Monica and Don Peters Named Two of WSGS’s Outstanding Volunteers in 2023

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 Monica and Don Peters of Pullman, Washington, who were nominated by the Whitman County Genealogical Society (WCGS).

Monica is among the 1984 “Founding Mothers” of WCGS, and has served on the board since. As corresponding secretary, she efficiently manages the society’s communications and promotes activities at the core of its purpose.  With deep roots in Whitman County, she serves as the society’s primary researcher.  Her sleuthing uncovers intriguing stories, which she generously shares in newsletter articles.

Monica was instrumental in establishing an endowment fund which allows the society to provide college scholarships to high school seniors demonstrating interest in family history. Her communication of fiscal matters enhances the financial business of the society.

In partnership with Monica, Don unfailingly provides behind-the-scenes support to WCGS.  He assists in the society’s efforts to wrangle technology needed to accomplish its goals. He is generous with his time and expertise in any matter under consideration.  

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.

Whitman County Genealogical Society Library Excess Books

Greetings from Whitman County Genealogical Society,

    Over the summer many books from the WCGS library have been sent out but we still have some left.  As promised I have compiled a list of what is left that we would like to find homes for.  If you see any book/books you would like for your home library or organization’s library please reply to: whitmancgs@gmail.com  with your choices to see if still available. Books are free and shipping costs are negotiable depending on how many books you want.  Looking forward to hearing from you all!  

Janet Damm, Whitman County Genealogical Society Librarian

Catalog #TitleAuthor/Editor
16.929 scGenealogical & Local History Books in Print V.1Schreiner-Yantis, Netti
16.929 scGenealogical & Local History Books in Print V.2Schreiner-Yantis, Netti
929 amGenealogical Research Methods and SourcesAmer. Soc. of Gen.
929 baSearching on location: Planning a Research TripBalhuizen, Anne Ross
929 buResearch Guide to Loyalist AncestorsBunnell, Paul J.
929 crGenealogist’s Companion & Sourcebook (The)Croom, Emily Anne
929 eaHow to Trace your Pedigree LadiesEakle, Arlene H.
929 eiRed Book (The)Eichholz, Alice
929 evHandy Book for Genealogists 7th Ed.Everton
929 evHandy Book for Genealogists 9th Ed.Everton
929 hoCyndi’s ListHowells, Cyndi
929 keInternational Vital Records BookKemp, Thomas Jay
929 kiHandwriting of American Records for 300 YearsKirkham, E. Kay
929 laCite Your Sources: A Manual for Documenting Fam. Hist.Lackey, Richard S.
929 naGuide to Gen. Res. in the Nat. ArchivesNatiional Archives
929 neCirculation Library Catalog Vol.1NEHGS
929 neCirculation Library Catalog Vol.2NEHGS
929 stGenealogical EvidenceStevenson, Noel C.
929 stSearch & Research: The Researcher’s HandbookStevenson, Noel C.
929 weTracing Your Norwegian RootsWellauer, Maralyn A.
929.107 ngNGS 1991 Conf.NGS
929.107 soSouth King Co. Surname Book 1983South King Co. Gen. Soc.
929.11 smImmigrants to America Appearing in English RecordsSmith, Frank
929.11 yaMarr. of Some Amer. Residents & Guide to Documents Vol.1Yates Publishing Company
929.11 yaMarr. of Some Amer. Residents & Guide to Documents Vol.2Yates Publishing Company
929.11 yaMarr. of Some Amer. Residents & Guide to Documents Vol.3Yates Publishing Company
929.11 yaMarr. of Some Amer. Residents & Guide to Documents Vol.4Yates Publishing Company
929.11 yaMarr. of Some Amer. Residents & Guide to Documents Vol.5Yates Publishing Company
929.6 puDictionary of Heraldry & Related Subjects (A)Puttock, A.G.
940.3 neUncle, We Are Ready!Newman, John J.
940.3 scGreat War (The)Schaefer, Christina K.
942 smLives & Times of our English Ancestors (The)Smith, Frank
943Happy Days in Germany 1987
973US MilitaryNeagles, James
973 mePrinted Sources: A Guide to Publ. Gen. Rec.Meyerink, Kory L.
973.2 coComplete Book of Emigrants (The)Coldham, Peter Wilson
974 saSupplemental to Torrey’s, NE Marr. Prior to 1700Sanborn, Melinde
974.8 laIndex to some Philadelphia Marr. 1745-1806
974.802 myQuaker Arrivals at Philadelphia 1682-1750Myers, Albert Cook
975.5 whEarly Quaker Rec. of VAWhite, Miles Jr.
977 inPathways to the Old NorthwestIndiana Historical Society
977.101Ohio Valley GenealogiesHanna, Charles A.
977.2 arDocumentary Hist. of the IN Decade of the Harmony Soc. V.1Arndt, Karl J. R.
977.2 arDocumentary Hist. of the IN Decade of the Harmony Soc. V.2Arndt, Karl J. R.
977.2 daMarion Co. IN, Records MiscellaneaDarlington, Jane E.
977.2 maIndiana Way (The): A State HistoryMadison, James H.
977.8 moGuide to Co. & Municipal Rec. in MicrofilmMO State Archives
977.8Death Records of MO Women 1850-53
978.1 anKS Newspapers: A Directory of Newsp. Holdings in KSAnderson, Aileen
978.1 baDiggin” Up Bones: Obits of Lakin & Harland Cem. V.1Barnes, Betty
978.1 baDiggin” Up Bones: Obits of Lakin & Harland Cem. V.2Barnes, Betty
978.1 olFt. Scott, KSOliva, Leo E.
978.7Wyoming Lynching of Cattle Kate 1889 (The)Hufsmith, George W.
979.4 baCalifornia Pioneer Register and IndexBancroft, Hubert Howe
979.4 baCalifornia Rancho DaysBauer, Helen
979.4 baRiverside Co. CA Local History
979.5 laLane Co. (OR) Historian 1982, 1983 Spring & SummerQuarterly



Whitman County Genealogical Society Free April 2020 Seminar Postponed

Based on all the current information, the WCGS board decided it is best to postpone our April 4 seminar. We have been in touch with both speakers about a date in the future that would work for both of them and have settled on Sat., Aug. 29 in the morning, using the same format as previously published. We have also contacted Bishop Place and put it on their calendar so the venue will be the same as previously published. It’s not too early to mark your calendar for this informative and, what we think, is an exceptional mini-seminar with very well-known and much in demand speakers. We thank both Bob and Steve for their flexibility in working with us to re-schedule their presentations at a later date. Monica Peters, WCGS Corresponding Secretary

For questions or more information contact WCGS President, Sue Kreikemeier at: 509-635-1303 or aerocraft@completebbs.com. Please RSVP to Sue or whitmancgs@gmail.com by March 28 to accommodate handouts & refreshments. The seminar is free, but donations are welcome at the door.

Directions: Turn off Bishop Boulevard onto Klemgard Ave., follow Klemgard Ave. 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 car ports. Find an appropriate parking place, enter the building through the main doors and go straight ahead to the Social Room.

BIOGRAPHIES OF SPRING SEMINAR SPEAKERS

Robert King’s biography includes the following:

Robert E. King grew up in Pullman where he graduated from WSU with degrees in Anthropology and History.  He completed his Ph.D. at the Univ. of Pennsylvania in Anthropology (specialty: Ethnohistory & Archaeology) and since 1981 has worked for the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska.  He has been the BLM’s State Archaeologist in Alaska for over 33 years, with his work taking him to much of the state.  He has a strong interest in federal land laws including homesteading, and has spoken and written on this subject for several years.  Currently, he writes a guest monthly column on the history of homesteading for the Homestead National Monument of America’s electronic newsletter.  Locally, he is best known in Whitman County as a frequent contributor to the “Bunchgrass Historian,” having authored over 30 articles in the past nearly 25 years on a variety of topics.  He is also an avid genealogist and has co-written several books on various families, with some of his relatives settling in Whitman County in the 1870s.  He maintains homes in both Anchorage and Pullman.  

Steven Branting’s biography includes the following:

Since 2000, many of this country’s leading history, geography and preservation organizations — including the American Association for State and Local History, The History Channel and the Society for American Archaeology — have honored Steven Branting for the depth, scope and variety of his research and field work.

In 2009, he was nominated for the American Historical Association’s prestigious William and Edwyna Gilbert Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the teaching of history through the publication of journal articles. Branting has written eight (8) books on the history of Lewiston. Branting’s articles have appeared in, among others, the Western Historical Quarterly, The History Teacher, Idaho Magazine, Nostalgia and Idaho Yesterdays.

The Idaho State Historical Society conferred upon him the 2011 Esto Perpetua Award, its highest honor, citing his leadership in “some of the most significant preservation and interpretation projects undertaken in Idaho.” Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter awarded him that year’s Outstanding Cultural Tourism Award for showcasing Idaho’s heritage.

In 2013, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution awarded Branting its coveted Historical Preservation Medal. In 2015, Lewis-Clark State College selected him for the Marion Shinn Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2016 he was awarded the President’s Medallion for his efforts to safeguard the heritage that the college and community have shared since the 1890s.

During 2018, the Lewiston Tribune published 104 of his columns highlighting events and people who featured greatly in the history of Lewis-Clark State College, which was celebrating its 125h anniversary and for whom Branting holds the office of “Institutional Historian,” the first since Henry Leonidas Talkington in the 1940s.

Branting’s eighth Lewiston book — The Words That Were Our Names — was released in October 2019.

Whitman County Genealogical Society April 2020 Free Seminar Postponed

For questions or more information contact WCGS President, Sue Kreikemeier at: 509-635-1303 or aerocraft@completebbs.com. Please RSVP to Sue or whitmancgs@gmail.com by March 28 to accommodate handouts & refreshments. The seminar is free, but donations are welcome at the door.

Directions: Turn off Bishop Boulevard onto Klemgard Ave., follow Klemgard Ave. 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 car ports. Find an appropriate parking place, enter the building through the main doors and go straight ahead to the Social Room.

BIOGRAPHIES OF SPRING SEMINAR SPEAKERS

Robert King’s biography includes the following:

Robert E. King grew up in Pullman where he graduated from WSU with degrees in Anthropology and History.  He completed his Ph.D. at the Univ. of Pennsylvania in Anthropology (specialty: Ethnohistory & Archaeology) and since 1981 has worked for the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska.  He has been the BLM’s State Archaeologist in Alaska for over 33 years, with his work taking him to much of the state.  He has a strong interest in federal land laws including homesteading, and has spoken and written on this subject for several years.  Currently, he writes a guest monthly column on the history of homesteading for the Homestead National Monument of America’s electronic newsletter.  Locally, he is best known in Whitman County as a frequent contributor to the “Bunchgrass Historian,” having authored over 30 articles in the past nearly 25 years on a variety of topics.  He is also an avid genealogist and has co-written several books on various families, with some of his relatives settling in Whitman County in the 1870s.  He maintains homes in both Anchorage and Pullman.  

Steven Branting’s biography includes the following:

Since 2000, many of this country’s leading history, geography and preservation organizations — including the American Association for State and Local History, The History Channel and the Society for American Archaeology — have honored Steven Branting for the depth, scope and variety of his research and field work.

In 2009, he was nominated for the American Historical Association’s prestigious William and Edwyna Gilbert Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the teaching of history through the publication of journal articles. Branting has written eight (8) books on the history of Lewiston. Branting’s articles have appeared in, among others, the Western Historical Quarterly, The History Teacher, Idaho Magazine, Nostalgia and Idaho Yesterdays.

The Idaho State Historical Society conferred upon him the 2011 Esto Perpetua Award, its highest honor, citing his leadership in “some of the most significant preservation and interpretation projects undertaken in Idaho.” Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter awarded him that year’s Outstanding Cultural Tourism Award for showcasing Idaho’s heritage.

In 2013, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution awarded Branting its coveted Historical Preservation Medal. In 2015, Lewis-Clark State College selected him for the Marion Shinn Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2016 he was awarded the President’s Medallion for his efforts to safeguard the heritage that the college and community have shared since the 1890s.

During 2018, the Lewiston Tribune published 104 of his columns highlighting events and people who featured greatly in the history of Lewis-Clark State College, which was celebrating its 125h anniversary and for whom Branting holds the office of “Institutional Historian,” the first since Henry Leonidas Talkington in the 1940s.

Branting’s eighth Lewiston book — The Words That Were Our Names — was released in October 2019.

Troy Historical Society Presentation

We want to share with you a presentation given by one of our Whitman County Genealogical Society members, Joye Dillman.

Joye Dillman of Pullman will give a historical presentation on toys and games enjoyed by children before computer games and the internet at 6:30 PM, Wed., Nov. 20, at the Troy Historical Society. Joye’s presentation is titled “For the Fun of it: American Childhood Toys and Games.” She is a museum correspondent docent with the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and a retired professor of human development at WSU. Attendees are welcome to bring their antique toys to add to the displays at the event. The society is located at 421 S. Main St., Troy, Idaho.

Whitman County Genealogical Society Free Mini-Seminar

Whitman County Genealogical Society

is hosting a FREE Fall mini-seminar

Bishop Place Independent Living Social Room, 811 SE Klemgard, Pullman, WA

Saturday, September 14, 2019

featuring: DAN OWENS and DULCE KERSTING-LARK

Using the Public Library for Genealogy and Local History”

9:00 am: The doors open.

9:30 am-10:30 am: Dan Owens will discuss the resources in the Palouse Heritage Collection at Neill Public Library in Pullman as well as working with public libraries, in general, when doing genealogical research or learning more about local history. This can be applied to researching in any area, not just our own local area. In addition he will cover the ins and outs of interlibrary loan.

10:30 am-10:45 am: Break and refreshments.

“Archival Power: Demonstrating the Importance of Primary Sources to Stakeholders and the Public”

10:45 am-11:45 am: Dulce Kersting-Lark will discuss how working with original source materials is a privilege, but it is also a complex challenge. The nature of archives makes them both authoritative and flawed. Creating a community repository in a border town is just one of many challenges that we must make our users aware of from the get-go. How we promote the value of primary source material to the broader public is another. She will also speak to the interesting and rewarding work she does at Latah County Historical Society, as well as share information about the History Relevance Campaign.

If you have any questions or need more information contact WCGS President, Sue Kreikemeier at:

aerocraft@completebbs.com or 509-635-1303. Please RSVP to Sue or whitmancgs@gmail.com

by September 7 to accommodate handouts & refreshments.

While the seminar is free, donations are welcome at the door.

Directions: Turn off Bishop Boulevard onto Klemgard Ave., follow Klemgard Ave. 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 car ports. Find an appropriate parking place, enter the building through the main doors and go straight ahead to the Social Room.

Whitman County Genealogical Society Mini Seminar

Whitman County Genealogical Society

is hosting a FREE Fall mini-seminar

Bishop Place Independent Living Social Room, 811 SE Klemgard, Pullman, WA

Saturday, October 13, 2018

featuring:

All About Heraldry and Its Use in Genealogy

By Anthony (Tony) Durnford deGray Birch

 

“Digital Research – Tips, Tricks and Resources” By Lee Pierce

9:00 am: The doors open.

9:30 am-10:30 am: Anthony (Tony) Birch is a retired higher education administrator and long standing member of Eastern Washington Genealogical Society. He doesn’t claim to be a heraldry expert, but a family historian trying to make sense out of things he has inherited or found through research. His presentation will focus on heraldry, and how the genealogist/family historian can use heraldry to learn more about their ancestors. He will share examples of his ten-year search of his ancestors’ crests and coats of arms and what the many images, forms and colors mean.

10:30-10:45 Break and refreshments.

10:45 am-11:45 am: Lee Pierce is the archivist for the Eastern Region Branch of the Washington State Archives in Cheney, Washington. His mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to the records of local government agencies of the 11 furthest east counties of the state. He will be showing and telling about the digital archives and how best to use it, as well as other government resources that are available to researchers.

If you have any questions or need more information contact WCGS President, Sue Kreikemeier at:

aerocraft@completebbs.com or 509-635-1303. Please RSVP to Sue or whitmancgs@gmail.com

by October 6 to accommodate handouts & refreshments.

While the seminar is free, donations are welcome at the door.

Directions: Turn off Bishop Boulevard onto Klemgard Ave., follow Klemgard Ave. 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 car ports. Find an appropriate parking place, enter the building through the main doors and go straight ahead to the Social Room.

BIOGRAPHIES OF FALL SEMINAR SPEAKERS

Anthony (Tony) Durnford deGray Birch’s biography includes the following:

  • BS and MS degrees from Oregon State University
  • MBA from University of Washington
  • 40 years working in higher education, including 16 years as administrative vice-president of Clark College in Vancouver, Washington
  • Selected by his community college peers as Outstanding Chief Business Officer for the four-state Northwest Region in 1996
  • Came with his wife, Janette, to the Inland Empire in 2006
  • Longtime member of Eastern Washington Genealogical Society where he and his wife are “greeters”
  • He and Janette were honored in 2015 as Washington State Outstanding Volunteers
  • He and Janette have done the following:

Compiled seven books about their ancestors

Volunteered with Find-A-Grave for many small cemeteries in the Palouse area

Enjoyed a number of weeklong trips to the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Lee Pierce’s biography includes the following:

 

  • Been in the archival field broadly since 1997
  • BA in history from Eastern Washington University in 1998
  • MA in history from Eastern Washington University in 2000
  • Worked for the Arizona State Historical Society Museum’s archives at Papago Park in Tempe
  • Worked as a freelance researcher and a freelance processing archivist
  • Began working at Eastern Region Branch of the Washington State Archives in 2005
  • Currently the Archivist at Eastern Region Branch of the Washington State Archives
  • Enthusiastic historian of the American military experience, most especially the period of the American War of Independence and from WWII to present
  • Writes fiction in his “spare time”
  • Member of the City of Cheney’s Historic Preservation Commission

Whitman County Genealogical Society Spring Mini-seminar

Seminar reminder--
 For those of you who have not yet registered for our spring 
mini-seminar, but plan to attend, we encourage you to register 
by April 14 so we can plan for refreshments, handouts and room 
set-up. We have two excellent speakers in Prof. Horace Alexander
Young and Fr. Mike Savelesky. Please see the attached flyer for 
seminar details as well as the bios of the speakers. It promises 
to be an exciting and informative morning. The seminar is being 
held at Bishop Place in the Independent Senior Living Social Room, 
811 SE Klemgard, Pullman, WA. Driving directions are on the flyer. 
Doors open at 9 AM and the program begins at 9:30, ending by noon. 
For questions or to RSVP, e-mail whitmancgs@gmail.com or call 
Sue Kreikemeier, 509-635-1303.
 Hope to see you there. Monica Bartlett Peters

 

Fr. Savelesky’s & Horace Young’s bios

Seminar Flyer April 2018 with pix