This is the eighteenth in the series on the Presidents of EWGS leading up to the 75th anniversary in 2010. See the previous posts on Samuel Pool Weaver, Leora Cookingham Thiel, Susan Marie West Jack, Ruth Churchill Austin, Alfred Denman, Florence Ballou Brown, Harriet Jefferson Pinkham, Mary Elizabeth Dow Maltbie, Achsah Maltbie Rawlings, Lee DeGolyer Patchen, Susie Elliott Faubion, Edith Webb Nelson, Carrie Teats Lartigue' Guy Alfred Clumpner, Grace Ellis Woodward, Mabel Rue Frederick and Nell Hartman Peel.
Edwin Allan Poole was EWGS President in 1964. Edwin was born at Kaukauna, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, son of Edwin Franklin and Kathleen (Allan) Poole. In the Presbyterian church in Bison, Perkins County, South Dakota he married Gladys Thomte. She was born at Liston, North Dakota, daughter of John and Mary Louise (Paquin) Thomte. Ed was a school superintendent in South Dakota and then Sales Manager for Prudential Life Insurance in Spokane till he retired in 1968.
As I said in the last article on Nell Peel, Ed started the first EWGS bulletin in June of 1963, called Tree Talks. After three issues it became News Notes for about a year when it was called The Messenger for about three years. Then no name for a couple of years and in 1969 it became The Bulletin. Ed also wrote a nice five page article in The Bulletin in 1975 titled "The First Forty Years". One of the interesting paragraphs he wrote was: " There were many times in the past when books and money were contributed by the Society or its members. At one time $50 was given when that amount bought a lot more than it does now. Mrs. J. Fred Austin (the fourth EWGS president) and Mrs. Walter E. Fredrick (also an EWGS president) made several cash donations and often quietly added books to the library. In the 1940s when the library was considering the contract purchase of the costly vital records of the 70 Massachusetts towns, Mrs. Austin volunteered to donate $25 a year until the books were paid for. There are probably many others who like these fine ladies did much for the growing Society and the library." Another interesting fact Ed wrote about was at the first meeting of EWGS they decided to hold the meetings on the first Saturday of the month which is still true today.
Edwin died October 28, 1975 in Spokane and was buried at Fairmount Cemetery. He was a member of the Spokane Amateur Movie Club, Eastern Washington Genealogical Society, The Westerners Historical Society, the Huguenot Society of Washington State, Eastern Washington Historical Society and Audubon Park Masonic Lodge 272. He was survived by his wife Gladys and daughter Carmen Farley. Gladys Poole was a school teacher, and worked as a chemist for Alcoa Aluminum during the war. She died in December 2000 and her obit appeared in the Spokesman review December 29, 2000. She helped author the book Genealogy and Family History of John Pool(e), 1630-1981.
Genealogical news from Spokane, Washington, USA, and the Inland Northwest.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Historic Map Works Purchases Metsker Maps
Historic Map Works is pleased to announce the acquisition of Metsker Maps, the long running map publishing business from Tacoma, Washington.
During their almost century long run, the Metsker family produced approximately 300 county atlases and 400 county wall maps of Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, and Northern California. Scanning the newly acquired maps will add approximately 10,000 images to the 1.2 million map related images already available on www.HistoricMapWorks.com. You can read more about these historic maps and see examples of our first scans from the new collection here.
During their almost century long run, the Metsker family produced approximately 300 county atlases and 400 county wall maps of Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, and Northern California. Scanning the newly acquired maps will add approximately 10,000 images to the 1.2 million map related images already available on www.HistoricMapWorks.com. You can read more about these historic maps and see examples of our first scans from the new collection here.
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On a personal note, my husband and I have been using Metsker maps over the course of the last 22 years, for camping, history, local road trips, and the like. They are very common here in Washington, and it's not unusual to see them in any hardware or convenience store. The fact that they were only limited to the West is news to me; I thought they had mapped the entire U.S., and always planned to purchase some for my ancestral locations:
Unlike many publishers of the time who limited themselves to publishing maps of more developed areas, the Metsker family excelled at recording the history of the then rural and wilderness geographies. Many of our users already use Metsker Maps to study the boundary changes to state and national parks as well as helping land use enthusiast to locate former logging trails, timber camps, gold mines, and other areas of industry which flourished and then quietly faded away during the Northwest's various booms and busts. In many instances, the only way to locate these now ghost towns and overgrown roads is to look on a map published by Metsker Maps.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Updates to Three Genealogy Television Shows
It was brought to my attention that the air times and dates for Faces of America were incorrect in my last post. I have changed them and they are correct to the best of my knowledge. Additional information on BYU-TV's channels has also been added.
Three Genealogy Television Shows
If you haven't already heard, there are three genealogy televisions shows either currently broadcasting or soon to be!
The first one is The Generations Project, which first aired January 4, 2010 on BYU-TV. This is "a new reality series that helps those who have questions about their family history investigate their own identities by walking in the shoes of their ancestors. As they undertake these journeys, they often uncover the hidden identities in family pasts, and come to see that in many cases the best way to know who you are is to know who you came from." Ordinary people are featured on this program, rather than celebrities. In the Spokane area, you can watch this show on Channel 232 on Comcast Cable and Channel 9403 on Dish Network. The Generations Project is aired four times during the week so check your listings. You can also watch the most current episode on their website at http://www.byub.org/thegenerationsproject/. Older episodes will be available to view online starting in April.
The first one is The Generations Project, which first aired January 4, 2010 on BYU-TV. This is "a new reality series that helps those who have questions about their family history investigate their own identities by walking in the shoes of their ancestors. As they undertake these journeys, they often uncover the hidden identities in family pasts, and come to see that in many cases the best way to know who you are is to know who you came from." Ordinary people are featured on this program, rather than celebrities. In the Spokane area, you can watch this show on Channel 232 on Comcast Cable and Channel 9403 on Dish Network. The Generations Project is aired four times during the week so check your listings. You can also watch the most current episode on their website at http://www.byub.org/thegenerationsproject/. Older episodes will be available to view online starting in April.
The second show also has already begun airing. This is Faces of America, a four-part series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on PBS.Our local television station, KSPS, threw a bit of a monkey wrench into things when they aired the first episode last Wednesday at 7 PM, instead of 8 PM as it was nationally advertised. The subsequent three episodes will also air at 7 PM on Wednesday nights from February 17th through March 3rd. In this show, Gates "turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans — professor and poet Elizabeth Alexander, chef Mario Batali, comedian Stephen Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, journalist Malcolm Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, musician Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi." Previously aired episodes will be available to watch online every Thursday following the airing at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/.
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And last, but certainly not least, the American version of the British and Canadian genealogy reality series, Who Do You Think You Are? will begin broadcasting on NBC on Friday, March 5th! Seven celebrities (Matthew Broderick, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith) embark on the journeys of their lives--the quest to discover the genealogical roots of who they are. If the show does well this spring, it is hoped that it will renew for the fall! You can read more about it here.
If you have a Facebook account, you can become a fan of all three shows: The Generations Project, Faces of America, and Who Do You Think You Are? fan pages. And if you're a Twitter user, there are hashtags for two of the shows: #FOA, #wdytya
If you have a Facebook account, you can become a fan of all three shows: The Generations Project, Faces of America, and Who Do You Think You Are? fan pages. And if you're a Twitter user, there are hashtags for two of the shows: #FOA, #wdytya
EWGS Presidents: Nell Hartman Peel
This is the seventeenth in the series on the Presidents of EWGS leading up to the 75th anniversary in 2010. See the previous posts on Samuel Pool Weaver, Leora Cookingham Thiel, Susan Marie West Jack, Ruth Churchill Austin, Alfred Denman, Florence Ballou Brown, Harriet Jefferson Pinkham, Mary Elizabeth Dow Maltbie and Achsah Maltbie Rawlings, Lee DeGolyer Patchen, Susie Elliott Faubion, Edith Webb Nelson, Carrie Teats Lartigue and Guy Alfred Clumpner, Grace Ellis Woodward and Mabel Rue Frederick.
In 1961 the next EWGS President was Lee Patchen again, so I will go on to Nell Hartman Peel the 1962 and 1963 EWGS President. Did not find much on Nell, she appears in the Spokane City directories in the 1920s, and married Samuel E. Peel June 18, 1932 in Stevens County. I did not find much on Samuel either, he was living in Spokane in the 1920 census age 53 born in Canada. In 1930 I found Nell here in Spokane in a boarding house age 40, but no Samuel. After they married I did not find them again. In the 1940 city directory Nell is back, working for the school district as a clerk, and after that either a clerk or a teacher, but no Samuel, so maybe he went back to Canada?? Nell did leave Spokane to live in Rockford, Illinois, and passed away at Rockford January 29, 1985. Probably the highlight of her time as EWGS President was the first bulletin. The first publication was in June of 1963, by Edwin A. Poole (more on him later). It began as a one page publication called TREE TALKS. After three issues it became NEWS NOTES for about a year when it was called the MESSENGER for approximately three years. Then no name until 1969 when it was named THE BULLETIN which continues on to today. Copies of all those issues are in the periodical section of the genealogical section of the Spokane Library, and many of the issues have been indexed by Google Books.
In 1961 the next EWGS President was Lee Patchen again, so I will go on to Nell Hartman Peel the 1962 and 1963 EWGS President. Did not find much on Nell, she appears in the Spokane City directories in the 1920s, and married Samuel E. Peel June 18, 1932 in Stevens County. I did not find much on Samuel either, he was living in Spokane in the 1920 census age 53 born in Canada. In 1930 I found Nell here in Spokane in a boarding house age 40, but no Samuel. After they married I did not find them again. In the 1940 city directory Nell is back, working for the school district as a clerk, and after that either a clerk or a teacher, but no Samuel, so maybe he went back to Canada?? Nell did leave Spokane to live in Rockford, Illinois, and passed away at Rockford January 29, 1985. Probably the highlight of her time as EWGS President was the first bulletin. The first publication was in June of 1963, by Edwin A. Poole (more on him later). It began as a one page publication called TREE TALKS. After three issues it became NEWS NOTES for about a year when it was called the MESSENGER for approximately three years. Then no name until 1969 when it was named THE BULLETIN which continues on to today. Copies of all those issues are in the periodical section of the genealogical section of the Spokane Library, and many of the issues have been indexed by Google Books.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Intermediate Online Genealogy Course
If you live in the Spokane area, Miriam Robbins Midkiff would like to invite you to take her Intermediate Online Genealogy Course, available through the Community Colleges of Spokane's Institute for Extended Learning (IEL). Classes will be held Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for six weeks at the CenterPlace campus, 2426 N. Discovery Way, Spokane Valley, Washington.
This course will cover using Internet resources to research military, naturalization and immigration, court, and land records, as well as explore various genealogy websites such as Footnote, WorldVitalRecords, GenealogyBank, and HeritageQuest. Taking my beginning course is recommended; however, if you are comfortable researching vital, cemetery, and census records, have a working knowledge of the Internet, as well as an e-mail address, you are welcome to sign up for this course.
You may register for this course (L116) by calling the IEL at (509) 279-6030 or (800) 845-3324; you can also register online by going to the course webpage here.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Presidents Day Flag Retirement Ceremony
courtesy of 3DFlags
Fairmount Memorial Association
with
The Sons of the American Revolution
&
The Inland Northwest Chapter of American Red Cross
Proudly Announces
A Solemn American
Flag Retirement
Ceremony
on
Presidents Day
Monday, February 15, 2010
(A Federal, State, and School Holiday)
1 o'clock p.m.
at
The Lofty Cross of Inspiration
Top Terrace, Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
211 North Government Way
Spokane, Washington
For Directions or More Information, Call
(509) 747-4029
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