THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition December 13, 2018

Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!

For more information visit www.gfo.org. Contact us at info@gfo.org or 503-963-1932. Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR. Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider

Have you answered GFO’s Annual Appeal yet?

You Rock! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our Annual Appeal! We are 2/3 of the way to our grand goal of $25,000! We’re confident you can help us make it to the finish line. Please make your tax deductible donation to the GFO today! Member dues cover only 24% of our budget. Your donations are vital to GFO’s basic operations.

Give Today

The GFO belongs to the Oregon Cultural Trust. We have a Silver Star rating on GuideStar. Please check with your employer on possible matching donations, especially through Benevity. Thanks for all you do to keep GFO going strong!

Oregon Cultural Trust Offers Tax Credits

GFO is proud to be part of the Oregon Cultural Trust. Any donation you make to GFO could lead to a state tax credit (not just a deduction) if you give the same amount to the Oregon Cultural Trust. “Make your donation to the Cultural Trust by December 31st to earn the tax credit on your entire Cultural Trust donation. That’s right – you get your entire matching donation to the Cultural Trust back. Double your impact for free.” Learn more here!

Join Library Tour for Hispanic Heritage Resources

Do you have an interest in Hispanic heritage? GFO’s Mexican Ancestry Group invites you to join a tour of the Multnomah County Library’s Hispanic genealogical resources.

The tour begins at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, December 17th at Multnomah County’s Central Library 801 SW 10th Ave. There is paid parking across the street and in the area. PLEASE RSVP by emailing sw@gfo.org.

We’d Like YOU to be a part of GFO’s Open House

GFO’s 2019 Open House is right around the corner. Mark you calendars for March 23rd through 31st! We are looking for presenters to give 50-minute sessions on any topic that may be of interest to beginning genealogists. Opening weekend: Saturday will be devoted to Irish research and is being planned by the Irish Special Interest Group. Sunday will be a Beginners’ Boot Camp. The closing Saturday and Sunday will be DNA Days planned by Emily Aulicino and team and will feature a very special guest. Stay tuned for more information. The theme on Wednesday will be finding biological family and additional participants are being sought. There will be panel discussions and presentations relating to questions about whether to search for biological family. There will also be resources available on topics such as how to make first contact. If you are an adoptee, a biological parent, or someone seeking a biological relation and would like to share your views or provide a presentation, please contact laurel.smith@gfo.org. There are still a few presentation spots open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Check out the open slots at our website calendar. Again, if you can participate by leading a session at GFO’s 2019 Open House, please send a message to laurel.smith@gfo.org. Presenters will be compensated with profuse gratitude! GFO will print and provide any handouts for attendees. We don’t know of any other genealogical organization that provides a 9-day event, packed with content, absolutely FREE to all attendees. But we need your help to make it happen!

This week at GFO …

Friday, December 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). This will be our last meeting of the year. Lets share our successes and discoveries for this past year and what you are hoping to accomplish for 2019. I will share a few successes in my research and how I obtained records online. Also want to talk about our upcoming library tour for Monday December 17, 12:30-1:30 at Central Library downtown Portland. This will be Hispanic genealogical resources available through the library. Bring your questions for our tour guides, Enrique and Kim. They are willing to answer any additional questions and assist you in find genealogical resources after the tour. If you know of any other people interested in Hispanic genealogy tell them about the group. They don’t have to be a GFO member to participate. For questions or comments, please email Vince at sw@gfo.org. SUNDAY, December 16th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon 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. Family Tree Maker Users’ Group 1 – 3 p.m. Join other users who want to work through the 2017 Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker. Bring your laptop with 2017 version of FTM installed and an empty USB thumb drive. Facilitated by Joyce Grant-Worley, who can be contacted at FTM@gfo.org. WEDNESDAY, December 19th DNA Q&A 1 – 3 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? Send Lisa a note at dna_lm@gfo.org.