Emigration/Immigration..... Needing Help?

 

The Jan/Feb 2022 issue of FamilyTree Magazine will be uber-super helpful for those family historians beginning to struggle with emigrant and immigrant ancestors. 

(Did you know: emigrant meant "leaving" while immigrant meant coming. They emigrated from Norway and immigrated to Chicago.)

The very first article, "First Generation," reads: "Make these three kinds of records your first stop when researching your immigrant ancestors." And what are those three kinds? (1) Passenger Manifests and Customs Lists;  (2) Naturalization Records; (3) Alien Registration; and then (4) Other Records. The magazine gives ten pages to explaining the points of those records. 

Other pertinent "good stuff" in this issue includes:

**** Information on the soon-to-be-released 1921 British censuses

**** 7 tips for fact-checking online family trees

**** Discovering your ancestor's occupation

**** Create a "genealogy will" outlining for your heirs what you'd like for your research after you've passed on

At the very least, click to the FamilyTree Magazine website and sign up for their FREE updates, blog and newsletters. Why not???

Roots Tech 2022..... Are You Registered? It's FREE!

 

Are you registered? Is your calendar marked? Yes, I know our EWGS meeting is on Saturday, March 5th, but how about catching the Thursday and Friday sessions? AND if you register, you'll get a link allowing you to view ALL the sessions/presentations for a full year. Click to:

www.FamilySearch.org/rootstech/next

Roots Tech always has the most interesting, unexpected, key note speakers, one for each day. I 100% urge you to "clear the deck" (ie, become a computer-RootsTech-hermit) for those days and revel in the genealogy learning of your favorite hobby.

1000 Haunted Steps..... Have You Ascended Them?

 

If you drive slowly on Government Way between Greenwood and Riverside Cemeteries, and if you look to the west, you might catch a glimpse of the so-called 1000 haunted steps between the trees. I guess you'll just have to visit Greenwood Memorial, maybe after dark, and see for yourself. Oh, and there are only 60 steps. 

Explanation:

Spokane Historian and Ghostologist, Chet Caskey, used to work for the cemeteries.  “The Thousand steps date from 1898 and what the cemetery did was they sold a piece of land to a private organization which was the Elks,” Caskey said. “They built a fabulous mausoleum with terraced steps and beautiful exotic plants and hired a full-time gardener and the convinced other Elks and their wives to by plots.”  

The idea fizzled due to several circumstances and the mausoleum, the burials surrounding the mausoleum and the steps are all on land still in ownership dispute. 

Fox Theater..... Did You Notice?

 I'm sure that if you've lived in Spokane for most any length of time, you've been to an event in our fabulous Fox (now Martin Woldson) Theater. Last December I enjoyed The Nutcracker and while waiting for the performance to begin, swiveled my eyes up-down-sideways. And I spotted the turtles!! Do you see them? There are two on each side of the stage...........

The Fox Theater in Spokane, Washington is a 1931 Art Deco movie theater that now serves as a performing arts venue and home of the Spokane Symphony. It was designed by architect Robert C. Reamer, notable for his design of the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. It was part of the Fox Film Corporation Empire founded by studio mogul William Fox. The theater opened September 3, 1931 and showed films continuously until it closed September 21, 2000 after an engagement of the movie Gladiator starring Russell Crowe. (Thanks to Wikipedia for this further explanation; ask Google if you want to know more.) 

Old National Bank CAKE?

 

I know you cannot read this so I'll help you:  "November 6, 1927, Spokane's Record Cake. The largest cake ever baked in Spokane is frosted and ready for distribution tomorrow night to those who attend the 25th anniversary celebration of the Old National Bank tomorrow night. The cake, built in replica of the bank's home, was designed and executed by Edward Mathieu, Davenport hotel chef and was baked by Otto Votafa, pastry chef at the hotel. It required three weeks' work of a corps of bakers to complete the piece of pastry. It weights 1100 pounds and included in its ingredients are 2300 eggs, 250 pounds of butter, 525 pounds of sugar, 200 pounds of flour and three pints of essence of fresh almond for flavoring. The cake was placed on display in the bank lobby today." 

Domesday Book

 

I found an ancestor listed among the pages of the Domesday Book! My mother's maiden name was Gurney and tracing that surname back and back and back, I found a Hugh deGournay (Hugh living in the town of Gournay in the Normandy area of France). Hugh descends from the Vikings who came with Rollo to that area way back when. But back to the story. When William the Conqueror had invaded England in 1086 and conquered it, within a few years he wanted to more fully know what he had........... for taxing purposes! So he commissioned a census of sorts. Men/scribes were appointed to go all over the country counting people, animals (all kinds), arable land and anything that could be taxed. He also wanted to know the number of men able to fight should the need arise. All these various reports were compiled in multiple volumes which still exist today!

And Hugh deGournay was loyal to William when they were in France and was with him during the conquest and was rewarded with land in England  (which meant not only "land" but any manors or dwellings and people living there for workers). 

I'd done enough research to feel comfortable that Hugh was my ancestor but now that the Domesday Book is available online, it was exciting to check and find him listed there. 

And why the name "Domesday Book?" Because King William expected the findings to stand "until doomsday," or so the story went.

Quakers In Your Closet? Don't Miss Our Meeting Tomorrow???

 

If you have Quaker ancestors, DO NOT miss our next the next EWGS presentation!

Saturday, February 5

EWGS General Meeting  (EWGS Meetings)

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Meeting via Zoom

(Zoom link will be posted on our website the morning of the presentation)

 

Lori Lee Sauber will be presenting:

 

Plain Quakers Colorful Lives

 

Learn how to confidently tell a colorful story to accompany the black and white evidence for our 19th Century ancestors. Follow a research trail that focuses on setting a sensory stage in addition to the usual monochromatic vital records. Explore using non-genealogical resources as Lori Lee develops the compelling story of 19th century Quaker, Rebecca RATLIFF. Learn about macro- versus micro-research approaches while exploring “hidden” non-government-issued documentation. The audience will leave excited to choose an infamous ancestor and tell their story in rich, and historically documented detail. A Quick Hits Handout of “colorful” websites is provided.

Spotlight on Lynn Krogh, our Ways 'N Means Guru

 

Lynn Krogh...... while you've only seen her face at our ZOOM meetings, she is the moving force behind our Ways 'N Means prizes and she does a fabulous, bang-up-good job.

She was born Lynn Denyse Hofmeister in 1954 in San Diego, California, where her Dad was stationed as a Marine. Everett Hofmeister hailed from Brooklyn, New York, and mom June Smith was born in Helena, Montana. (How did they meet? Wouldn't that be a good story!) Lynn explains that her name stems from Irish influence and means small lake.

Lynn has many hobbies besides genealogy and EWGS. She has 15 grandchildren, loves our Spokane Symphony, volunteers at the dog shelter and visits local schools to help kids with their reading. 

Her research has been in New York, Wisconsin and Montana and she's been lucky enough to visit the old homestead in Montana. Lynn says her most interesting find was to learn "that my grandmother went to "boarding school" at the Brooklyn Orphan Asylum. 

She's an avid Ancestry user, favorite color is sage green and favorite dessert is "any kind of pie." 

Lynn skipped the last question: "What words describe you?" So I'll furnish it for her: Super-Pleasant-Knowledgeable-Fantastic. EWGS is so lucky and blessed to have such an always-ready-to-help member.