Chesley R. Graves
about 1906
According to his granddaughter, he definitely was NOT a cowboy.
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Monthly Programs
The Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island meets on the second Monday of every month September through June for presentations by knowledgeable speakers on subjects of genealogical interest. Meetings generally start at 1:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Chapel at the corner of Highway 525 and Woodard Road in Freeland (view map and directions).
Programs are open to the public. Guests are invited to their first two meetings at no charge.
Videotapes of selected past programs are available for members to borrow. See our Library page for details.
Board of Directors Meetings
Meetings are held the second Monday of each month, usually at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Chapel in Freeland (view map).
Education Classes
Classes on various research topics are generally held at 11:45 a.m. prior to the general meeting (except in September) in the classroom next to the public meeting room. The class uses First Steps in Genealogy by Desmond Walls Allen as its textbook. Director of Education is Ann Wright.
Field Trips
Trips to local sites of genealogical interest are held during the fourth week of the month, Usually on Mondays or Tuesdays. Please check the newsletter for specific information.
Software User Groups
Currently, two groups have formed and meet separately at the Freeland Library conference room. The first group helps people with Windows-based computers learn to use their computers more effectively. The second group brings together people who use the Legacy genealogy software package to help one another solve problems or resolve any issues they are having with it.
September 2008
Monday the 8th: Board of Directors Meeting, 10:30 a.m., Trinity Chapel
No Education Classes This Month
The instructors will have handouts to give to those interested in the classes.
Monday the 8th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m.
"Meet and Greet" (no speaker)
As has been done frequently in the past, the September meeting will be centered on a "Meet and Greet" theme. Members and guests should come prepared to give a very short synopsis of their current genealogical research with any geographical or time period emphasis. Also of interest to the membership would be any research or organizational tips found to be useful in genealogical research. Time per member will be limited so please be as concise and brief as possible. Plan to attend the September meeting to share your research interests with fellow members. Annual membership fees will also be paid at the September meeting.
Wednesday the 17th: Software User Groups, Freeland Library Conference Room
The Computer Interest Group will meet from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. The topic will be backing up your data. Please notify Doreen at the GSSWI email address if you plan to attend to ensure she has enough handouts for everyone.
The Legacy User Group will meet the same day from 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. or beyond. The topic is to be determined.
Tuesday the 23rd: Field trip to Auburn Public Library
This branch of the King County Library system houses the library of the South King County Genealogical Society and other items of genealogical interest belonging to the King County Library. Sign up at the meeting or send a request to our email: genealogysociety@whidbey.com
October 2008
Monday the 13th: Board of Directors Meeting, 10:30 a.m., Trinity Chapel
Monday the 13th: Education Classes, 11:45 a.m.
Beginning class topic: Getting Started, or "What do I do first?"; Citing Your Sources
Intermediate class topic: Advanced Panel Discussion, presented by society advanced researchers
Monday the 13th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: Karen Sipe
Program: Greek Revival & Clock Towers: Courthouses of your Ancestors
Karen V. Sipe has been doing genealogical research since 1972. During this time she has traveled nationally and internationally visiting a number of court houses, archives and, of course, cemeteries. She has been teaching classes and giving lectures since about 1984. Her genealogical education has come by doing and attending local and national (NGS and FGS) conferences. To her credit, Karen is past president of the Whatcom Genealogical Society and has written a number of articles for Heritage Quest, including one for the NGS Newsletter. Currently she is a volunteer at NARA Seattle and with the Missouri State Archives on their transcription projects.
Court actions are both civil and criminal in nature. As genealogists, we look more to civil proceedings and land transactions. Will this cause you to miss out on really good information for your family research? Karen will explore and highlight available records at the court house and beyond.
Tuesday the 28th: Field trip to Seattle Public Library
This is the main branch of the Seattle Public library and houses the genealogical collection. This collection includes city directories (many from Washington but also areas of the US), the DAR registers, local histories from around the US, family histories, census, newspaper and biographies.
November 2008
Monday the 10th: Board of Directors Meeting, 10:30 a.m., Trinity Chapel
Monday the 10th: Education Classes, 11:45 a.m.
Beginning class topic: Filling out Family Group Records; Filing all those papers; Recording where you've looked, or "This looks familiar."
Intermediate class topic: Military Records, led by Ann Wright
Monday the 10th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: Laura Pemberton Sparr
Program: Workshop on Document Data Extraction
Laura Sparr, a favorite speaker of our society, is a past president and vice-president of the Washington Genealogical Society. Last December, she conducted for our society a very popular workshop on document data extraction. Laura is always an entertaining and informative speaker and her presentations are not to be missed!
Laura's discussion this year will center on the sometimes difficult problem of locating records on female members of a family tree. Since she has spoken previously on this topic at other locations, we can expect to be properly educated on the subject!
Tuesday the 18th: Field trip to National Archives/Seattle Genealogy Society
The archives houses census from 1790 to 1930, including some state census; original land and homestead records for Washington Territory; city directories; Civil War Veterans Index; Revolutionary War Veterans Index; and pensions file.
December 2008
Monday the 8th: Board of Directors Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Monday the 8th: Education Classes, 11:45 a.m.
Beginning class topic: Repositories – what are they and why do I want to go there?
Intermediate class topic: Advanced Panel Discussion, presented by society advanced researchers
Monday the 8th: Potluck at noon followed by the Monthly Program at 1:00 p.m.
Program: Bring and Brag Session
Be prepared to display and discuss some favorite part of your genealogical artifacts, photos or other memorabilia. There will be, though, a strict time limit of two minutes per person!
This meeting will also feature a potluck luncheon in celebration of the holiday season, so it will be a great opportunity so socialize with other members. Specific details will be published at a later date.
No field trip this month
January 2009
Monday the 12th: Board of Directors Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Monday the 12th: Education Classes, 11:45 a.m.
Beginning class: "Don't know much 'bout history" won't be your song anymore!
Intermediate class topic: State by State, led by Ann Wright.
Monday the 12th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: Bobbi Sandberg
Program: Setting up a Family Website
A descendant of Island and Skagit County's pioneers, Bobbi Sandberg has been playing with computers since her teens. A technical writer and instructor of "all things computer" she offers tips and tricks to make the most reluctant computer user comfortable with their recalcitrant machine. She has spoken to the society in the past on technological issues and is one of our most popular speakers.
This presentation will deal with the procedures, issues and mechanics of setting up a family website. Bobbi has a lot of experience with the creation of websites and her talk is sure to be of use to those who are interested in setting up such a website either now or in the future.
Tuesday the 27th: Field trip to Suzzallo and Allen Libraries at the University of Washington
This is not a genealogical library (they say) but it houses state, county, family and individuals' histories, plus newspapers from around the world. It also has a special collection of the Pacific Northwest.
February 2009
Monday the 9th: Board of Directors Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Monday the 9th: Education Classes, 11:45 a.m.
Beginning class: Timelines; Maps
Intermediate class topic: Advanced Panel Discussion, presented by society advanced researchers
Monday the 9th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: Terry Beck
Program: Interlibrary Loan and Sno-Isle Genealogical Resources
Terry Beck is the manager of Adult and Teen Services for the Sno-Isle Library system. She's been with Sno-Isle for almost 10 years, having relocated to the Northwest from the Chicago area. She's been a librarian for more than 20 years, having worked in the Chicago Metropolitan area until her move west. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from St. Xavier University in Chicago and Master in Library Science from Dominican University. Family history is one of her interests, and she's been working on her own family lines for over 40 years. Terry last spoke to us in 2006.
Tuesday the 24th: Field trip to Western Washington State University/Northwest Regional Archives for Washington
WWSU has one of the best maps collection in the US, besides maintaing an excellent library. If interested, we will arrage for a "Map library tour"; it is worthwhile. The NW Regional Archives houses the early records from Island, Jefferson, Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan and Snohomish counties. These records have been submitted by the courthouse of these counties for safekeeping and hold a wealth of genealogical information.
March 2009
Monday the 9th: Board of Directors Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
Monday the 9th: Education Classes, 11:45 a.m.
Beginning class topic: Censuses and what they tell us
Intermediate class topic: Genealogy Checklists, led by Ann Wright
Monday the 9th: Monthly Program, 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: Tom Laurenson
Program: From the Scottish Highlands to North America: Links to the American Revolution and North Carolina
Tom is a native Scot and, like many of them, of mixed blood. One set of grandparents was from Shetland, where his father was born. He grew up in Nairn, a little town to the east of Inverness, where he spoke Shetlandic at home, fairly good English at school, and never really picked up the local accent. In later years, he took up teaching and moved back into the Highlands.
Tom came to the USA in 2001 and spent five years in the New York area. For two of those years he was part of a team working out of Fordham University delivering technological improvements to schools in the Bronx. Last year he moved to the State of Washington where he finds the climate and social environments more to his liking. Tom spoke to us last fall on the subject of Scottish Migration, and his talk was much appreciated by the society members.
Tuesday the 24th: Field trip to National Archives and Records Administration/Seattle Genealogy Society