Anyone in need of a Card Catalog File Cabinet for your Society? Clallam County Gen. Society has one in surplus. It is in great condition. Has 30 drawers and 2 pull out shelves. Height 44”, Depth 21”, Width 34”. Contact Clallam Co. Gen. Society and Research Center, 402 E. Lauridsen Blvd, Port Angeles, WA 98362. Phone # (360)417-5000.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized almost 500 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 next few weeks, you will be introduced to each of last year’s award recipients and learn why they received the 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
George Ridgeway, Jr.
Today we’re introducing George Ridgeway, Jr. of Mount Vernon, Washington, who was nominated by the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS). He was recognized for his generosity of time and energy dedicated to SVGS.
Mr. Ridgeway has served as the local society’s president, vice president and webmaster. He has spent much of his time designing and maintaining the SVGS website. His most recent website additions include the addition of all newsletters since the organization of the society in 1987. He has added links for a blog, “Stories of our Ancestors” and a PayPal link allowing payment of membership dues and events. In addition, Mr. Ridgeway encouraged SVGS to hold an educational program series for beginners in Anacortes and Burlington, beginning in 2015 and still in operation.
Dedicated volunteers like Mr. Ridgeway are prized assets to any organization. That is why he richly deserved being a recipient of a 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized almost 500 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 next few months, you will be introduced to each of last year’s award recipients and learn why they received the 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Gail Porter
Today we’re introducing Gail Porter of Port Angeles, Washington, who was nominated by the Clallam County Genealogical Society (CCGS). She was recognized for her enthusiasm and willingness to take on challenging projects.
Although Ms. Porter has been the CCGS treasurer for five years, in 2016 she undertook the project of organizing the genealogies of the Clallam County pioneer families. This was no small project as there were more than 200 pioneer families and she had to sort through a hodgepodge of information. Using her organizational skills, she sorted them by family groups and is now in the process of indexing the information for inclusion on the CCGS web page. She has spent an average of 40 hours a week over the past eight months on this project.
Ms. Porter also makes herself available to all comers seeking assistance with their personal family genealogies, devoting many hours and donating her fees back to the society. This commitment to the CCGS and field of genealogy illustrate that she richly deserved being a recipient of a 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.
Do you know who’s running the show at the Washington State Genealogical Society? Did you know we have an Executive Committee, six standing committee chairs and three appointed non-elected officers? Who are all these people? In the coming months, we’ll introduce them to you, so you can say “hi” the next time you see them.
Virginia Forney Majewski
In today’s “Meet the Board” series, we’re introducing you to Virginia Majewski from Sequim. Virginia, more familiarly known to us as Ginny, is WSGS’s new President, having been elected last month. Her dedication to WSGS is longstanding as she has previously served as WSGS’s Secretary, Region 3 Representative and Vice President.
Virginia Ann was born in Yakima to Wesley Roy and Nancy Jane (Grabill) Forney. She is a proud 4th generation Washingtonian and descendant of a Washington State Pioneer family. Ginny’s name was handed down through her mother’s family – great grandmother, great aunts and aunts – even though Ginny’s dad maintains he picked out her name.
Ginny is a graduate of Quincy High School in Quincy, Washington (Grant County) and Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Spokane. She is married to her husband of 30 years, Moe. She is the mother of four grown children and, most importantly, grandmother of eight, ages 17-1. She retired from her career of 42 years as an Obstetrical Nurse in 2013.
Ginny has been involved in genealogy for more than 20 years. It all started with a couple of boxes of “junk” from her grandparent’s estate. She was bitten by the genealogy bug and it became one of her life’s passions. Her maternal and paternal lines go back to exiled Mennonites in Switzerland. In 2000, she took a three-week genealogical tour of Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands – following the path of her exiled ancestors.
Proud 4th generation Washingtonian
Virginia holds a Certification in Advanced Genealogical Studies in both American Records and Methodology from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies in Toronto, Canada. Currently, she is the President of Clallam County Genealogical Society. She is also a member of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, New York Genealogical Society and Polish Genealogical Society.
When asked what she finds most interesting about genealogy, Ginny muses about a bigamist, unknown illegitimate cousins, a civil war hero and many more interesting characters!
A few more interesting tidbits about Ginny:
Now you know a little more about one of the WSGS Board members. The next time you see Ginny, say hello and thank her for her service to the WSGS.
Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized almost 500 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 2016 award recipients and learn why they received the 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.
Roberta Griset
Today we’re introducing Roberta Griset of Sequim, Washington, who was nominated by the Clallam County Genealogical Society (CCGS). She was recognized for her hard-working commitment to the society and field of genealogy.
For years, Ms. Griset has been the backbone supporting CCGS. She has served as president for three years and is currently the society’s vice president. She has also served as the society’s volunteer coordinator, making sure the research center is staffed, filling in herself when needed. She arranges for meeting and seminar speakers, sometimes even hosting out-of-town speakers at her home. For a number of years, she edited and published the society’s quarterly newsletter and even now works closely with the new editor.
Needless to say, Ms. Griset’s numerous contributions to the CCGS are invaluable, thereby proving she richly deserved being a recipient of a 2016 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.
For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.
Virginia “Ginny” Majewski
Virginia “Ginny” Majewski from Sequim has been elected President of the Washington State Genealogical Society for the 2017 – 2018 term. Currently, Ginny is WSGS Secretary and also President of the Clallam County Genealogical Society. She replaces Mikal McKinnon from Richland who presided over the society for two terms, 2013 – 2017.
In other election news, Karin Coppernoll from Monroe and Opal Myhres from Yakima were elected Secretary and Region 5 Representative (Kittitas, Klickitat, and Yakima counties), respectively.
For more information about Ginny and Karin, read the 01 Dec 2017 blog post.
The folks of the Clallam County Genealogical Society can boast that their society is the northwestern-most such society in the continental U.S. and they’d be right on. This of about 160 members of record (with 40-50 attending meetings) may be smallish but they DO things!
Take CCGS Summer School. In 2015 they offered Part One: “Navigating Free Databases” on the Internet. Classes offered included Google, FamilySearch, Find-A-Grave, CyndisList and the Washington Digital Archives. The attendance proved that this was a popular idea.
This year, on Saturday, May 21st, the CCGS Summer School will spotlight Ancestry, various newspaper sites, Mocavo, World Vital Records, and Fold3. (You can register at the CCGS website, clallamcogs.org) or pay $30 at the door; bring your own sack lunch. Place is the Port Angeles Presbyterian Church, 139 West 8th.
CCGS also maintains a super little library that’s open four days a week with volunteer members on staff to help. They offer monthly-program classes too.
If you live in Clallam or Jefferson counties, or care to drive north to the lovely little port town of Port Angeles, do check out the Clallam County Genealogical Society.
And your society just might want to consider having a Genealogy Summer School day.
GENEALOGY SUMMER SCHOOL
Saturday, May 21, 2016
GENEALOGY SUMMER SCHOOL (Special event)
8:30 am to 3:00 pm
Port Angeles Presbyterian Church, 139 West 8th
Come join us and learn from the experts about Navigating the Paid Data Bases. The morning session will feature Jim Johnson reviewing Ancestry and various newspaper archives, and Ginny Majewski reviewing Mocavo. The afternoon session will feature Ginny reviewing World Vital Records, and Rod Fleck reviewing Fold 3 and the military records available through the National Archives. Heritage Books will be there too.
REGISTRATION FEES: CCGS Members- $25.00
$30.00 after May 18th
Non-members – $30.00
LUNCH – Please bring your own bag lunch to enjoy during the one-hour break between the Morning and Afternoon sessions.
Download: Registration form
Did your ancestors settle in western states and were first landowners? If so, you can find the information about their land at www.historygeo.com. Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming land records were recently added to the database. I don’t have ancestors in those states but I did find great-great-grandfather in Kansas. Doing a search on some surnames of those I know settled in these areas produced a lot of results. Check this database for your ancestors. Read the article about these 3.3 million original landowners added to historygeo.com.
Blog.historygeo.com/2015/06/08/western-states-added-to-first-landowners-project/ –
(Jeanine Barndt is the Head Librarian for the Heritage Quest Research Library in beautiful downtown Sumner, Washington; this bit is from the HQRL Newsletter for Fall 2015.)
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I learn history best from historical fiction. And to my ken, some authors of this sort are better than others. Edward Rutherfurd is one of the best, in my opinion. The following blurb from his book New York gives a brand new insight into those old Civil War soldier photos that we prize so highly…. The year is 1863 (page 413) and then 1871 (page 488):
“His photographic studio was well equipped….. like the other photographers on the Bowery, his bread-and-butter business in recent years had been taking quick portraits of young men standing proudly, or sheepishly, in their unaccustomed uniforms, before they went off to fight again the South. Quicker than the old daguerreotype to take, easy to reproduce on paper, he’d get thirty a day sometimes. It paid the rent. At first, these small “carte-de-visite”-size portraits had seemed jolly enough, like taking someone’s picture at the seaside. Gradually, however, as the terribly casualties of the Civil War had mounted, he had realized that the dull little portraits he was taking were more like tombstones, last mementoes, before some poor fellow vanished from his family forever. And if he tried to make each humble one as splendid as he could, he did not tell his customers the reason.”
The character was explaining why he didn’t get a photo of Lincoln speaking the Gettysburg Address…… Lincoln was so brief and: “It had been no easy business getting a picture in the Civil War. The photographs were always taken in 3-D, which meant that two plates had to be inserted simultaneously into a double camera, one to the left, one to the right. The glass plates had to be quickly cleaned, coated with collodion, then, while still wet, dipped in silver nitrate before being put into the camera. The exposure time might only be a few seconds, but then on had to rush the plates, still wet, into the mobile darkroom. Quite apart from the difficulties of having people in motion during the seconds of exposure, the whole process was so cumbersome that taking pictures of battlefield action was almost impossible. “
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