THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition May 2, 2019 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 Curious about the status of your GFO Membership? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!

Spring Seminar Attracts Many New Faces

We were positively thrilled to see so many new faces at our Spring Seminar last weekend. Thank you all for coming to hear Tony Burroughs speak about African American genealogy. Attendees liked Tony’s lessons so much, they didn’t want him to leave. And Tony was happy to stay to answer their questions, long after the lectures were done. Many people liked the new venue at the Center for Self Enhancement too. With tiered seating, there wasn’t a bad view in the house. We’d like to extend a special thanks to those who drove down from Seattle to attend both Saturday and Sunday’s seminars. Thank you for making the trip!

Top: Seattle attendees meet Tony. Bottom: Tony Burroughs signs copies of his book.

Call for Help for a Burned Genealogy Library

Last fall, the “Camp Fire” wildfire swept through Northern California, burning the Paradise Genealogical Society‘s library to the ground. Look at the photo. There’s nothing left.

The Paradise Genealogical Society Library on 14 November 2018. Photo: CalFire.

We’re trying to help them get back on their feet, and we need your help to do it. The GFO is pulling surplus books galore off our sales shelves, to send to Paradise to help them reboot their library. We need to sort them to make sure we’re not sending them a bunch of duplicates. Please help us this Sunday morning, May 5, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon at the GFO Library. Our weekly work party will tackle this project first, before we address any of our ongoing activities.

Free First Monday Coming … with Late Hours!

Remember, next Monday, May 6th, the GFO Library is free to everyone. No day use fees. Plus, this month we’re staying open late until 8:00 p.m. Come see what we have to help you find your ancestors.

Reminder: Keep Your Private Data Private at the Library

If you use your own personal login to access a website at the GFO Library, please be sure to log off when you are done. We don’t want someone coming to the same computer after you and accidentally messing up your family tree information stored on a site like Ancestry. Just today, we found three people signed in an hour after they left the library. Since the reminder stickers on each computer may not stand out enough, we’re offering this reminder here as well.

Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society Spring Workshop

The Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society 2019 Spring Workshop will feature Pam Vestal on Saturday, May 18th, at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. Sign-in begins at 10:00 a.m. and workshop lectures begin at 11:00 a.m. Cost of the workshop is $40.00 without lunch and $52.50 with lunch (soup, salad, roll, cookie, and beverage). Pam’s topics: ▪ Finding What You Need and Using What You Find ▪ Filling in the Stories of Our Female Ancestors ▪ Why They Left, Where They Went, Journey Tales For more information, see the full seminar description. You can also download a registration form. Or contact Georga at 541-296-2882 or georga.foster@gmail.com

Survey Results: Many Long-Ago Immigrants

Last week we asked you when your first known immigrant ancestor arrived in North America. A large majority have deep roots extending back to colonial times. ▪ 71.5 % answered 1600s. ▪ 2.8 % said they came even earlier, pre-1600. ▪ 9% said the 1700s. ▪ 15.3% said the 1800s. ▪ 1.4% said the 1900s.

New Survey: Recent Immigrant Ancestors

Last week we asked about your first ancestor to arrive in the U.S. This week we ask about your most recent immigrants.

Take Survey

Support the GFO When You Shop Amazon!

When you shop Mother’s Day gifts at smile.amazon.com/ch/93-6026015, AmazonSmile donates to Genealogical Forum of Oregon, Inc. In fact, you can support us all year long by using that link to shop!

GFO’s Surplus Book of the Week: Kegley’s Virginia Frontier

This week we’re featuring a 786-page tome documenting the early history of Colonial Virginia. If you have Virginia roots, you may well find your ancestors named here. This is not merely a historical description of the times, it includes many lists of original Land Grant landowners and plantation owners, deed by deed, complete with locations. Kegley’s Virginia Frontier, The Beginning of the Southwest, The Roanoke of Colonial Days, 1740-1783 includes maps and illustrations.

Published by The Southwest Virginia Historical Society and written by F. B. Kegley, this is “Copy #1203 of the Second Printing of 1938.” This book is in good condition with immaculate pages, no marks of any kind inside. There are a few spots on the cover and a small separation between the back cover and the spine. Price with pick-up at GFO: $40. Price with shipping: $50. Contact booksales@gfo.org if you’d like to buy it.

Please Help! We Need a Webmaster

Do you have any background in website management? Our talented volunteer webmaster is leaving, and we need someone to take her place. Web design skills are not needed since our website provider has a template we follow. But we do have hundreds of pages on our site since we offer so many indexes and resources. These need updating when our volunteers finish each project. Please contact president@gfo.org if you have any questions or wish to volunteer. Thank you.

This week at GFO …

Saturday, May 4th Virginia Group 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This month, we will begin with a discussion of Native American history in North Carolina, with an emphasis on Cherokee genealogy. Then, we will move on to general research in North Carolina using resources beyond census and vital records. We’ll use examples from personal research to look at a variety of records and where to find them. For additional information, check out the group’s blog: Virginia Roots and Vines. You can also contact group leaders Judi Scott and Carol Currency at virginia@gfo.org German Group 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The speaker / die Sprecherin: Mary Ebner The topic / das Thema: “How to interpret DNA” Bring in your chart(s) to share. You might even find a relative in the group! Sunday, May 5th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. As mentioned above, we’d love to have you help us sort surplus books we plan to donate to the Paradise Genealogical Society after their devastating fire. 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. Monday, May 6th GFO Free Monday 9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. GFO open for free to non-members. Wednesday, May 8th PMUG College: Safe and Healthy Macs 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Essential strategies to keep your Mac safe and healthy. Free for GFO and PMUG members. For more info, see: https://www.pmug.org/blog/ /