Author Archives: Roxanne Lowe

Sizer and Scott Re-Elected For Two-Year Terms

by Roxanne Lowe

Congratulations are extended to Kathy Sizer and Jill Scott who were elected recently as WSGS President and Secretary, respectively. Their terms run through Dec. 31, 2027. Kathy will be serving her third two-year term, while Jill is serving her second term as Secretary. Jill’s election was unanimous and Kathy’s was almost unanimous — someone with a sense of humor wrote in “anyone, but me.”

Kathy and Jill, and the rest of the WSGS Board, are anticipating a year filled with growth and service to its members. WSGS members are invited to attend (virtually) the monthly board meetings which are the third Tuesday of each month at 2:00 p.m. The minutes of each meeting are available in the Members’ Area of the website.

For more information about participating in WSGS, email Info@wasgs.org.

Looking for a Last-Minute Gift?

by Roxanne Lowe

If your ancestor lived in the Washington Territory before it became the nation’s 42nd state on November 11, 1889, you may be eligible for a Washington Pioneer certificate. Or if your ancestors arrived a little later — before December 31, 1900 — you can get a First Citizen certificate. What a great gift for yourself and your family members!

We began the Washington State Centennial Pioneer Certificate Program in 1984 in anticipation of the state’s centennial admission to the union in 1889. The initial certificates were issued to applicants who could prove their ancestors were in Washington Territory on or before November 11, 1889. Those descendants’ names, almost 18,000, were printed in a two-volume set of books entitled “Washington Pioneers” in 1992. A third volume, published in 1993, included Pioneers and First Citizens (those in the state on or before December 31, 1900). The three original volumes are out of print, but an index is available here. WSGS members have access to family lineages in the Members’ Only section of the website.

firstcitizen

Pioneer and First Citizen Certificates are still being issued, although they are published only on the WSGS website at this time. If you can prove your ancestor was in Washington prior to November 11, 1889, you may be eligible to purchase a Pioneer Certificate. If your ancestor was in Washington on or before December 31, 1900, you may be eligible for a First Citizen Certificate. More information, including resources to prove residency, is available in the Pioneer and First Citizen Program brochure. An application and instructions are available here.

President and Secretary Candidate Statements

by Roxanne Lowe

Kathleen “Kathy” Weddle Sizer of Granger has been nominated to serve a third two-year term as WSGS President. Additionally, Jill Scott of Yakima has been nominated as Secretary for a second term. The terms of office are 01 Jan 2026 through 31 Dec 2027.

Online voting for the slate will begin 15 Dec 2025 and run through 22 Dec 2025. All WSGS members will receive an email with a Google link to their anonymous ballot. Members are asked to vote for each position. Write-in nominations are allowed.

Kathy’s candidate statement

Serving you as President has been a pleasure for the last two terms (4 years). I had hoped someone would step up to take my place as it is not a difficult job. However, it looks like you may be stuck with me again for another term.

The Washington State Genealogical Society has been a driving force for many years and can be for many more. Our focus has gone from helping form societies and hosting seminars with noteworthy speakers to being a clearinghouse promoting our many great societies here in our state and helping them to advertise their seminars, workshops and meetings. WSGS has made it easy for me, as well as you, to find events and attend in person or virtually programs that will benefit genealogical research.

WSGS not only promotes local societies but has financially helped local societies through various grants and one-time gifts through the dues our loyal members have paid. Thank you, members! We, on the Board, have been pleased to offer these grants to societies for various needs. This is something that is a plus serving as President or in any other position.

WSGS is embarking on updating the Pioneer Files for Washington State, an ambitious project but a boon for those with early families to our state. Let’s keep Washington State Genealogical Society relevant!

Jill’s candidate statement

I am thrilled to be nominated again to the Washington Society Genealogy Society Board as Secretary. I eagerly anticipate contributing to the betterment of our membership. Here’s a little about me:

I was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. After graduating from high school, I moved to Spokane and attended Kinman Business University. I found not only a job, but a husband in Portland while I worked for Pacific Power & Light as an executive secretary. We moved to Klamath Falls where my only child, Alison, was born. Then we moved to Sunnyside for Charlie’s job and retired to Tucson in 1994. In 2000, I moved to Escondido, California to take care of my aging dad.  After his death in 2003, I decided to stay in Southern California and then moved to Yakima in 2017.

I am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution – Narcissa Whitman Chapter in Yakima, where I am the immediate Past Honorary Chapter Regent; P.E.O. Chapter FR; Daughters of Utah Pioneers; Huguenot Society; Daughters of the Republic of Texas; U.S. Daughters of 1812; Flagon & Trenchers and a Utah Genealogy Society supporter of their Utah Founding Pioneer program.

Nominations Sought for WSGS President and Secretary

by Roxanne Lowe

Are you interested in being part of the WSGS Board of Directors? The positions of president and secretary are up for election and we are seeking nominations. The nomination period will close on 10 Dec 2025.

The president acts as the figurehead of the Washington State Genealogical Society. He/she presides over the monthly board meetings, as well as any special meetings. The president is responsible for creating a monthly agenda, in cooperation with the rest of the Board. He/she also ensures the society runs smoothly and for the benefits of its members.

The secretary composes the minutes of each business and board meeting, and ensures they are correct and accurate.

The two-year terms are from 01 Jan 2026 through 31 Dec 2027. The meetings are held monthly via Zoom. More information on the positions’ duties and responsibilities is available here.

Being a member of the WSGS Board is an excellent opportunity to involve yourself in a statewide organization designed to support local societies and individuals interested in the educational and historical value of genealogical research. And besides that — it’s fun and interesting!

If you’re interested in this opportunity or have questions, please contact LeAnne Koliha or Charles Hansen, members of the Nominations Committee.

New Feature: Book Review — New Land by John Hughes

by Roxanne Lowe

Welcome to the Blog’s newest feature: a quarterly book review. The review may be a book from a society’s library, authored by a member, about an ancestor or any book of interest to our readers. The first book to be reviewed is “New Land: Southeast Asian Refugees Finding Home in Washington” by John C. Hughes and Edward Echtle, Jr.

Who can forget the gut-wrenching scenes on the evening news in 1975 of desperate South Vietnamese civilians and employees who had U.S.-related jobs and businesses trying to leave the country? As the North Vietnamese Army rolled into Saigon, thousands tried to board U.S. helicopters or fled to neighboring countries to avoid reprisals from the North.

New Land is a beautifully written history of a time when these refugees were welcomed to Washington State when other states balked. Much credit is given to Governor Dan Evans who took the lead to establish a resettlement of the refugees. The 327-page book contains interviews with a number of the refugees 50 years later. Many of those who were just babies at the time didn’t know what their parents had endured, and the parents were often reluctant to relive the trauma. “Tens of thousands came to Washington, where they have worked hard, raised families, and started businesses, weaving their cultures into the fabric of the Evergreen State,” Hughes writes.

Author John Hughes, former editor and publisher of The Daily World (Aberdeen), recently retired as chief historian for the Office of the Secretary of State. Co-author Echtle is an oral historian for Legacy Washington and a contributing author at Historylink.org.

Publication of this book marks the 50-year anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the Washington State welcome mat extended to people who deserved a better life. The book is available at the Secretary of State’s website.

Four Societies Awarded Supportive Grants

by Roxanne Lowe

The WSGS Board of Directors awarded Supportive Grants to four local societies. Diane Huckabay, WSGS Education Chair, announced the awards at the Annual Meeting on August 21, 2025.

The grants were awarded to:

Clark County Genealogical Society — Develop and launch a membership initiative. CCGS has seen a 20 percent decline in membership since 2020. Additionally, the COVID 19 pandemic and relocation greatly reduced foot traffic at their research library. Despite this, their volunteers logged more than 6,100 hours in 2024, managing operations and opening the CCGS Library on about 200 days to patrons.

The Supportive Grant will help CCGS:

•           Update and print a new brochure and other materials with appealing layouts and designs.

•           Extend the brochure’s content across platforms, ensuring the monthly newsletter, the weekly email update, their website, Facebook, and YouTube deliver cohesive messaging.

•           Host an Open House or a free beginning genealogy class to attract attention to CCGS, inviting the public to meet their dedicated volunteers and explore the Library.

Lower Columbia Genealogical Society — Provide speakers for on-line meetings.  This small society usually has about 10 speakers per year for their 18 – 25 members.  Because of their location (Southwest Washington), society cost-cutting and the limited number of members who have already spoken, they often need to reach out to outside speakers. With the rise in speaker fee and loss of society income, the Supportive Grant will help them obtain quality speakers with an eye to increasing membership as well as educating their members. 

North Beach Genealogical Society — Purchase a copy of “The Archaeology of Minard: A case study of a late-prehistoric Northwest Coast Procurement system” by Tom E Roll. This doctoral thesis was published in 1974 and refers to archaeological work conducted at the Minard Site, located near Ocean Shores, beginning in 1968. The copy at the Ocean Shores Public Library is falling apart and is kept in the backroom. Owning this book will preserve the local history and allow NBGS to share it with the community.

Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society — Offset the cost of three 3’x6’ vinyl banners. These banners are an important communication tool for the society.

Оne banner will be used to identify their booth at community events.  The eye-catching banner will draw attention to SVGS and encourage community interaction.  The other two banners will mark their building’s location, which is set back from the road. The banners will make it easier for people to find the Library. 

For more information about the Supportive Grants, click here.

2025 Outstanding Volunteers and Teams Announced

by Roxanne Lowe

Congratulations to the amazing individuals and teams who contributed to Washington’s local societies. The announcement was made on Thursday, August 21, at the WSGS Annual Meeting. Seventeen local society members and two teams were recognized with Outstanding Volunteer and Team awards. The volunteers and teams were praised for their commitment and energies to promote their local societies, family history and cooperation in their local communities.

Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society

  • Ann Eklund
  • Patricia Ann Scott (posthumous)

Eastside Genealogical Society

  • Kimberly A. Nichols

Grays Harbor Genealogical Society

  • Carrie Cartwright Bergquist

Lower Columbia Genealogical Society

  • Donna McLain

Mason County Genealogical Society

  • Bob and Micki McMath

Northeast Washington Genealogical Society

  • Kathleen Loose Ochs

Seattle Genealogical Society

  • Cecillia Rogers

Sno-Isle Genealogical Society

  • Lisa Battern

South King County Genealogical Society

  • Tina Lawson
  • Michele Norton Mattoon
  • Valorie Cowen Zimmerman

Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society

  • Bill Grant (posthumous)
  • LeeRoy Kind

Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society

  • WAGS Publicity Team (Kris McGregor & Kari Strain)

Whatcom Genealogical Society

  • Jim DeLucia

Yakima Valley Genealogical Society

  • Barbee Buchanan
  • Rosemarie Boat Robins
  • YVGS Binding Project (Larry Ball and Don Boatright)

For more information about the Outstanding Volunteers and Teams, visit the Washington State Genealogical Society, Local Society Support page or email Info@wasgs.org.

Betty Wiese Receives 2025 President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement

by Roxanne Lowe

WSGS President Kathleen Sizer is pleased to announce the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award: Betty Wiese from the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society. The announcement was made at the WSGS Annual Meeting on 21 Aug 2025.

Created in 2015, the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations. The award is not given every year as it is based on merit and accomplishments. As you’ll see from reading about Betty’s dedication, she is worthy of this recognition.

Betty Wiese

Betty’s contributions to the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society (BIGS) started as soon as she joined BIGS when she retired from her work with the Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle. For the past 15 years, Betty has held various volunteer roles within BIGS, including president, vice-president, treasurer, SIG leader and Treebuilder coach. She has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to the health and growth of the organization.

Betty has a strong passion for education that she brought to BIGS. A particular focus of hers has been to see that their skill building special interest groups survive. She created a regular forum for members to discuss issues and learn new skills. She also created a mentors’ program that puts a member in touch with another member with the skills or experience needed to help. She has an incredible skill of being able to find the right person for a given task and to get that person to agree to do that task!

When important jobs need to be undertaken, whether to revise the by-laws, refresh the website,
or survey members’ needs and wishes, Betty has been the one to raise her hand to facilitate the effort. She has been responsible for many of the creative ideas that keep BIGS relevant and fresh. For example, she contacted the Suquamish Museum to arrange a tour for the BIGS board members where they were able to talk with the museum director about genealogy, DNA and the Suquamish tribe. That meeting led to Betty arranging a presentation by the museum director to help the BIGS membership better understand how the Suquamish look at family history and ethnicity.

Betty’s work extends beyond BIGS and its members. Not only has she opened up their educational sessions to those outside the area via Zoom, but she has been an active participant in the Washington Presidents’ Council since its creation. She was instrumental in arranging for a talk from national speaker Joshua Taylor for the state’s genealogical groups about the ways to meet future needs and continue to be relevant.

Betty’s leadership, relationship building and commitment to providing engaging educational 0pportunities prove her worthiness of the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement.

More about the award

If you want to know more about the qualities needed for this prestigious award, click here. Previous recipients are listed here.

You’re Invited to WSGS’s Annual Meeting

by Roxanne Lowe

You’re invited to the WSGS’s annual meeting! Thursday, August 21, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.

In compliance with Washington’s Nonprofit Corporation Act (24.03A), we’re holding our annual meeting.

Here’s the Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87922030270?pwd=KpYEUb8xh12iOviu7Onee0Io27qp2S.1

Meeting ID: 879 2203 0270
Passcode: 438675

Phone: (253) 205-0468,,87922030270#,,,,*438675# US

The agenda will include the announcement of the 2025 Outstanding Volunteer and Team recipients, President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Supportive Grant awards. We’ll also talk about Pioneer Pursuit and America 250, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

We hope you join us! If you want more information, email Info@wasgs.org.

President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement Nominations Due August 1

by Roxanne Lowe

Nominations for the Washington State Genealogical Society President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement are due by August 1, 2025. The announcement will be made August 21, 2025 at the WSGS Virtual Annual Meeting.

The President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations.

The ideal recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement has:

• Exhibited long-term, consistent service in the field of genealogy, family or local history, the genealogical community, records preservation or made an important single contribution in those areas that will endure into the future.
• Demonstrated a high degree of energy, commitment, flexibility, and professional conduct.
• Provided significant support and impact to the local genealogical community time and time again.
• Exhibited personal influence and example to society members and/or the general public with their unselfish service.
• Supported or advanced local or statewide genealogical research.

Nominations may be submitted by any individual, local society or organization, regardless of WSGS membership. Nominees do not have to have been officers in their local societies.

Previous recipients of this prestigious award include:

  • 2015 – Fred Pflugrath, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
  • 2016 – Margie Wilson, Skagit Valley Genealogical Society
  • 2017 – Joanne Egbert Calhoun, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
  • 2018 – Ann Olson, Olympia Genealogical Society
  • 2021 – Helen McGreer Lewis, South King County Genealogical Society (posthumous)
  • 2022 – Jill Morelli, Seattle Genealogical Society
  • 2023 – Karen Mitchell, Clallam County Genealogical Society
  • 2024 – Roxanne Lowe, Grays Harbor Genealogical Society

Additional information, including the nomination form, is available here. Questions should be directed to Info@wasgs.org. Please type “President’s Award” in the Subject Line.