Key in a door; public domain. Courtesy of Picryl. In genealogy and family history, context is "the examination of individual lives within the framework of a broader history" [1]. Context is Key Context is key because  context unlocks meaning in the records we uncover , and leads us to more (and better) records and collections. For instance, finding a land description and platting it is step one, then when the plat is on a map along with the neighbors, we can see who the ancestor knew, worked alongside, attended church with, and who the singles might have married. Learning the geology of the area leads to understanding what crops were grown, and so how the land shaped the daily lives of those living and working on it. Life on the Great Plains is very different from the hollers of Kentucky or the coastal plains of the East. People often migrated in groups, and in general chose to move to an area where their skills and knowledge would be useful.  Context for land acquisitio...

By Cheri Sayer The Highline Historical Society has a well-established presence in South King County, and soon it will have a new home and it’s very own Museum!  Founded as the Burien Heritage Society in 1994, it soon merged with the Friends of the Highline School District and became the Highline Historical Society.  They have been an active society, with a small exhibit space at the SeaTac City Hall for quite a few years.  The Highline community has been the largest area in the State of Washington without a local history museum, so this effort has been a long-time goal of the Society.             The community of Highline is not a governmental entity, but a school district, known locally as “401” or the Highline School District.  The Society defines Highline as being bounded on the north by Seattle city limits, on the west by Puget Sound, and on the south at 252nd Street, just at Salt Water State Park.  Hwy 5 forms most of the...