Tag Archives: Seattle Genealogical Society

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the WEEK

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK – TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT FAMILYSEARCH.ORG

FamilySearch recently announced a milestone. Their online databases of digitized historical documents now contain more than 2 billion images! These are historical records from all over the world – including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, the Pacific, as well as other regions.

And more images are being added weekly. In the quest to to become fully digitize, their microfilms are being scanned at a rate of 1,000 films per business day.  If you haven’t used FamilySearch.org for research recently,  it might be time to take another look.

One way to stay abreast of record collections that have recently been digitized or indexed at FamilySearch is by reading their online blog.  Scroll down through the articles posted looking for articles titled similar to this,  “New Records on FamilySearch: Week of June 4, 2018”.  Read the full story and it will contain a list of new digitized collections or new indexed collections.

Here are some recent additions Washingtonians may be interested in :

WA, Western District, Naturalizations Records, 1853-1957 – newly indexed
WA, Pierce County Marriage Returns, 1891-1938 – newly indexed
WA, Soldier Home Records, 1891-1945 – newly digitized images-no index

The URL to get to the blog is :
https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/
SGS MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL – IT’S NOT TOO LATE!
Join or renew your SGS membership for 2018-19. The fastest way is to use our new onine form and pay with a credit/debit card here: Online SGS Membership form

Or, print out a copy of our membership form and send it with your check to Seattle Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 15329, Seattle WA 98115-0329. Here’s the link: Printable SGS Membership form

Thanks for supporting SGS!

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

JANICE LOVELACE,
VOLUNTEER OF SPRING QUARTER

Each quarter, the Seattle Genealogical Society recognizes one volunteer as our Volunteer of the Quarter. Our Spring Volunteer of the Quarter is Janice Lovelace, current Director of Education at SGS.

Janice has been an SGS member for over five years and a volunteer for most of that time. Janice brings a strong academic and teaching background to her volunteer work at SGS. She taught college-level social sciences for more than 30 years. Most of her teaching experience focused on Psychology and she also taught American Cultural Studies.

In 2012, Janice completed the Certificate in Genealogy and Family History at University of Washington (Professional and Continuing Education) and in 2013, she completed the Certificate in Genealogical Research at Boston University. Since 2013, Janice has been lecturing nationally at Genealogical conferences on a wide variety of topics and she is known as an expert on African-American genealogy. She authored National Genealogical Society’s course CGS: African American Roots: A Historical Perspective. Janice is also an instructor for Midwest African American Genealogical Institute. Janice’s presentations for SGS have been on the subjects of Beginning Genealogy, African-American Genealogy, How to Use Newspapers,  and Using the Census, as well as many others.

Janice served as Vice President of the SGS Board of Directors for two years, then served on the Education Committee last year. She helped implement and plan the Second Saturday Speaker Series which launched in September 2017. One goal of the Speaker Series is to bring people to the library to learn about and use our space, increase member participation, reach out to the wider community and provide a variety of educational experiences on a consistent basis. The series has been popular, with an audience of 20 – 40 people at each presentation. Janice was recently elected Director of Education and hopes to continue building a consistent educational program for SGS. The Speaker Series will be on hiatus this summer but watch for upcoming presentations on the SGS website:
http://www.seattlegenealogicalsociety.org 

In addition to her work as a teacher, lecturer, and volunteer for SGS, Janice has been on a variety of boards focusing on women’s and health issues. In her spare time, Janice enjoys gardening, growing and using herbs, cooking, spending time with grandkids, traveling, reading and writing. Two of her favorite and more recent trips were to New Zealand and Ireland. Janice enjoys photographing the natural beauty she observes on her travels.

If you have not been to one of our Second Saturday Speaker Series, join us at the SGS Library when the series resumes in September. Thank you Janice for your contributions to the continued excellence in our educational programs.

SEATTLE CENTRAL SCHOOL

INDEXING PROJECT
Many years ago, members of Seattle Genealogical Society made copies of pages of lists of students of the Seattle Central School in 1906-1907 and 1907-1908 school years. In most cases, each page contains the students in a particular class, for instance, Mrs. Tomas’s 1st grade class in 1906-1907.

We would like to make these handwritten lists available to researchers, which requires indexing of names to establish a searchable database. Our indexing project is to capture the names of all the students in a given class. Only the names of the students are to be indexed, so it will go very fast. The other information (parent name, address)  will be viewable by researchers by viewing the page image.  Since these lists cover years between census this data can be valuable to researchers.

We invite all who wish to participate in indexing from the comfort of your own home to join us in indexing this valuable set of records.
The project is available on the Crowd Source Indexing website and can be found by “Viewing All Projects” and selecting Seattle Geographical Location. For those new to indexing, simply register on the website, join the SGS group, find the available projects and you are ready to index. Please be sure to read the projects instructions before starting the project.
‘ASK THE EXPERTS’ EVENT AT SGS ON AUGUST 12
Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS) is partnering with the Puget Sound Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (PS-APG) to host an “Ask the Experts” event!
This event will take place at the SGS library (6200 Sand Point Way NE) on Sunday, August 12, 2018 from 10 am – 2 pm.
Participants can sign up for a free 20-minute consultation with a professional genealogist. The professional will offer guidance on how to move forward with a research question, which might be just what you need to get past a brick wall!
Space is limited, and consultations will be assigned in the order received.
Please sign up by Sunday, July 29 using this link:  https://goo.gl/forms/voi5DqEZQLFzcjI13

Continue reading →

Seattle Genealogical Society Programs

by Charles Hansen

PROGRAMS AT THE SGS LIBRARY THIS WEEKEND   

This coming Saturday, June 23, the SGS Membership Meeting will be held at the SGS library from 1:00 pm-2:30 pm. A short SGS business meeting will be followed with  a presentation by Claudia C Breland, professional genealogist and author.  Many individuals researching genealogy feel that everything is online now. That is far from the truth. Claudia found some amazing records that are not online, and may never be online. She wants to share her insight with you in this lecture,  “Beyond the Internet: Finding Family History Records That Are Not Online”.
Then on Sunday, June 24, from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, SGS president, Jill Morelli will present “FamilySearch: The Other 70%”. Did you know that when you do a surname search in FamilySearch you are only accessing 30% of the digitized records? FamilySearch is putting records online faster than they are indexing. Learn how to find the other 70% of valuable online records. This skill has become even more important since FamilySearch discontinued their microfiche film loan program last year.
Hope to see you at the SGS library Saturday and Sunday!
ABERDEEN ARMORY FIRE RECOVERY EFFORTS
You may have heard the Aberdeen Museum of History suffered a major disaster and they need help in their recovery efforts; lots and lots of help. We received the plea below by email. If you can lend assistance, contact Lupita Lopez of the Washington State Archives directly via the phone number or email she provided.

Subject: Emergency Salvage Effort

Please excuse the second e-mail from the Heritage League today, but as you may have heard the Aberdeen Museum of History suffered a major disaster and needs our help!

You might have heard about the fire on Saturday that destroyed the Aberdeen Armory, which housed the Aberdeen Museum of History.  Our Archives Division is working with the local historical society to assist in salvaging efforts.  Steve and his team brought back dozens of boxes today filled with waterlogged photos, documents and film.  They are in need of “volunteers” from across our office the next couple of days to help sort this material.

We are in the need of volunteers and putting the message out with the historical society will help.  The plan is to continue working on Saturday & Sunday, plus next week until all the boxes are done.  There may be possible traffic issues on the weekend due to Olympia Air Show.

Volunteers can contact me by email or phone and I provide more information.

Pictures:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wastatearchives/sets/72157697959172845

Thank you for your help,

Lupita Lopez
Washington State Archives
Research Services
1129 Washington St. SE
PO Box 40238
Olympia, WA 98504
360.586.1492
llopez@secstate.wa.gov

http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/
Business Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30AM to 4:30PM

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –

1937-1972 Property Record Cards

If you are doing genealogical research of ancestors in the Puget Sound area, check out the kind of records available to you at the Puget Sound Regional Branch of the Washington State Archives in Bellevue, WA.  From King, Kitsap, and Pierce counties, there are dozens of different kinds of records available; some quite unique.

One of the most popular record sets is the King County 1937-1972 property record cards for historical house photographs and property records.

The Puget Sound Regional Branch is open Wednesday through Friday, and by appointment only. They do welcome voice mail and email requests, and that may be all you need. They will send, or email, the documents they located for you. The records accompanying the photograph will include some ownership information, generally back to 1937, sometimes further back.  If you would like earlier information, it might be possible to schedule a time for you to view the earlier tax records.

They cannot look up records with only a street address. You will need the property tax ID number, or a legal description. Once I had no tax id to give them as the 1900 house and its address no longer exists (at some point in time it was replaced by a condo development), but I gave them a tax id of a house that I determined to be near by the old house, and the property legal description I found in the old Sanborn Insurance Maps at the downtown Seattle Public Library. They were able to find me photographs and pages of information on the original 1900 house.

You may contact Puget Sound Regional Branch Archives by voice mail at (425) 564-3940, or by email at PSBranchArchives@sos.wa.gov

Their website is :
https://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/archives_puget.aspx

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

MESSAGE FROM HEIDI MAIR,
​SGS DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEERS

Welcome to all new and returning Seattle Genealogical Society Members!

SGS is a member-driven and volunteer-run organization. We could not succeed without the support of our members, and the talents and dedication of our volunteers. The benefits of volunteering include camaraderie with fellow genealogists, sharing genealogical tips, enhancing your current skills, or discovering skills you never knew you had!

The following are just some of the many tasks our dedicated volunteers do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis:

  • Library Desk Volunteer –  desk volunteers keep our library open & running Tuesday – Sunday
  • Bulk mailings
  • Books sales
  • Community outreach
  • Plan and present educational programs
  • Event planning – including our twice-yearly seminars
  • Bookkeeping, auditing, grant-writing, fund-raising
  • Library work, including inventory, cataloging, indexing, archival work
  • Maintenance, facilities, technology
  • Write articles for the ENews! or Bulletin; keep our website & Facebook page current
  • Leadership – serve on a committee or as a board member
  • And much, much more!

If you would like to volunteer, please contact me, Heidi L Mair, Director of Volunteers, via email at volunteers@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org to set up a time to talk – in person or on the phone. I look forward to speaking with you. And be sure to mark your calendars now for the SGS Volunteer Appreciation Day on September 24th, 10 am – 7 pm at the SGS library. Watch for details!   

WRIGHT’S CREMATORIUM

INDEXING PROJECT
Many years ago, members of Seattle Genealogical Society transcribed, by hand, the records from Wright’s Crematorium in Seattle. These transcriptions are a list of remains cremated by Wright’s from September 1, 1905 thru December 31, 1915. In some cases these transcriptions have information not found elsewhere. For example, Henry Rea died in October of 1908 (as shown on his death certificate), but was not cremated until July 1910, and his ashes were sent to New York. Another example is that the remains of Tom Elgie, who died in March 1908, were scattered on a lawn.

SGS would like to make these handwritten transcriptions available to researchers. This requires indexing of names and death dates to establish a searchable database.
You all are invited to help us index this important project. It can be done from the comfort of your own home. Crowd Sourced Indexing (CSI) is an online indexing tool/application available to genealogical societies and other organizations for precisely this purpose.

Go to the Crowd Sourced Indexing website. If this is your first time, you will need to register and join the SGS Group. Then click on “View All Projects”, select Seattle in the drop down menu found under “Select a Geographical Location to Search”, and then below the title “Projects in Progress”, you’ll find Wrights Crematorium.
Please be sure to read the project instructions before starting on the project. This one is a little different than the Ballard VFW Project that was just completed.

Here’s the link to the Crowd Sourced Indexing website:
https://csindexing.com 

 

 

SGS NEEDS VOLUNTEERS FOR THE

72ND ANNUAL PACIFIC NORTHWEST

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES,

ENUMCLAW EXPO CENTER,

ENUMCLAW, WA 

SATURDAY, JULY 28 – SUNDAY, JULY 29 
Come Hear the Bagpipes – Watch the Dancers – Visit a Clan Booth
Help SGS Promote Genealogy

 

We need volunteers to help at the SGS booth during the Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games. We have been at this event for over 30 years and it is a great way to let the public know about SGS and to promote membership, seminars, and our classes. Our participation also gives us valuable community outreach credit for our grant applications with 4culture, which has given us thousands of dollars for our equipment and projects.
Game attendance is at about 30,000 for the weekend. Many of the people who attend are newly interested in their Scottish and Irish heritage and have done only limited research. They are primarily interested in knowing two things:

  • What clan do I belong to?
  • What tartan can I use?

SGS will have reference books available at the booth to help you answer those questions for them. There will also be a handout promoting SGS.
Information will be mailed out to volunteers about a week before the games. This year our booth is being sponsored by the Irish Heritage Club. We need at least two volunteers for each 2 hour shift and three people during the busiest afternoon sessions. We will supply each volunteer with an admission ticket for the games – a full day at the games for your own enjoyment. Parking will be at your own expense at $7.00. We encourage carpooling.
Jean needs to order tickets for the volunteers before July 1st,  so please respond to her by June 29th if you intend to volunteer.  Also let her know if you are over 62, as senior tickets are discounted. Her contact info is : Jean A. Roth (206) 782-2629 or jeanaroth@juno.com

 

SUMMER BREAK FOR THE SIGs
The Canadian SIG with David Robert  and the Family Tree Interest Group with Lou Daly will be taking a summer break. They will not meet in July, August, or September. They will resume meeting, same time, same place, in October.

The Family Tree Maker SIG with Reiley Kidd and Jess Ramey will not meet in July or August, nor will the Scandinavian SIG with Karin Knudson.

 

SAVE THE DATE

​​2018 Northwest Genealogy Conference,
Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society,
Byrnes Performing Arts Center,
18821 Crown Ridge Blvd,
Arlington, WA
August 15 – 18, 2018  

Keynote speakers will be Beth Foulk, CeCe Moore, Peggy Lauritzen, and Amie Bowser Tennant.

Days 2-4 will be packed full of lectures and activities, such as post a surname on the “Cousin Board”; have fun connecting with other attendees you may be related to. On Friday, participate in the optional  “Dress As Your Ancestor”  day to honor your heritage.

As usual, the first day of this four day conference is designed for beginners and is free (registration required).   .

For more details and to register, visit their website:
https://stillygen.org/cpage.php?pt=50
Unlock the Past in Seattle, the “land conference”
Seattle Public Library,
1000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA
Thursday, September 6, 2018

Have you heard of Unlock the Past Cruises, genealogy on the high seas? Their 14th conference cruise will be to Alaska, Sept 7-14, and sail out of Seattle. They have put together an all day, companion “land conference” for September 6. It will be held at the downtown Seattle Public Library and it is open to all  – whether on the cruise, or not. Blaine Bettinger, Maurice Gleeson, Cyndi Ingle, and Wayne Shepheard will be the presenters.

If you are interested, see their website :
https://www.unlockthepastcruises.com/

“A Day of Discovery with Lisa Louise Cooke”,
Puget Sound Genealogical Society,
4131 Pine Rd NE (at the Bremerton Elks),
Bremerton, WA
Saturday, September 22, 2018
8:30am – 3:30pm

Cost is $50 for PSGS members / $55 for non-members. Lunch is included and will catered by the Bremerton Elks. For  more information and the registration form see www.pusogensoc.org/psgs/seminar2018

​”Harvest Your Family Tree”,
The Kelowna & District Genealogical Society Conference 2018,
Kelowna, BC

Friday, September 28 – Sunday, September 30

 

There will be plenty to see and learn at one of Western Canada’s largest genealogy conferences – eleven speakers on 31 topics. Featuring Louis Kessler, programmer,
genealogist, member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and Genealogical Speakers Guild (GSG) will be speaking about Double Match Triangulation, the program he developed for autosomal DNA analysis. His program won third place at the 2017 RootsTech Innovator Showdown.

For more on this conference, visit their website :

https://kdgswix.wixsite.com/kdgs

 

 

SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather.

The SGS Library will be closed June 17, July 3, and July 4

JUNE

Saturday, June 16, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean A Roth
Saturday, June 16, 01:00pm – 3:00pm, German SIG, with Jean A Roth

Sunday, June 17, closed for Father’s Day

Saturday, June 23, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm,  SGS General Membership Meeting, speaker TBD
Saturday, June 30, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm,  DNA SIG,  this group meets at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. Co-chaired by Cary Bright and Herb McDaniel. For more information contact SGSDNASIG@gmail

JULY

Sunday, July 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, Led by Cary Bright with first hour on a specific topic, and the second hour open for sharing DNA issues with focus on GenomeMate Pro.

Saturday, July 21, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean A Roth
Saturday, July 21, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, German SIG, with Jean A Roth

 

 

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK – 
NASE RODINA QUARTERLY

A resource for Czech, Slovak, Moravian, Bohemian, Rusyn, and German-Bohemian genealogy, Nase Rodina “Our Family” is a Quarterly published by the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society. You can find it in the SGS Library. We have copies dating from 1989 to Dec 2017. If you have Bohemian (Czech), German-Bohemian (Bohmisch), Hungarian, Moravian, Ruthenian (Rusyn), Silesian, Slovakian, or Jewish ancestry this is a resource for you. Stop in and check it out.

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

​SGS BOARD 2018-2019
The results of the SGS 2018 election for board of directors are: ​

  • President: Jill Morelli
  • Vice President: vacant
  • Treasurer: Karen Knudson
  • Secretary: Amandalei Bennett
  • Education: Janice Lovelace
  • Library: Sue Jensen
  • Publications: Julia Marconi
  • Technology: David Rimmer
  • Membership: Christine Schomaker
  • Volunteers: Heidi Mair
  • Operations: Rob Sexton
  • Past President: Marilyn Rose​

Electronic voting was employed for the first time. It was quick, easy, saved volunteer time, and was appreciated by all. Some folks thought that we should have included biographies of the candidates and we will do that in future elections. Use of electronic voting for this election was a “beta test” and was approved by the Board and reported to the membership at the last meeting. It will now be necessary to modify the Bylaws to reflect the adoption of technology in a number of sections of the Bylaws. These changes will be presented at the October Membership Meeting. Ballots were mailed to 19 individuals for whom we did not have email addresses; none of those mailed ballots were voted and returned.

Rob Sexton became Director of Operations by board acclimation when Lynn De Merritt resigned during the election cycle.

Nancy Hevley is the new Library Trustee for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. An ardent worker on the Library Committee each Thursday, Nancy will be a great addition. She’ll join two other Trustees, John Eschelman and Dona Bubelis, who are presently serving their three-year terms.

SGS applied for and received a grant from 4Culture to conduct a Japanese Genealogy Seminar in winter 2019. The event will be held the first weekend in February with guest speaker Linda Harms Okazaki of the Seattle Public Library. If you are interested in helping out with this event contact Heidi Mair at : volunteers@seattlegenealogicalsociety.org 

 

ArchiveFinder – FOLLOW-UP FROM JILL MORELLI 

 

At the Sunday, May 20, special seminar session on ArchiveGrid, Josh (D. Joshua Taylor) covered ArchiveFinder. He said ArchiveFinder was available only at academic libraries and only at some, not all.  Jill said she would inquire to see if it was available at UW. In a check with Lisa Oberg, Associate Director of Special Collections at UW, ArchiveFinder is not available at the University of Washington library.

We hope you were able to make the seminar. Everyone we spoke with thought Josh was well organized,  knowledgeable, an excellent speaker and communicator. The frequent Q&A sessions he worked into the program were very robust.

Our thanks to Josh for another successful SGS seminar. Also our thanks to all who attended and to all the volunteers that make these seminars possible.

 

SCANDINAVIAN SIG – SPECIAL TIME – SPECIAL GUEST
On Sunday, June 10, the meeting of our Scandinavian SIG will be held from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm instead of in the usual afternoon time slot. Leading the meeting will be Kathi McGinnes and the special guest will be Liv Christensen, Norwegian genealogical researcher.  Liv will Skype in and answer some previously submitted questions. This is your chance to come learn from a renowned expert in researching Norwegian genealogy.

 

IT’S SPRING, A TIME OF RENEWAL 

The SGS membership year runs from June 1 to May 31 so it’s nearing that time to renew your membership. Or are you joining SGS for the first time?

You can renew online and pay your dues with a credit/debit card here:

Online SGS membership form

Or print out a copy of our membership form and mail it to SGS with a check. Here’s a link to the printable form:

Printable SGS Membership Form

Not a SGS member yet? Annual dues are $40.00 individual, $50.00 dual (two individuals at the same mailing address). As soon as you join, you’ll be eligible for free or discounted rates for our seminars, online and offline classes, and access to SGS databases. You’ll receive our bi-annual online publication “Journal of the Seattle Genealogical Society”. You’ll learn along with other members in our special interest groups and Second Saturday programs. You’ll have opportunities to volunteer, helping others as an indexer, librarian, receptionist, instructor, or family history researcher.

 

Most of all, you’ll be supporting a 95-year-young, all-volunteer organization, dedicated to maintaining a public research library, preserving records, and providing educational opportunities for all in our community. So click that link up above and join SGS today!

SAVE THE DATE

​”When It Takes a Village: Applying Cluster Research Techniques”,
presented by Emily H. Garber,
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State,
4200 124th Ave SE,
Bellevue, WA
Monday, June 11, 2018

This presentation by Emily Garber will outline a program for solving genealogical research problems via cluster and collateral research techniques and you are invited. Free admission and refreshments. The meeting will be  in the LDS Factoria Building at 4200 124th Ave SE, Bellevue. Doors open at 6:30pm and the presentation starts promptly at 7:15pm.

For more info on JGSWS, this presentation, or directions, visit the JGSWS website at :

http://www.jgsws.org

2018 Northwest Genealogy Conference,
Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society,
Byrnes Performing Arts Center,
18821 Crown Ridge Blvd,
Arlington, WA
August 15 – 18, 2018  

Keynote speakers will be Beth Foulk, CeCe Moore, Peggy Lauritzen, and Amie Bowser Tennant.

Days 2-4 will be packed full of lectures and activities, such as post a surname on the “Cousin Board”; have fun connecting with other attendees you may be related to. On Friday, participate in the optional  “Dress As Your Ancestor”  day to honor your heritage.

As usual, the first day of this four day conference is designed for beginners and is free (registration required).   .

For more details and to register, visit their website:
https://stillygen.org/cpage.php?pt=50

SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather.

The SGS Library will be closed June 17, July 3, and July 4

JUNE

Saturday, June 2, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Canadian SIG, Come join David Robert, group leader, for help researching your Canadian ancestors.

Saturday, June 2, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Interest Group, Lou Daly, leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org

Saturday, June 9, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Maker (FTM) Users Group,  Jess Ramey will lead this last meeting before the group breaks for the summer. Jess and Reiley Kidd will co- lead when the group resumes their meetings in the fall.

Sunday, June 10, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Scandinavian SIG, with Kathi McGinnes and Liv Christensen via Skype.  Liv will answer previously submitted questions.  Come learn from this expert in Norwegian genealogy. Please note the time change for this meeting.

Saturday, June 16, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean A Roth
Saturday, June 16, 01:00pm – 3:00pm, German SIG, with Jean A Roth

Sunday, June 17, closed for Father’s Day

Saturday, June 23, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm,  SGS General Membership Meeting, speaker TBD
Saturday, June 30, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm,  DNA SIG,  this group meets at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. Co-chaired by Cary Bright and Herb McDaniel. For more information contact SGSDNASIG@gmail

JULY

Sunday, July 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, DNA Workshop, Led by Cary Bright with first hour on a specific topic, and the second hour open for sharing DNA issues with focus on GenomeMate Pro.

Saturday, July 7, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Canadian SIG, Come join David Robert, group leader, for help researching your Canadian ancestors.

Saturday, July 7, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Interest Group, Lou Daly, leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org

Sunday, July 8, 1:30pm – 3:30pm, Scandinavian SIG, with Karin Knudson

Saturday, July 21, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean A Roth
Saturday, July 21, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, German SIG, with Jean A Roth

 

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –
FAMILYSEARCH COMMUNITY RESEARCH GROUPS

Here’s another great educational opportunity from the folks at FamilySearch.

It has recently created a new tool for you to get genealogical research help in the comfort of your own home. So if you can’t make it to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, use the area groups within the online community to find the research help that you need. And of course, it’s free! You do need to join FamilySearch, but that is free also.

Come get involved and make the research groups more valuable for everyone! Find answers, post questions, browse, find or create or join a group, help others.

Get help – you can:

  • ask questions
  • upload documents and get help with translation
  • participate in discussions
  • learn about upcoming webinars
  • discover new resources

Give help – share your knowledge and skills:

  • answer questions
  • translate documents for others
  • share new resources

There are numerous community research groups in three main categories:

  • International Research Groups – from Albania to Zimbabwe
  • North American Research Groups – Alabama to Wyoming
  • Specialty Research Groups – 23andMe Newbies to The Nextgen Genealogy Network

For more information about how to sign up and use the site, see this link:
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Genealogy_Research_Groups

 

Seattle Genealogical Society News

by Charles Hansen

IT’S SPRING, A TIME OF RENEWAL 

The SGS membership year runs from June 1 to May 31 so it’s nearing that time to renew your membership, or join SGS for the first time!

We will be mailing out renewal forms later in May, but why not “go paperless” and take care of your membership online right now? You can pay your dues online with a credit/debit card. Or, if paperless isn’t quite your thing, just print out your emailed invoice and mail it to SGS with a check. Here’s the link to our new online membership form:

https://goo.gl/forms/lPfxs8CVDDAYTwgi2

Are you an eNews! reader who hasn’t joined SGS yet? Annual dues are $40.00 individual, $50.00 dual (two individuals at the same mailing address).

As soon as you join, you’ll be eligible for free or discounted rates for our seminars, online and offline classes, and access to SGS databases. You’ll receive our bi-annual online publication “Journal of the Seattle Genealogical Society”. You’ll learn along with other members in our special interest groups and Second Saturday programs. You’ll have opportunities to volunteer, helping others as an indexer, librarian, receptionist, instructor, and family history researcher.

Most of all, you’ll be supporting a 95-year-young, all-volunteer organization, dedicated to maintaining a public research library, preserving records, and providing educational opportunities for all in our community. So click that link up above and join SGS today!

THE SGS 2018 SPRING SEMINAR – MAY 19TH

Don’t miss the SGS 2018 Spring Seminar, “Family History: What the Future Holds”. Glimpse the future of family history through changes in technology, research methods, and other community developments.

  1. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is a nationally known and recognized genealogical author, lecturer, and researcher and a frequent speaker at family history events across the globe. We are pleased to have him as our seminar speaker and he will be covering the following topics:
  • Beyond Belief: The Wealth of Genealogical and Historical Societies
  • Bridging the Gap: Finding Ancestors in the United States Between 1780 and 1830
  • Successful Searching Online: Clustering for Genealogists
  • New Tools and Ideas in Research

To register online:
https://goo.gl/forms/YpXYtA6cJH8MPSgQ2
SAVE THE DATES

​

SGS 2018 Spring Seminar, 
“Family History: What the Future Holds”, 
with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS
Fairview Christian School,
844 NE 78th St,
Seattle, WA
Saturday, May 19, 2018 

Glimpse the future of family history through changes in technology, research methods, and other community developments

  1. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is a nationally known and recognized genealogical author, lecturer, and researcher and a frequent speaker at family history events across the globe.

Clark County Genealogical Society Conference and
Washington State Genealogical Society Annual Awards,
Vancouver, WA 98551
(360) 750-5688
May 25-27, 2018 

Events run May 25-27th, with the Conference on the 26th. Out-of-towners, notice there is a special conference rate at the local Hilton.

2018 Northwest Genealogy Conference,
Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society,
Byrnes Performing Arts Center,
18821 Crown Ridge Blvd,
Arlington, WA
August 15 – 18, 2018  

As usual, the first day of this four day conference is designed for beginners and is free (registration required).

Days 2-4 will be packed full of lectures and activities, such as post a surname on the “Cousin Board”; have fun connecting with other attendees you may be related to. On Friday, participate in the optional  “Dress As Your Ancestor”  day to honor your heritage.

Keynote speakers will be Beth Foulk, CeCe Moore, Peggy Lauritzen, and Amie Bowser Tennant.

For more details and to register, visit their website:
https://stillygen.org/cpage.php?pt=50
SGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Unless otherwise indicated all programs will be at the SGS Library, 6200 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Check the SGS Web Site for additions, changes, and corrections. Programs may be canceled or postponed because of inclement weather.

The SGS Library will be closed the day of our Spring Seminar, May 19.  On May 20th the library  is reserved for those attending the ticketed special sessions associated with the seminar and it will be closed to others.

MAY

Thursday, May 17, 12:00 pm – 1:30pm, Online Intro to DNA for Genealogy – Part 2, Karin Borgerson will be the instructor of this 3 part interactive online class series. Cost for the 3 class series is $30 for SGS Members, $40 for non-members.  Registration required.

Saturday, May 19 , 9:00am-4:00pm , Spring Seminar with D. Joshua Taylor, seminar will be at Fairview Christian Church, 844 NE 78th St, Seattle.  See the featured article above and the SGS website for more details.

Sunday, May 20, 9:00 am, Special Session #1 “Treasures in the Archives: Using Archive Grid” with D. Joshua Taylor,  separate registration and fees apply – see the seminar brochure – there is a waiting list for this session.
Sunday, May 20, 10:30 am, Special Session #2 “Building Context and Making Connections: Using JSTOR for Family History” with D. Joshua Taylor,  separate registration and fees apply – see the seminar brochure – there is a waiting list for this session.

Thursday, May 24, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, Online Intro to DNA for Genealogy – Part 3, Karin Borgerson will be the instructor of this 3 part interactive online class series. Cost for the 3 class series is $30 for SGS Members, $40 for non-members.  Registration required.

JUNE

Saturday, June 2, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Canadian SIG, Come join David Robert, group leader, for help researching your Canadian ancestors.

Saturday, June 2, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm, Family Tree Interest Group, Lou Daly, leader of this special interest group exploring all the features of the tool Family Tree on FamilySearch.org
Saturday, June 9, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Family Tree Maker (FTM) Users Group, leaders Reiley Kidd & Jess Ramsey, this will be the last meeting before this group breaks for the summer.

Sunday, June 10, 1:30pm – 3:30pm, Scandinavian IG, with Karin Knudson

Saturday, June 16, 10:15am – 12:15pm, Irish SIG, with Jean A Roth
Saturday, June 16, 01:00pm – 3:00pm, German SIG, with Jean A Roth

Sunday, June 17, closed for Father’s Day

Saturday, June 23, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm,  SGS General Membership Meeting, speaker TBD
Saturday, June 30, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm,  DNA SIG,  this group meets at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Ave NE, Seattle. Co-chaired by Cary Bright and Herb McDaniel. For more information contact SGSDNASIG@gmail

 

Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week

by Charles Hansen

TIP OF THE WEEK –
HISPANIC READING ROOM
If you are researching Hispanic ancestors of Spain, Portugal, the Caribbean, or Latin America,  are you aware there is Hispanic Reading Room at the Library Congress and the room has a website? The reading room is open to the public, but before you head off that way, why not check out the excellent materials available to you on the website.  It is in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

The website is at:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/