WSGS is proud to announce the winners of the Pioneer Pursuit contest.
Most submissions by an individual:
- Ralph Brown from Bothell, WA with 1,285 entries. We will introduce blog readers to Ralph in a future post. Ralph won a $150 cash prize for his amazing contribution.
- Vickie Bullard from Wapato, WA with 272 entries. Vickie is a member of the Yakima Valley Genealogy Society and also a past member of the Chapter 8 Yakima Daughters of the Pioneers. She earned $100 for her efforts.
- Jayne McCarley of Vancouver, WA with 269 entries. Jayne is the president of the Fort Vancouver Chapter #19 of the Daughters of Pioneers of Washington (DPW). Jayne earned $50 for her submissions.
A total of 60 individuals submitted 3,696 pioneers. Each pioneer was verified to have lived in Washington Territory on or before November 11, 1889. Every person who submitted an entry will receive a year’s membership to WSGS as a thank-you for their contribution.
Most submissions by a local genealogical or historical society (based on percent of membership):
North Beach Genealogical Society (Ocean Shores) contributed 150 submissions. The small society of 15 members earned $300 for its efforts. One of their submissions was for Chief Seattle (Sealth), interpreted and written variously as See-ahth, Seathl, See-Yahtlh, or Sealth. You can view Chief Seattle and his pioneer families’ genealogies in the Index.
Fort Vancouver Chapter #19 of the Daughters of Pioneers of Washington (DPW) submitted 269 pioneers among its 37 members. They earned a $200 award.
Kingston Historical Society submitted 52 submissions from its 14 members. They earned a $100 award.
Twenty-four societies submitted pioneer genealogies. Each will receive a $20 cash award.
It’s Not Too Late to Contribute
We are still accepting Pioneer Pursuit submissions. Although we received 3,696 pioneer genealogies, we want more! There is no deadline to submit. On the Pioneer Pursuit webpage, we have information on how to submit, including a form and an example. There are also frequently asked questions and hints and help resources. The index will forever be publicly available.
If you have more questions about Pioneer Pursuit, email Info@wasgs.org. Please put “Pioneer Pursuit” in the subject line.
How do I find out if my submissions will be in the next publication
Hi Ruth, the reviewers slowed down quite a bit to finish up all the contest submissions. As time permits, we’ll be dealing with the submissions which arrived after the contest deadline, and then the new ones. We worked during the holidays, and are a bit tired!
Don’t worry, we’ll get to them all. Frank is dealing with quite a few new Pioneer Certificate submissions as well, which take longer than the simpler, shorter PP submissions. Remember, if you have a Pioneer Certificate and have already done that work, you can also submit the shorter PP form; just mention which person has the Pioneer Cert.
Thanks,
Valorie Zimmerman on behalf of the WASGS Board