THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition August 8, 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

Free August GenTalk: Women in your Family Tree

“Why don’t I recognize all those names on my DNA match list?” Half of your ancestry comes from women, yet we tend to focus our genealogical searches on men. No wonder those matches are mysterious!

Join Barb Schrag here at the GFO Library on Saturday, August 17, at 2:00 p.m. for a fascinating talk focused on the comprehensive genealogy, of all of the descendants of your third great grandparents. Not only will you begin seeing the relationships, but you’ll be creating the genealogy that future generations can refer to and build on. Barb is a member of the GFO as well as the Clark County Genealogical Society and has given numerous presentations for both organizations. As always, GenTalks are free and open to the public, so, member or not, check out our Calendar page and come spend an hour or so with us!

Register for GFO Fall Seminar!

The 2019 GFO Fall Seminar, featuring Fritz Jeungling, Ph.D., AG, will be an exceptional educational opportunity that we are exited to be bringing to our membership and the community at large. Dr. Juengling is an Accredited Genealogist® (through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists) for Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden, and he is certified by the Verband deutschsprachiger Berufsgenealogen. He is also a German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Research Consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The full-day session on Saturday, October 5th, will be held at the Center for Self Enhancement (3920 N. Kerby Ave., Portland) and will focus on German Research, while the half-day presentation at the GFO Library on Sunday, October 6th, will provide an introduction to Dutch research. Download the flyer for full details. Mark your calendar, spread the word, and register early!

Register Here

Beginners’ Boot Camp is almost here!!

On Tuesday, August 20, join Laurel Smith for a full day of beginning genealogy from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the GFO Library. There will be sessions about the census, vital records, discussions about genealogy software and database use, organizing your research, using Ancestry.com, and more — all geared toward beginners — but basic computer skills are a prerequisite. All communications are done via email, and you must be able to download and print the class notes. Bring a sack lunch, snacks, and a beverage so you can keep going as the class does. Registration closes on August 16. GFO members may attend for free, non-members $20.

Register Here

Big Donation Will Help All GFO Members

The LDS Stake in Boring, Oregon, donated 15 boxes of books to the GFO this week. We’d like to thank the Mount Hood Family History Center for a sizable donation this week. The LDS Stake brought us 15 boxes of books. Apparently they’re scanning as much as they can and discarding the physical copies. The GFO welcomes donations like these. Our collections committee reviews the genealogical value of all donations. Those that meet our criteria will join the shelves. This is a good time to remind you how we differ from historical societies. We don’t park donations in a back room. Museums often have more than they can display at once. The GFO operates an active research library. Our goal is to get all our holdings out in the library so you’ll have access to everything. Of course, since we’re all-volunteer, it takes time to process all our donations. But once they’re sorted, cataloged and labeled, you will find them!

Don’t Forget, We’re Cool!

How do I love thee, GFO? Let me count the ways. Air conditioning, air conditioning, air conditioning. Another great reason to visit our research library this summer!

Does Your Family Have a Story About Women Fighting to Vote?

Photo: Library of Congress Next year marks the 100th anniversary of a watershed year in women’s rights in the U.S. On August 18, 1920, Congress ratified the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution, finally giving women a right to vote. Did your ancestors play a role in the suffrage movement? Did any of your ancestors fight against giving women a voice? We’d like to hear from you. The Bulletin would like to publish stories next year about suffrage and we’d welcome your submissions. Please contact bulletin@gfo.org.

Family Pictures USA Explores Our Shared History

HOST THOMAS ALLEN HARRIS IN DETROIT WITH PAUL WASSERMAN Digital Diaspora Family Reunion LLC

There’s a good chance you have saved family photos. Do you know the stories behind the relatives pictured? Here’s a program on PBS you might find interesting. Family Pictures, USA is a new PBS series exploring American cities, towns and rural communities through the lens of the family photo album. “Family photos of everyday milestones — marriage, childhood, a new car, a growing business — provide a visual portal through which to examine the roots, surprising connections and provocative parallels that shed light on our collective past and our shared future.” It airs on OPB Tuesday, August 13 at 8 p.m. Watch the trailer here.

Rare Books Reminder: Oregon Masonic Lodge to 1851

Did you know that the GFO holds 170 original Oregon Masonic Lodge books? They contain the Mason’s proceedings of their annual conventions from 1851 to 1998. If one of your ancestors served in this fraternal organization, their names may well appear in one of these many compilations.

The Masons diligently tracked and published the names of people who joined, left, and died. Sometimes elaborate memorial tributes appeared for certain members. These Masonic books are in the rare books section of the GFO Library. Ask an RA to show you. We have indexed the following information contained in the proceedings: a biography, a portrait/phototype, the death of a member since the last convention, and memorial plates. A member’s name may have variations within the same book and have been noted.

Survey Results: Extreme Cold and Winter Weather

The survey results are in. Blizzards won out as the most reported cold weather disaster with 48%. Here are a few of the comments.

▪ Two little girls, Eda and Mathilda Westphalen, died on 12 January 1888 on their way home from school during an unexpected snowstorm in Dodge County, Nebraska. They have a large cemetery monument erected after children collected money to remember the sisters. Thirteen-year-old Eda had wrapped her own coat around her eight-year-old sister to no avail. The local paper published a poem. ▪ My grandfather went bankrupt when he lost an entire herd of cattle in a blizzard. ▪ My 4G-grandmother, Marie Dorion, escaped the war party of Indians who killed her husband and some other members of the Hunt expedition on the Snake River in 1813. She took her two young boys into the Blue Mts., built a snow cave and smoked horse meat to survive. They crawled down the mountains and were taken in by friendly Walla Wallas two months later. ▪ My great-great-grandfather died of complications from pneumonia in 1884. He was called to jury duty in Marion County in February when it was very cold and there was deep snow. He developed a severe cold in the first week. Rather than seeking an excuse, he continued to serve and developed severe pneumonia which led to his death in March. He was only 59 years old.

New Survey: Hot as Blue Blazes

We continue our theme of disastrous events and how they affected our ancestors. This week, we’re inquiring about hot weather and drought.

Take the Survey Now

This week at GFO …

Sunday, August 11th 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. Tuesday, August 13th GFO Board Meeting 6:10 – 8:10 p.m. Wednesday, August 14th Open Late to 8:00 p.m.