Zoom Registration required:      https://tinyurl.com/h8kb39ah 

More information: Visitors are always welcome. Our website is 

https://gig.eastsidegenealogicalsociety.org

Wednesday, September 24

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

Chasing Claire: The Treasures of Genealogical Travel

Presented by Karin Borgerson

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

Learn about how chasing one ancestor can lead to travel across multiple states, new friendships, and literally getting your hands dirty while doing genealogy! Plus tips for making the most of genealogical travel.

Wednesday, October 1     

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

Canadian Genealogy

Presented by Jenny Warner

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

Learn about the history of Canada, what genealogical records are available, and how to find them.

Wednesday, October 8     

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

AN INTRODUCTION – to Find My Past Records

Presented by Steven W. Morrison

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

Findmypast (FMP) is a subscription website and is one of the BIG FIVE genealogical companies. Across the pond, it partners with several family history organizations, major libraries and archives. As a result, some of its British and Irish records are unique, and unavailable on other genealogy websites. Presented in a case study format.

Wednesday, October 15   

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

Adoption Meets DNA

Presented by Beth Swartz

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

Overview of the availability of Adoption records and the impact of taking a consumer DNA test, which can open doors to finding biological family.

Wednesday, October 22   

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

If These Walls Could Talk – House and Neighborhood Histories

Presented by Mary Kircher Roddy

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

I don’t know of many genealogists who aren’t also historians.  It’s in our natures to be curious of what went on before,  to understand our family’s history – but it’s also interesting to learn more about that place where we spend our daily lives – our homes.  Who was here before me?  How might they have used this home?  What tales did they bring home from their work or school at the end of the day?  Who were their neighbors?  Has my house always looked this way?  Learning about your house and neighborhood can increase your sense of place and help you to connect on a deeper level with that place you call “Home.”

(After Mary’s talk, bring stories of any “hauntings” related to a particular place in your family history!)

Wednesday, October 29   

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

Ancestors Calling: Science, Synchronicity and Sources

Presented by Judy Nimer Muhn

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

Our ancestors want us to find them!  Using our intuition, developing our luck, creating vision boards and using classic detective techniques, YOU can have their help and do thorough genealogical research.  Learn how to tap into some key scientific principles and hands-on techniques to drive your discoveries.

Wednesday, November 5  

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

What the Law Put Asunder: Divorce in America

Presented by Sara Cochran

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

Historically, divorce in the United States was rare, but not unheard of. This class considers changing laws and social attitudes as they relate to marriage and divorce, how those laws and attitudes affect our research and the records, and provides tips for determining if there was a divorce and accessing those records.

Wednesday, November 12

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

Point of Origin: How to Find Your Ancestral Village

Presented by Lisa Vogele

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

Don’t know where overseas your family originated from? This presentation covers a variety of sources to explore to locate your ancestor’s point of origin before arriving in the United States. Examples and strategies will be provided including: resources for locating town of origin, strategies for name changes, tips for boundary changes, and overcoming handwriting & language challenges.

Wednesday, November 19

10:00 am to 11:15 am Pacific Time – Fiske Genealogical Library, Seattle (Virtual Class)

What’s New in Genetic Genealogy

Presented by Karin Borgerson

For links to join the meeting and get class notes, select https://fiskelibrary.org

The landscape of genetic genealogy is always shifting. Explore recent updates from DNA testing companies and third-party tools to make the most of DNA for genealogy.

In June, I shared that my role as Genealogy & Newspapers Librarian at the Washington State Library was coming to an end and introduced you to our Research LibGuides. At that time, the county research guides were still in progress.

Since leaving the Library, I have continued developing the guides on a volunteer basis and am pleased to let you know that the final county guide was published today. There are now research guides available for all 39 Washington counties.

In addition, I created four city guides for Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and Olympia. Because these cities are large and have extensive resources, their materials are not duplicated in the county guides. For example, research materials specific to Seattle are included only in the Seattle guide, while the King County guide highlights different resources.

Here are the links to the research guides. Feel free to share them.

Newspapers of Washington State

Genealogy at the Washington State Library

County Research LibGuides

Kind regards,

Dusty

Dusty Gorman (she/her)

Training and Assistive Technology Librarian

Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

2021 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

w: 206-386-1254 | e: [email protected]

~~ Connecting Washington through the power of libraries ~~

The Joy of Genealogy Travel will be the subject of a presentation by Sandra Ristow of the Clallam County Genealogical Society Saturday, September 27^th at 10:00 AM. 

Sandra has studied her family genealogy for nearly 20 years, and has traveled through out the United States and parts of Germany and Poland to see their origins.  Most of her ancestors were German immigrants. Her English ancestors,  who arrived in 1660, and their participation in the American Revolution qualified her to become a member of the local Michael Trebert Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is a lecturer and teacher, sharing her expertise in German Genealogy.

Her lecture will relate some exciting discoveries of both German and Polish ancestors that her travels have produced.  She has been to Germany five times, and to Pomerania, Poland where she has found living relatives.

The program will be presented, live, at the CCGS Research Center located at 403 E. 8^th Street in Port Angeles or via Zoom.  To obtain the Zoom codes or get more information, please call the Society at 360-417-5000 or email your request at [email protected]  Tuesday through Friday from 10 am – 4pm.

Our monthly PSGS Program this month will be “Alienation of Affection:  Divorce in the US” with Christine Cohen.  It will be on Wednesday, Sep. 24 at 1pm. Social time starts at 12:30pm. The program will be hybrid with in person at the Sylvan Way Library and on Zoom.  The Zoom link will be posted the day before on our website (psgsociety.org) and our Facebook page.

Divorce is not just a 20th Century phenomenon. At first, granted by

the State Legislature and then by the Courts, these are public

records. The case files can include marriage date and place, names

and ages of children, current and former residences, and affidavits

by the spouses about their marriage and reason for divorce. Clues

are in the Census, City Directories, Military Pensions, County

Histories, County Courthouses & especially in Newspapers. This

could be the reason for a “lost spouse”.

 In honor of Labor Day in the U.S., MyHeritage is opening up access to a massive collection of historical records — over 892 million U.S. and Canadian census records — completely free starting tomorrow, August 27–September 2, 2025.

Search U.S. Census records on MyHeritage

Search Canadian Census records on MyHeritage

The free records include every U.S. federal census from 1790–1950, plus state censuses and Canadian national censuses. It’s a great opportunity for you to trace the occupations of your ancestors, see where they lived, and follow how their families grew over time.