Memorial Day Events and Activities

While many of our members may be out at the lake, or camping, or visiting relatives over the three-day weekend, some of us are still in town. The Spokesman-Review has a listing of area events to honor our military dead, one of which is the dedication of the new Washington State Veterans Cemetery near Medical Lake.

You might also like to check out my Special Offers page on my personal genealogy blog, AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. I have a listing of all known sales, contests, and freebies being offered in the genealogy world this holiday weekend.

Another activity you may like to do is to create memorial pages for free at the Find A Grave website for your ancestors and relatives. If you would like to really focus on your military ancestors, submit information to the Sons of Union Veterans National Graves Registration Database (they also take submissions for Confederate veterans), and/or the World War II Memorial. Both sites are free to use and submit information to, and great ways to memorialize the military veterans in your families. The latter accepts information about World War II -era individuals who served in some way towards the war effort, whether or not they were actually in the military. If you have a Rosie the Riveter or USO, Red Cross, or other volunteer in your family tree, be sure to honor them! Our own Carol Nettles did a great presentation on this website for a members-only computer class, and if you would like to receive the syllabus--or a Find A Grave syllabus I created--drop me a line here.

EWGS Presidents Jeanne J. Jones Holder

This is the thirty first 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, Raymond J. Fisher, Grace E. Kelso Garner , Catherine P. Cornehl Hyslop, Barbara J. Wirt Clarkson, and Ruby L. Simonson McNeill



Jeanne Jones Holder was EWGS President 1984 and 1985 (EWGS was 50 in 1985). Jeanne was born in Grandview Heights, Columbus, Ohio to Ira Stanton and Pleasant Alleyne (Higgs) Jones. She graduated from Grandview Heights High School, a B.S. in Education from Ohio State University and a Masters in Education from the University of Idaho. She was a teacher. In 1955 she met and married Robert Holder and they have two sons Mike and Bill and daughter Ann. Jeanne's hobbies are genealogy, gardening, knitting, traveling and her family. In a March 2, 1989 article in our newspaper by Beverly Vorpahl (another EWGS member), she wrote "Jeanne Holder is such an optimist that she believes almost anything can be done. A complete beginner at quilting, she nonetheless took on a tremendous quilting challenge. Holder had just joined the Washington State Quilters Association in order to learn quilting. She was also president of Eastern Washington genealogical Society and was constantly thinking of fund raising ideas for the group. The organization is concerned about personal history and also wanted to be part of the state's centennial celebration (1889-1989). One day, she came upon an idea that would tie all the elements together - a quilt which would depict some of the Spokane area's history. Not only would the quilt raise money for the genealogists, but it would also commemorate the state's history." I wrote about this quilt in the second Carnival of Genealogical Societies and it includes a picture of the quilt.
In 1984 the primary project for EWGS was learning to use the computer donated the year before, many hours were donated to enter membership lists, the holdings, the I.D. Cards, etc. into the computer. The Presidents luncheon was held in June of 1984 in the Isabella Room of the Davenport Hotel. EWGS also had a summer seminar, Ronald Bremer was the all day speaker at Spokane Falls Community College. Cost $5.00. In August 1984 EWGS offered to hold the 1985 Washington State Genealogical conference, and so May 31, June 1 and 2, 1985, at Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington the WSGS conference was held. The October workshop was again at Spokane Falls Community College, and due to its chairman Donna Phillips it was a success. In the Fall of 1984 a German interest group was started and later a Scandinavian interest group began meeting. In 1985 EWGS had almost 400 members and about 100 at each monthly meeting. This was the 50th year for EWGS and with the WSGS conference a great celebration.
I joined EWGS a few years later, and worked on a project with Jeanne Holder to index and then film records for the First Presbyterian Church, and she was always interested in how the project was going and making sure all the people working on this project were doing a good job. Glad I was able to know and work with Jeanne.

FamilySearch Collection Update: New Records Added Online for Czech Republic, Mexico, and U.S.

Received May 11 from FamilySearch.org:

Eight new searchable collections were updated or added this week at FamilySearch.org—millions of new free images and records.

This week the complete name indexes for the states of Alabama, Colorado, and Illinois were published online at FamilySearch’s Record Search pilot (FamilySearch.org, click Search Records, and then click Record Search pilot) or Beta.FamilySearch.org.

The Delaware state birth records, 1875 Minnesota State Census, and Illinois, Cook County birth records were also added.

Also released was a digital image collection of church records from Litomerice, Czech Republic—60,000 images! Consumers will see these types of collections more and more online as FamilySearch digitizes microfilms in its Granite Mountain Records Vault. Instead of a microfilm reader in a local family history center, patrons use FamilySearch’s image viewer online to search these high quality digital collections—and they are accessible 24/7.

See the chart below for the complete list of all the newly added or improved collections.

None of this would be possible without the great contributions of many online FamilySearch volunteers. These individuals donate the time and effort needed to make these collections freely available to FamilySearch patrons. If you would like to help by donating a few minutes here and there online with projects of personal interest, become a FamilySearch community volunteer at FamilySearchIndexing.org. Many hands produce great work. Thank you for your support!

Collection Name	Indexed Records	Digital Images	Comments
Czech Republic, Litomerice State Regional Archive Church Records 1552-1905, pt. 03 - WP		60573	Browsable images only
Mexico Census 1930 Index, Yucatan	378550	1061300
U.S Delaware State Birth Records 1861-1922 - FSI	121234	93600
U.S Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers 1873-1908	1240000	33245
U.S 1875 Minnesota State Census	475000	13600	Must be registered to see images.
US Federal Census, 1910, Alabama	1870520	46763
US Federal Census, 1910, Colorado	767680	19192
US Federal Census, 1910, Illinois	5024520	125613

About FamilySearch
FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

EWGS Blog Listed as One of OnlineUniversities.com's 50 Best Blogs for Genealogy Geeks

The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society Blog has received its first recognition in the geneablogging (genealogy blog) world! OnlineUniversities.com has listed it among its 50 Best Blogs for Genealogy Geeks, specifically with 13 other blogs categorized under Specific Research Projects:

Even if you’re not from the Spokane, WA, area, you might have fun peeking at posts about genealogy societies, local culture, and the Pacific Northwest.

So what do online universities have to do with genealogy? I took a look at their website and blog and found this explanation:

Americans are proud of their melting-pot culture, but genealogy is also a popular past-time and even profession, as family ancestry is complex and often hard to define. It takes a lot of research to untangle the web of genealogy in order to create a clear family tree, but as an online university student, you’re probably used to taking on similarly large projects. Either as a break from studying, a supplement to your history classes, or even for inspiration to start your own family ancestry research, check out these 50 blogs on genealogy.

Thank you to Kaitlyn Cole and OnlineUniversities.com for recognizing the EWGS blog, and congratulations to the other winners!

2010 FamilySearch Software Award Recipients Announced

SALT LAKE CITY—Recipients of the 2010 FamilySearch Software Awards were announced at the FamilySearch Developers Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 14 recipients were recognized for their outstanding and innovative work in advancing products and technologies that integrate with FamilySearch’s emerging suite of products and services.

The annual FamilySearch Software Awards has been established to encourage and recognize software development that benefits the growing demands and needs of family history consumers. “The awards formally recognize the software achievements of those developers and companies that are making important contributions to the family history and genealogy industry,” said Gordon Clarke, FamilySearch developer services product manager.

The Best New Product awards were given to applicants in different platform categories. Products with specific features deemed important to the growth of the industry received the Best New Feature award. Community Player awards recognized individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the software developer community.

The following recipients were announced and awards presented at the FamilySearch Developers Conference:

Best New Product Awards:
· The MagiKey for the “Best New Windows” product
· Arcalife for the “Best New Web site”
· MobileTree for “Best New Mobile” product
· FamilyInsight for “Best New Macintosh” product

Best New Feature Awards:
· OurFamilogy for “Best Research” feature
· SharingTime for “Best Collaboration” feature
· Genetree for “Best DNA” feature
· Ancestral Hunt for the “Best Geo-Mapping” feature
· FamilyPursuit for the “Best Groups” feature
· Photoloom for the “Best Media” feature
· FamilyChArtist for the “Best Print” feature
· AppleTree for the “Best Celebrity Tree” feature

Community Player Awards:

· Gaylon Finlay, Incline Software, “Bug Hunter” award
· Michael Booth and Bruce Buzbee, Roots Magic, “Trailblazer” award

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons can access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

British Library and brightsolid Partnership to Digitise up to 40 Million Pages of Historic Newspapers

British Library and brightsolid partnership to digitise up to 40 million pages of historic newspapers

• Mass digitisation to make millions of newspaper pages available online and in the Library’s reading rooms
• Innovative deal will help safeguard the future of the world’s greatest newspaper archive

The British Library’s Chief Executive, Dame Lynne Brindley, will today announce a major new partnership between the Library and online publisher brightsolid, owner of online brands including findmypast.co.uk and Friends Reunited. The ten-year agreement will deliver the most significant mass digitisation of newspapers the UK has ever seen: up to 40 million historic pages from the national newspaper collection will be digitised, making large parts of this unparalleled resource available online for the first time.

Spanning three centuries and including 52,000 local, regional, national and international titles, the British Library holds one of the world’s finest collections of newspapers. Each year the Newspaper Library at Colindale is used by 30,000 researchers in subjects ranging from family history and genealogy to sports statistics, politics and industrial history. This vast resource is held mainly in hard copy and microfilm, necessitating a trip to the north London site for people wishing to use the collection.

The partnership between the British Library and brightsolid will enable the digitisation of a minimum of 4 million pages of newspapers over the first two years. Over the course of ten years, the agreement aims to deliver up to 40 million pages as the mass digitisation process becomes progressively more efficient and as in-copyright content is scanned following negotiation with rightsholders.

Delivering the keynote speech at the Westminster eForum this morning (Wednesday 19 May), Dame Lynne Brindley outlined how the partnership will transform access to this vital part of the national memory.

“I am delighted to announce the British Library’s partnership with brightsolid to embark upon the most significant programme of newspaper digitisation this country has ever seen,” said Dame Lynne. “Historic newspapers are an invaluable resource for historians, researchers, genealogists, students and many others, bringing past events and people to life with great immediacy and in rich detail. Mass digitisation unlocks the riches of our newspaper collections by making them available online to users across the UK and around the world; by making these pages fully searchable we will transform a research process which previously relied on scrolling through page after page of microfilm or print. brightsolid have an excellent track record of digitising archive materials and making them available to new audiences – I look forward to announcing the web service resulting from this partnership, which will launch and then steadily grow from next year.”

Digitised material will include extensive coverage of local, regional and national press across three and a half centuries. It will focus on specific geographic areas, along with periods such as the census years between 1841 and 1911. Additional categories will be developed looking at key events and themes such as the Crimean War, the Boer War and the suffragette movement. The aim will be to build a ‘critical mass’ of material for researchers – particularly in the fields of family history and genealogy.

brightsolid, a subsidiary of Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson, was selected following an EU procurement process. brightsolid has previously delivered the highly successful 1911census.co.uk project in partnership with The National Archives (TNA) and owns the leading family history resources findmypast.co.uk and genesreunited.co.uk. brightsolid is taking on the commercial and technical risks of the project, with no direct costs to the British Library. The firm will digitise content from the British Library Newspaper Library, which it will then make available online via a paid-for website as well as integrating it into its family history websites.

This resource will be available for free to users on-site at the British Library and copies of all scanned materials will be deposited with the Library to be held in the national collection in perpetuity.

Chris van der Kuyl, Chief Executive of brightsolid, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the British Library on such an exciting project. Digitisation will mean that those people who haven’t previously been able to access the physical resource will now be able to access it from anywhere at any time. In particular it is an important resource for the genealogy community, which we are closely involved with through our brands findmypast.co.uk and genesreunited.co.uk, helping them to bring to life how their ancestors lived. It will also offer a unique insight into major events and key periods of historical interest.

“We’re also closely linked to the publishing community through our parent company, DC Thomson and we very much see this project as a collaboration with the industry. In fact we are already in dialogue with some rightsholders and expect this to continue throughout the project. As a business, our core strength is in building innovative online businesses around people and places, and this project fits perfectly within our expertise. We are looking forward to working with the British Library on this project and developing this hugely important online resource.”

Along with out-of-copyright material from the newspaper archive – defined in this context as pre-1900 newspaper material – the partnership will also seek to digitise a range of in-copyright material, with the agreement of the relevant rightsholders. This copyright material will, with the express permission of the publishers, be made available via the online resource – providing fuller coverage for users and a much-needed revenue stream for the rightsholders.

David Fordham, President of the Newspaper Society said: “This initiative is a hugely significant and exciting development which will unlock many of the great newspaper treasures that lie within the millions of pages in the British Library Newspaper archive at Colindale. It represents a particularly exciting opportunity for regional newspapers which have a long and rich heritage and capture changing times in local and regional areas across the centuries. I look forward to watching the project develop and hope that it makes a major contribution to the industry.”

The successful appointment of brightsolid as its newspaper digitisation partner will help the British Library to fulfil its strategic goals of long-term preservation of and access to the national newspaper collection. The Library’s newspaper strategy aims to secure the future of this unique resource by moving the hard-copy collections from the current building at Colindale to a purpose-built storage facility in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire. Access to the collection will be provided via microfilm and digital copies made available at the Library’s main site at St Pancras.

“The success of our 19th Century British Library Newspapers website demonstrated the public’s huge appetite for digitised historic newspaper content,” added Dame Lynne. “Our new partnership with brightsolid will enable us to deliver a huge increase in the amount of digitised material available – transforming access and searchability for users on and off-site and reducing wear-and-tear on our often fragile collection items. It will help the newspaper collection to remain relevant for a new generation of researchers, more used to accessing research information via their laptop than travelling to a physical location.”

She concluded: “The British Library’s newspaper archive is one of the world’s great newspaper collections. Through this partnership with brightsolid we will make millions more pages accessible – and to many more people.”

EWGS Presidents Ruby L. Simonson McNeill

This is the thirtieth 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, Raymond J. Fisher, Grace E. Kelso Garner , Catherine P. Cornehl Hyslop, and Barbara J. Wirt Clarkson



Ruby Simonson McNeill was EWGS President in 1982 and 1983 and was born at Colville, Washington to William Russell Simonson and Doris Mary Fay, both natives of Washington state. Ruby graduated from Ephrata High School and worked for Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company. She also lived and worked in Washington D.C.,for three years and while there met Duane Leslie McNeill son of Robert E. and Leota Junella (Schuman) McNeil and they married in Bakersfield, California, March 8, 1959. They have two sons, Dane Ladd and Rick Dean. In 1982 when Ruby became EWGS President she was known for her sharp wit and delightful sense of humor as well as her capable leadership. Dorothy Meyers Braithwait became editor of the Bulletin. EWGS also decided to designate June as a time to honor its leaders. A June luncheon was held and this became an annual event. The annual fall workshop was again held at Garry Junior High School with Donna Phillips as chairman. In the fall of 1982 it was decided to expand the hours of the library helpers to include the evening hours as a service to the working members. In 1983 the annual fall workshop was moved to Spokane Falls Community College to accommodate the growing numbers of people attending. During 1983 an offer by Kay and Kirsten Straight would bring EWGS a Corona Computer and Comrex printer. It arrived February 4, 1984.
Ruby has been a prolific author of books that benefit other genealogists, our Spokane Library lists 6 books with Ruby as author; Lewis County Washington Death Records 1891-1906, 1900 Federal Census Columbia County and Mortality Schedules 1860 and 1870 Walla Walla Washington 1880 Columbia County, Quaker Records Monthly Meetings Berks County Pennsylvania, Lewis County Washington Newspaper Extracts, Columbia County Newspaper Extracts and 1889 Columbia County Census. Ruby also came along when Surname Booklets were very popular, and she was the author of Rogers Research, Cain Connections, McNeill Memoranda, Quaker Queries, Freeman Footnotes, Simonson Misc., Barrett Branches, Talbot Tree and Wiley World. Good thing I did not subscribe to any of these booklets, almost every surname booklet I subscribed to folded quickly after I subscribed. Ruby is still an active EWGS member and always there with a suggestion on how to better research your ancestors or to use the latest technology. Ruby is one of the few EWGS members to have her own web page;

Kootenai County Genealogical Society to Present Free "DNA and Genealogy" Presentation May 20th

The Kootenai County (Idaho) Genealogical Society would like to announce the presentation "DNA and Genealogy" by Todd Neel during their meeting Thursday, May 20th, at the Hayden Library, 8385 Government Way, Hayden, Idaho.

This presentation is free to the public and begins at 7:00 PM.

Genealogy volunteers are also available to help researchers with questions at the Hayden Library every Wednesday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Facebook for Genealogists Cheat Sheet

Wanting to join Facebook but not sure how to go about doing it? Already a member, but needing a little help with your settings?  Thomas MacEntee of High-Definition Genealogy has created a Facebook for Genealogists cheat sheet. This free downloadable and printable chart gives step-by-step directions on how to create an account, edit your settings, monitor your privacy, and deal with annoyances such as hiding your birthday or deleting friends.

Thomas will be our presenter for our annual October Workshop on Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2 and will be speaking on Facebook and other technology-related tools for genealogists. Stay tuned for more information!

EWGS Presidents Barbara J. Wirt Clarkson

This is the twenty ninth 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, Raymond J. Fisher, Grace E. Kelso Garner , and Catherine P. Cornehl Hyslop



Barbara Wirt Clarkson was EWGS President in 1981. Barbara was born in Redmond Oregon in 1923 to Harry M. Wirt and Jeannette Morrison. Although the Morrisons were from Canada, they were originally from Sweden. Harry Wirt's father George Wirt was from Germany. Barbara graduated from Central Valley High School and the University of Washington with a B.A. in Accounting. On June 21, 1947 Barbara married Ralph Earnest Clarkson, he was born in Greenacres, Washington in 1921 to Earnest W. & Blanche (Patterson) Clarkson. Earnest was born in Nebraska and his father Abner was from Illinois. Ralph joined Brown-Johnston Electrical Contractors in 1953 and later purchased the company. He retired in 1976 and died June 25, 1986. He served in the European Theater during WWII, and was a member of the Chapter 45, Disabled American Veterans, the El Katif Shrine, Orchard Masonic Lodge 200 and the Athletic Round Table. Barbara contributed bible records for the Patterson and Clarkson families and did a lot of Swedish research on her grandfather Peter Larson.
In 1981 EWGS dues were raised to $7.00. A beginner's genealogy class was begun at 10:00 am on the first Saturday of the month, Julie Hendricks and Donna Phillips were instructors the first year. The day for the Library Helpers was changed from Wednesday to Thursday 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. A locality file was introduced so members could contact others researching the same areas. The annual workshop was held at Garry Junior High School with Donna Phillips as Chairman.



I remember Barbara at several EWGS meetings, and she was always interested in genealogy and in shy newcomers (like me).

It's Not Too Late to Register for the May 15th Spring Seminar with Barbara Nuehring!

You can still register for the May 15th Spring Seminar with Barbara Nuehring on the morning of the seminar at our registration table at 9:00 AM! The held Saturday, May 15th at the Country Homes Christian Church, 8415 North Wall Street in Spokane, Washington (see map at bottom of post). Registration is only $15 each for members; $18 each for non-members. No registration form is necessary. Either cash or checks made out to EWGS will be accepted. Syllabuses are not guaranteed.

Registration and check-in begins at 9:00 AM. The meeting will begin at 9:30 AM, with the first lecture starting at 10:00. A potluck lunch will be held at 12:15 PM. Members are asked to bring the following items according to their surname (coffee, tea, and water will be supplied):

• A-F: potato or pasta salad, or rolls and butter
• G - L: fruit tray or dessert
• M - P: green salad with dressing or veggie tray with dip
• R-Z: meat or bean dish or casserole

The last lecture will conclude at 3:30 PM.

Barbara has been a guest lecturer at genealogical seminars and society meetings, teaching courses on a wide variety of subjects that couple traditional genealogy methodology with computer technology. The seminar's theme is "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" and Ms. Nuehring will be presenting the following four topics:

• Exploiting Maps to Track Down Your Ancestors
• Dealing with Stumbling Blocks: Calendars and Penmanship
• On Site Research: Ready, Set, Go!
• Across the Pond: Researching Your European Ancestors

In addition to the lectures, door prizes will be handed out and a raffle will be held. There will also be a contest to name EWGS's new digital publication. This is a seminar you won't want to miss! For further information, please contact Miriam Robbins Midkiff by phone (484-6759) or e-mail.

View Larger Map

Historical Newspapers for Free on Footnote During May

I just received an announcement from Footnote.com. During the month of May all the historical newspapers on Footnote.com will be open to the public. A free registration is needed to view the images.

To access the newspaper collections visit www.footnote.com/newspapers.

On Footnote you will find newspapers ranging from small towns to major cities and dating back to the 1700’s. Whether a historian or a genealogist, historical newspapers are one of the best resources that provide a unique window into the past.

Carnival of Genealogy Societies Collaboration

One reason most genealogical societies have been formed and flourished was because of collaboration. Genealogists getting together to help each other research better, and for educational opportunities. EWGS has also hosted Washington State Genealogical Society Conferences to collaborate with other societies and people from all over the northwest, but the longest and most fruitful collaboration for EWGS has been with the Spokane Public Library. Soon after EWGS was founded the members started contributing books and microfilms to the Spokane Public Library, and the library found a place for EWGS to meet. EWGS provided gene helpers so people coming to the library could get help from a genealogist. The Friends of the Library group was formed mostly by EWGS members, and it continues on today providing a lot of help for the library although I don't think many EWGS members are also members of the Friends of the Library anymore.

Has the collaboration between EWGS and the Spokane Public Library worked? Yes, both groups have benefited, EWGS has not had to rent a building and pay utilities, etc., and the library has a large genealogical collection and volunteer helpers that free up the librarians for other work.

This picture is from the newspaper and shows collaboration between EWGS and the library, to make and sell a centennial quilt for an EWGS fundraiser. Tickets were a dollar and the winner was picked on November 11, 1989, the date of the State of Washington's 100th birthday. The Centennial quilt had pictures of nine houses built about the time the State of Washington became a state. All the houses are in Washington.

The houses are the Perkins House, Colfax; the Kirkman House, Walla Walla; Boughton House, Dayton; Hallett House, Medical Lake; Mill House, Dayton; Colville Indian Agency, Chewelah; McInnis House, Davenport; McEachren House, Latah; and the Dexter House, Dayton. The library found pictures of these houses and the EWGS members selected the fabric and did the sewing.

Written for the Second Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies: Collaboration.

EWGS Presidents Catherine P. Cornehl Hyslop

This is the twenty eighth 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, Raymond J. Fisher, and Grace E. Kelso Garner



Catherine P. Cornehl Hyslop was the EWGS President 1979 and 1980. Since Catherine is still alive I will not give her birth year, but she is listed in two open census. The History of the Big Bend page 667 has a biography on her father Herman Cornehl of Douglas County. Herman was born in Hamburg, Germany, November 23, 1863 son of Henry and Annie K. (Schmidt) Cornehl, and in 1883 he came to the USA. He lived in San Francisco, Alameda and Fresno in California before moving to Oklahoma for the land rush. Then to Guthrie and Arkansas City, a short trip back to Germany and them to the Big Bend country. He was a merchant at Bridgeport, Washington and also raised stock on his farm near Bridgeport. May 18, 1904 he married Pearl Galbraith, daughter of G.W. & M.T. (Weaver) Galbraith from North Carolina and Texas. The Washington State Digital Archives has a lot of information on Herman Cornehl, but some was indexed as Herman Cornell, and after I notified the archives they have changed all the indexes to Herman Cornehl. April 12, 1938 Catherine married Thomas Hyslop here in Spokane at the First Presbyterian Church (more on that church later). Thomas was born in Deep Creek, Washington in May 30,1915 to V.R. & Esther J. (Hatch) Hyslop. He graduated in 1933 from Reardan High School and in 1938 from Washington State College. (Catherine was a student of WSC in 1938 also). Thomas served in WWII in the Army Air Corps and retired as a major. After the war he assumed management of the family farm until he retired in 1986. He was a member of Eastern Washington Historical Society, Westerners, Eastern Washington Genealogical Society, Spokane County 4-H, Inland Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Spokane Downtown Rotary Club. He died December 14, 2002 and is buried at Fairmount Cemetery.
In the 1979 Bulletin was a tribute to Carrie Lartigue. Carrie had joined EWGS in 1954. Carrie had been President. Treasurer, Librarian, Trustee, library helper and project chairman. Carrie was the person that commented on most of the earlier EWGS Presidents, but due to poor health stopped the comments before Catherine became EWGS President. Linda Shiflett became the new editor of the Bulletin, and the October workshop was held at the Red Cross Building and it cost $6.00 for a day long seminar. EWGS had grown to 303 members by 1980.