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, 2025. Kathy will be serving her second two-year term, while Jill is new to the Board. Jill’s election was unanimous and Kathy’s was almost unanimous — one write-in vote for Cynthia Fuerst of Yakima.

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.

The nomination period for the WSGS Secretary position has been extended to January 10, 2024. Current Secretary Roxanne Lowe’s term expires on December 31, 2023 and she has decided not to run for reelection. Current president Kathleen Sizer has been nominated for another two-year term and is running unopposed.

Elections will be conducted online in mid-January. The term of office is January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025.

The secretary serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. The secretary records the minutes at the society’s monthly board meetings, usually virtually. More information on the position’s duties and responsibilities is available here.

A strong organization is only as strong as its leaders. We encourage you to consider volunteering your time and talent to steer WSGS into a value-added organization. To nominate yourself or someone else or if you want more information, contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Nominations” in the subject line.

I want to wish everyone here a Happy New Year.

Hope you break through your brick wall, find relatives you never knew existed, volunteer at your local genealogical society or library. Note WSGS is looking for a new Secretary for 2024.

This is a postcard from Ella Frances (Dillingham) DeRemer first cousin to Anna M. (Dillingham) Hansen my grandmother. This postcard is from my uncle Leigh E. Hansen’s postcard collection, and he was born November 30, 1913 one month before this postcard was mailed.

Have you renewed your WSGS dues? If you have, thank you — we’re glad you’re still with us!

If you haven’t renewed, we’ve made it easy! You can do everything online by clicking on the Members Only tab on the left navigation bar on any page of the WSGS website, then going to “Profile.” From there, click on the green “Renew Membership” button and follow the prompts. Easy peasy!

If you aren’t a member of the WSGS yet, it’s just as easy: click on “Join/New Member” on the left navigation bar. It’s only $12 per year (January – December).

Of course, if you’d rather use the mail, that’s okay, too — just mail your membership form to:

Washington State Genealogical Society
Kathy Sizer, Membership Chair
1901 S. 12^th Avenue
Union Gap, WA 98903

The State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation has $500,000 to support the Historic Cemetery Grant Program.

Historic cemeteries benefit the public by preserving outstanding examples of the state’s historical heritage, enabling historic cemeteries to continue to serve their communities, and honoring the military veterans buried within them. As such, this program will award grants up to $50,000 to support historic cemeteries with construction, renovation, or rehabilitation projects that preserve the historic character, features, and materials of the cemetery, or that maintain or improve the functions of the cemetery.

The Historic Cemetery Grant Program is supported by funding from the Washington State Legislature. The grant program is housed within the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation (DAHP) and managed under contract by the Washington Trust.

A few key dates to keep in mind:

Applications open on September 1, 2023
Applications close on October 31, 2023
All applicants will be notified in December 2023
Grant contracts will be drafted in January 2024
Grant-supported projects must be completed by June 30, 2025

To participate in this program, cemeteries must:
Contain five (5) or more burials
Have at least one burial over 50 years old
Be located within Washington State

For more information about this grant opportunity, interested applicants can visit the website here: preservewa.org/cemeterygrants/.

For guidance on the application process, interested applicants can view this Application Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/t16DMDNrNbg.