THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition July 11, 2019

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

gfo.org | 503-963-1932 | info@gfo.org Be sure to check the complete GFO CALENDAR. Also, don’t miss the current issue of The Forum Insider

Meet Your Board for 2019-2020

The new members of the GFO Board of Directors took office this month and held their first meeting this week. Our board functions differently from most non-profits. Since we don’t have a single paid employee, many of these board members chair the departments that keep the library open and operating. They coordinate volunteers, process memberships, schedule classes and seminars and get the physical work done of collecting, numbering and labeling books. If you see them, please give them a thank you!

Front Row: Director-at-Large Julie Ramos, Treasurer Erin Randall, Purchasing, Research, Data Extraction, and Publishing Chair Loretta Welsh, Director at-Large Joyce Grant-Worley, Education Chair Kristin Parks, and Membership Chair Jane McGarvin. Back Row: President Vince Patton, Vice President Marti Dell, Library Chair Laurel Smith, Secretary Geoff Smith, Technology Chair Richard Crockett, and Manuscripts and Insider Co-Chair LauraDenise White.

Last Chance to Register for Half-Day Workshop This Sunday

Adding Historical Context: A Hands-On Approach “The census says my ancestor was a floor welfare worker. I guess he had some sort of welfare-related job.” “How odd – my Ukrainian family immigrated directly from Europe to Saskatchewan. I thought they arrived in New York City and eventually moved west.” Adding historical context to our genealogical research makes it richer, more interesting, and helps to explain some of the changes in our families. Join GFO’s Kate Eakman, Sunday, July 14 from 9:30 a.m. – Noon for a half-day of learning about how to add historical context to your genealogical research to make it richer and more interesting. In this workshop you will: ▪ Practice identifying items, events, and topics ripe for historical research. ▪ Once the questions have been asked, learn how to find the answers. ▪ Discuss how to add this new-found information to one’s family’s history.

Register Now

Amazon Prime Days Draw Near: Remember to Support GFO!

You can help the GFO financially every time you shop on Amazon, especially during the upcoming Prime Days sales on July 15 and 16! Simply register the Genealogical Forum of Oregon as your non-profit of choice. We’ll then get a small donation for every purchase you make! It does not raise the price you pay.

Be sure to use smile.amazon.com/ch/93-6026015 each time you start shopping. Save that bookmark!

A Summer of DNA eConference

The GFO’s own DNA group leader Emily Aulicino is one of the featured speakers at Family History Fanatics’ 2nd annual A Summer of DNA eConference coming up on Friday, August 9th. Last year’s eConference was very successful and had great attendance. This year’s speakers will be talking about the following: Daniel Horowitz – Theory of Family Relativity and Other MyHeritage Tools Donna Rutherford – Testing Family Members: Why and Who to Choose Emily Aulicino – atDNA: Verify, Correct, Expand Leah Larkin – When Your Tree Is a Banyan: Working with Endogamy and DNA The live online sessions will begin at 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, August 9th. It will be possible to ask questions during the presentations using live chat. This event is sponsored by MyHeritage who will be giving away 4 DNA kits during the presentations. For those who can’t watch the live sessions, they will be recorded and available to all registered attendees for 30 days after the eConference. As with past events there will be a 5th hour panel discussion where you can ask questions about any of the topics or anything else related to DNA and genetic genealogy. Early bird registration is only $19.99 until July 31st. Regular registration price is $24.99 after July 31st. Learn more at the website and register today.

Local Seminar This Week: Finding Your Ancestral Gold

Author Laurence Overmire will present a 2-hour genealogy workshop, entitled, “Finding Your Ancestral Gold,” on Saturday, July 13, from 10:00 a.m. – Noon at Lake Oswego’s Lakewood Center for the Arts. This presentation is based on Laurence’s latest book, Digging for Ancestral Gold and will focus on the steps to get you started on searching for your ancestral heritage. Cost is $40 and a few seats are still available. Call ahead 503-635-3901 to register. If you miss the event this weekend, Overmire returns to give the same workshop at the same location on September 14.

SLIG Registration Time is Here!

The Utah Genealogical Association will open registration on July 13 for both of its premiere educational events for 2020 which feature high-intermediate to advanced education for genealogists. The 25th Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) will be held January 12-17, 2020, featuring 16 in-depth, week-long classes, including courses on methodology, standards, regional or ethnic group research, and research tools like DNA. All courses assume a working knowledge at an intermediate level or above. Registration for this event opens at 8:00 a.m. PDT The SLIG Academy for Professionals, held January 20-24, 2020, will feature 7 professional-level topical classes in the areas of business, speaking, writing, forensics, and project management. All courses are designed for professionals working in the genealogical industry or those who are seeking to become professionals. Registration for this event opens at 1:00 p.m. PDT. Classes fill up fast. To learn more about how to register, consult the SLIG Registration FAQ.

Surplus Books of the Week: 12th to 16th Century Irish Pedigrees

In 1892 John O’Hart published his Fifth Edition of Irish Pedigrees; or, The Origin and Stem of The Irish Nation. In it, he compiled so many Irish genealogies, the publisher had to break it into two volumes. The first volume covers Irish family genealogies in the 12th century, including chapters on “English Invasion,” and “Cromwellian Devastation.” The second covers families in Ireland from the 12th to the end of the 16the centuries. This set was reprinted in 1989 with 896 pages in Volume I and 948 pages in Volume II.

John O’Hart is described as, “Associate in Arts, Queens’ University in Ireland; Fellow of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland; Member of the Harleian Society, London; Author of ‘Irish Landed Gentry When Cromwell Came to Ireland,’ etc.” The pages in both books are in fine shape, with no marks and a sturdy binding. The back cover of Volume I has water damage. Volume II is fine. Prices online for these books range from $76 to $144 a piece. Our price for this set two: $86 if you pick up at the GFO. $98 if we mail it to you. If interested, please email booksales@gfo.org. (Please contact them first; don’t just show up at the library to purchase.)

Survey Results: Majority Say Tales of Native American Ancestors Not True

One of the most enduring myths in genealogy are family stories claiming prior Native American Ancestry. 77% of last week’s respondents said their families had such a story. Nearly 53% say their research showed those tales were not true. 29% say it is true. About 18% say they still don’t know.

Responses included: “My grandmother always claimed we had a Cherokee ancestor. Family tree research and DNA tests prove it was a myth.” “I knew I had Indian ancestry on my mom’s side, but was surprised to find that I’m equally as Indian from my dad’s side!” “All the descendants of the ancestor in question had blue eyes, for one thing, and the DNA results for me and nieces show no hint of such ancestry. It’s always possible that somebody had a brother who married an Indian woman, but I’ve found no evidence. Sigh.” You can read all our respondents’ comments here.

As the myth of being descended from a Cherokee princess persists, many of us do have Native American heritage. Many do not. Here’s a video from Ancestry Academy with some sound advice. In addition, this article contains some good ideas for running down any of your family stories.

New Survey: Ellis Island

One of genealogy’s most prevalent myths is that of immigrant names being changed at Ellis Island. We’re curious if this fable is part of your family story.

Take the Survey Now

This week at GFO …

Sunday, July 14th Half-Day Workshop: Adding Historical Context 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Kate Eakman will present her half-day seminar, “Adding Historical Context to Your Genealogy Research – A Hands-on Approach.” Registration required. Wednesday, July 17th Open Late to 8:00 p.m.