Heritage Quest Research Library July 2025 Happenings
In Memory Carolyn L. Harkness, a devoted wife, loving homemaker, and cherished member of her community, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2025, in Puyallup, Washington, at the age of 83. Carolyn was involved at HQRL for over 25 years. She was a member of the management team for most of those years. She contributed on the management team as the Class coordinator, Volunteer coordinator, and Office Manager at various times during her years of volunteer work. She also took on special projects and assisted on many other projects at HQRL. She could always be counted on to support our fund-raisers (e.g. Autumn Quest, Summer Quest, Books on the Road). She was also the internet research person.
Let’s Talk About: 4th of July Trivia
Were you awake in your high school history class? How much do you know about the celebratory founding day of our country?? Test your memory:
1. Where was the first celebration of Independence Day held?
2. Every Independence Day, how many times does the Liberty Bell ring?
3. What was the U.S. population on July 4th, 1776?
4. The 4th of July commemorates which document?
5. What is the proper way to fold the American flag?
6. Which American president was born on July 4th?
7. Which U.S. president was the first to host a 4th of July celebration at the White House?
8. How many stars and stripes does the U.S. flag have?
9. How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?
10. What food is most commonly consumed on the 4th of July?
11. What is the name of our national anthem?
12. Who gave the Statue of Liberty to the U.S.?
1. Philadephia, 1777
2. 13 times
3. 2.5 million people
4. The Declaration of Independence
5. In a triangular shape with specific ritual and etiquette.
6. Calvin Coolidge, born on July 4, 1872
7. Thomas Jefferson in 1801.
8. 50 stars and 13 stripes (and what do they represent??)
9. 56
10. Hot dogs!
11. The Star-Spangled Banner
12. The people of France.
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society Hidden Gems in Ancestry Research
Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week Planning for a Research Trip?
TIP OF THE WEEK –
PLANNING FOR A RESEARCH TRIP? FIND LOCAL MUSEUMS AND SOCIETIES BEFORE YOU VISIT
Local museums and societies give prospective about an area and its history, even if they don’t mention your ancestor by name. You never know what you might find helpful.Past SGS president Jim Secan recently found this jewel in Pittsburgh, Penn. He had this to share with eNews about his genealogy research in there.”If you have genealogy interests in Pittsburgh, Penn., and environs be sure to include the Thomas & Katherine Detre Library & Archives located at the Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh. This beautiful research library, founded in 1879, has a large number of collections of photos, maps, records, and much more covering Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Western Pennsylvania. Even if you cannot visit it in person, their researchers will answer email requests for help as well. If you are in Pittsburgh both the Detre Library, which has no admission fee, and the Heinz Museum, which does have a fee, are worth a visit.”.
The Thomas & Katherine Detre Library & Archives in Pittsburgh, Penn.
photo courtesy Jim Secan
Seattle Genealogical Society July 2025
 photo courtesy MJ Duford and melanfolia меланфолія / UnsplashGET MORE OUT OF FAMILYSEARCH TOOL FamilySearch’s full-text search keeps getting better. Discoveries are being made in previously difficult to access documents. Beginner? Get Started Here Access full-text search on the FamilySearch Labs page. Be sure to log into your account or create one if you don’t have one. Find “Expand your search with Full Text” in the list of options. Click “Try it” (if it is not activated on your account yet) and then click “Go to Experiment” if it doesn’t automatically take you to the full-text search page. On the full-text search page, search by a name or a keyword — or a combination of both. Hit search. Then filter results by location and date using the options at the top of the page. For more information, including more tutorials and videos see the FamilySearch full-text search article with all these resources in one place.Already Know the Basics? Try These Tips USE KEYWORDS TO HONE YOUR SEARCH Can’t find the name of a female ancestor? Try searching the husband’s name in the “name” field of the form and add the word “wife” with a “+” before it (“+wife”) in the “keyword” form field. Wife’s names were often added next to their husbands on deed records. This search technique can help you find them. Want to find a parent? Try searching the name of the known ancestor in the “name” field and add “+heir,” “+heirs,” “+son” or “+daughter” in the “keyword” field. Want a specific John Smith? Add his name to the “name” field and add another identifier such as a profession or spouse’s name (Ex. “+Mary” or “+farmer” ) to the “keyword” field. WILDCARD SEARCHES Want a specific John Smith? Do you have an inconstant spelling in your family? Ex. Harman vs. Harmon. You can search for both using the “?.” Searching for “Harm?n” in full-text search will return results with both Harman and Harmon. Use this same technique when cursive makes some letters look the same (ex. Is that a cursive “a” or “o”?). Search the root of a word. Your ancestor’s town was sometimes called Centerville and sometimes Centertown. Search for the root of the word with “*.” Searching “Center*” will return both names. FILTER SEARCH TO SPECIFIC RECORD SETS Get specific. Search results can be filtered by date, location and record type using the menu at the top of the results page. But you can also drill down further by searching a smaller record group using the Image Group Number (a number FamilySearch uses to identify records). This number can be found on the catalog item pages (for example: Crawford County, Ohio, deed seen in the screenshot below). In many cases there will be a shortcut icon that will allow you to search only specific parts of that collection.  Clicking on the icon on the far right allows you to search just that specific record subset. Go forth and make new discoveries using FamilySearch full-text search. Finger Up icon courtesy Icons8 SGS LIBRARY NEWS:New Computer Now Available for Patron UseWe have a new computer in the library for patron use. The computer, a Mac, was donated by SGS member Richard Snook. As with our other computers, the Mac will have access to our subscription websites Ancestry, Newspapers.com, Fold3, American Ancestors and Historygeo. One may also access FamilySearch and The Family History Guide from the new computer. Find Free BooksWe are looking to rehome a number of duplicate copies of books and invite you to come to the library to check out our ‘free books’ section. Building Maintenance to Occur This SummerWe’ve been notified by the building manager that the floors in the space above the library will be sanded sometime this summer. Since the sanding will be noisy they will try to do the work on Mondays when the library is closed. However, there may be times when the sanding occurs on other days. SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS Good Shepherd Center, Suite 302 4649 Sunnyside Ave N Seattle, WA 98103 206 522-8658 Hours : Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday ** 10:00 a.m .- 3:00 p.m. ** Always check the SGS Website Calendar of Events for the meeting links, registration, or for last minute updates or changes to the schedule. Be advised you may need to register in advance to join a meeting. All times listed are Pacific Time unless otherwise noted Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Pacific Northwest Interest Group (Virtual), Share information and discuss Pacific Northwest genealogical research. Register on the SGS websiteThursday, July 3, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., NEW-ish! Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Genealogy SIG (Virtual), Welcome to the AI for Genealogy SIG, a dedicated community for exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and genealogical research. Email SGSAISIG@seagensoc.org. Monday, July 7, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. See SGS Calendar for more information. Monday, July 7, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., NEW-ish! Organizing for Genealogy SIG, Share information and discuss organization tips, techniques, and habits to enhance your genealogical journey. Contact Susan McKee at sgsOrganizingsig@seagensoc.org to join. Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Tech Tuesday (Virtual), informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. Bring us your problem; we’ll try to help. Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., NEW! Ancestry Users SIG (Virtual), The Ancestry Users Special Interest Group is for people who use Ancestry.com (and AncestryDNA) to research their family histories. Email SGSAncestrySIG@seagensoc.org. Wednesday, July 14, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., MAC Computer SIG, Jointly sponsored by SGS and Fiske. Meetings address topics and resources for Macintosh (Apple) computers and the Reunion genealogy software program. A link to login will be sent to the MAC SIG email list. If you would like to join, send an email to macusersig@seagensoc.org to be added to the email list. Thursday, July 10, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Publishing SIG, Participate in writing and publishing the SGS Journal twice a year. Email SGSPubSIG@seagensoc.org. Sunday, July 13, 2025, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Scandinavian Interest Group SIG (Virtual), Share information and discuss Scandinavian ancestral research. This month: Two case studies, one for Norway and one for Sweden. The rest of the meeting will be used for discussion and answering questions. Register here. Monday, July 14, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. See SGS Calendar for more information. Monday, July 14, 2025, 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m., SGS Board of Directors Meeting (Virtual), All SGS members are welcome to attend. SGS is an all volunteer organization. Please be involved. Members must sign in to website to see Zoom link. Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-noon, “Pass It On” Writers’ Group, Create your family history and share with others in an effort to improve your writing. This group is currently accepting new members. Send queries to SGSPassItOn@seagensoc.org. Wednesday, July. 16, 2025, 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., SGS Library Evening Hours, Come by and join host, Lisa Oberg, for a quiet, comfortable place to work on your genealogy research. Every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Write It Up! SIG (Virtual), Join this group to share and discuss writing projects, resources, and ideas. To join or learn more, contact Sheyna Watkins at sgsWriteItUpSIG@seagensoc.org. Note the change to Wednesday. Saturday, July 19, 2024, 10:00 a.m.-noon, Irish SIG (Virtual), with Susan McKee. Share information and discuss Irish ancestral research. View SGS calendar for details on joining this group. Monday, July 21, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. See SGS Calendar for more information. Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Tech Tuesday (Virtual), informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. Bring us your problem; we’ll try to help. Wednesday, July 23, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Mexican SIG (Virtual), Share information and discuss Indigenous North American, Spanish, Cuban, and Hispanic genealogical research. Email Diane Hughes-Hart at SGSMexSIG@seagensoc.org to join. Monday, July 28, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. See SGS Calendar for more information. Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. See SGS Calendar for more information. Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., NEW-ish! Organizing for Genealogy SIG, Share information and discuss organization tips, techniques, and habits to enhance your genealogical journey. Contact Susan McKee at sgsOrganizingsig@seagensoc.org to join. Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Pacific Northwest Interest Group (Virtual), Share information and discuss Pacific Northwest genealogical research. Register on the SGS website Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., NEW-ish! Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Genealogy SIG (Virtual), Welcome to the AI for Genealogy SIG, a dedicated community for exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and genealogical research. Email SGSAISIG@seagensoc.org. Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Brags & Bricks Social Interest Group (Virtual), Join us for an informal social gathering. Share your recent genealogical successes and challenges, or just come to hang out with other genealogists. See SGS Calendar for more information.Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m., SGS Board of Directors Meeting (Virtual), All SGS members are welcome to attend. SGS is an all volunteer organization. Please be involved. Members must sign in to website to see Zoom link. Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Tech Tuesday (Virtual), informal consultation time on DNA, genealogy software, or genealogy-related technical issues. All are welcome. No appointment necessary. Bring us your problem; we’ll try to help. Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., NEW! Ancestry Users SIG (Virtual), The Ancestry Users Special Interest Group is for people who use Ancestry.com (and AncestryDNA) to research their family histories. Email SGSAncestrySIG@seagensoc.org. Thursday, Aug. 12, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Publishing SIG, Participate in writing and publishing the SGS Journal twice a year. Email SGSPubSIG@seagensoc.org. OUR NEIGHBORS AND BEYOND “On the Ground: Top Repositories for Researching Upstate New York” American Ancestors by NEHGS (Virtual) Thursday, July 10, 2025, noon—1:00 p.m. Finding information about New York ancestors can be tricky. In this online lecture, Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert will discuss go-to repositories for research in the Empire State—including the New York State Library and Archives, the New York Public Library, and more. Get more information and register,Learn more about events offered through American Ancestors. “Revolution or Gold: What Sent the French to 1850s California” California Genealogical Society Saturday, July 12, 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. Emigration often has more than one cause, especially when many emigrate at once. Join Anne Morddel as she helps you dive deep into your French roots. Explore the causes that lured people away from their homes, and the causes that pushed them out of their homes. This presentation looks at the two most important causes that induced French people to abandon their homeland and go to California in the 1850s: the Revolution of 1848 and gold. Get more information and register. Family Tree Maker SIG Eastside Genealogical Society Friday, July 18, 2025, 10:30 p.m.–12:30 p.m. Join Eastside Genealogical Society and SGS to learn and share tips and tricks for using Family Tree Maker by Software MacKiev. The meetings open about 15 minutes in advance. You can join and/or leave whenever you have to, and you may email your question(s) in advance or bring them up during the meeting. East European Family History Conference Foundation for East European Family History Studies Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, 7:30 a.m. More than 60 sessions will be presented in 8 tracks: Polish, Russian, Germans from Eastern Europe, German, Austro-Hungarian, Jewish, DNA and General Eastern European. Early-bird rates available until July 7. Get more informataion and register. Join SGS Today * to renew your membership: log in on the Members Home page and click the green renew membership button. July 1, 2025 SGS eNews! comes out the first of every month. contact eNews! forward this email to a friend |
South King County Genealogical Society July 2025
Greetings Friends!
Volunteers Needed
Can you lend a hand to help get the word out about our events? If you find this monthly schedule helpful, we’d love for you to contribute by volunteering to help create it. Contact publicity@skcgs.org for more info.
Stay connected! Get updates on our virtual and in-person events, plus the latest genealogy news and tips, by subscribing (free) to the online group at https://skcgs.groups.io. Skcgs.groups.io is the SKCGS online platform for discussion and information sharing:
- we communicate and share information with each other
- other than your email, you are not required to provide personal information
- you can unsubscribe or change your email format at any time
PROGRAM UPDATES
All meetings are online except Genealogy Help at KCLS Auburn, Federal Way, and Renton Highland library branches. The monthly in-person Research Group is on hiatus until September, as is the monthly online SKCGS Genealogy Chat.
Live transcription (captioning) is available during our Zoom meetings by request
Online meeting participants need to register for SKCGS Zoom meetings. Upon registration, Zoom will send a confirmation email with instructions on joining the meeting.
JULY – EARLY AUGUST 2025 MEETINGS & EVENTS
All meetings are Pacific Time (PT) zone
Register at https://www.skcgs.org for all meetings unless stated otherwise
Saturday, July 5, 2025, 10am–12pm
Family Tree Maker Users Group (online)
Topic: Question & Answer. Each month, we will learn about using the features of FTM.
Subscribe to the free SKCGS FTM email list for announcements and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG
Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 2–3pm
WikiTree User Group (online)
Topic: Inaugural meeting: Get started in Wikitree. Wikitree Users collaborate to create the best collaborative tree on Earth. Subscribe to our free online group to stay in touch: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Wikitree-SIG.
Thursday, July 10, 2025 ⋅ 11am–1pm
Genealogy Help with SKCGS at Renton Highlands Library (in-person)
Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer
2801 NE 10th Street
Renton WA 98056
Registration not required. In-person event.
Monday, July 14, 2025, 1-3pm, Genetic Genealogy/DNA Interest Group (online)
Topic: What’s New at Gedmatch?
See: Nice New Features at GEDmatch: https://blog.kittycooper.com/2025/04/nice-new-features-at-gedmatch/ and https://gedmatch.launchnotes.io/announcements/new-gedmatch-features-notes-family-tree-visualizer-and-relaunched-forums
This group is for genealogists who use DNA data as part of their research. Join the free email group for meeting notices and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Genetic-Genealogy
Thursday, July 17, 11am–1pm
Genealogy Help with SKCGS at the Auburn Library (In-person)
Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer
1102 Auburn Way S
Auburn, WA 98002
Registration not required. In-person event. Safety guidelines and current protocols followed. More information at King County Library, email kcls-auburn@kcls.org
Thursday, July 17, 2–4pm
Genealogy Help with SKCGS at the Federal Way Main Library (In-person)
Genealogy questions? SKCGS offers one-on-one help with a volunteer
34200 1st Way S, Federal Way, WA 98003
Registration not required. In-person event. Safety guidelines and current protocols followed. More information at King County Library: https://kcls.org/locations/federal-way, or phone: (253) 838-3668
Monday, July 21, 1–3pm
Tech Users Group (Online)
Topic: Exploring FamilySearch
See: See: See: Exploring the FamilySearch Wiki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX_EVzwN1WY – Using the FamilySearch Catalog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ZAKNaYD9E – I Didn’t Know You Could Search Like That!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q5CTXo0JiY
The Tech Users Group is for sharing knowledge and learning about technology tools, media, apps and websites. Please join our free email group for meeting information and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/TUG.
Saturday, August 2, 2025, 10am–12pm
Family Tree Maker Users Group (online)
Topic: Question & Answer. Each month, we will learn about using the features of FTM.
Subscribe to the free SKCGS FTM email list for announcements and discussion: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/FTMUG
You are receiving this email because you have attended a SKCGS meeting and indicated you would like to receive periodic notice of events. If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, send an email to skcgsfriends+unsubscribe@skcgs.org
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SOUTH KING COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Let’s Talk About: American Ice Cream!
What’s more American than ice cream?? “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” right?
According to an article in The Saturday Evening Post, July-August 2024, “… at any given moment, 87% of Americans have a tub of ice cream in the freezers, pushing the value of the U.S. ice cream market alone to more than $19 billion in 2024.
Ice cream was what most people ate on Independence Day almost since the very first one; it forms the sweet, sticky bedrock of our childhood nostalgia. (What is YOUR favorite flavor???)
According to Google ice cream ingredients typical include mild, cream, sugar and flavorings. Some recipes include eggs. Thomas Jefferson was the first U.S. president to serve ice cream to his guests. Here is his original, handwritten, recipe and transcription:
Paul Wessell Named One of WSGS’s Outstanding Volunteers in 2024
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2024 award recipients and learn why they received they received a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Today we’re introducing Paul Wessell of Sequim, Washington who was selected by the Clallam County Genealogical Society (CCGS) as its recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.
A member for ten years, Wessel has been an active member from the beginning.
During the Covid epidemic, CCGS received a donation and purchased a very large facility that needed serious renovation. Paul spearheaded the effort, working almost daily with a few other dedicated volunteers. He arranged to have walls moved, the interior painted, carpets cleaned and new flooring put in. He put up most of the shelving for the library, oversaw the installation of windows, bathroom and light fixtures and wiring. He continues to fix leaks, pull weeds, and help with maintenance.
Paul has run our yearly rummage sales, and is a volunteer library docent. Elected president three years ago, he attended the Washington Presidents’ Council meetings and began a monthly strategic planning program. He has even written articles for our quarterly Bulletin. Paul has been an outstanding leader throughout his tenure.
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award” in the subject line.
Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Monthly Education Meeting July 2025
Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society Monthly Educational Meeting
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, starting at 6:00 pm
This month’s presentation: “Organizing Your Genealogy Information” will be an interactive discussion led by Tim Ward.
This meeting will be hybrid and we encourage everyone who is able to attend in person at our new meeting location:
University Place Library
3609 Market PL W.
University Place, WA 98466
and via Zoom for those unable to attend in person.
Attend virtually via Zoom:
Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZIqduGpqjgsHtBNs9zc8CGna6R-KHlcz5so/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGuqToiG9CWth2DRpwAB4j4WevwiHZdgrd_sgy8GSMLQST4N7Rwf5lXHNvK
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86718143644?pwd=S0FjYU5acVVKbDEyamdXWWZVekFjdz09
Meeting ID: 867 1814 3644
Passcode: 630507
One tap mobile
+12532050468,,86718143644#,,,,*630507# US
+12532158782,,86718143644#,,,,*630507# US (Tacoma)
Dial by your location
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 867 1814 3644
Passcode: 630507
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcFbCNTY39
Thrill of the Hunt Finds $2 Treasure
An Alabama woman’s discovery of a long-lost family heirloom, discovered gathering dust among items at a local thrift store, has led to an emotional reunion. To read the amazing story, click here: https://www.newsweek.com/woman-buys-thrift-store-painting-message-back-2090019
Note: The image on the right was created by Roxanne Lowe using ChatGPT.