The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society (WPGS) has a spectacular speaker line-up for the June 21-22 conference, The Journey of Our Ancestors: Tracing Our Western Pennsylvania Roots.
Attend presentations on migration, land, DNA, the Pennsylvania State Archvies, ethnic ancestors and so much more!
Whether you attend in person or virtually, connect with fellow genealogists and further your research. All recorded sessions will be available for 90 days.
Register before April 30 to get Early Bird pricing.
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 2023 award recipients and learn why they received the 2023 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Today we’re introducing Kathleen Weddle Sizer of Granger, Washington, who were nominated by the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society (YVGS).
Kathy joined YVGS in 1975 and served the public coffee at Indian John Hill Rest Area on I-90 in fundraising. She has been a librarian since the 1980s and served as vice-president, president, secretary and currently as treasurer of the society. She is also a jack-of-all-trades volunteering in hospitality, yard sales, mowing the lawn, helping clean the library and the past two years has been on the bylaws and standing rules committee updating the society’s rules to match the new State regulations.
Kathy is the current president of WSGS. She has also served WSGS as membership chair since 2017 and past secretary.
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.
In preparation for our EWGS May meeting, I thought I’d share something I submitted to our BULLETIN back in March 2009:
These are notes that I took in August 200-8, when I attended the Oregon California Trails Association (OCTA) Conference in Nampa, Idaho. Pat Packard was one of the featured speakers. She spoke on the plants of the Oregon Trail and how the folks perceived the plants and used them as they went along. I thought our EWGS readers might enjoy “hearing” her too.
Plants fueled the trip for both men and animals. Plants dictated the route, the leaving times, the stopping times and points for the entire trip. They could not pack and carry with them enough food for their animals as they went along; horses and oxen had to eat along the way.
Most of these families had already moved an average of five times. They thought of themselves as “movers.” Because of that, they had experience with new plants in new places. Also because of that, they had developed a theory that if they didn’t know what the plant was, and could not name it, they it was to be considered poisonous and not to be eaten.
Most think they did glean and eat along the way. Not so, according to Pat Packard, for these reasons:
(1) they were often in desert country where there was nothing to eat
(2) they travelled in summer when food-plants were less abundant
(3) they constantly encountered unknown plants and were fearful
Their basic diet was beans, bacon and biscuits. This is a diet high in carbs and protein. There was very little Vitamin C, and scurvy was the third highest cause of death on the Oregon Trail. English sailors had long ago discovered that limes helped and could be carried on long voyages. They got the idea that acid/sour substances were the cure for scurvy. The immigrants didn’t have limes, but they did have vinegar. In her research, Ms. Packard found little mention of the pioneers searching to find vinegar or pickles to pack and take with them. This seems obvious to us now but not to them then. They really needed fresh fruit and greens. They had some dried fruit but unfortunately drying the fruit destroys the Vitamin C. They kept in mind the old advice about beware of poisonous plants and even as they saw various fruits and greens, they were fearful to use them. On the Mormon trains it was better because in many cases folks had been over the same trail before and their advice was passed along to new immigrants. Nearly 100% of the Mormon pioneers utilized the wild plants they found.
Bet you had no clue that there was a museum in Spokane having over 19,000 articles from the fire fighting industry?? I did not! But I do want to go!
There are plenty of museums in the Eastern Washington area as well as scattered all over our wonderful, historically-minded, state!
Below is a copied bit from the Washington State Genealogical Society (www.wasgs.org) where you’ll find a pages-long list of museums spread all around our Evergreen State! (The list was mostly compiled by EWGS member, Duane Beck.)
As that list on the state society webpage covers the entire state, even in your travels you might/could/should/ought to visit a museum and get some extra “larnin into your noggin.” (Speaker George Schweitzer used to say that.)
There were these many listed for the Spokane area…..the entire list was PAGES long…… so there are plenty of museums in your area to learn from and visit!
P.S. The list was compiled some time ago. If you wish to visit a particular museum, I’d strongly advise you to check out their website and/or their Facebook page.
Old photos are full of clues if you know how to read the evidence. Join The Photo Detective Maureen Taylor and learn how to date and place old family photos. An entertaining, informative, and popular program! (This program had to be rescheduled from its original February date due to unforeseen circumstance. It is still open for registrations.) Free. Registration required – familyhistory@surrey.ca or call 604-598-7328 to register.
We will be using Microsoft Teams (much like Zoom) for this online program. Registered participants will receive a confirmation upon registration, and then the online link a day or two before the program.
Online Research for Ancestors in Poland, Prussia, and Pommern
ONLINE
Friday, June 7
11:00am to 12:00pm, PST
The ability to search for birth, marriage and death records in regions now in Poland, Prussia, and Pommern has enabled research most of us never thought possible. However, to many, these resources are a perplexing maze of random searches. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the large, free Szukajwarchiwach database. This powerful database offers data from the Program for the Registration of Records from Parish and Civil Registration Offices (PRADZIAD), which collects information on genealogical materials kept in the state archives. Scans of archive materials from other cultural institutions are also included. These records encompass many Polish, German and Jewish residents. A handout with links, basic word list, and suggestions of additional resources will be provided as a pdf. Free. Registration required – familyhistory@surrey.ca or call 604-598-7328 to register.
Our presenter, Sigrid Pohl Perry, Ph.D., worked with archives and special collections at Northwestern University Library for 40 years until retiring in 2020. A member of the Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe (SGGEE) since 2003, Sigrid has served on the Board of Directors; been actively involved in Lublin Project indexing; and given various presentations at SGGEE Conventions, the International German Genealogy Partnership, and a local Illinois Family History Center.
We will be using Microsoft Teams (much like Zoom) for this online program. Registered participants will receive a confirmation upon registration, and then the online link a day or two before the program.
Surrey Libraries recognizes that our work takes place on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the SEMYOME (Semiahmoo), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations and on the ancestral and traditional territory of the sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) First Nation.
GRAND OPENING! You’re ALL Invited! Please join us as we celebrate the re-opening of our Library. We have much to be thankful for and to celebrate! Puyallup Sumner Chamber of Commerce VIP ribbon cutting at 9:00 AM Thursday, April 4, 2024 OPEN HOUSE April 4,5,6 from 10 AM to 4 PM We are located at 2102 East Main Ave, Suite 105, in the Linden Park complex in Puyallup. The stacks are waiting for you. In each of our rooms we have space for you to sit and browse the collection. The classroom allows us the opportunity to participate in our classes in person or watch from home via ZOOM. Join us for; Refreshments, Tours, Door Prizes, Book Sale, Discounts, Meet our Staff, Ask Questions, Class Sign-up, Search for Lost Relatives
WHITMAN COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY is hosting a free Spring Mini-Seminar Bishop Place Independent Living Social Room, 811 SE Klemgard, Pullman, WA Saturday, April 27, 2024, 9 AM – 12 Noon FEATURING KATHY BUCHHOLTZ & ALEX OTERO JILL NOCK, AG®
Please register for this event by April 10. Send your name to whitmancgs@gmail.com The event is free, but we need to plan for set-up, refreshments & the number of handouts needed. Walk-in registration is possible, but pre-registration is preferred. Last minute attendance may not be able to receive handout material. Questions? Call Sue Kreikemeier at 509-595-3307.
Presenting Whitman Heritage Digital Collection “Okay, I Have My DNA Results: Now What?” Above: Franklin School students, Pullman, 1912 From the Staley Museum Collection Seminar Schedule 9:00 am: – The doors open. Gather, grab a beverage, pick up handouts. 9:30 am – 10:30 am: Presenting Whitman Heritage Digital Collection, Kathy Buchholtz & Alex Otero 10:30 am – 10:45 am: Break and Refreshments 10:45 am – 11:45 am: “Okay, I Have My DNA Results: Now What?”, Jill Nock +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kathy Buchholtz is the Whitman Heritage Digital Collections program manager for Whitman County Library. Alex Otero is the Archivist for Whitman County Historical Society. They will share information about Whitman County Library’s online digital collection; how it came about, how it is funded*, and how to use it. The collection consists of over 5,000 historical images from all over Whitman County. There will be a slide presentation with photographs from Whitman County and a demonstration on how to access and navigate the collection, followed by a time for questions. *The collection is supported by a grant with funding provided by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jill Nock, a WCGS member since 2016, has attained the Accredited Genealogist (AG) credential in the U.S. Upper South region through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. Her business is Mountain State Genealogy (http://mtnstgen.com). Focus of Jill’s presentation: Are you stumped with what to do with your DNA test results? DNA has become the genealogy “go-to”. Some brick walls crumble in the face of DNA evidence, but just as often, DNA brings new discoveries to secrets that were long hidden. Jill walks through the steps and gives information for the tools to help you on your DNA journey, followed by a time for questions. Directions to Seminar: Turn off Bishop Boulevard onto Klemgard St., follow Klemgard St. up the hill and turn left at the top. Do not go into the front entrance, but turn right, continuing up the hill and turn left at the white carports. After parking, enter the building through the main doors near the carports and go straight ahead to the Social Room.
The nomination period for the Washington State Genealogical Society President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is open. Nominations are due by 01 Aug 2024. The announcement will be made 01 Sep 2024.
The President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations.
The ideal recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement has:
• Exhibited long-term, consistent service in the field of genealogy, family or local history, the genealogical community, records preservation or made an important single contribution in those areas that will endure into the future. • Demonstrated a high degree of energy, commitment, flexibility, and professional conduct. • Provided significant support and impact to the local genealogical community time and time again. • Exhibited personal influence and example to society members and/or the general public with their unselfish service. • Supported or advanced local or statewide genealogical research.
Nominations may be submitted by any individual, local society or organization, regardless of WSGS membership. Nominees do not have to have been officers in their local societies.
Previous recipients of this prestigious award include:
2015 – Fred Pflugrath, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
2016 – Margie Wilson, Skagit Valley Genealogical Society
2017 – Joanne Egbert Calhoun, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
2018 – Ann Olson, Olympia Genealogical Society
2021 – Helen McGreer Lewis, South King County Genealogical Society (posthumous)
2022 – Jill Morelli. Seattle Genealogical Society
2023 – Karen Mitchell, Clallam County Genealogical Society
Additional information, including the nomination form, is available here. Questions should be directed to Info@wasgs.org. Please type “President’s Award” in the Subject Line.
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 2023 award recipients and learn why they received the 2023 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Mardi has been creating eye-catching bulletin boards for the WAGS Library since 2017. They are inviting and bright, often illustrating a solution to a genealogy problem; sometimes highlighting items from the monthly newsletter; or going wherever her curiosity leads her. In February 2023, she did a delightful board commemorating what would have been her late mother’s 100th birthday. Her work helps make the WAGS Library a welcoming and vibrant place.
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.
SEMINAR:Where Are You Grandpa – You Did What? Saturday, April 6 SEMINAR:Where Are You Grandpa – You Did What? (Seminars & Workshops) 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Hybrid Meeting at the South Side Community Center – 3151 E 27th Ave, Spokane, WA
We have three speakers to share their expertise with you. Handouts available on the website prior to seminar.
1) Betty Ellis speaks about land records. “Grandpa, Where Did You Farm?”
Strategies for mining U.S. Land Records to further family history research. This session will discuss descriptions in historical context, the Homesteaders, clues found in land deeds and where to search.
2) Judy Russell presenting “Where There Is – or Isn’t – a Will”
3) Sunny Jane Morton presenting “How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records”
Seminar includes Lunch of baked ham, mac n’ cheese, dilled sauteed carrots, mixed green salad, carrot cake
$40 (includes lunch) $50 for non-members
$15 for Zoomers
Note: Cancellation for full refund MUST BE RECEIVED by APRIL 1 st at 5:00 P.M.. NO REFUNDS after this date.
DOOR AND RAFFLE PRIZES
ANNUAL BOOK SALE!
ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! Go to our STORE (located on the left side menu tab) to register. MEMBERS: You MUST log in to get the member price.
You are free to copy articles to any non-commercial web site or message board or printed publication you wish. Don’t bother to ask permission, just do it.
We are located at 2102 East Main Ave, Suite 105, in the Linden Park complex in Puyallup. 
The stacks are waiting for you.
The classroom allows us the opportunity to participate in our classes in person or watch from home via ZOOM. Join us for; Refreshments, Tours, Door Prizes, Book Sale, Discounts, Meet our Staff, Ask Questions, Class Sign-up, Search for Lost Relatives
