Family Tree Maker, there’s an active group where users mentor one another.
BACK FROM SUMMER BREAK
After a summer break the Scandinavian, Irish, and German Special Interest Groups will return to their regular time slots in September. The Scandinavian group meets on the 2nd Sunday of the month and the Irish and German groups meet on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
Karen Knudson has returned from her trip to Norway and Sweden and can’t wait to share her stories with the Scandinavian group. She plans that for the first hour of the next meeting with the second hour reserved for discussion and Q&A.
And don’t forget about the new Family Tree Maker Help Sessions scheduled to begin on August 27th; there was a write up on it in the last issue of the eNews! Considering all the users of FTM, this should be a popular addition to the educational opportunities available to you at SGS.
SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE. Please check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed due to inclement weather. The SGS Library will be closed Labor Day Weekend, September 3rd and 4th.
AUGUST
Tuesday, August 16, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Technology Tuesday, Hosted by Lisa Chan, SGS Director of Technology, Bring your laptop or mobile device, visit with other members and learn from each other while working on your family history. Discuss current projects, hardware, software, organizing data, and technology trends in genealogy.
Saturday, August 20, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm, SGS DNA Special Interest Group, meets at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, downstairs in the Fellowship Hall at the corner of 35th Ave NE & NE 80th St. Join us to learn about new discoveries in DNA testing. To be added to their email list, contact sgsdnasig@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 23, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Technology Tuesday, Hosted by Lisa Chan, SGS Director of Technology
Saturday, August 27, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker Help Session, Reiley Kidd and Betty Ravenholt, leaders. See last issue of eNews! for detailed specifics. What would you like to learn about FTM?
Tuesday, August 30, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Technology Tuesday, Hosted by Lisa Chan, SGS Director of Technology
SEPTEMBER
Tuesday, September 6, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Technology Tuesday, Hosted by Lisa Chan, SGS Director of Technology, Bring your laptop or mobile device, visit with other members and learn from each other while working on your family history. Discuss current projects, hardware, software, organizing data, and technology trends in genealogy.
Sunday, September 11, 1:30 pm – 3:30pm, Scandinavian SIG, this meeting leader, Karen Knudson, will talk about her trip to Norway & Sweden followed by discussion and Q&A.
Tuesday, September 13, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm, Technology Tuesday, Hosted by Lisa Chan, SGS Director of Technology
Saturday, September 17, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Irish Interest Group, Leader: Jean A. Roth
Saturday, September 17, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, German Interest Group, Leader: Jean A. Roth
SAVE THE DATES
August 17th-20th
Stillaquamish Valley Genealogical Society 2016 Northwest Genealogy Conference
Byrnes Performing Arts Center, Arlington, WA
August 17th is The Beginner Genealogy Free Day with classes geared for those new to genealogy. For more details on this conference and registration go to:
http://stillygen.org/cpage.php?pt=50
SGS members Janice Lovelace and Mary Kircher Roddy are presenting at this conference.
September 23rd-25th
The Kelowna & District Genealogical Society’s (KDGS)
“Harvest Your Family Tree” Conference 2016
Kelowna, BC, Canada
More info and registration at: www.kdgsconference2016.blogspot.ca
SGS member Mary Kircher Roddy is also speaking at this conference.
September 23rd-24th, 2016
Ancestry Days in Washington State
Greater Tacoma Convention Center
1500 Broadway
Tacoma, WA 98402
The Office of the Secretary of State and the Washington State Historical Society are partnering with Ancestry to bring a very special genealogical event to the Pacific Northwest. Ancestry Day in Washington will be held in Tacoma on Saturday, September 24, and is expected to attract more than 1,000 family historians. Whether you are a new subscriber to Ancestry, an experienced genealogist, or just interested in finding out what genealogy is all about, this is the event for you! Activities on September 23 will be held at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma and will include access to the museum and special presentations on outstanding genealogical resources in Washington. On Saturday, September 24, Ancestry will take center stage at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center. They will be bringing their expertise, engaging speakers, door prizes, and Ancestry DNA kits to purchase. There also will be vendors from around the state sharing their products and ideas.
Registration opens in late July. Stay tuned for more information. For more details, see:
October 15, 2016
SGS Fall Seminar, featuring author Emily Aulicino, well-known expert on DNA and genealogy. More details to follow soon.