Whitman County Genealogical Society

is hosting a FREE Fall mini-seminar

Bishop Place Independent Living Social Room, 811 SE Klemgard, Pullman, WA

Saturday, October 13, 2018

featuring:

“All About Heraldry and Its Use in Genealogy”

By Anthony (Tony) Durnford deGray Birch

“Digital Research – Tips, Tricks and Resources” By Lee Pierce

9:00 am: The doors open.

9:30 am-10:30 am: Anthony (Tony) Birch is a retired higher education administrator and long standing member of Eastern Washington Genealogical Society. He doesn’t claim to be a heraldry expert, but a family historian trying to make sense out of things he has inherited or found through research. His presentation will focus on heraldry, and how the genealogist/family historian can use heraldry to learn more about their ancestors. He will share examples of his ten-year search of his ancestors’ crests and coats of arms and what the many images, forms and colors mean.

10:30-10:45 Break and refreshments.

10:45 am-11:45 am: Lee Pierce is the archivist for the Eastern Region Branch of the Washington State Archives in Cheney, Washington. His mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to the records of local government agencies of the 11 furthest east counties of the state. He will be showing and telling about the digital archives and how best to use it, as well as other government resources that are available to researchers.

If you have any questions or need more information contact WCGS President, Sue Kreikemeier at:

aerocraft@completebbs.com or 509-635-1303. Please RSVP to Sue or whitmancgs@gmail.com

by October 6 to accommodate handouts & refreshments.

While the seminar is free, donations are welcome at the door.

Directions: Turn off Bishop Boulevard onto Klemgard Ave., follow Klemgard Ave. up the hill and turn left at the top. Do not go into the front entrance, but turn right, continuing up the hill and turn left at the white car ports. Find an appropriate parking place, enter the building through the main doors and go straight ahead to the Social Room.

BIOGRAPHIES OF FALL SEMINAR SPEAKERS

Anthony (Tony) Durnford deGray Birch’s biography includes the following:

• BS and MS degrees from Oregon State University
• MBA from University of Washington
• 40 years working in higher education, including 16 years as administrative vice-president of Clark College in Vancouver, Washington
• Selected by his community college peers as Outstanding Chief Business Officer for the four-state Northwest Region in 1996
• Came with his wife, Janette, to the Inland Empire in 2006

• Longtime member of Eastern Washington Genealogical Society where he and his wife are “greeters”
• He and Janette were honored in 2015 as Washington State Outstanding Volunteers
• He and Janette have done the following:

Compiled seven books about their ancestors

Volunteered with Find-A-Grave for many small cemeteries in the Palouse area

Enjoyed a number of weeklong trips to the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Lee Pierce’s biography includes the following:

• Been in the archival field broadly since 1997
• BA in history from Eastern Washington University in 1998
• MA in history from Eastern Washington University in 2000
• Worked for the Arizona State Historical Society Museum’s archives at Papago Park in Tempe
• Worked as a freelance researcher and a freelance processing archivist
• Began working at Eastern Region Branch of the Washington State Archives in 2005
• Currently the Archivist at Eastern Region Branch of the Washington State Archives
• Enthusiastic historian of the American military experience, most especially the period of the American War of Independence and from WWII to present
• Writes fiction in his “spare time”
• Member of the City of Cheney’s Historic Preservation Commission