The EWGS Blog is One of Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for 2011!

Have you heard? Family Tree Magazine has named the EWGS Blog as one of its 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for 2011!

This site is all about community: It shares frequent news and information with a small but involved group based out of Spokane. Find a great page of links for those researching roots in eastern Washington state.

Our blog was listed as one of five in the Local and Regional Research category, along with distinguished blogs such as the Brooklyn Historical Society Blog, the California Genealogical Society and Library Blog (which also won last year), the New York History Blog, and the Sandusky History Blog out of Ohio. Other categories included Everything Blogs, Cemeteries, Technology Blogs, Heritage Groups, Research Advice, New Blogs, and My Family History. Go here to see the complete list and to add the entire 40 to your Google Reader account.

The EWGS Blog is written by a team of bloggers: Charles Hansen, Miriam Robbins Midkiff, and Donna Potter Phillips, each of whom writes at least one other genealogy blog of their own! We encourage you to check out the links and widgets in the sidebars of this blog (if you're viewing this message in a feed reader such as Google Reader, or have subscribed to receive posts in your email, you'll want to go directly to the blog to see these features) and also to visit our website. We'd also like to express our appreciation to the many individuals who nominated and voted for our blog and to the expert panel who made the tough decisions of whittling down the list to just 40 winners!

Spokane Area Legacy Users Group to Meet Wednesday, March 16th

If you are a Legacy Family Tree genealogy software user, or are simply curious about this genealogy software program, you may be interested in the Legacy Users Group (LUG), which will meet next Wednesday, March 16th, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM in the meeting room of the Shadle Park Branch of the Spokane Public Library at 2111 W. Wellesley. This meeting is free and open to the public. Regular attendees will take turns in the role of moderator for each meeting.  If you have more questions, please contact Donna Potter Phillips here.

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Genealogy Section Downtown SPL

If you do not recognize this place, then may I politely say "shame on you?" This is our wonderful Genealogy Section in the downtown Spokane Public Library. I took this moments before the doors opened and a dozen folks, helpers and seekers, came happily into the area, all intent on learning more about their family's history. Helpers from EWGS are there on Tuesdays; perhaps you should come down for a visit?

EWGS enjoyed the "Bing thing"

EWGS was well represented at the "Bing thing" today..... the Bing Crosby Family History event at Gonzaga, sponsored by our state library. I estimated that half the group was from EWGS. If you weren't there you missed a fun day.

Howard Crosby, Bing's nephew and former golfing partner, knew his uncle well and shared some great stories about Bing. In his day Bing was a much bigger sensation that Elvis, the Beatles or Michael Jackson ever were. But according to Howard, he was a really great guy.

Wanting to take a good class?

Our very own Miriam Robbins Midkiff is offering 3 terrific classes in April and May:

Military Records -- Tuesday, April 26th, 6:00-9:00pm -- Centerplace, Room 209
Vital & Cemetery Records -- Tuesday, April 31th, 6:00-9:00pm -- Centerplace, Room 209
These two classes are $25 each.

Who Do YOU Think You Are? -- Tuesday, May 3rd through Tuesday, May 24th, 6:00-8:00,
Centerplace, Room 209 -- This class is $49.

Call 279-6030 or click to www.ccs.spokane.edu/ContinuingEd for more information or to register.

Miriam is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic teacher and you will enjoy and learn from any of her classes.

2011 Directory Now Available to Members in Hard Copy (and Online!)

In today's mail, I received the brand new, lilac-covered 2011 Directory of EWGS members shown below. Every EWGS member will be receiving one in the mail very shortly. These are so handy to tuck in your genealogy notebook or your car when you're out and about working on EWGS projects!

Directory editors Rod and Darlinda Ramer did an excellent job on this project, inputting countless hours of work and careful checking, and working alongside Membership Chair Pat Ewers to ensure that the directory was as accurate and up-to-date as possible. As a member, if you see an error in your information, please contact Pat as soon as possible, so that we can get the word out to other members.

Also, if you are a member, you have access to the Membership Directory online on our website as well. This online information is private and secure, and only accessible to other members, not the public. To access this information, go to the EWGS website, http://www.ewgsi.org, and click on the Members tab in the left hand column.

 Log in (if you don't know your login information, your user name is the first initial of your first name, plus your last name; in my case it is "mmidkiff". Your password is your five-digit zip code, and yes! you can change it to your own secret one later...I did!).

After you login, you will see a small menu of choices under the Members tab in the left hand column. Click on the Membership link and you will be brought to a database of member names, addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

You can browse through this list alphabetically, search for a specific member's name, or download the list as a .pdf file to your computer.

Thanks to webmaster Cecily Cone Kelly for all her hard work on our website!

NEWS FLASH!

The flyer giving all the details about author Dan Lynch (Google Your Family Tree) is now posted to our EWGSI.org website! Thank you, Miriam, for doing all the leg work (and Maria for helping) and thank you, Cecily, for getting it posted. March and April are going to be banner learning months for EWGS!

You can also download the flyer here.