Flickr:  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ We all knew how to do this as kids. Even once we started in school, there were summer vacations, and most of us -- at least the lucky ones -- played and did our chores without needing much direction. However, as we matured, the thoughts of jobs, careers, supporting ourselves, beginning families, created a structure that for many, left little feeling of creativity and freedom. In truth, the decisions we made in the past steered us to this moment, reading this post! Charter Members Forty years ago, folks in the south King County area, tired of driving across the lake, took the courageous step of creating the South King County Genealogical Society. Some of these wonderful people are still with us:  William L. Adams, Judith Dempsey Aeschliman, Margaret Oakley Alder, Lillian Wanamaker Anderson, Clemence Rhea Baker, John Baker, Mary Kitchell Baker, Elva Barber, Patsy Barber, Marilyn Bell, Peggy Bentz, CarolLe Stratton Berry, Laur...

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Treasure_hunter.jpg Have you ever started a crazy-seeming project? Labor Day weekend is our annual work party up at our cabin outside the Mt. Rainier National Park, where we cut, split and stack the winter's firewood, and do general fix-up and cleanup jobs.  Dad, Ted Cowan, cutting wood ca. 1979 For me, it was an attempt at some family tree repair, but without any internet. My daughter brought up her mother-in-law, and I had prepared for the conversation by creating some screenshots of her part of the family tree. That was somewhat productive, because I realized I had followed her step-mother's line rather than her mother's -- because her stepmother's obituary mentioned her as a daughter by her unusual name, so I just knew I was right! But this was the first time she had seen my (incorrect) work.  A few days ago, I drove up to to Seattle to spend the afternoon with her, taking a fresh look at the tree. One of the first hints for h...

Helen Lewis, 1923-2017 The South King County Genealogical Society is thrilled to have the opportunity to honor one of our founding members by nominating her for the National Genealogical Society's Hall of Fame. Helen Lewis spent much of her genealogical career in service to other researchers, and because of this we believe she deserves to be in the national Hall of Fame.  Helen McGreer: Early Life Helen Irene McGreer was born 3 January 1923 in  Condon, Gilliam, Oregon. According to her obituary, She was raised on a ranch in central Oregon where running water was a hand pump on the back porch and lighting was provided by kerosene lamps. She walked or rode a horse to a one-room schoolhouse in Clarno, OR until 8th grade. She boarded with an aunt to attend high school, graduating from West Seattle High School class of 1940. - https://www.rentonreporter.com/obituaries/helen-irene-lewis/   Family and Professional Life After marrying Carl Lewis, an engineer with the I...