SOCIETY ACTIVITIES The September General Meeting featured the presentation of a Washington State Genealogical Society Outstanding Volunteer award to our long-time member, Katie Hanzeli.  The award highlighted the many areas in which she has served and continues to serve SKCGS.  Lori Lee Sauber presented a method of organizing genealogical research using project management methodology.   The advantage of this method of organization is that it is easily customized to meet the needs of any researcher.   She urged using a version of this method to avoid “abandoned” genealogy projects   It also helps keep the researcher on track to complete a project by a self-imposed or outside imposed deadline.   As a result of her presentation, I have revisited Trello.   It is easy to set up the project board. You receive positive reinforcement when you move the task card to the “Completed” column. We welcomed one returning member, Pat Noecker, and three ...

Who Does Your DNA Think You Are? Save the Date! And get involved with the preparations! We've got a tremendous seminar coming up next June and the Seminar Committee members, headed by Winona Laird, are already working hard to make this a success.  Valorie Zimmerman is in charge of publicity.  Last May we mailed "Save the Date" postcards to nearly 100 genealogy societies, historical societies and other organizations. Linda Blais is in charge of the Silent Auction and Raffle.  She has a list of items she plans to put in baskets and bundles for either the auction or raffle.  You may have one of the items you would be happy to donate or procure.  Linda would love to hear from you. The flyer above is available on our website  skcgs.org   Please download it, print a few copies to hand out or email it to friends.    The seminar is eight months away but it will go quickly.   Between now and next June there will ...

FGS National Conference by Janet Camarata and Michelle Lyons The Federation of Genealogical Societies national conference was August 21-24, 2019, in Washington DC.  SKCGS members Janet Camarata and Michelle Lyons attended and are sharing their highlights. Janet: “We arrived at the FGS conference one day early and spent Tuesday at NARA (National Archives and Records Administration).  I was able to locate two homestead applications for my husband's family--his grandmother and his great-grandfather--a cash-sale receipt for land for his 2-great-grandfather and the bounty land claim based on his 4-great-grandfather's service in the War of 1812 and claimed by his wife in Hickory County, MO.  While we were there, over the PA system an announcement was made that a thunderstorm was passing over the building and we were asked not to leave until it passed.  I then got on the computers and was able to collect all the military records, including pay and rank records of an ...

Using Social Media How would you like to have a conversation with Cyndi Ingles (of Cyndi's List ) every morning?  Or do you have a genealogically related legal question for Judy G. Russell, the Legal Genealogist ?  Who doesn't have questions about DNA and not sure how to ask them? SKCGS is celebrating one year of blog postings and twitter followers; thank you very much to all of our contributors for the diverse topics and your valuable experience.  We look forward to many more articles and invite others to share your ideas, experiences and pictures. Social media, in the form of Facebook groups, twitter accounts, blog pages and websites. creates opportunity for sharing ideas or expanding our knowledge in ways we've barely explored. Use Social Media Genealogically Google a surname and you will be offered websites and Facebook pages for individuals and groups with that name.  Perhaps it is the surname of a noted, or notorious, person who is your ancestor....

The Northwest Genealogy Conference  is the largest annual genealogy and family history event in Washington, and Arlington is not a long drive for us south King people. Some SKCGS members have been attending for years, but this was the first year for me, Valorie Zimmerman . I was excited to see that Janet Camarata had volunteered to teach the free beginner class, open to all. I really loved how she organized the material, drawing in beginners and showing them how to do quality research and documentation *from the beginning* -- which all of us wished we had done. Following the Genealogical Proof Standard from day one will save time in the end, since you can always consult your notes. There were three other attendees from our SKCGS membership and I asked each for their thoughts, takeaways and memories -- in a few sentences. My own takeaway is that I need to up my game! I have the evidence, often, but I need to write it up more often. That last step in the GPS seems diffi...