Recently, in her Monday blog, Diahan  Southard reflected on leadership   by relating how she followed her sister to get to an unknown location.   Thanks to GPS, I hadn’t followed someone through traffic in years. That is, until I found myself trailing my sister through Seattle the old-fashioned way.   Not far into our drive, we got stuck behind a slow truck in the right lane. But my sister couldn’t pass without risking losing me, so I had to make the first move, change lanes, and then let her slide in ahead.   The rest of the way to our destination I thought about the seeming incongruity of this situation. I didn’t know where I was going, so I was following someone else. But then to get there most efficiently, I had to be willing to go first. I had to step out and actually make a space for my leader to lead. [1]   This is a profound way to view leadership, especially for someone who is...

Greetings family history researchers, near and far, especially Members of the South King County Genealogical Society. Thank you for reelecting both Michele Mattoon as your Treasurer and me as your President. This past two years have been a challenge, but together with the Membership we have accomplished a lot.  New SKCGS.org One thing everyone has noticed is the new website , which is much less costly than our older site, and much easier to keep up-to-date. In addition, by building Zoom registration into our public calendar there, we've improved the security of our Zoom meetings. Each team now updates their part of the new site as needed. Thank you Tina! Tina has also streamlined much of the back end of SKCGS, making it easier to bring in new volunteers, and to share handouts and video to both Members and visitors alike.  To stay up-to-date, check https://www.skcgs.org/home/announcements .  Planning Our Five-Year Planning committee has finished its work, which involved co...

Vectors by Vecteezy We've mentioned Genealogical Crime Mysteries, a genre of fiction that is becoming very popular. We have introduced several of our favorite authors and even talk about our favorite protagonists and anxiously await their newest exploits. It is in this same genre that I have recently read two non-fiction genealogy mysteries and the arduous tasks of sorting out the facts among the brick walls the authors had to overcome. Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida  by Anne Hanson, New England Books, LLC; Copyright 2022 addresses the brick walls caused by half truths, omissions and deliberate misinformation. Coupled with research prior to online indexes and records, the author and other family researchers were faced with a nearly insurmountable task in finding Frank and Ida Hanson. "After so many years of flailing in the genealogical wilderness, . . " Anne hardly dared believe when she finally made a breakthrough. She had become so accustomed to failure.  Eve...