EWGS Presidents Grace E. Kelso Garner

This is the twenty seventh in the series on the Presidents of EWGS leading up to the 75th anniversary in 2010. See the previous posts on Samuel Pool Weaver, Leora Cookingham Thiel, Susan Marie West Jack, Ruth Churchill Austin, Alfred Denman, Florence Ballou Brown, Harriet Jefferson Pinkham, Mary Elizabeth Dow Maltbie, Achsah Maltbie Rawlings, Lee DeGolyer Patchen, Susie Elliott Faubion, Edith Webb Nelson, Carrie Teats Lartigue, Guy Alfred Clumpner, Grace Ellis Woodward, Mabel Rue Frederick, Nell Hartman Peel, Edwin Allan Poole, Mabel Enid Rice Conrad, Helen Elizabeth Osborne Rowe, Dr. Herbert Hoover Osborne, Jane Merritt Logie Webster, Beatrice Cutler Mitcham, Marie E. Stone Larson, Lorena May Saylor Wildman and Raymond J. Fisher




Grace E. Kelso Garner was EWGS President in 1978. Grace was born April 13, 1907 in Reardan to Edgor G.(Isaac) Kelso from Virginia and Harriett L. Brill from West Virginia. She was reared in the Deer Park-Clayton area and September 4, 1926 married Cecil C. Garner born 1900 in Missouri, son of Joe L. Garner of Missouri and Bettie Clement of Tennessee. Grace was a timekeeper for the Sunshine Mine in Kellogg, Idaho from 1932 to 1942 and the for the Bunker Hill Zinc Plant from 1943 to 1947. From 1947 to 1966 Grace and Cecil owned and operated grocery stores in Espanola and Sprague, Washington. Grace had also been active as a precinct worker for the election board. Grace wrote three books on early settlers in Virginia where her parents were born. She also authored the first three obituary books done by EWGS after 1980 when the Patchen file changed from 3x5 cards to books. Cecil Garner died May 1, 1982 in Spokane and is buried in Greenwood Memorial Terrace Cemetery. Grace died January 8, 1985 visiting her daughter Carol Ingle in Kellogg, Idaho and she is also buried at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
In 1978 the Bulletin published mini-biographies of members so we could get to know one another. The Washington State Historical records and archives project was conducted. The project was to identify archival records, and learning the content of various collections. They were to provide a catalog for researchers and historians.
The New England Historical and Genealogical Society presented a day long seminar in September, 1978, at Cheney Cowles Museum. The Subject was "Research in New England".

This is the last comment from Carrie Lartigue: 1978 Mrs. Cecil (Grace) Garner. Grace took overt the Obituary cards for several years, did most of the indexing and cut all the stencils for the Roster of Ohio Soldiers War of 1812; she serves on the Helper committee, fills in at workshops and has published several books on West Virginia (sic), the area of her research. Also Grace and Cecil helped with the tombstone project. At this point Carrie had to give up active membership in EWGS due to poor health.

Note the picture has Ray Fisher next to Grace Garner.