What you missed February 2, 2019 EWGS Meeting

To celebrate Black History month EWGS had Stephen Pitters come and tell about his genealogy and life as a black college student in Louisiana in the 1960s.

 EWGS President Dolly Webb conducting the business meeting

 Stephen Pitters

 Stephen setting up display of pictures and the books he has written

What You Missed April 7th 2018 EWGS Meeting

Well today was a good day to spend inside and a large group of eager genealogists. First up the general meeting, approving the minutes, treasurers report, writing contest update, and announcements on WSGS dues and 2019 WSGS meeting in October 2019 here in Spokane.

Vice President Mary Holcomb conducting the general meeting.

Sonji Ruttan and Lee Pierce setting up.

 Lee Pierce talking about the Eastern State Archives and the Washington State Digital Archives.

Next was the pot luck lunch, hard to not eat everything in sight. 

The board met next and we nearly froze in the sanctuary.

Last was Carol Buswell talking about the National Archives and how they can help genealogists.

Here is an answer to one question about the railroad retirement records being moved to the Atlanta branch of NARA thanks to Google.

What You Missed November 4, 2017 Meeting The Butler Group

The November 2017 meeting was the Butler Group that was postponed from February because of a big snowstorm in February. They were predicting snow again so I was wondering if we would ever get to see the research the Butler group had done.

The city is still working on the Combined Sewer Overflow tank right next to the Spokane Public Library. This will be one of the largest CSO tanks in Spokane and will stop the flow of raw sewage into the river when there is a large snow melt or a big rain storm.

This is the group of officers for EWGS for 2018. The Election was held in the early part of the business meeting. Thanks for volunteering.

Then there was a break and the cookies were wonderful, thanks for whoever brought them.

This is the Butler Group looking for the descendants of Nace Butler that was one of the 272 Slaves sold by Georgetown University in 1838 to pay the bills that Georgetown University had at that time.
They had a lot information along the side of the room of printouts they had found so far.  They had a couple of clues that helped, Georgetown was a Catholic school and all the slaves were Catholic, and some had surnames both were uncommon for slaves, so tracing them was a little easier than a lot of slave research.

What You Missed April 1, 2017 DNA Seminar

The day started out interesting as the Video hookup for the Country Holmes Christian Church would not hook up to the computer of the speaker Mary Kathryn Kozy without an adapter and no one had one on them so the new projector that EWGS had just purchased was hooked up and worked perfectly. It was supposed to be demonstrated at the board meeting today, but everyone got to see it work.

 Hooking up our new EWGS projector

EWGS President Pat Bayonne-Johnson started the meeting a 9 am.

After introducing guests and the treasurers report Mary Kathryn Kozy presented her first session on DNA Fundamental and mitochondrial testing. A short break to try to eat up some of the cookies, brownies and other sweets and then on to second session. This one was on Y-DNA testing and its applications to Genealogy and a little on X-DNA. Both of these sessions were very informative and a lot of questions asked and answered so I hope everyone understands DNA now.

Next was lunch and sampling all the goodies brought in by EWGS members. Same problem as always way too much food and not enough people to eat it all up.

Mary Kathryn Kozy answering questions while she ate lunch.

Next the drawing for the door prize and raffle prizes and they did not even get close to my numbers.

The last two sessions started early in order to get done early so we could get home to watch the Gonzaga and South Carolina basketball game. ( The Zags won and will play for the championship on Monday)

First session was Can you Help Me Find My Cousins? Understanding Autosomal DNA. This one has changed the scientific thought on how DNA was passed from generation to generation. The last session was Using your Results, Gedmatch and other Third Party Tools. Not sure an hour to go over these tools could even scratch the surface of this subject, and then new tools are coming online also.

What You Missed March 4, 2017 EWGS Meeting

March is Women's History Month and so our topic was Finding Women Ancestors by Kim E. Morgan.

Kim is an author and here she is holding her book.

She started out with three people from the audience playing  To Tell The Truth, where each lady said she was Nancy Jane Justice, and each had references to prove that she was the real Nancy Jane Justice. And after several questions and even having her husband trying to tell the correct Nancy Jane Justice proof came from the probate of her father, and it turned out all three ladies were Nancy Jane Justice even though the sources seemed to make a case that there was three different ladies.

Andrew Chanse the Library director also came to inform us about the upcoming Library Levi that will be on the April 25th ballot extending the Library Levi for seven years this time at the same rate as it has been for three years. He told that it has helped keep the East Central, Hillyard and Indian Trail libraries open 8 hours a day 5 days a week, and that if the levi fails the library board might have to cut the hours at these three branches or even close a branch. So if you are a city resident please support the library levi.

Andrew Chanse and EWGS President Pat Bayonne-Johnson

What you Missed at the EWGS June 4, 2016 Meeting

The day started out with the EWGS board meeting, and Oweta Floyd presented President Pat Bayonne-Johnson with  a birthday cake:

The meeting was delayed as the cake cutting started and we all got a piece of the birthday cake.

We finished our delicious cake and the board meeting.
Like a dummy I did not get any photos of the general meeting, but Jesse Tinsley from the Spokesman Review was the speaker. He is a photographer and does the Then and Now column that appears every Monday. He showed several of the columns and the handout on how he does the research so we can all do our own Then and Now photos.

EWGS January 2016 Luncheon, What You Missed

Today started out cold again but with the bright sun out we headed to the Pearl China Buffet for the EWGS Board meeting. Lunch was a buffet, and even though I am not a real explorer of food it was a good lunch and the price was very good also. The room we were in at the back was pretty private, so a good place to hold the annual meeting where we honor the past presidents. Three were there, Jeanne Coe, Bill Hire and Donna Phillips.

The regular meeting started with a prize give away from the Digital Digest contest to find a Kindle Fire. and it went to Sonji Ruttan.  

The meeting continued and then the passing of the gavel from Donna Phillips to our new EWGS President Pat Bayonne-Johnson.

 Congratulations Pat.

What you Missed December 5th 2015 EWGS Meeting

Saturday turned out to be a nice day, a little cold, but sunny. The symphony has their annual fund raiser in River Park Square Christmas Tree Elegance where they raffle off donated trees along with all the trimmings and a whole group of prizes.

This one had the whole home playground equipment for the kids.

The huge Christmas Tree in the River Park Square lobby.

This photo and most following is memorabilia from members military ancestors.

 

These two above are from a gold star mother.

Then Dani Lee and Doug gave out the prize for finding the scanner in the Digital Digest.

Christmas Treats brought in by the wonderful cooks.

EWGS November 2015 Meeting What You Missed

Saturday was a nice day and I was going to walk through Huntington Park before the EWGS meeting, but they had a sign closed for the winter. It is very steep in places so if it was slick it would be hard to get to the bottom and the spray from the falls might make the footing treacherous.

Huntington Park is between the Spokane Public Library and the Spokane Falls, for those that do not know Spokane very well.

EWGS donated $1000.00 to the Spokane Library to help with the purchase of two new microfilm scanners.

Library Director Andrew Chanse, and EWGS members Barbara Brazington, Dolly Webb and Patricia Bayonne-Johnson presenting the check to Andrew.

Next was the nominating committee listing the new officers for 2016.

Patricia Bayonne-Johnson President elect

Mary Holcomb

Oweta Floyd

Juanita McBride

John Ellingson

Dolly Webb

Patricia Ayers

After the break our speaker Brusan Rhoda-Wells talked on the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z, which may be the next Greatest Generation.

Brusan is a wonderful speaker, and if you missed this meeting you missed an excellent meeting.

What You Missed January 2014 Annual Luncheon

This nice and sunny morning started out cold, but soon arrived at the Timber Creek Buffet where EWGS was holding the 2014 luncheon to introduce the new officers and honor past presidents and the DSMs (Distinguished Service Members). At 10 am was the start of the board meeting and so we discussed our upcoming meetings. February is a book sale, March is the visit to the Digital Archives, April is going to be Leslie Lawson from Portland, Oregon. Also talked a little about Steve Morrison the October workshop speaker.

Here are the 2014 EWGS Officers

The Speaker was Donald McLaughlin 

Project Director for the Stevens County

Historical Society.

He talked about the Fort Walla Wall to

Fort Colville Road.

The food was good and the conversations between the

members is even better.

What you Missed December 7, 2013 EWGS Meeting

This months program was a celebration of families, vice president Mary Holcomb asked some of us to bring something from our families, and so looking at what others brought was a lot of fun. We had probably the longest gab session during the break. Also many of the people brought cookies, and so we got to sample great cookies. There were also some family stories..

Mary Holcolmb's Quilt

 

Pat Bayonne Johnson's Scrapbooks

Shirley Penna-Oakes cookbook and jello molds and cookie cutters

Jeanne Coe's family photos, and Dolly Webb's books

The father of Charles Hansen postcard collection and 

Marge Mero's fathers whittling and her mothers first

knitting.