South King County Genealogy Society Blog

Year of Anniversaries 2020--Have you noticed that there are some momentous anniversaries this year?  The Mayflower landed at Plymouth in 1620--400 years ago!  Do you have Mayflower ancestors?  Are you planning to attend any Mayflower celebrations?

A bit closer to present day is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment--Women's Suffrage.  Did you have an ancestor involved with that struggle for equality?

There are many other anniversaries this year--75 years from the end of World War II, 40 years after the eruption of Mt. St. Helens,  You can probably name many more and please do!

Do you have a hero, of either gender, someone you admire for his or her contribution to an eventful struggle? Or did an event impact you or your family?  Here is a challenge and an opportunity to honor a person or relate an event--write a paragraph or two and submit it here for publication.

Here is an example of my hero connected to the Women's Suffrage Movement and the 19th Amendment:  Excerpts a…

Recently a short YouTube Family History Fanatics video about Puzzilla popped up which seemed interesting, so I searched a bit and found Use Puzzilla.org to Find Genealogy Research Opportunities on FamilySearch.org and the website Puzzilla.org itself.


What I like about it is that it can be used for analysis and it is beautiful. It's sometimes difficult to show our research in a way that interests family members. Puzzilla is attractive and interactive as well as useful. 

There is a paid version which is available for use at some Family History Centers. Next Research Workshop, I plan to check it out and see how much more there is!

I played with both the ancestor and descendants function. First, the ancestors of my grandson Oscar:
Son of our immigrant from the Alsace, Casper Baysinger's descendants:

Gorgeous! but it's not so pretty when there are few descendants, or the research hasn't been done.

Family Locket has a post about how to use the site for LDS purposes, however anyone…

White River Valley MuseumOur soggy Puget Sound weather may have you seeking a warm, dry indoor activity. If so, I recommend a visit to the White River Valley Museum. It is conveniently located adjacent to the Auburn Public Library. You might even combine a research trip to the genealogy section of the Library with a visit to the museum.

This small museum features high-quality exhibits including one about the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (the original settlers of this region), a replica of a 1915 Japanese farmhouse and an exhibit about downtown Auburn in the 1920s.  The museum also features an extensive oral history collection and over 13,000 photographs.[1]  Several historic newspapers of the area are available to search online, and the extensive library of books and newspapers is open to researchers.[2]
Family Tree Maker User GroupBack across the parking lot to the KCLS Library, the FamilyTree Maker Users Group will meet there Saturday, February 1, from 10:15 – 11:45 am.  Contact Winona La…

Rootsweb lists will be gone 2 March 2020Perhaps you have heard that news that Rootsweb mail lists are going away, leaving only the list archives behind. At least those invaluable archives will remain.

The notice:
Beginning March 2nd, 2020 the Mailing Lists functionality on RootsWeb will be discontinued. Users will no longer be able to send outgoing emails or accept incoming emails.What are the alternatives?Twenty years ago, this would have been devastating. These days, we have lots of other places to place queries, ask questions, get answers and make connections. Where best to post? That depends on what you want to accomplish. We humans work best in connection with others, and getting your message out helps you find new collaborators and new cousins. Let's explore some of the options.

Many (but not all) lists are moving elsewhere. Linkpendium.com, among others, will be keeping track of the new locations. A very popular destination for the lists is groups.io and that is where our list…

In 2030 I'll turn 77, so it seems a good time to think ahead! Are you laying plans for the next decade? Please write about your plans in the comments.

Barbara's challenge last week is what prompted this blog. Please read her blog if you haven't done so yet!
PastI began asking family for information about their family and ancestors in the late Seventies. There were no private computers back then, and I doubt that the word "genealogy" was in my vocabulary. By the Eighties, I was writing letters to relatives and including a stamped, self-addressed envelope (remember those?) and Family Group Sheets. I still have many of those in my first genealogy notebook. A few lovely family members included money along with their answers!

By the Nineties, I was online (sort of) and using genealogy lists such as Roots-L. I joined the South King County Genealogy Society sometime in the Nineties; unsure exactly when. The Society was meeting at the United Methodist church on SE 248th.

SK…