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THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Thursday Evening E-News Edition October 29, 2020 |
Thank you to all who have renewed their membership, especially those who included a donation with their renewal. We are so grateful for your loyalty and support. |
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 Want to share an easy-to-read version of this E-News? Click here. |
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Thank You For Sticking With Us |
We don’t say it often enough. Thank you. We are truly indebted to all our loyal GFO members who have stuck with us during this chaotic year. Unfortunately, recent numbers do give us cause for concern. This month alone, we lost 41 members, the largest loss of renewals in one month since the pandemic began. |
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The GFO is proud to host the popular host of Genealogy Gems Podcasts Lisa Louise Cooke for our Fall Seminar, now online. We’ve added extra seats! Sign up for one or both days. GFO Members get big discounts! |
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Lisa is an extremely popular international genealogy speaker, and the GFO is thrilled she will join us for our Fall Seminar, November 14 and 15, this year online. And everyone will get a great view of her presentations from the comfort of whatever seat they choose in their home. GFO members get significant discounts: $20 off the first day, $15 off the second. Sign up now! |
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Katherine R. Willson will be our featured online GenTalk speaker for Genealogical Timelines & Research Checklists on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Willson 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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GFO’s Biggest Idea Needs Your Input |
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Many of you responded. Thank you! However, a number of you offered to serve on a committee, but you did not give your names or contact information. If you answered the survey already and offered to help but have not yet received an email from us, please take the survey again and let us know who you are and how to reach you. Several of you left out your contact information. (Do not “reply” to this E-News email.) Please note that this committee is limited to GFO Members. |
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Local Boy Scout Asks Your Help: Index Family Records |
We are happy to share a request from Daniel Clark of Boy Scout Troop 46 in Canby, Oregon. He’s close to earning his Eagle Scout rank, but still has a project to fulfill. For that, he’d like your help. |
And he wants to achieve this between November 1-14. |
If you’d like to help, here are Daniel’s instructions: • Go to FamilySearch.com and login or create an account. • Then go to ” indexing “ • Select “Web Indexing.” • Scroll down to the bottom and in the “Groups” section select “Find Groups.” • Finally search “Daniel J. Clark” and click on “Join group.” FamilySearch has indexing training here. Good luck, Daniel! |
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Do you have a child or grandchild who might be interested in family history? Here’s something for them. |
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Please Help: Volunteer from Home |
For the last few years, our volunteers have been organizing, scanning, and creating finding aids for the many papers that have been donated. Some collections predate computer research. Often, the most interesting part is the correspondence because it is unique and includes information that cannot be found in other sources. |
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What’s New in Online Digital Resources |
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Those who speak Spanish or have Mexican heritage are invited to participate in ExpoGenealogía — a free, virtual family history event entirely in Spanish on October 30–31. Coinciding with Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), this event is similar to RootsTech and will provide a varied program aimed at “honoring and celebrating family” that will also be available for on-demand viewing for a year. Learn more and register for free here. |
What does the symbol on your ancestor’s gravestone mean? Check out a great review on Legacy Tree Genealogists blog, entitled, “Details in the Graves: Using Tombstone Symbolism to Unlock your Ancestor’s History.” These symbols can unlock information about military service, fraternal organization membership, religious affiliation, and more. Recognizing and then interpreting these symbols can lead you to records relating to those symbols that further unlock the history of your ancestor. |
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Surplus Book: England and Wales Research |
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Our Price for this set: $35, shipping included. Contact booksales@gfo.org if you’d like to purchase this. |
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