Only-In-Washington Humor

 

Coming home from western Washington a couple of weeks ago, I first spotted this highway road sign:

"Watercraft must take Exit 80."

My first thought was to laugh out loud and look for "Water Craft" zooming along on I-5.  (Kinda hard on the propeller too.) 

Then a bit further on was this one:

"Vehicles with watercraft must take Exit 80 for inspection."

Whew. That was a relief. 

Washington Laws In 1914

 

For $10 at a thrift store, I brought home a copy of Washington Laws Made Plain compiled by Hon. J.T.S. Lyle, Attorney-at-Law, Tacoma, Washington, and presented by the Okanogan State Bank, Riverside and Loomis, Washington.  It is  hoot!

MARRIAGE:  Marriage is a civil contract which may be entered into by males of the age of 21 years and females of the age of 18 years who are otherwise capable. (What does THAT mean?)

Then there was a paragraph of prohibited marriages between "nearer of kin" with the ending admonition that "If any person being within the degrees of consanguinity of affinity in which marriages are prohibited by this section carnally know each other they shall be guilty of incest and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a term not exceeding ten years and not less than one year."

Here's the "dessert:"  No woman under the age of 45 years, or a man of any age, except he marry a woman over the age of 45 years, either of whom is a common drunkard, habitual criminal, epiletic, imbecile, feeble-minded person, idiot or insane person, or person who has theretofore been afflicted with hereditary insanity, or who is afflicted with pulmonary tuberculosis in its advanced stages, or any contagious venereal diseases shall intermarry or marry any other person within this state."

Goodness gracious indeed. 

Names In Spokane: Then & Now

 

Jim Kershner's column, 100 Years Ago Today, for 24 March 2021, was all about names...names in Spokane. He wrote:

"Spokane's 1921 Polk's City Directory ---- the era's version of a phone book --- had over 7000 more names than the 1920 directory, indicating that the city was growing.

Other factoids: the most common name in Spokane was Johnson (627 entries), followed by Smith, Anderson and Brown." 

While I certainly did not access that 1921 directory myself, I'd bet that except for a sprinkling of "foreign" names, they were mostly white-European. 

I personally think it's good and right that we're seeing names of ethic origins that too many of us have never heard of. Case in point: Tesfamariam Obgit Nehab's obituary appeared in our paper on 29 April 2021. This dear man had been born in Eritrea. His wife and four children survive him here in Spokane, all with distinctly Eritrean names.

I welcome that family and am sorry for the loss of their father and am glad that this family chose Spokane for their new home. 

Tombstones Aren't Forever

 Diamonds may be forever but tombstones are most definitely not. I photo'd these two in Ocean View Cemetery, the west end of Port Angeles and looking right out over the Straights. The left one is barely readable and the right one is totally un-readable. So sad. Is is the location? Is it the material used? Is it nobody cares no more?? Think about your family's tombstones...................

Hardy Phillips: 1849 Cause of Death

 

Question: Why are genealogy friends important?? Why are genealogy society gatherings important? 

Answer: So we can network and toss out our questions!

On the 1849 Mortality Census, State of Georgia, I find husband's ancestor, Hardy Phillips listed. His cause of death?

What do YOU think?

It was "chronic" whatever it was. 

Tossing it out to several genealogy friends, I now believe it was TYPHOID F(ever). 

Get the message? "Ask and ye shall receive."

Nurture Your Family Tree Online Or On Your Device Or Both?

 

Cyndi Ingle (who "purples" everything) gave a bang-up and comprehensive talk for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. This presentation is in their archive/library and I strongly suggest that a $49 annual subscription to hear/view this and 1000 others is worth your money and time.

Cyndi began by asking "where are you keeping your tree? Online or off line.... as in a program on your own computer. Or both? There is no right answer to this question; it is a personal choice. It's your hobby and it's okay to do it your want. You are not right or wrong."

BUT.

A 6-page handout explains all the reasons Pro and Con for keeping or not keeping your tree online. Page six is a Comparison Chart of 14 different desktop software programs and the specifics for each...... cloud based? web based? crowd sources? mobile App? App system? Private/public tree? Fee/Free?

My take: I strongly suggest you think seriously about this. As I've said so often, do you want to leave a legacy or not? If you're doing family history solely for yourself, then don't worry about what will happen to your genealogy when you're gone. If you're doing it for your posterity, then MAKE SURE you're putting it/keeping it in a fashion that will be easy for descendants to find, to use and to appreciate. 

Livestock Brand Book: State of Washington

 

At a barn sale out beyond Wilbur, Washington, in a box of free books, I found a treasure! I found a Livestock Brand Book: State of Washington for 1966. According to the title page, the book contains 13,406 brands AND AND AND the name of the person for that registration. 

For example: On page 453 I found "Oswald, J.M. Spokane, Route 1, Box 51." This is my husband's uncle! (Third down on left.)

I'd be happy to look up your farmer family's surname and see if they had a registered brand and then to send you a copy. Just let me know. 

Time For A Little Hygge??

 

Pronounced hoo-ga, I think we all could use a little hygge as we limp out from under all the COVID-19 ramifications of the past year. 

Although there is no literal translation, hygge alludes to a feeling of cozy intimacy and contentment. It's all about creating feelings of happiness, friendliness and wellbeing within everyday life. 

So how to Hygge Your Life?

• Spend quality time with family and friends
• Avoid multi-tasking
• Remove stressors
• Wear comfortable clothing
• Go outdoors
• Bring the outdoors in with plants
• Don't deprive yourself
• Pick up a book; put down the phone

This concept of hygge was originated with the Scandinavian peoples. I think they knew something we should learn.