"Helping You Find & Tell Your Family Stories"; generated by Bing Image Creator July 21 July 2024  We often ask for volunteers; after all, South King County Genealogical Society is an all-volunteer organization. Perhaps we don't focus enough on how we can help YOU . Incorporated in 1984 as "educational in character and  devoted exclusively to furthering genealogical research and interest in family and local history [1], we are here for YOU.  How Can We Help YOU Find and Tell Your Family Stories? Education When asked to suggest what they wanted to present to readers, here are some of the responses from your Board members:  (Barbara Mattoon) " SKCGS offers educational opportunities for a variety of genealogical interests and experience levels." Small sample of our educational offerings. SKCGS.org for details Entry level classes  offered to the community through the King County Library System . The Family Tree Maker User group discusses features of the ...

[1] Happy Birthday, George! George Washington was born on February 11, 1731. But wait, you say, “I always thought his birthday was February 22.” Well, after 1752, it was. When George was born in the Colony of Virginia in 1731, Great Britain still used the Julian calendar. The Julian Calendar had to be replaced because “it did not accurately reflect the time it takes the Earth to circle around the sun.” [2] By 1752, September had only 11 days. In 1752 Great Britain and its colonies adopted the Gregorian Calendar, which added 11 days to the months of January through March, and started the new year on January 1, rather than March 25. This changed George’s birthday to February 22, 1732! George did not seem to care. There are records of him celebrating his birthday on February 11, some years, and on February 22, in other years. Double Dating in Genealogy When you get back to the eighteenth century in your genealogical research, you may begin to encounter double dating. For instanc...

We may not be able to attend educational meetings for weeks or months because of the increasing number of new corona virus infections in King County and the state of Washington. So we need to find other ways to grow our skills and stay in touch with one another. Some of us learn best visually, some want to listen, and some to read. All of us learn by doing! It's important to take new information and put it to work, and choose what works for you. If you have not tried   Twitter  as a source of  genealogy news and resources, give it a whirl. You need not have an account to search for "genealogy" for instance.  Webinars/video, podcasts, blogs, genealogy groups, and forums educate, inform, and entertain. Webinars Webinars feature some of the best speakers available discussing your genealogy and family history interests.  Top of your list right now should be RootsTech free sessions:  https://www.rootstech.org/video-archive . Some 2019 videos are st...

By Barbara Mattoon  Last week I discussed learning opportunities available through your local society, and Structured Learning opportunities available through academic institutions and Institutes.  This week I’ll explore Conferences and Seminars, Research Trips and Self-Guided Learning. Conferences and Seminars A myriad of conferences and seminars are available.  One of the largest is the National Genealogical Society Annual Family History Conference.  It features a different theme each year and is in a different location.  The 2019 Conference will be held 8 – 11 May in St. Charles, Missouri.  The Conference theme is “Journey of Discovery”, charting the course of American pioneers as they migrated to the Louisiana Purchase and the Northwest Territory.  It will feature 150 lectures and there will be opportunities to visit more than 80 exhibitors in the exhibit hall.  Hotel reservations opened August 15 and conference registration ope...