EWGS Member Duane Beck at the Washington State Archives

Out of the Archives the Newsletter from the Washington State Archives has a real nice article on EWGS member Duane Beck. You can read it here . Congratulations Duane.

Archives Month Celebtates Washington Bridges

Archives Month celebrates WA bridges

If it’s October, then our State Archives is celebrating its annual Archives Month. This year’s theme is Washington’s historic bridges, those indispensable links for moving people and goods around the state. I’m a big fan of our bridges and have my favorites, as I’m sure you do.

I want to give you a head’s up that as part of the month-long celebration, the main State Archives in Olympia and the regional branches in Bellevue, Bellingham, Cheney and Ellensburg will host open houses or Basics of Historical Research workshops on Saturday, October 24. Contact the State Archives at (360) 586-1492 or research@sos.wa.gov for more information about these events. Another research workshop will be held October 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center in Stanwood. For more info about the Stanwood workshop, contact Janette Gomes at the Northwest Regional Archives at janette.gomes@sos.wa.gov or (360) 650-2813.

A great-looking free poster helps commemorate Archives Month. The poster (shown here) is available in the State Archives headquarters in Olympia, the front desk of our Executive Office at the Capitol and at all regional Archives branches, as well as several local historical societies, universities with archives/library collections, museums and heritage centers. Get your poster while supplies last! If you want to see the digital version of the new poster, just go here. The poster was designed by Archives’ own Benjamin Helle.

If you want a larger version of the poster go here: http://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/archives/2015ArchivesMonthFINAL_300_5x7.jpg

Washington State Archives October Archives Activities

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Washington State Archives Archives Month Activities October is Archives Month!     In honor of Washington's Quasquicentennial Celebration (WA 125), this year's theme is 125 Years of Making History.  Our regional branches are hard at work, promoting all things Archives, so check out what's happening at a branch near you in the coming weeks! Northwest Regional Branch, Bellingham October 18th - History Day Fall Workshop for Teachers, 9:00 a.m. - Noon -- in conjunction with the WWU Libraries Heritage Resources, Center for the Pacific Northwest Studies and the Washington State Historical Society 25th - Archives Building Open House, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. -- in conjunction with WWU's Fall Family Open House 28th - Basics of Personal Digital Archiving Workshop, 4:00-5:00 p.m. -- in conjunction with the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies *More workshops may be added as the month approaches.  Contact the Northwest Regional Archives for more information! Puget Sound Regional Branch, Bellevue September 20th - Common Core Tools for Teachers: The History Day Connection, 9:00 a.m. - Noon, Mt. Spokane High School, Meade -- in conjunction with the Washington State Historical Society - 3 Clock Hours Provided free of charge! October 2nd - Information/Resource Table--Educator Night at the Museum--LeMay Auto Museum in Tacoma, 5:30-8:00 p.m. 4th - History Day Fall Teacher's Workshops, 9:00 a.m. - Noon and 1:30-4:30 p.m., University of Washington Libraries, Seattle 18th - Basics of Historic Research, 9:00 a.m - Noon, Puget Sound Regional Branch The Basics of Historical Research is for teachers, students, beginning genealogists, and others interested in exploring the past.  You'll get practical advice and learn the basic steps for gathering the information you will need to investigate and interpret a historical topic for a museum exhibit, class project, community celebration, curriculum enrichment, research article, History Day, a classroom based assessment (CBA), Common Core learning standards, or personal historical interest.  This class will cover: What primary sources are--and aren't What historical sources are--and how to use them How to use the library system How to use archival collections How to find and use reliable online resources How to properly cite your sources How to use information from different sources 25th - Common Core Tools for Teachers: The History Day Connection, 9:00 a.m. - Noon, Suquamish Museum -- In conjunction with the Washington State Historical Society - 3 Clock Hours provided free of charge  Southwest Regional Branch/State Archives, Olympia October Join us at the State Archives in Olympia to celebrate Archives Month with a series of brown bag lunch sessions on Thursdays in October!  These sessions will feature records in our collections that may help you with your genealogical or historical research. All sessions are from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at 1129 Washington St. SE, (The Southwest Regional Branch and State Archives) in the conference room. Contact the Southwest Regional Archives for more information. 2nd - Penitentiary Records--Learn about what types of records may be found with an inmate number from the Digital Archives 9th - Brick Wall Session with the State Archivist--are you working on a genealogy project and have hit a brick wall?  Come in and talk to Steve Excell, our State Archivist, to get some hints and tips! 16th - Vital Records--Learn about what vital records are available at the State Archives and how to use them to find additional records. 23rd - Land and Property Research--Learn about how to research a property's history with records from the Archives. 30th - Linda Hazzard--Come and learn about this self-proclaimed holistic healer and her subsequent murder charge from the turn of the century.  Just in time for Halloween! Feel free to bring a lunch...and your questions! Eastern Regional Branch/Digital Archives, Cheney October 11th (Tentative) - The Eastern Regional Branch and Digital Archives are planning a Saturday Open House Event, with tours and presentations on how to use the Digital Archives, what's new on the DA, and how to access the Eastern Regional Archives records.  Details to follow, but it will likely be held from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. The focus will be on the Expo '74 slides and records in the collection, as it has been 40 years since that landscape-changing event took place in Spokane! For more information as the date approaches, contact the Eastern Regional Branch. Central Regional Branch to host Volunteer Recognition Event! Each year, the Office of the Secretary of State hosts a recognition event to thank volunteers. This year, on October 7, we'll be in Ellensburg at the Western V.I.P. Room at the Kittitas County Events Center.  As part of this exciting day, the Central Regional Branch will open its doors at 1:30 p.m. for a behind-the-scenes tour! Archives Month, 2013  First Tuesdays: A conversation and continuing-education opportunity October 7, 9:00-10:00 a.m. (PDT) -- Presented by Tracy Rebstock and Lori Larson Designed for staff of libraries in Washington, this free web presentation lets attendees share their skills and successes, while learning about new topics.  Join Legacy Washington and the Washington State Archives as they educate us about our history, and how to locate and access the historical resources available through these two sources. Click for more details. Do You Have What it Takes to be a 'Scribe?'   The Historical Records Project recruits volunteers to transcribe and index records, making them searchable on the Digital Archives.  Volunteers work from home.  Get involved today, and be a part of preserving Washington State History! Check Us Out on the Web! Come see what's new!   Join Our Mailing List Contact Us Steve Excell, State Archivist, Washington State Archives Washington State Archives | http://sos.wa.gov/archives Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.

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Washington State Archives..... Eastern Branch in Cheney

I took these photos at our Eastern Washington Branch of the Washington State Archives...... this facility is out on the EWU campus in Cheney. Looking at the pictures of just some of their archival holdings, wouldn't you suppose that information on your Washington-dwelling ancestor might be hiding in them???

Would you (and I'm principally addressing EWGS members) be interested in a field trip out to these archives as a "regular" meeting some Saturday?? A day for a tour and for research? Let me or your Board know your preference.

Vendor Spotlight: Washington Secretary of State - Digital Archives

The Washington Secretary of State - Digital Archives will be exhibiting at the Washington State Genealogical Society's 2009 State Conference being held this coming weekend at The Davenport Hotel in Spokane.

The State Archives are under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State, and the main physical archives housing the state's records collections are held in Olympia. In addition, there are five regional archives which house many of the county and local archival collections of their respective regions: Northwest, Southwest, Central, Eastern, and Puget Sound.

Furthermore, the state pioneered an award-winning digital archives project that has been a trailblazer and model for other states and even other nations. The purpose of the Digital Archives has been two-fold: to digitize physical records in the state's records collections and make them available online; and to preserve electronic state records (such as former governors' websites) for posterity. The Digital Archives is centered at the Eastern Washington State Regional Archives in Cheney and this facility is one of the tours being made available for the conference on Friday afternoon. Also, State Archivist Jerry Handfield and Assistant Archivist of the Eastern Washington State Regional Archives Lee Pierce will be making presentations on Saturday during the conference.

If you have Washington State ancestors, you will definitely want to sign up for the above presentations and tour and make a stop at the Secretary of State - Digital Archives vendor table to obtain more information about how the archives can further your genealogical research. WSGS and EWGS welcome the Secretary of State - Digital Archives to our state conference!

Click on the link below to register.

Online Registration
(need help with the online registration? read our tutorial here)

Brochure and Saturday Schedule
(to help you choose your classes and activities)

Mail-in Registration Form
(for those who prefer registering offline - or you may prefer to fill out and use this form to register in person at the conference to ensure your registration is received before the conference begins)

If you are interested in being a vendor at the Washington State Genealogical Society's 2009 State Conference, would like to advertise in our syllabus, or if you have an item or service which you would like to donate as a door or raffle prize, please contact Miriam Robbins Midkiff.

3D Animated Flags--By 3DFlags.com

Washington State Named Number One by Ancestry Magazine

Recently, Family Tree Magazine ranked Washington State the Number Two state for online resources in its May 2009 issue (already mailed to subscribers; coming soon to a newsstand near you).

Today, I read an article in the March/April 2009 issue of Ancestry magazine online, titled "The Wired States of America: A Look at Digital Records Near You." On page 10 of this online article, Ancestry names Washington State as its Number One state for online resources, thanks to the over 60 million searchable records in its state Digital Archives collection, the same reason that Family Tree Magazine gave us a thumbs up.

Have you checked out the Washington State Digital Archives yet?

Washington State Named Second Best

Washington State was named the second best state in the country for genealogy in Family Tree Magazine (May 2009). Massachusetts came in at No. 1, thanks to its Mayflower passenger list and the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

The article says, “Washington ranks No. 2 on our best list – but with a footnote: Next time, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it rise to No. 1.”

Washington State Digital Archives Rated Best

History buffs, genealogy fans, and those who just want to know who great-great Uncle Bill really married, can thank the family tree that they live in the Evergreen State. Because when it comes to searching family history online, Washington State Digital Archives is simply the best in the country. (And that was not just made up…)

The Digital Archives got a well-deserved nod in the just-on-newsstands edition of Ancestry Magazine, which put out its “most Wired States of America” rankings and gave the Evergreen State the top spot for online genealogical records.

This really comes as no surprise to Sam Reed – our State Archivist tells Sam Reed we have more than 80,000,000 records – yes, 80,000,0000 – on the Web that the public can click through to dig into their past.

And he also adds, “We are only just beginning.”

If you haven’t seen or visited the Digital Archives, do it virtually 24/7 at http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/. This program – which makes millions and millions of important records, photographs and thousands of audio recordings available instantly – is the first of the kind in the country and is now a model for other states wanting to preserve records electronically.

Other states that got thumbs up by Ancestry Magazine for their online genealogical records searches included Missouri, Illinois, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Washington State Archives Celebrates Archives Month

The Washington State Archives is celebrating Archives Month all over the Evergreen State during the month of October. "...[T]hrough a series of free public workshops and seminars, the State Archives reveals how historic documents can shed on people’s home lives – from the actual structure they live in, to their family lineage, to the state they call home...'At Home in the Archives' [is] an entire 31 days dedicated to better understanding historical records, how to preserve them, and how to use them to better understand the key aspects of everyday life."

A calendar of events for the entire state can be found here. Although the month is nearly half over, there are still upcoming events in our area that will prove interesting to those who wish to learn more about local history and archives:

• Researching Your House History Workshop
  WHEN: Saturday, October 18th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  WHERE: Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Research Library & Archives and Spokane Public Library Northwest Room
  DETAILS: Learn how to research your home's history at a fun Saturday workshop. Sessions are led by staff from the Spokane Public Library's Northwest Room and the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Research Library & Archives. Space is limited to 15 and pre-registration is required. Workshop fee: $30 for Museum members, $35 for non-members.
  INFORMATION and REGISTRATION: Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Research Library & Archives, 456-393
• The Basics of Archives
  WHEN: Tuesday, October 28th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  WHERE: Washington State Digital Archives, Cheney
  DETAILS: If you work or volunteer in an organization that deals with historical records - whether it's a museum, historic house, city clerk's office, the library's local history room, or a historic site - and are not a trained archivist, you will want to take this FREE workshop at the location nearest you.
  INFORMATION and REGISTRATION: Brochure for details and registration.

Washington State Archives Month

October is Washington State Archives Month; see their home page here.