Tag Archives: WSGS Blog

Blog Banner: Visit Grays Harbor County

by Roxanne Lowe

Are you proud of the landmarks and landscapes in your area? We want to highlight different areas of our beautiful state on our Blog banner.

Elaine Anderson of Hoquiam and a member of the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society sure is proud of her area. An amateur, but talented, photographer, Elaine submitted six photos she snapped in Grays Harbor County. Her photos include:

  • Boat shop and Beacon Hill from a strategic point in Hoquiam
  • Washaway Beach (North Cove near Grayland) looking South
  • A barn in the Quinault Valley
  • The surf at Point Brown, Ocean Shores
  • A drive through the scenic Quinault Rain Forest
  • Overlooking the Wynoochee Valley

Let us highlight your scenic photos of your city or county on the WSGS Blog. It’s easy — just submit 4 – 6 photos of your city or county (horizontal photos are best).

Guidelines for the photos are few:
•Landscapes, landmarks, and scenery photos are preferred.
•Photo will be cropped to 1100 x 250 pixels, so keep that in mind. If in doubt, send it to us & we’ll figure it out.
•Final decisions on suitable photos will be made by the WSGS Blog Team.

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

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

Let’s Talk About: Chief Dan George

by Donna Phillips

“If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you. And you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them. And what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys.”

Born Geswanouth Slahoot, known as Dan Slahoot, on 24 July 1899 in North Vancouver (Canada), the boy’s name was changed at age 5 when he entered a residential school. Dan George was well known for his poetic writing style and in 1974, George wrote My Hearts Soars followed by My Spirit Soars in 1983 (both available today as The Best of Chief Dan George). He was also an actor, appearing in several movies. Dan George was the band chief for a dozen years of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, whose Indian reserve is located on Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver. He died 23 September 1981.

Canadian actor Donald Sutherland narrated the following quote from his poem My Heart Soars in the opening ceremonies o the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver:

The beauty of the trees,

the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grass,

speaks to me.

And my heart soars.

Why do I share this with you today??? We often hear quotes from Chief Seattle but other Pacific Northwest chiefs shared words of profound wisdom to teach us yet today.

1950 Census……….. Will You Help Indexing?

by Donna Phillips

Surely you know that the 1950 census will be released to us eager genealogists on April 1st. But if I understand correctly, the U.S. Census Bureau will then release just the IMAGES and it’s up to “we the people” to do the indexing so we can use this new resource. FamilySearch.org seems to be spearheading the indexing project (like they did for the 1940 census, remember?) and to that end they are inviting both individuals and groups/organizations to participate. Why not help with this “pay it forward” project? Click to www.familysearch.org/1950census to read how YOU can help.

I think perhaps we can work on indexing the place where our ancestor lived (or heck, where I lived, age 7 in Kalamazoo, Michigan!!!) or work on a state as a group………… why shouldn’t we Washingtonians “do” our state??? By genealogy society groups perhaps? I have already registered my group, the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society. We be ready to help!

Blog Banner Photos Wanted

by Roxanne Lowe

Have you noticed the Blog banner changes every time you visit? The photos are submitted by readers like you. We’re always looking for scenic photos of our beautiful state for the rotating photo gallery on the blog banner.

Guidelines for the photos 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. If in doubt, send it to us & we’ll figure it out.
•You may submit 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.

Place Names In Washington

by Donna Phillips

Recently I enjoyed a browse through The Atlas of the North American Indian, by Carl Waldman, first published in 1985 and updated in 2009. I found the pages explaining the Northwest Indians and their culture to be so interesting.

One unexpected thing I gleaned from this book was a list of place names in Washington that are of native origins. Could you have come up with this list of 73 places?? (The list does include two names of French derivation.)

“TN” denotes a tribal-origin name. Places were tribal names, chief’s names, or of Indian derivation. For some names, the tribe was designated and for others it was not. Sometimes the meaning was given and sometimes not. Enjoy!

Anatone – TN

Asotin – Nez Perce “elk creek”

Cathlamet – TN

Chehalis – TN “sand”

Chewelah – TN

Chimacum – TN

Chinook – TN

Clallam – TN “big brave nation”

Conconully – TN “cloudy”

Copalis – TN

Cowlitz – TN “power”

Ilwaco – Chief El-Wah-ko-Jim

Entiat – TN “rapid water”

Kalotus – TN “hole in the ground”

Kittitas – TN “shoal people”

Klickitat – TN “beyond”

Latah – Nez Perce “place of pines”

Methow – TN

Moclips – Quinault “place where girls were sent during puberty rites”

Napavine – TN “small prairie”

Naselle – TN

Nespelem – TN

Nisqually – TN

Okanogan – TN “meeting place”

Omak – TN

Palouse – TN “grassy expanse”

Pend Oreille – French; “ear pendants”

Potlach – TN “give”

Puyallup – TN “generous people”

Queets – TN

Quilcene – TN

Quillayute – TN

Quinault – TN

Sanpoil – TN

Seattle – Chief Sealth

Selah – TN “still water”

Sequim – TN “quiet water”

Simcoe – TN “waist spine”

Similk – TN

Skagit – TN

Skamania – TN “swift water”

Skamokawa – Chief name

Skykomish – TN “inland people”

Snohomish – TN

Snoqualmie – TN “moon”

Spokane – TN “people of the sun”

Stehekin – TN “pass”

Steilacoom – Chief name

Sultan – Chief name

Suquamish – TN

Tacoma – TN “mountain god”

Tenino – TN

Tieton – TN “roaring water”

Toppenish – TN

Touchet – French; “fire cured salmon”

Toutle – TN

Tucannon – TN “bread root”

Tukwila – TN “land of hazelnuts”

Tulalip – TN “by with small mouth”

Tumwater – TN “heart”

Twisp – TN

Wahkiakum – Chief name

Walla Walla – TN “little river”

Washtucna – Chief name

Waukon – Chief name

Wauna – TN “spout creature”

Wenatchee – TN “river from canyon”

Whatcom – Chief name

Willapa – TN

Yacolt – TN “haunted place”

Yakima – TN “growing families”

She’s BAAAACK!

by Roxanne Lowe

We’re thrilled to announce that Donna Potter Phillips, blogger extraordinaire, is returning to the WSGS Blog.

Let’s talk about what Donna is holding.

Donna is an enthusiastic lover of genealogy, history, humor and trivia and she wants to share it with you. In her upcoming column “Let’s Talk About…” (debuting on Monday), she’ll share what’s on her mind, lighten our days and educate us on a wide variety of topics. She previously authored weekly musings on the Blog from 2015 – 2019 — covering everything from upcoming genealogical events to the origins of the pretzel. And don’t forget her posts on the pedigree of Donald Duck and her suggestions to find when your ancestors arrived in the U.S. To read any of Donna’s previous postings, type “Monday,” “Tuesday,” “Wednesday,” or “Serendipity” into the Blog’s search bar. To read more about Donna, click here.

Welcome back, Donna! We’re looking forward to reading “Let’s Talk About…”

How to Post Your Meetings & Events on the WSGS Blog and Website

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? Just send it to the WSGS Blog and WSGS Meetings and Events! You can reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state. Just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and WSGSWebManager@wasgs.org and we’ll do the rest!

We’re always looking to publicize local events and workshops, feature stories, updates from your society, and other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers and viewers.

We hope to hear from you soon! And don’t forget to encourage your Society members to subscribe to the Blog for the most up-to-date information from around the state.

You may manage your subscription options from your profile.

How to Post Your Meetings & Events on the WSGS Blog and Website

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? Just send it to the WSGS Blog and WSGS Meetings and Events! You can reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state. Just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and WebManager@wasgs.org and we’ll do the rest!

We’re always looking to publicize local events and workshops, feature stories, updates from your society, and other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers and viewers.

We hope to hear from you soon! And don’t forget to encourage your Society members to subscribe to the Blog for the most up-to-date information from around the state.

You may manage your subscription options from your profile.

The Year in Review

by Charles Hansen
Well are you glad 2020 is almost over? I know I am. Lets hope 2021 will be better than 2020. Above is the Google Analytics view of the top ten most clicked on pages in the WSGS Blog for 2020 (thru December 28th).
I was not really surprised by number 1 as many subscribers just click on the blog, but I was totally surprised by number 2 as it was written by Roxanne Lowe in June of 2015 about an upcoming genealogy class at the university of Washington. I do know it popped into the top ten most clicked on posts several weeks during the year.
Number 3 on the list continues to be read and I hope it has helped a lot of societies that use Easy Net Sites.
Number 4 on the list is 2020 Seminars-Conferences which was pretty much a disappointment to everyone this year.
Number 5 and 6 are on how we are changing from in person conferences to online conferences.
Number 7 and 8 was kind of new as I had shied away from posting about the Payed genealogy sites before this. Should I cover them more in the blog?
Number 9 is kind of sad for me as it was on the death of my cousin Myra Vanderpool Gormley. Myra is probably the reason I am here blogging, and I was amazed by E-Mails I received from all over the USA after I wrote this blog post. Myra will be missed.
Number 10 is from Skagit Valley Genealogical Society one of the societies that has switched to online meetings.