2023: Drawing to a Close Courtesy Picryl.com As we enter the holiday season, it felt like a good time to look back at the year.   Year of Collaboration In January, I said that for me, it would be the year of collaboration . In so many ways, it has turned out that way, both on a genealogy society level, personally and in my genealogy work.  Our society collaborated with Eastside Genealogical Society to sponsor two speakers, one ( Dr. Leah Larkin ) presented at one of their evening meetings, and one ( Angela Packer McGhie, CG ) will present at our general meeting in January. Both the Washington State Genealogical Society  and the Washington Presidents Council exist to promote and support local societies and rely on collaboration.  SKCGS is a member of the National Genealogical Society , which, since it merged with the Federation of Genealogical Societies a few years back recognized "the need to coordinate projects so societies, libraries, and archives would not duplicate the work

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Its March already and once again, Women's History Month.  In the past we have featured women we had never known, noted for their contribution to history and heroic deeds.  We also requested stories from you, our readers, and you came through with stories of your ancestors  ranging from Colonial times to the 20th century. This month let's approach women's history from another angle--research!  Dust off your favorite genealogical tools and get ready to do an exhaustive research of a woman in your family tree or a woman about whom you would like to know more, even though she is not part of your family.   Image courtesy of Kat, on Flickr Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth... from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Perhaps your choice will be the wife of your ancestor's sibling, perhaps an ancestor's

freepik.com/free-photo/daily-planner-dream-big-concept_ How have you learned to do genealogy? Some of us began with basic classes that introduced us to census records, land records, military records and other basic resources. Some of us did wide open internet searches and got lucky on our first or second attempt; others had piles of material handed to them by older relatives. No matter how we started, if we have stayed with our quest, we have refined our methodology in order to get to more accurate or obscure information. If you have subscribed to SKCGS.groups.io you may have seen messages between people who are in the current study group working on the book, Research Like a Pro.  I admire the work these people are putting in on their projects, knowing they are developing strong research habits. Another Way To Learn But I don't have the time or inclination to put out that sort of effort. I have found another source for learning methodology--genealogical crime mysteries! Give me th