| THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition December 5, 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 |
| Your support is essential to providing all the resources, records, and education that the Genealogical Forum of Oregon offers. We are striving to remain relevant in a climate where some believe “it is all online.” (In fact, we have a big announcement coming soon about more digitally searchable GFO resources.) |
| We’re 100% volunteer. No paid staff. No paid fundraisers. So every penny goes to support the GFO’s mission. A month ago, our website service unexpectedly jumped 22% to $1968 per year. Database subscriptions rose 10% to $5370 per year. Rent increases $1200 each year. Member dues cover only 24% of our budget. Will you please help us fill the gap? We ask this only once a year. We seek to raise $28,500 during this annual appeal. ➢ Your $75 donation could pay for two months of our website cost increase. ➢ Your $100 donation would offset one month’s rent increase. ➢ Your $448 donation would cover one month of database subscriptions. Please make your tax deductible gift now: |
| 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. GFO members may attend for free, non-members $20. |
| Need a gift for that hard-to-buy-for person? We have a special offer! If you give a GFO membership as a gift, we’ll give you two extra months on your current membership! If you give two gifts, you’ll get four extra months. Give the meaningful gift of family history this holiday season with a membership to the GFO. It’s so easy. Just click below for more details. |
| All memberships will begin January 1, 2020. Orders must be received by the GFO by December 10 to be fulfilled by Christmas. |
| We are pleased to announce our Spring Seminar, “Solve Puzzles with DNA,” on April 4 & 5, to be presented by national genetic genealogy author and educator Karen Stanbary, CG®, MA, LCSW. |
| Karen is best known as a course coordinator at three national week-long genealogy institutes: GRIP (Chromosome Mapping), IGHR (Intermediate DNA), and SLIG (Meeting Standards Using DNA Evidence). She received the National Genealogical Society Quarterly Award for Excellence for her complex evidence case study incorporating traditional research and DNA analysis (June 2016 issue), and was a contributor to Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies by Debbie Parker Wayne, ed. (2019). Karen holds the credential Certified Genealogist from the Board for Certification of Genealogists, where she serves as a Trustee and is chair of the standing DNA Committee. Additionally, Karen was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in her first career, and she will share her insight and expertise with us on managing conversations about unexpected DNA results during the Saturday program. Registration for the Spring Seminar will begin Dec. 21. More information can be found here. |
| GivingTuesday a Great Success! |
| Jane McGarvin greeted new arrivals and handed out visitor passes. 48 energetic volunteers + 4 dozen donuts and a dozen bagels + 40 cups of coffee + 9 large pizzas + some miscellaneous goodies = 218.5 hours of laughter, discovery, and library organization! That’s
what GivingTuesday was all about. The books in the library are now
better organized and should be easier for everyone to find. Some participants stated that they didn’t realize the depth of the collection—and that they wanted to come back to research in the books they saw. |
| Lots of folks tackled inventory. Cathy Lauer worked diligently to fix mistakes in our catalog. |
| Thank you to those who came to help. But the work’s not done! Many missing books were located. More missing items were identified. Now, the library team will use the markers placed to get things in even better shape. And we’d love to have your help if you have time to give. There are lots of different jobs. Just send us a message library@gfo.org if you’d like to help. |
| Pizza was enjoyed by many. |
| A couple of weeks ago on our Facebook page we told you about plans by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to increase fees for genealogy records by over 400%. |
| A group of genealogists, historians and records access advocates created a website, “Records, Not Revenue,” to help people protest these hikes. “Records, Not Revenue” writes, “Many of these records should already be publicly accessible under the law. USCIS is essentially holding them hostage, demanding individuals pay exorbitant fees to access documents of our immigrant ancestors.” Comments on the fee hikes are due by December 16, 2019. Learn more about this issue and how you can make your voice heard by clicking on the button below. |
| Ford Building Pop-Up Market |
| Come shop for the holidays in the shops above our heads at the GFO Library. The Ford Building is hosting a holiday pop-up market on Dec. 7. Businesses participating include: ▪ Tendue – Suite 255 ▪ Whimsy Wondering ▪ Levity CBD – Suite 113 ▪ Hannah Naomi Jewelry Design – Suite 250 ▪ Airtype – Suite 313 ▪ Artist Aretha Ryan – Suite B-05 |
| News from the Library: Something new |
| You’ll soon be seeing more of these at the GFO–shelf markers to insert between books when a book is removed from the shelf. President Vince Patton saw something similar at a library in California, and Mac McGarvin has taken on the job of creating shelf markers for us. (Thanks to Vince and Mac.) They will be hanging on hooks in the aisles. Take a book off the shelf … insert a shelf marker … reshelf a book … pull the marker and return it to the hook. Hopefully, this will help with getting books back to the right spot after our inventory. They are already getting rave reviews! |
| Survey Results: Family Traditions |
| As expected, many of us honor family traditions, either in what we do or what we eat. |
| Here are some of the comments that were shared: Great-great-grandmother’s phenomenal cranberry sorbet! [survey editor wants the recipe!] A spinach casserole that is too decadent to qualify as a vegetable–cream cheese, sour cream, and bacon are featured! [survey editor wants this recipe too!] We always have what I have started calling “Sacred Rolls”. If you mess up when it’s your turn to make them, or, God forbid, you change the recipe, you might be excommunicated from the family! The recipe has been in the family for 4-5 generations now. My mother’s family has had a tradition that lasted over 50 years: Football! My grandfather, born and raised in Nebraska, was a great Nebraska football supporter. His brother, also born in Nebraska, moved to Oklahoma and became a great Sooner supporter. Every year the two families would get together on Thanksgiving, one year in Norman Oklahoma, the next year in Lincoln, Nebraska. When the rivalry became hottest, Thanksgiving dinner was moved from Thursday to Wednesday, because it was not clear if everyone would be talking to the other side after the game. This year we are skipping the turkey and making dishes from the countries our ancestors came from including Italy, Germany, France and England. We are thankful for our ancestors, wouldn’t be here without them. |
| New Survey: Sweet Traditions |
| Your survey editor is still thinking about the sorbet and spinach dish mentioned in last week’s replies. I want those recipes! And so, continuing with a food theme this week, we’re asking about cookie, candy, or treat recipes that you may have that have been handed down from you ancestors. |
| Saturday, December 7th Virginia Interest Group 10:00 a.m – Noon Join us as we have a short discussion about West Virginia history and research followed by a time to get together and discuss genealogy. Share your research, ask questions, and let us know what the group can do to help you. Talk about your brick walls or your successes. Generally, for our December meeting, some of us elect to bring snacks/finger food to get the holiday season going. Please do not feel obligated to do so. We want this to be a fun time of sharing with no one rolling their eyes as we talk genealogy! For more information see our blog: “Virginia Roots and Vines.” If you would like more information about this group or have questions, please contact Judi Scott or Carol Surrency at:virginia@gfo.org. German Interest Group 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The German Interest Group is intended to be a source of information and inspiration for anyone with German speaking ancestors. One goal is to provide information on a variety of topics related to Germanic history and migration. We also will provide time for members to share their research journeys and connect with others who may be researching the same region or time period. If you have any questions, email group facilitators Mike Fernandez and Tia Cobb at: german@gfo.org. Sunday, December 8th Library Work Party 9:00 a.m. – Noon 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, December 10th GFO Board Meeting 6:10 – 8:10 p.m. Wednesday, December 11th PMUG Free Class: Photos on Apple iOS Devices 6:00-8:00 p.m. The Portland Macintosh Users Group will meet at the GFO for a class focused on tips for creating photos using an iPhone, iPad, or iTouch. Registration is required for this class. • Terms: iOS devices are the iPhone, iPad, and iTouch • Explore how to edit Photos on iOS devices • Explore optional photo editors on iOS devices • Watch demos of alternative photo programs • See ways of organizing and storing photos on iOS. For additional information or to register: Call 503-228-1779 or email: college@pmug.org. Bring your iPhone, iPad, or iTouch to participate with instruction. GFO Library Closes at 8:00 p.m. |