Category Archives: Special Events

MyHeritage Free Death Records

by Charles Hansen

I’m writing to let you know that we’re opening up all the death records added to MyHeritage before October 2021 for free access during the week of Halloween, from October 27–November 2, 2021!

Search the records now

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From last Halloween until the beginning of October, we added more than 37 million records to an already enormous collection of death records, burial records, cemetery records, and obituaries — bringing the total to 586,664,785 records. 11 collections were added or updated, including collections from Brazil, New Zealand, the United States, Poland, France, and more.

I invite you to share the news with your followers so they don’t miss this opportunity. Click here to read our blog post about this limited-time offer, and feel free to use the attached graphic when spreading the word.

Enjoy the records! I look forward to hearing about your new discoveries.

Best regards and stay safe,

Enjoy,

Daniel Horowitz

Genealogy Expert

State Archives’ upcoming events

by Charles Hansen
State Archives’ upcoming events:
Ask an archivist: Genealogy open mic Q&A webinar — Oct. 22
Bring your questions and a notebook, and come chat with Research Archivist Tracy Rebstock! Learn how to use state and local government records in your family history. New records are added to our collections all the time — updates to vital records means more access to birth, death, marriage, and divorce collections. Ask questions so you can dig deeper into your genealogical research! Register here for this free webinar.
Haunted (virtual) tour — Oct. 29
The fourth annual Halloween haunted tour will take you on a spooky trek through the dark stacks in the underbelly of the Archives Building. We’ve brought some infamous Washingtonians back from the dead to tell their stories, and you don’t want to miss it!
Newsletter subscribers will be emailed a link upon release.
A public trust: Webinar on records and research at Puget Sound Regional Branch — Oct. 30
Trick or treat yourself to the final Archives Month adventure with the Puget Sound branch. Senior Records Consultant Emily Venemon will discuss the importance of public records and the role of the State Archives’ regional branch system in preserving public access. Reference Archivist Jessica Jones will talk about the scope of archival government records held at the Puget Sound branch and how those records are used by researchers, and provide a look into how research requests are fulfilled. Register here for this free webinar.

Genealogical Forum of Oregon Online Indexing Party

by Charles Hansen

Help Index Oregon Marriage Records

You are cordially invited to an online “wedding” recaption – and indexing party!

On Tuesday, Nov. 30, the Genealogical Forum of Oregon is sponsoring an online event to index Multnomah County marriage records from 1917-1924.

Way back in 1981, the GFO acquired the county’s original marriage register books for 1885-1924. Over four decades, dedicated volunteers have indexed the registers to 1916. But we get many requests in the “missing” years, so it’s time to finish the job!

These records have proven to be an invaluable source for Oregon and Southern Washington researchers.

For the first time, GFO is trying out our annual volunteer work party as a one-day, interactive event entirely online. You can join the fun for the whole day or even just an hour. You do not need to be a member, just willing to dedicate a little time to support genealogy. For more information and to RSVP, please visit http://gfo.org/givingtuesday.

Newspaper.com adds Tacoma Newspapers

by Charles Hansen

The News Tribune New Papers from Washington and Michigan! We have recently added new papers from Tacoma, Washington, and Michigan to our archives. With these new titles, we’ve added over 7 million images in July and will add another 8 million in August. We’re on track to add 40 million new pages by the end of the year! Our archives keep growing and we’re working hard to bring added value to your Newspapers.com™ subscription. Washington: In 1873, the Tacoma area was chosen to be the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Tacoma was incorporated in 1875, and in 1880 the weekly Tacoma Ledger was founded. The News Tribune traces its roots back to that paper, which became The Tacoma Daily Ledger. The Daily Ledger merged with The News and the Tacoma Tribune to form the Tacoma News Tribune and Ledger in 1918. The paper adopted the name Tacoma News Tribune in 1979, and our archives for The News Tribune date back to 1889. Read more about these papers  

Washington State Archives Video

by Charles Hansen

Part of the overview series about Washington State Archives, this video talks about the Archives’ regional branches, what they hold, and why their holdings are preserved at the regional instead of state level.
There will be future videos that go into more detail about Archives’ numerous departments, such as Washington State Archives’ Digital Archives (DA), the research team, digital projects, and more.

Click here to see the video

Applied Genealogy Institute

by Charles Hansen

We would be thrilled if you would inform your respective societies and the members of your societies of our new institute. Here is the short announcement followed by the full press release. If you have questions, contact any of the three of us in the To: line above.

Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, Lisa Hork Gorrell, CG and Jill Morelli, CG are happy (gleeful even) to announce a new virtual practicum-based learning option for genealogists! Do you best “Learn by Doing”? Do you want smaller classes that allow for significant class discussion and to receive responses to your assignments–all at an affordable price? Then the Applied Genealogy Institute is for you! Check us out at https://appgen.institute and sign up for the mailing list at the website to be the first to get our opening window for registration.

Very interesting YouTube on the Applied Genealogy Institute: http://www.carolinagirlgenealogy.com/2021/07/genfriends-applied-genealogy-institute.html

Clark County Genealogical Society Genealogical Scavenger Hunt

by Charles Hansen

Perfect for Families!

Genealogical Scavenger Hunt

August 2 – 6, 2021

Join the Hunts for Daily Prizes – All Participants Welcome

Registration is now open for five daily genealogical scavenger hunts (quizzes) which begins Monday August 2. For five days there will be a set of seven questions about a historical figure from the United States (or American colonies) ranging from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

Each answer can be found online using free resources. The challenge of the genealogical scavenger hunt lies in digging up those answers from a wide variety of sources.

  • A link to the daily quiz questions will be emailed to each player not later than 9 pm the night before that quiz.
  • Players will follow the link, enter their registration code, answer the questions, give the source URLs used, then click the “Submit” button to enter the daily prize drawing.
  • Daily Prizes:  Players timely submitting the most correct answers will be eligible in a daily drawing for one daily prize.  A player may win only one daily prize during the week, but will still be eligible for the grand prize drawing.
  •  Grand Prize:  Players timely submitting the most correct answers for the 5 daily games will be eligible in the grand prize drawing.
  • Awarding Prizes:  Quiz Masters will notify winners via email prior to revealing all winners and awarding prizes on Saturday, August 7 at 3 pm in the CCGS Library.
  • A modest donation is requested but not required.

The Clark County Genealogical Society is a local nonprofit, completely run by volunteers, supported solely by member dues. Formed in 1972, CCGS is dedicated to encouraging, fostering, educating, and organizing activities related to genealogy in Southwest Washington and around the world.  CCGS maintains an active schedule of classes, meetings and seminars. The library shelves house 10,000-plus volumes, subscriptions to several periodical magazines, and in-house computers with subscriptions to Ancestry.com and the New England Historic and Genealogical Society database are provided for internet research. Volunteer librarians are available to provide assistance.

After being closed during the Covid Pandemic, the library is now open for in-person research Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm. Visit the website at ccgs-wa.org for a calendar of upcoming classes and meetings

New Practicum-Based Institute Established: Applied Genealogy Institute

by Charles Hansen

For Immediate Release
New Practicum-Based Institute Established:
Applied Genealogy Institute
Contact: Jill Morelli, CG at jkmorelli@gmail.com for more information
Website: https://appgen.institute
The Applied Genealogy Institute, a new virtual genealogical institute, where attendees “Learn by Doing” will begin fall 2021. Sign up on the Mailing List to get the latest updates and the opening of the course signup window.
Are you yearning for practicum-based learning in a virtual environment from instructors you signed up to hear? The Applied Genealogy Institute (AppGen) is for you. The modest price and the virtual environment make intermediate to advanced practicum-based education topics available and accessible to everyone.
Three courses will be offered in October/November of 2021:

  1. “Irish Research,” instructor, Mary Roddy, CG
  2. “Land Research,” instructor, Lisa S. Gorrell, CG
  3. “Exploring Broad Context,” instructor, Jill Morelli, CG
    More information on course content can be found at the website.
    AppGen is structured to capitalize on the best practices of the on-site institutes and virtual options.
    • There is a demand for strong intermediate and advanced genealogy education in a
    non-intimidating atmosphere.
    • “Learn by Doing” practicums enhance student learning and provide practical skills.
    • Practicums are most effective with small numbers of students. No more than 15
    students will be enrolled in a class, allowing for meaningful class discourse.
    • A single instructor with smaller classes will monitor the students’ progress and
    provide feedback on assignments.
    • Expenses are lower, so the cost is lower.
    • AppGen provides options to those who can’t leave home for a week of classes
    because of work, family obligations, or other personal circumstances.
    • The registration system is based on a lottery system with an open registration
    window—no more “first come, first served” and no more system crashes.
    The Applied Genealogy Institute is the outcome of many discussions with emerging genealogical leaders regarding the type of education that is possible for busy but committed genealogists. By combining the best practices of many different educational opportunities and rectifying the weaknesses, AppGen achieves a balance that provides affordable and accessible genealogy education for all.

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Free Access to all Military Records on MyHeritage

by Charles Hansen

I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to let you know about a special offer we have in honor of Memorial Day in the U.S.: free access to all military records on MyHeritage starting tomorrow, May 26, through June 1, 2021.

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MyHeritage is home to 69.6 million military records from all over the world, including draft, enlistment, and service records, pension records, and other military documents. These collections contain valuable information about men and women who served and their families. Military records can contain birth and death dates, names and addresses of family members, and details about the soldier’s service. In some cases, they can provide details not found in other types of records, such as notes on physical characteristics like height, weight, and eye color.

This offer is a fantastic opportunity for anyone with ancestors who fought for their country — and a great way to honor their service this Memorial Day. Please spread the word to your audience, and encourage them to search the collection. You can read more about the military records on MyHeritage in the blog post.

Enjoy! 

Daniel Horowitz Genealogy Expert

MyHeritage Ltd., P.O.Box 50, 3 Ariel Sharon Blvd., Or Yehuda, Israel 6037606, Israel, +972-3-6280000

Washington State Non Profit Network Meeting

by Charles Hansen
Dear Colleague,

We are inviting all the nonprofit networks in the state to join us for a super network meeting, because, thanks to Zoom, we can! The 90-minute session will feature 3 presenters from the upcoming Washington State Nonprofit Conference, delivering 10-minute power learning presentations, followed by facilitated breakout discussions. The event is free and the content supercharged, so please plan to take notes and not miss a minute. I look forward to seeing you then!

Gabriel Cruden

 
If you are not able to join us at this time, please feel free to send a note with your thoughts or questions and I’ll be sure to share them in the meeting and send out the recording to everyone who is registered. Register for the May 10 meeting Hosted by Washington Nonprofits, the Innovia Foundation, and Yakima Valley Community Foundation, this meeting will convene the Spokane, One River, Central Washington, and Ferry & Stevens County Nonprofit Networks. The gathering is open to anyone with an interest in nonprofits.