Genetic Genealogy Class at the Community College

 

Thomas MacEntee Is Zooming To Town!

 

Thomas MacEntee returns to share time with EWGS coming up this Saturday, October 2nd. Our Fall Workshop will be a ZOOM meeting. (If you need help, click to our website for instructions: www.EWGSI.org) 

Thomas will teach us four really good lessons in a 9:00 to 3:00 day. 

If you haven't already, do click to our website to register!! And get your pencil sharpened and your note-taking-tablet ready. 

Hypotheek Bank In Spokane: Did your ancestor benefit from this bank?

 

This lovely old image is of the Bank of Spokane Falls; couldn't find an image of the Hypotheek Bank......... this bank was a Dutch mortgage bank established in Spokane Falls in June 1889 to lend money on the security of real estate. "From it's beginning the Hypotheek Bank did a brisk business." When 32 blocks of the city's business district burned in August of 1889, the bank, which had insured with British Insurance companies, received payments on its destroyed properties within two weeks. As the town rebuilt, the Hypotheek Bank was a willing lender and by the end of 1891 it had made loans totaling $4.5 million on urban property..........

One might quip that this quaintly-named bank was a savior of Spokane? Did your ancestor's nascent business benefit from a Hypotheek Bank loan? 

Digital Archives Teaching Example: Oswald

 

 Here is a teaching example from my own work. We have a fabulous Washington State Digital Archives (www.digitalarchives.wa.gov) . 

I did a search for hubby’s grandmother who I knew died here in 1963 and she did not come up. Why?

 Look closely and you’ll see that she’s listed as MRS. Mary Oswald and so a search for Mary Oswald turned up zip. She was indexed under "Mrs" and not Mary. 

So I just did a search for Oswald and there she was! 

Just something to keep in mind when searching records in-putted and indexed by volunteers.

 

 

What To Do With Old High School Yearbooks?

 

Have you ever wondered what to do with your old high school or college yearbooks that you really no longer want........ and your kiddoes surely do not want? Here's your answer and it's a good one.

E-Yearbook is a website where you can find old yearbooks that have been donated to them and they are always looking for ones that they do not have to add to their collection. Checking on their site, if you find that they don't have the one you have, then bingo!

Send them an email (amber.eyearbook@gmail.com) telling them what you have. Amber (as of Aug 2021) will ask you for the dimensions and weight and then send you a FedEx shipping label!!  

They cannot post on their site yearbooks newer than 1988 but they do accept them for the future. 

Spokane's Airport History: Wonder Why It's GEG?

 

Quoting from the website, HistoryLink:  "In 1938 a growing Spokane County decided to develop a local commercial airfield and acquired land on the West Plains where "Sunset Field" was born. Sunset Field ran commercially until 1941 when it was purchased by the War Department. By 1942 it became one of the most important airbases in the West. The Army renamed the airfield to honor the late Maj. Harold Geiger, a pioneer of air travel. 

The above photo (Google images) dates from 1948, "Spokane Airport." In 1942, when Fairchild AFB was established, Geiger was turned into an auxiliary base along Fairchild. 

Now you know why our airport's official initials are GEG. How many times have you flown in/out of GEG??

Lynda & Duane: Obituary Team Duo

 

Most Fridays for two hours, Lynda and Duane (along with four other EWGS members) go to our MAC museum and volunteer their time to index obituaries from the 25 files of biographies (see the filing cabinets?). Lynda pulls the envelopes, opens each one and pulls out the contents. Sometimes there is no obit, just biographical stuff. Both of them say it's such fun and they often pause to read these old (like 100 year old) newspaper stories as they search out obituaries. 

EWGS thanks you, Lynda and Duane!!

EWGS Meeting, Sep 11th, topic of Civil War

 

Don't know how to ZOOM? Click to our website, www.EWGSI.org, for directions. DO join us for this great September meeting!

Spokane Smith, 1916-1984; know anybody else named Spokane?

 

Spokane "Spokie" Smith Hutchison was the daughter of Del Cary Smith (aka Delphine Cary). Born in Spokane in 1916 in Spokane, her father named his second daughter after his adopted hometown. She passed away in 1984. I share this obituary tidbit with you all today wondering if any of you have ancestors named for the town where they were born??