SGS FLOOD RESPONSE TEAM,
VOLUNTEERS OF FALL QUARTER

While usually one SGS member is selected as Volunteer of the Quarter, this quarter the SGS Board was compelled to select three members for their heroic efforts during the SGS Library Great Flood of 2019. Referred to collectively as the SGS Flood Response Team,  Linda Fitzgerald, Kathi McGinnes, and Ann Wright are our Volunteers of Fall Quarter. These three members have a long history of volunteer service to SGS, and their quick reaction and tireless efforts during what could have been a catastrophic, expensive loss for the Society, definitely qualify them to be recognized for service  “above and beyond”. 

Linda was the first person to arrive at the library that morning, and immediately alerted the manager of the library’s building that there was water pouring into the library from above!  Kathi and Ann arrived shortly after Linda, and all three ladies began working to move books and equipment out of harm’s way as quickly as possible. Any dry items in harm’s way were temporarily relocated to other places around the library. All wet items were moved to a triage area. As much work as this was, it turned out to be the easy part.

Over the next few days, Linda and Kathi worked on the materials in the triage area to determine which items were too water damaged to repair, which were just slightly damp and could be easily dried by hand, and which needed more extensive drying using presses and silica gel. Once the books were dry, the silica gel had to be manually removed from the books before returning these repaired books to the dried shelves. Books that had not gotten wet, but were moved elsewhere for safekeeping, also had to be retrieved and returned to their original location. 

The process of preparing the books to dry, preparing them to be re-shelved, and returning all displaced materials to their proper location was an effort that spanned three weeks.

A water event of this nature is second only to a fire in terms of potential unrecoverable damage to a library. Given the number of truly irreplaceable documents and books in the SGS Library, a lot of damage can be done in very short order. The immediate and long-term actions of Linda, Kathi, and Ann minimized the damage. Only a few books were lost. Thank you so much , Linda, Kathi, and Ann.  Without their efforts things could have been a lot worse.   VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Time:  Saturday, March 14, 2020,  12pm-6pm 
          Sunday,   March 15, 2020,  10am-6pm 
Place: Seattle Center Armory, Seattle, WA 

As it normally does, SGS will have an information booth at the Festal:Irish Festival, Seattle’s Irish Heritage and St Patrick’s Day celebration weekend. The booth will have a genealogy display and maps for Irish and Scots-Irish research. We need volunteers to help out in the booth for two hour shifts both days, especially from 1:00 pm-2:00 pm while Jean Roth is giving the Irish Genealogy lecture. This is one of our major outreach events and is a great way to meet people interested in Irish Genealogy.

Contact volunteers@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org to sign up for a shift! Thank you.  

For more information about Irish Festal, see http://www.seattlecenter.com/…/featu…/festal/irish-festival…IRISH GENEALOGY WORKSHOP
COMING IN MARCH
The Irish Heritage Club, along with the SGS Irish Interest Group, is having an all day Irish and Scots-Irish genealogy workshop on Saturday, March 21, 2020, as part of the Seattle’s official Irish Week activities. The speaker is Dr. Tyrone Bowes of Galway, Ireland. Dr. Bowes is a noted biotechnologist who specializes in biology, history, and geography. He is founder and CEO of Irish Origenes and its extensive databases. 

The theme is “Putting the Gene In Your Genealogy”. Learn to use the latest technology and your DNA results to discover clues to your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestral origins. At Fairview Christian Church, 844 NE 78th (enter parking lot from 79th), Seattle, WA, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Doors open at 8:30 am for check-in 
Fee: $50. Box lunches available for $15; please order before March 13th.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/irish-genealogy-putting-the-gene-in-your-genealogy-tickets-92973075973

Additional information available at the Irish Heritage Club : 
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/irish-heritage-club-7871179248
  or contact Jean A Roth at 206-782-2629 or jeanaroth@juno.com

SAVE THE DATE
Spring 2020 SGS Seminar 
with Fritz Juengling,
Fairview Christian School,
844 NE 78th St,
Seattle, WA
Saturday, May 16, 2020   Mr Juengling is the German, Dutch and Scandinavian Research Specialist at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. SGS is happy to have Fritz as the presenter for our spring seminar.   SGS CALENDAR OF EVENT   Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes,  and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather. 
FEBRUARY
Saturday, February 15, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Irish  SIG, with Jean Roth Saturday, February 15, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, German  SIG, with Jean Roth 
MARCH
Sunday, March 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, with Cary Bright. Q&A first hour, while focus second hour in on Genome Mate Pro.

Saturday, March 7, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, FamilySearch  SIG, with leader Lou Daly, discover the many ways to use Family Tree & FamilySearch.org. Each meeting will feature an aspect of the FamilySearch website.  There will be time for Q&A.  

Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 pm-9:00 pm, MAC Computer SIG, co-chairs Lisa Marker & Diane Hettrick. Meets every other month at the Fiske Genealogical Library in Madison Park, 1644 43rd Ave E, Seattle, WA. Jointly sponsored by SGS & Fiske. Open to the public. Focuses on resources for users of Macintosh/Apple computers & the Reunion Program.
Saturday, March 14, 10:15 am-12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker Users Group, with leaders Reiley Kidd and Jess Ramey, Learn and share tips and tricks for using Family Tree Maker 2017
Saturday, March 14, 12:30 pm -1:00pm, SGS Spring Membership Meeting, business meeting, meet the Board and Officer nominees. 

Saturday, March 14,  1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Second Saturday Series: “Do You Trello and Kanban?”, presenter will be Lori Lee Staub. learn how these can aid you in your genealogy research. 

Saturday, March 21,  1:00 pm-3:00 pm, Digging Deeper: Researching Women’s History, this presentation is at the University of Washington, Allen Library. Join in for a hands-on workshop to learn how archives are arranged and locate information which might be of interest to you when researching women’s history.   Parking on the UW campus is free on the date of our workshop. Attendees will meet at the Allen Library breezeway since the library is officially closed for spring break: https://www.washington.edu/maps/#!/alb  Although this event is free, it requires advance registration. Please register by following this link: https://forms.gle/oB5wU5Lv6wLsjw8p8 Maximum attendees: 25 Presenter: Lisa Oberg Lisa is the Associate Director and the History of Science and Medicine Curator for Special Collections in the UW Libraries.    This workshop is part of the Seattle Genealogical Society’s lecture and workshop series: Women’s Suffrage in your Family History. We thank the Washington State Historical Society for their grant in support of our project. For more information, see https://www.suffrage100wa.com/.