 THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition November 12, 2020 |
| 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 Click here for a PDF version of this E-News. |
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| This is your last chance to sign up to hear personally from the popular Lisa Louise Cooke, host of Genealogy Gems Podcasts! We’ve added extra online “seats” so there is plenty of room! If you can’t attend live, videos of these sessions will be available until December 15 for anyone who registers, so it’s worth signing up! |
 Come meet Lisa, ask questions, and get two days of her popular “Gems” for yourself! Learn about reopening cold cases, handling common surnames, finding living relatives, and see how Google Earth Pro can help every genealogist. |
| Lisa is an extremely popular international genealogy speaker, and the GFO is thrilled she will join us online this weekend for our Fall Seminar, November 14 and 15. And everyone will get a great view of her presentations from the comfort of whatever seat they choose in their home. In addition, GFO members get big discounts at this seminar! $20 off the first day, $15 off the second. Sign up now! *NOTE: If you registered after 7:30 a.m. Thursday, you should have received an email with meeting information in the past day. If you have not seen one, contact seminars@gfo.org |
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 We have a great opportunity to learn how to create a timeline with what you know, identify gaps, consult a genealogical research checklist for sources to fill those gaps, and record your queries on a correspondence research log. |
| “Kathrine Willson is one of the most talented and engaging genealogy speakers I’ve heard. I’m thrilled she’s doing a GenTalk for the GFO.” — Laurel Smith, GFO Library Chair |
| Katherine R. Willson will be our featured online GenTalk speaker for Genealogical Timelines & Research Checklists on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Discover the magic of methodology that may break down your brick walls. She is a genealogy lecturer from Michigan; an educator teaching beginning through advanced genealogy classes since 2001; the author of The Genealogist’s Guide to Grand Rapids, Michigan; and a professional researcher for private clients. Go to our GenTalk page to register now. It’s free for everyone. |
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| Friends. Associates. Neighbors. We’ve heard of the F.A.N. principle of genealogy. But what about our own GFO F.A.N club? The GFO Board has made it a priority to better serve all groups in our area. We are pleased to present Linda Harms Okazaki, who helps genealogical societies to embrace different cultures within our communities. |
 On Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 6:30 p.m., Linda presents Who’s In Your Neighborhood? Meeting the Diverse Research Needs of Your Community. This will be live, online, and free. Historical events, laws, immigration patterns, and primary source documents will be examined to better assist individuals from different ethnic groups. |
| A fourth-generation Californian active in the genealogy and Japanese American communities in California and beyond, Linda is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, a charter member of the Nikkei Genealogical Society, and a contractual genealogist with Ancestry ProGenealogists™. She is also a featured columnist for the Nichi Bei Weekly. Please come ready to ask questions and to engage in a lively dialogue. Register here for this free, online, engaging session. |
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| ©2020 New England Historic Genealogical Society To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s arrival in America, American Ancestors has just released an online database containing authenticated lineages of all the passengers on the Mayflower who left descendants. These family histories are taken from approved membership applications for the Mayflower Society (General Society of Mayflower Descendants), the earliest of which dates back to 1895. This is another great reason to be a member of the GFO. Your membership includes access to American Ancestors to search these records! They are graciously extending this to our members at home at this time during the pandemic. Login through our exclusive Members Area. |
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| For those wishing a more comprehensive review of the new American Ancestors’ online data base of records pertaining to the Mayflower, the Oklahoma Genealogical Society will host a full day webinar entitled “The 400th Anniversary of The Mayflower 1620-2020,” featuring New England Historical Genealogical Society Chief Genealogist, David Allen Lambert. |
 This online presentation will be held Saturday, November 21, 2020, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m (Pacific) and topics will include: Mayflower Sources, Resources for the New England Great Migration 1620-1640, Understanding New England Town and Vital Records, Using New England Court Records, and Using New England Land Records. Cost is $50 for non-members. Click here to register. There is a limit of 100 participants. |
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| Please Volunteer from Home |
| The GFO Library may be closed but there’s still plenty of work that can be done from home. We’re currently recruiting volunteers to help with these projects. |
 The Data Extraction group is working to index GFO’s Bulletin quarterlies. Is this something you would like to do from home? If so, we can send the indexing rules, the Excel spreadsheet for the volume, and a digital copy of the volume for you to index. |
| “It is interesting going through the old Bulletins. I have found some of my ancestors in them!” Please contact Loretta Welsh at loretta.welsh@gfo.org if you’d like to help. |
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| What’s New Online? |
 As our library closure continues, we are featuring free online resources so you can reach out and connect, as well as continue to learn and build on your genealogy skills, from home. |
| How Research Plans Prevent Distractions Join the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society and guest speaker Tammy Priolo for a free webinar on Tuesday, November 17 at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific) where she will discuss the Genealogical Proof Standard, distractions, research plans, and how these all impact correct documentation and family history preservation. Register in advance, here. |
| Separating and Merging Identities of Same-named Men Can the same man die twice? Join BCG Certified Genealogist Shannon Green, for a free Legacy Family Tree Webinar, Wednesday, November 18 at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific) for a review using a comprehensive case study where she will elaborate on how to distinguish same-named men as well as provide warnings of how identities can be incorrectly conflated. Register here. |
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| Surplus Book: Somerset Homecoming |
 Dorothy Spruill Redford spent ten years traveling down winding southern roads, through county courthouses and state archives, and onto the front porches of people willing to share tales handed down through generations, to trace the lives of the slaves and their descendants from Somerset Place, North Carolina. Her hard work created a homecoming of more than 2,000 descendants which attracted national publicity. And it marked the beginning of a campaign to turn Somerset Place into a remarkable resource for learning about the history of both African Americans and whites in the region. |
 Redford preserved this remarkable story in Somerset Homecoming – Recovering a Lost Heritage, published in 1989. This paperback copy is a first edition signed by the author. It is in good condition with a crunched right corner on the cover and the first few pages. |
 We find no marks inside (other than the author’s signature.) It includes an introduction by Alex Haley. Our price: $18, shipping included. Contact booksales@gfo.org if you’d like to purchase this. |
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 The Week Ahead: The GFO Research Library is closed, and all on-site groups, classes, and work parties are suspended. Saturday, November 14 Fall Seminar: Lisa Louise Cooke 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Online The GFO is pleased to present Lisa Louise Cooke, the host of the Genealogy Gems podcast, for the first day of a two-day fall seminar, live online. For details regarding the day’s presentations and to register, click here or consult the article in the main body of this E-News. Writer’s Forum 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Online Join this peer group of genealogists, who meet to learn about writing and to share their writing with each other. Peggy Baldwin facilitates this group and can be reached at writers@gfo.org Sunday, November 15 Fall Seminar: Lisa Louise Cooke 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. Online The GFO is pleased to present Lisa Louise Cooke, the host of the Genealogy Gems podcast, for the second day of a two-day fall seminar, live online. For details regarding the day’s presentations and to register, click here or consult the article in the main body of this E-News. French Canada Group 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Online Come and join this group to learn more about French Canadian ancestry and Acadia, while we share stories of our history. There will be discussions about next year’s agenda, book summary, and how to access information. For more information and a link to this meeting, write to FrCan@gfo.org. Wednesday, November 18 Learn & Chat 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Online Join our “genealogy self-help” group. Please bring tales of your latest genealogy related adventures and a wish list of subjects to build our calendar. For questions and a link to the meeting, contact Jeanne Quan and Sandy Alto at: learnandchat@gfo.org. |