GRANDPA’S SOCK DRAWER  —  January 2017 Meeting!

The monthly meeting of the Jefferson County Genealogical Society (JCGS) hosts seasoned genealogist Rod Fleck as January’s guest speaker. His topic is “Military Research: That medal/picture/pin in Grandpa’s sock drawer”. Fleck says, “There’s more than one way to learn about the military experience of your recent ancestor. If you don’t have letters or diaries, online sites can help you piece together the story. I’ll be explaining how to be successful in finding what you need.” The presentation will focus on utilizing Google, Fold3.com, Ancestry.com, the National Archive’s Online Databases, and other websites.  Please feel free to bring that medal, photo, pin, or “veteran bring back” that is in your family that you are unsure about.

The public is welcome to attend JCGS ‘no fee’ meeting, though donations are gratefully accepted. Join JCGS members at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Rd in Chimacum on Saturday, January 21, 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. “meet and greet”; 10:00 – 11:30 brief announcements and speaker presentation. Visit JCGS website www.wajcgs.org for more information.

Rod Fleck has been the City Attorney and Planner for the City of Forks for nearly 20 years.  In that role, he handles issues ranging from annexations to criminal prosecutions to forest policy issues to zoning applications.  In 1991, he obtained a B.A. in History from the University of Washington and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa that same year.  He has a J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.

He lead the Seattle Genealogical Society’s German Interest Group for a decade and has given numerous presentations on German genealogy.  He was the Camp Organizer for the Governor Isaac Stevens Camp No. 1 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.  In 2015, he was elected as the first Department of the Columbia of the SUVCW.  He is also the President of the Augustan Society that specializes in history, heraldry, genealogy and nobility.  In 2012 and 2013, he was the lead author of an article published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Society’s Register covering the life of Sampson Dunbar and His Family, the focus of our presentation today.