Category Archives: Tip of the Week

Tri-City Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TCGS has a new way for members to ask questions about general genealogical topics.  If you have a general question or topic of interest that you would like to see addressed there are a couple ways to submit it.  At our monthly meetings a container and note cards will be placed in the back of the room.  Simply write your question on the card and put it in the box.  If you would like a direct reply, please put your name and contact information on the card.  You can also submit by sending an email to tcgseducation@gmail.com.  (Read the blog article for more details.)

Today’s question:

“How do I get a legal birth certificate when an adoption was sealed?  I have proof that both the biological and adoptive parents are deceased?”

Click on the link at the top of the email to read more…
Heather Murphy
TCGS Education Chair

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –  Yearbooks at SGS

Did you know SGS has an extensive collection of Seattle area schools yearbooks?

If you are looking for local school annuals, come check out our assortment. We have some from Broadway High School. Also known as Seattle High School, Broadway was Seattle’s first building constructed specifically to be a high school. We have Roosevelt High School annuals from 1923 through 1988!

Some other alma maters you’ll find on our shelves include:

* Eckstein Junior High/Middle School
* Franklin High School
* Garfield High School
* Queen Anne High School
* University of Washington “Tyee”
* West Seattle High School

Stop by.  Browse the shelves.  We are open:
Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Sunday, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –  VOOM IN, VOOM OUT, RESET

Do you realize you can zoom in and zoom out on any web page using just your keyboard? No need to have a touch screen or a touchpad.

This works on virtually any operating system –  Windows, Mac OS, or Chrome OS.  On a Mac, the Command key takes the place of the CTRL key; otherwise, it is the same.

You’ll be using the control key (marked CTRL) ,  the plus key (marked +), and the zero key (numeric 0).

To zoom in, just hold down the CTRL key and tap the + key at the same time. Each tap will increase the size of the font/images on the web page in front of you.

To zoom out, just hold down the CTRL key and tap the – key at the same. Each tap will decrease the size of the font/images on the web page in front of you.

To reset everything on the web page to its original default size, hold down the CTRL key and tap the 0 once.

Easy to remember, too.   Use plus to zoom in, minus to zoom out, and zero to reset to the original default. Try it now.

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –  INTRODUCTION TO DNA AT SPL

On Monday, March 12, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, John LaMont, Genealogy Librarian at Seattle Public Library – Central Branch, will present an “Introduction to DNA”.  The description says, “You will learn about DNA testing for genealogy including types of tests, major DNA testing companies, and tools and techniques for analyzing the results.”  This event is free and everyone is welcome, but registration is required and space is limited, so register early. Registration closes on March 9.  For all the particulars and to sign up for this event, go to the Seattle Public Library Website and find it on the Calendar of Events for the month of March. Start here:
http://www.spl.org/calendar-of-events

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –  THE CLEVELAND NECROLOGY FILE

Prior to 1976, the Cleveland Public Library staff clipped death notices from the local newspapers and maintained a file of these notices known as the Cleveland Necrology File. The Library has converted this file into an on-line database that is a breeze to search, readily accessible, and free to everyone. This is about 800,000 paid death notices and local cemetery records available online. No need to be a Cleveland Public Library patron.

It contains the complete full text of paid death notices as published in the following newspapers during the time periods listed:

  • The Cleveland Plain Dealer – 1850-1975
  • The Cleveland Herald – 1833, 1847-1848, 1876, 1878-1879
  • The Cleveland Press – 1941-1975
Just go to :  http://newsindex.cpl.org and enter your search criteria. To narrow your search results, be sure to enter your search criteria  in the format “last  name, first name”.  Example : “Doe, Jane”

Seattle genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –
SVAR, the National Archives of Sweden

Don’t have an ancestry account, but want to access original Swedish records? Beginning this year, SVAR, the National Archives of Sweden, are offering their previous subscription records for free. These records are the same film you see if you log into Ancestry. It is still an open question of how many of the other records they possess will be made available under this program. Thanks to the Swedish government who funded this initiative in an effort to make all Swedish records freely available to all. Did you catch the word “free”?