New WSGS Treasurer Named

Aug28 by Roxanne Lowe

Sue Semenza Ericksen has been appointed by WSGS President Mikal McKinnon to take over the state society’s treasurer’s duties. Sue replaces Kathy Bowen who moved out of the state to be closer to family.

Sue’s presence in WSGS is long-standing. She is Immediate Past President and previously served as membership chair, web manager and Region 5 representative. In addition to her WSGS dedication, Sue is an active member of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, currently serving as its vice president and web manager.

A routine audit was conducted on the WSGS finances and all was in order. A big thank-you to Sue for stepping into this important position.

NW Genealogy Conference — Day 3

Aug21 by Roxanne Lowe

Blaine Bettinger explaining the latest developments in genetic genealogy.

The last day of the 2016 Northwest Genealogy Conference brought us Blaine Bettinger, intellectual property attorney by day and genetic genealogist by night. His first session was “Genetic Genealogy Year in Review.” So many changes, improvements, adjustments and announcements in the ever-changing field of genetic genealogy. No wonder I have a hard time keeping up with what to do with the results I have from all those kits I’ve paid for! It was so helpful to know what was happening — and what might be happening soon. His other sessions for the day were “Using Third-Party Tools to Analyze Your DNA” (oh…so that’s what I need to do with all that confusing data!) and “Using Autosomal DNA to Solve Family Mysteries.”

I only had time to take one workshop on Saturday (then off to a family reunion). Used the opportunity to listen to Jim Johnson from Heritage Quest Research Library share “Five Steps to Finding your Ancestors Who Passed Through Canada.” His one-hour lecture proved to me that you can always learn something (or many things) new in classes like this. Will be looking for the Murphy’s and Ryan’s in some of the new places Jim shared.

Some of the many volunteers from the Stillaguamish Valley GS.

The conference attendees also got the opportunity to thank the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society for their hard work, sponsoring this conference. More than 40 members work year-round to give us a first-rate learning experience.

Patty Olson and Donna Potter Phillips welcoming visitors to the WSGS table.

In no time, it was time to close up the Washington State Genealogical Society‘s vendor booth where we talked to everyone who came by about the WSGS and signed up almost 70 new members. It was also time to say good-bye to old and new friends with promises of seeing them next year: August 16 – 19, 2017!! I’ll be there. Will you?

Recipe from our WSGS First Lady

Jul14 by Charles Hansen

PIE

This is berry season in Washington state and that means berry pies!!

WSGS First Lady, Janet McKinnon, wife of President Mikal McKinnon shares the BESTEST EVER berry pie recipe for NO-BAKE BERRY PIE:

Mix: 3/4 c. water, 3/4 c. sugar, 2 1/2 TB cornstarch, and dash of salt in pan on the stove; bring to boil and add 1 c. berries; cook until thick.

In bowl, mix 8 oz. cream cheese with 1-instant pudding mix (with only 1 c. cold milk). Pour into larger-size graham cracker crust. Stir remaining 2 c. berries into the cooked mix, cool slightly and pour over cheese-pudding. Chill until serving time. Enjoy! And thank you, Janet!

(Picture was from Google. You could divide the berry mix top and bottom.)

Blog Banner Photo Challenge

Jul12 by Roxanne Lowe

Summer’s in full swing and that means many of us are on the road, in the air, or on a boat visiting people, places, and things. It also means you’re taking lots of photos. So…we’re sponsoring a Blog Banner Photo Challenge, looking for a few good photographs to highlight in our Blog banner.

The rotating banner will feature a series of photos taken by you, our readers. The latest entry in the Photo Challenge is a photo of the waterfall at the bottom on Barker Canyon, down the west side of Banks Lake in central Washington near Coulee City. The photo was taken by WSGS Vice President (& Past President of Eastern Washington Genealogical Society) Donna Potter Phillips of Spokane. It’s a great example of the beauty of our Evergreen State — and makes a great blog banner.

Rules are few:
•Landscapes, landmarks, and scenery photos are preferred. If, however, you have a perfect photo that includes people, please obtain their permission to post the photo.
•Photo must have been taken in Washington State (this is the Washington State Genealogical Society blog, after all!).
•Photo will be cropped to 1100 x 250 pixels, so keep that in mind.
•You may enter as many photos as you want.
•Final decisions on suitable photos will be made by the awesome WSGS Blog Team.
•There’s no prize if your photo is chosen – just the satisfaction that your photo is being showcased on a blog viewed by hundreds of enthusiastic genealogists.
•There’s no firm deadline to submit photos, just keep ‘em coming. We want to rotate lots of photos to keep the blog fresh.

To submit your photo, please email the image (jpg only, please); what, where, when, and by whom the photo was taken to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org.

Got questions? Email the blog team at WSGSBlog@wasgs.org.

Outstanding Volunteers and Teams Honored

Jul1 by Roxanne Lowe

Forty-two local genealogical society members were honored for their outstanding volunteerism at the WSGS Annual Conference in Tacoma, Washington, on 18 June 2016. Nominated by their local societies, these individuals and teams spent countless hours supporting their local organizations, researching, cataloging, inventorying, teaching, and inspiring others. We are proud to announce the 2016 Outstanding Volunteer Awards:

Shirley Allmon Acheson, Strategic Planning Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
Carol Anderson, Tuesday Gals Team, Eastern WA Genealogical Society
Patricia Ayers, Tuesday Gals Team, Eastern WA Genealogical Society
Barbara Baker, Clark County Finance Team, Clark County Genealogical Society
Claire Bardwell, Northeast Washington Genealogical Society
Kathy Bowman, Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society
Diane Boyd, Eastern Washington Genealogical Society
Barbara Brazington, Tuesday Gals Team, Eastern WA Genealogical Society
Karen van Haagen Campbell, Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington
Barbara Barker Congdon, Strategic Planning Leadership Team, Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society
John Covey, Tri City Genealogical Society
Michele Cozad, Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society
Patricia Deutsch, Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington
Leslee Dunlap, Ulster Workshop Team, Lewis Co. Genealogical Society
Bill Floberg, Tri City Genealogical Society
Larry Germann, Clark County Finance Team, Clark County Genealogical Society
Roberta Griset, Clallam Co. Genealogical Society
Cynthia Savage Harris, Whatcom Genealogical Society
Mary Holcomb, Tuesday Gals Team, Eastern WA Genealogical Society
Pam Hopwood, Ulster Workshop Team, Lewis Co. Genealogical Society
Joann Hulse, Ulster Workshop Team, Lewis Co. Genealogical Society
Patricia Bayonne Johnson, Tuesday Gals Team, Eastern WA Genealogical Society
Barbara Jeanne Gorham Johnson, Skagit Valley Genealogical Society
Eric Jordahl, Clark County Finance Team, Clark County Genealogical Society
Rebecca Judd, Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society
Lowell Kenedy, Clark County Finance Team, Clark County Genealogical Society
Sue Rogers Kreikemeier, Whitman Co. Genealogical Society
Margie Lloyd, Ulster Workshop Team, Lewis Co. Genealogical Society
Juanita McBride, Tuesday Gals Team, Eastern WA Genealogical Society
Sam McReynolds, Ulster Workshop Team, Lewis Co. Genealogical Society
Patricia Olsen, Ulster Workshop Team, Lewis Co. Genealogical Society
Patricia Olsen, Lewis County Genealogical Society
Leslie Parnell, Ulster Workshop Team, Lewis Co. Genealogical Society
Gail Porter, Clallam Co. Genealogical Society
George Ridgeway Jr., Skagit Valley Genealogical Society
Marge Samuelson, Jefferson Co. Genealogical Society
Louellen Verellen, Chelan Valley Genealogical Society
Sandy Wade, Tacoma Pierce Co Genealogical Society
Dolly Webb, Tuesday Gals Team, Eastern WA Genealogical Society
Lola Swearingen Weber, Lower Columbia Genealogical Society

To read each individual’s accomplishments and why they were nominated, visit the Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program page.

For more information about the Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program, contact Roxanne Lowe, WSGS Recognition Chair.

Margie Wilson Earns President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement

Jun26 by Roxanne Lowe

Margie Wilson was announced as the recipient of the WSGS President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement at the WSGS Conference in Tacoma on June 18, 2016. The announcement was made by WSGS President Mikal McKinnon. Margie was nominated by the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS) where she has been an active member since at least 2008 and has held various offices.

Margie Wilson as Anne Justis Morton, wife of John Morton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence

Margie Wilson in an historical portrayal of Anne Justis Morton, wife of John Morton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence

It’s easy to see why Margie earned the coveted award. She was the driving force to secure and implement a $23,000 Paul Allen grant for “Making Connections Through ROOTS – Researching Our Origins for Teens and Seniors,” a 20-week credit-bearing course for high school seniors who were at risk of not graduating. The innovative program taught them research skills, how to use library services and resources, citations, family history, interviewing skills and more. Margie worked two years to get the project off the ground, guiding the program from beginning to end, including securing the grant, getting local school board approval, writing the curriculum and arranging for field trips. The program is now being implemented elsewhere around the country.

Margie is active in the City of Burlington walking tours and cemetery historical tours. She was asked by the Skagit County Historical Museum to teach 120 7^th grade students about the early history of Burlington. She has also been a member of the local Rotary, Toastmasters and United Way.

Created in 2015, the WSGS President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement was designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations. Last year’s recipient was Fred Pflugrath from the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society. Continue reading →

Awesome Conference

Jun19 by Roxanne Lowe

Cyndi Ingle, Paula Stuart-Warren, Warren Fisk & D Becker

Paula played to a roomful of enthusiastic genealogists, ready to learn, apply and discover

Lots of networking and new resources to check out for more than 150 attendees

Can’t express enough superlatives about the 2016 WSGS Conference hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County GS! Kudos to Chair Warren Fisk, Moderator Cyndi Ingle, TPCGS President D Becker and the rest of the Planning Team — you really outdid yourselves!

And what about Paula Stuart Warren??!! She was professional, engaging, funny, informative…everything you’d wish for in a keynote speaker. At the end of the day, everyone left armed with inspiration and excitement to find that long-lost ancestor or explore a new resource. If you get another chance to hear Paula at a conference or workshop, don’t miss it — she doesn’t disappoint!

What you Missed 2016 Washington State Genealogical Society Conference

Jun18 by Charles Hansen

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The drive to Tacoma was going good till we got to Cle Elum and three lanes of traffic merged to one lane at about 5 miles an hour, but that was just a preview of the I-5 rush hour traffic. Glad we only had to go 12 miles on I-5 before we turned off. Went sight seeing at Ocean Shores Friday morning, and got caught in another slow down by Fort Lewis on way back to the WSGS board meeting. Greeted with Happy Birthday at the board meeting when I arrived 15 minutes late. Friday night was a get acquainted meeting with Cyndi Ingals and Paula Stuart-Warren which was great and probably more fun than any get acquainted meeting I have been to.

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Saturday was the actual conference and it was pretty full, many happy genealogists eager to learn. The raffle tickets sold well (but I did not win anything).

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Had to get a good photo of the raffle ticket seller.

The first two topics were Your Anytime Library: Success In the Virtual Stocks; and Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking. Then Lunch:

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My Chicken Caesar and my sisters Cobb salads.

After lunch I had an awful time keeping awake, but Paula ‘s subjects were Untrod Ground: Sources you May not Have Encountered and Controlling Chaos: Organizing Your Genealogical Materials. Then the raffle prizes and they had a lot of wonderful prizes.

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Don’t you just love it when they are lining up everyone for the photos?

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Well all the WSGS officers that were at the conference except two, one left early and one getting us ready for this photo (my fellow blogger Roxanne).

Those of us that were staying till Sunday were invited to a no host dinner with the Tacoma Genealogical Society volunteers and Paula Stuart-Warren where we discussed genealogy while having a nice quiet dinner.

It’s Showtime!

Jun18 by Roxanne Lowe

Sweet time!

Paula Stuart-Warren, WSGS VP Donna Potter Phillips and Cyndi Ingle

WSGS Conference Meet and Greet

The WSGS Conference, hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society, begins in less than an hour. If you’re on the fence about coming, just jump in your favorite mode of transportation and get to the La Quinta Inn, 1425 East 27th Street, Tacoma. Walk-in registration is available now!! Program starts at 9:00.

Last night about 50 of us enjoyed a couple hours (and yummy desserts!) in a Meet and Greet with Paula Stuart-Warren and Cyndi Ingle. Great relaxed way to learn more about these amazing leaders in genealogy. Check out Paula’s blog and Cyndi’s List!!

Meet Your Blog Team

Jun17 by Roxanne Lowe

Have you ever wondered who’s behind the scenes of the WSGS Blog? The terrific trio of Charles Hansen, Roxanne Lowe and Donna Potter Phillips work together to bring you interesting articles, news and tidbits about genealogy and family history in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest. All three of them are at the WSGS Conference in Tacoma tomorrow (18 Jun 2016), so look for news and photos about what’s happening there.

WSGS Blog Team: Roxanne Lowe, Charles Hansen & Donna Potter Phillips

In the coming months, you’ll learn more about Charles, Roxanne and Donna, as well as the rest of the WSGS Board in a bi-weekly feature called “Meet the Board.”

In the meantime, if you’re looking to publicize your local event or workshop, have a feature story or update about your society, or other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers, just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and Charles, Roxanne and/or Donna will do the rest. The blog is a great way to reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state and beyond.

Washington State Genealogical Society Blog

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