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Programs presented during 2013 - 2014Click HERE to display programs presented during theprevious society year. Monday September 9th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Jan Sjåvik Jan Sjåvik is Professor and Chair of the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington, where he has taught since 1978. With degrees from Brigham Young University and Harvard, his primary areas of expertise are Scandinavian literature, Norwegian prose fiction, and critical theory. He has published four books as well as many articles and reviews. He has also been involved in Norwegian family history research for almost fifty years, and has taught the subject on and off for the past three decades. Whether or not your interest is in Scandinavian Genealogy, you should try to attend this session since it is our only chance to hear this distinguished speaker. More information can be found at http://scandinavian.washington.edu/people/jan-sjavik. As always, annual membership fees are payable at the September meeting. Monday October 14th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Roger Sherman Roger Sherman is a well-known Whidbey Island historian and a descendant of island pioneers. He lives in Coupeville and regularly leads tours of Sunnyside cemetery. Roger is an excellent speaker and a font of island family history and lore and has written extensively on Island County subjects. His book on the Calista sinking can be purchased at the museum store in Coupeville or online. Monday November 11th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Eric Stroschein
Eric Stroschein is a professional forensic genealogist
who owns, with his wife,
Generations Detective, a genealogical research firm. He is
a member of the
Association of Professional Genealogists, Genealogical Speakers Guild,
National Genealogical Society and speaks frequently on a variety of
subjects. Monday December 9th, Holiday Program, 1:00 p.m. Program: Annual Holiday Potluck and Personal Research Review Come prepared to present a few words on an interesting aspect of your current research, an interesting book you've found or anything else notable you've discovered. Family artifacts are also appropriate. This will be our annual Holiday potluck luncheon. Please bring a salad, entree or dessert sufficient to serve eight people. Monday January 13th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Doreen Johnson Newspapers are rapidly being digitized all over the world and as a result they've been described by some people as the 'next big thing' in genealogical research. Finding your ancestors in their local newspapers can make a world of difference in your understanding of their lives. We'll discuss where to look for newspapers and how to use them when you do. Monday February 10th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Eva Doherty Gremmert Eva Doherty Gremmert is a professional genealogist specializing in Irish research and she has extensive research experience in the United States, Germany, United Kingdom and the Ukraine. Eva has spent 30 years traveling in the US and Europe, doing research for herself and others. Eva was named the Worldwide Reunion Coordinator for the O’Dochartaigh clan, and is now planning the 2015 gathering. She is a founding member of the Irish Genealogical and Historical Society, and is currently on its board of directors. Eva has researched and published five books on her family history and hosts two major genealogy research websites. She and her husband Arden maintain homes in Carnation, WA and Carndonagh, Co. Donegal, Ireland. Contact her at egremmert@comcast.net. Monday March 10th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: Mary Roddy Mary Roddy, a Certified Public Accountant, has been a genealogist since 2000. She earned a certificate from the Genealogy and Family History program at the University of Washington in 2005 and is an active member of the Seattle Genealogical Society. She has served SGS in multiple board positions and on the seminar and education committees. In addition, she lectures frequently on various genealogical topics in the Seattle area. World
War II is the earliest war where we can actually speak to the veterans
themselves, the men and women who served. This
talk will present a case study, fleshing out a basic story of a pilot
and crew of a B-17 shot down over Monday April 14th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Merv Scott
Merv
is Projects Director for the Victoria Genealogy Society and an
enthusiastic volunteer. When he's not travelling abroad or kayaking he
is likely to be found working on one of his genealogy projects which
include: recruited teachers in development of a free online resource
for teachers and students called Genealogy in the Classroom; won
international Ask Granny Chapter of the Year Award; wrote a youth
activity book 'Who's in your family tree?'; leads the 'Voices of the
Past' audio memory project; and more. Monday May 12th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker: Claire Gebben Claire Gebben studied genealogy with Sarah Thorsen Little at South Seattle Community College, is a member of the Eastside Genealogical Society in Bellevue, and has served for over ten years as the archivist of the First United Methodist Church of Seattle. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing. The
discovery, in an attic in Freinsheim, Germany, of old family
letters launched Claire on a quest to find out about
the life of her great-great grandfather Michael Harm, who emigrated
from the Bavarian Rhineland to Cleveland, Ohio in 1857 to apprentice as
a blacksmith. Growing fascinated with the 19th century German immigrant
experience, she decided to write a novel based on the life of
her ancestor, The Last of the Blacksmiths, published
this February by Coffeetown Press.
Research on Michael Harm’s life led Claire into an age when the German immigrant population in some U.S. cities rivaled that of the English. In the mid-19th century, millions of Germans came to the New World in search of a better life. What influence did these German Americans have on the culture, politics, education, economics and family life of the day? And what has become of them? Claire will share insights learned along her journey, as well as unique issues regarding research into German family history. Monday June 9th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m. Speaker:
Gary
Zimmerman Gary Zimmerman, President of the Fiske Genealogy Library, and one of our all-time favorite speakers, will explore the options one has when seeking a willing repository of past genealogical research - how do you decide what goes to your own heirs, what is better sent to an appropriate genealogical society library, and when should materials be offered to museums and other repositories that may not have just a family history focus. How you organize the files and library materials before making the offer of a gift will have a big impact on how they will be received by a new owner. Grandmother may not have thought about these things, but you should probably consider it as you discover what is in her trunk and what you already have shelved away in your own home. (The same questions may apply to genealogical societies themselves as their archives keep getting deeper and deeper!) |