Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2022 award recipients and learn why they received the 2022 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Carolyn Gibbons of Elma, Washington, who was nominated by the Mason County Genealogical Society (MCGS).

Carolyn has been the editor of our monthly newsletter since joining MCGS in 2020, after moving here from North Carolina. Although she has no family history in our state, she jumped in and started researching articles from the local paper dating back to 1889. She painstakingly created abstracts of any article that included a specific person’s name, then included a surname index at the back of every newsletter issue. She also carefully itemized a list of Mason County birth and death registers, justice dockets, homestead patents and many more records on FamilySearch that could be abstracted. This project has been a wonderful way for MCGS members to participate during the past two years while staying at home. The society newsletter, which is now over 20 pages long, has grown to be a valuable resource for anyone researching Mason County records.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award.”