February 2019 SKCGS NEWS

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By Barbara Mattoon

The Society offers many opportunities to learn and develop genealogy skills in both large and small groups. We endeavor to offer activities at times and locations that will allow the largest number of members to participate.  March will  kick-off with the Family Tree Maker Users Group meeting on Saturday March 2, at the Auburn Library from 10:15 – 11:45.  Winona Laird will teach us how to use Error Reports in FTM.  Please RSVP to Dave Liesse at ftm-group@skcgs.org as soon as you know you can attend.  We are outgrowing our space at the Auburn Library and may have to find an alternate location.  If that happens, we want to be able to let you know where to find us.

ANNOUNCEMENT                          ANNOUNCEMENT                       ANNOUNCEMENT  
Our long-awaited DNA Special Interest Group has arrived!  The Genetic Genealogy Group will  meet for the first time on Monday, March 4, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.  The meeting will be at WAPI, 28815 Pacific Highway South, Suite 7A, Federal Way.  The group coordinators and discussion leaders are Janet Camarata and MaryLynn Strickland.  The objective of the group is to learn together and from each other.   Come prepared to participate.

SAVE THE DATE  Saturday, June 6, 2020 for the biennial SKCGS Seminar.  Much more information to follow.   

The 2020 Seminar Committee will meet Tuesday, March 5, at 6:00 pm in the meeting room of the Valley Regional Fire Authority, 1101 D St NE in Auburn. Winona Laird and Cheri Sayer, Co-chairs of the Seminar encourage all members to attend to learn how you can help.  The Board of Directors will meet at 7:00 pm at the same location.  Some interesting things happen at these meetings.  All members are welcome to attend, although only Board members may vote. 

The Research Group will meet at the Kent Family History Center on Friday, March 15, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm, if there is enough interest.   The FHC offers access to a number of premium databases that you cannot access from home without a paid subscription.  These include Ancestry.com, Find My Past (especially good for British research), Fold3, MyHeritage – Library Edition (worldwide research), Newspaper Archive and others.  Winona Laird is there to help if needed.  RSVP to vice-president@skcgs.org.  The event will be cancelled if there are no RSVPs.

If you have German ancestors, you will not want to miss the March 16, General Meeting.  Claire Gebben will present “German Immigration Patterns”.  The talk also looks at patterns of settlement of German immigrants once they arrived in North America. Ms. Gebben is the author of The Last of the Blacksmiths: A Novel and How We Survive Here: Families Across Time,  a memoir.  This meeting is held at Wesley Lea Hill, 32049 109th Pl. SE., Auburn, in the 2nd floor Assembly Hall.  An elevator is available from the lobby.  Check in at 9:30 so that you will have time to chat before the meeting begins at 10:00 am.

If you missed the February General meeting and you are a subscriber to Legacy Family Tree Webinars, you can view Mary Kircher Roddy’s presentation at https://familytreewebinars.com/download.php?webinar id=761.

Share “tips and tricks” for genealogy research with the Technology Users Group on Monday, March 18, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm at WAPI, 28815 Pacific Highway South, Suite 7A, Federal Way.  Topics must be shared with the group leader, Janet Camarata, in advance at tug@skcgs.org.  I am looking forward to learning about Bekarc Advisor to capture a report on all hardware and software connections on my computer.  Be sure to mark May 20, on your calendar now for a very special presentation: “Are You Ready for the Password to Go Away?” by David Brazier, Fiske Genealogical Library Director.

We have posted to the SKCGS Blog every Monday since September 3, 2018.  I am proud of the many members who have contributed on a wide variety of topics.  In the next few weeks watch for posts on organizing your genealogy “stuff”, The How and Why of DAR, an interview with a Soos Creek pioneer and a review of the book, When Your Ox is in the Ditch.  If you are willing to write a blog post to share with your fellow genealogists, please contact me at president@skcgs.org.

BROWSE AND SEARCH HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS WITH THE NEW WASHINGTON DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS WEBSITE

January 29, 2019  Secretary Of State's Office  
The Washington State Library, a division of the Office of Secretary of State, has launched a new website for the Washington Digital Newspapers program at Washingtondigitalnewspapers.org.

The site features new titles in the State Library’s digital newspaper collection, with full-text article search of more than 400,000 pages from the State Library’s collection of historic Washington newspapers. Visitors can interact with the site with the help of text correction features to improve search results on dark or damaged pages, by attaching subject tags to articles, and saving their search history for larger research projects.

Prime Time Classes for those 55 and older

Franklin Coal Mine:  Part II (Lecture and Tour)

Thursday, April 4 (10 Am – 12 PM Lecture
Optional Tour: Saturday, April 6 (10 AM – 12 PM)
Location:  GRC Enumclaw Campus with Scott Hemingway & Bill Kombol

Learn more about the coal-mining town of Franklin, near Black Diamond.  GRC Instructor, Scott Hemingway will talk about the geology of the Franklin area and mine and Bill Kombol with Palmer Coking Coal Company will speak to what it was like to work in a coal mine.  For those of you that attended last year expand your knowledge of this local landmark:  Thursday’s lecture at Green River’s Enumclaw Campus will be followed by an optional walking tour of the old coal mine site on Saturday.  Member Rate:  $15 (P410), General Public Rate:  $30 (P411)

To register and pay online: greenriver.edu/ce or call Enumclaw Campus (253)288-3400.

The Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for the offices of President and Treasurer of the Society for  2019-2020.  If you are willing to serve or have a recommendation, please contact MaryLynn Strickland at treasurer@skcgs.org.


                                   
Barbara Mattoon




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