Search billions of records on Ancestry.com

Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society, Washington State, USA

News & Notes

Fold3 is proud to announce Free access to their Black History Collection in honor of Black History Month. This collection includes many enlightening historical records documenting African American achievements since the earliest days of our nation, and will be available the entire month of February.

On this week’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? award-winning actress Marisa Tomei searches for the truth behind her great-grandfather’s rumored murder. Learn what she uncovers and how getting a look at the big picture changes an entire generation’s view of one hardworking man in the family tree.

Four months of celebrity roots on television in 2012, beginning with the third season of NBC's Who Do You Think You Are? featuring a stellar line up of 12 stars: Jerome Bettis, Paula Deen, Edie Falco, Helen Hunt, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire, Martin Sheen, Jason Sudeikis, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood and Rita Wilson. Slotted for 8:00 on Friday nights starting on Feb. 3, this will be the longest season to date.

On Sunday evenings beginning March 25, Henry Louis Gates Jr. returns for his fourth season on PBS with Finding Your Roots. With a format that blends two notables each week and places greater emphasis on genetic discoveries, this series will peek into the past of 20 high profile individuals: Kevin Bacon, Tyra Banks, Cory Booker, Angela Buchdahl, Geoffrey Canada, Margaret Cho, Harry Connick, Jr., Robert Downey, Jr., Sanjay Gupta, Samuel L. Jackson, John Legend, John Lewis, Branford Marsalis, Yasir Qadhi, Condoleezza Rice, Michelle Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters and Rick Warren. And yes, in case you're wondering, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are cousins, so the six-degrees phenomenon will definitely be on display.

The Meeting Schedule for the beginning of 2012 has been posted. Take a look! And if you have any suggestions for future meeting topics or speakers, please contact the Board. Suggestions also needed for future pre-meeting topics. Please note that beginning in January the monthly meetings will be held at the Bates South Campus.

Members should have received the latest issue of the Newsletter. All future Newsletters will be sent by e-mail, and also posted on the website. Therefore the December 2011 issue is now available. And don't forget to submit your Queries for the Newsletter — they will also be posted on the website.

Have you watched a Webinar lately? One of the newest tools for genealogy, many webinars are available free. You can "attend" in real time, or watch later. While some do cost, many are available for free. Find out more at http://blog.geneawebinars.com/.

For the first time, the National Archives has launched online videos of its most popular genealogy “how to” workshops. These videos cover “hot topics” in genealogical research such as census, immigration and military records. Now, these popular workshops led by National Archives experts are available on the National Archives YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/usnationalarchives.

Also from the National Archives is the Citizen Activist Dashboard, where you can tag images and records, transcribe a historical document, contribute to articles, upload your photos, enter competitions and much more! Check it out at http://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/.

Do you have ancestors from Colonial Virgina? If so, you will want to check out the Colonial Williamsburg website at http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary.cfm.

Seminar News! Next year's seminar, When Genealogy Meets Technology, will be held May 12, 2012 at LaQuinta Inn and Suites, with speakers Cyndi Howells and Emily Aulicino. For more information, check out the Spring Seminar page. Hope to see you there!

Online microfilm ordering from the Family History Library is now available in the Pacific Northwest. Visit Online Film Ordering for more information. Now you can order films from the comfort of your own home, and receive e-mail notification when the films arrive at your local Family History Center.

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, the The Virginia Civil War Commission has created the following: Civil War in Virginia: Walk in their Footsteps

FamilySearch has gathered its Civil War-related records into a collection you can access free at FamilySearch.org/civil-war. Databases include: United States, Civil War Soldiers Index; Confederate pensions for those living Arkansas (1901-1929), Louisiana (1898-1950) and Missouri (1911-1938); Civil War Pension Index Cards; 1890 Census of Union veterans and widows of the Civil War; United States, Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914; index to Arizona Service Records of Confederate Soldiers of the Civil War, 1861-1863

The Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society is now offering a Tacoma Area Obituary Look Up Service. Due to cutbacks at the Tacoma Public Library they are no longer able to offer this service, so have asked the society if we would take it on.

Washington Digital Archives is a fabulous place to search for your Washington ancestors. Other states are also establishing digital archives, such as Michigan's Seeking Michigan. To find one for your state of interest try Googling the state name along with "digital archives" or check out Cyndi's List.

Older News

As news items on the Home Page are replaced by newer ones, those of lasting interest will be placed here.



Monthly Meetings:
Guests are always welcome at our meetings. Come meet other Pierce-County genealogists and listen to great speakers.

History of the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society:
The society was organized in the spring of 1961 and began with 6 members, ending its first full year with 54 members. There are currently more than 350 members in the society, many of whom live in the Tacoma-Pierce County area of Washington state, as well as many other areas of the United States.

The Puyallup Fair:
TPCGS sponsors a table and genealogy display in the Hobby Hall at the Puyallup Fair each year. The fair runs for three weeks each Fall in Puyallup, Washington. The Puyallup Fair is one of the largest fairs in the nation. TPCGS volunteers take turns manning the table in order to answer questions from fair-goers who are interested in learning more about their family history. The TPCGS table provides brochures, genealogy forms and membership information.


Top


Links to Related Genealogical & Historical Resources Online:


Top

Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society
PO Box 1952, Tacoma, Washington 98401, USA
Updated Thursday, 09 February 2012, 03:16:23 PM MST
Hosted by RootsWeb 		TPCGS Home Page
Copyright © 1996-2012 by TPCGS. All rights reserved.
This site may be freely linked to but not duplicated in any fashion without the consent of TPCGS.
All graphics property of TPCGS.		 Contact TPCGS

The Tacoma Pierce County Genealogical Society (TPCGS) is a registered nonprofit corporation recognized by the IRS under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code using EIN 91-1180097. In addition, the TPCGS is a registered nonprofit corporation in the state of Washington under WAC 458-20-169 using UBI 600444975. As such, your donations and contributions may be tax deductible and are greatly appreciated. Fundraising activities are occasionally held for the benefit of the TPCGS.

The purpose of the TPCGS is to stimulate popular interest in family history, to seek genealogical and historical knowledge, to preserve and perpetuate the records of our ancestors, to aid individual members in compiling their family histories, and to collect and publish genealogical source material.