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Tag: Genealogy

WSL and the “Declaration of Learning”

WSL and the “Declaration of Learning”

The Library of Congress, along with 12 other governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, including the American Library Association and the  Institute of Museum and Library Services, have recently created the Declaration of Learning.  This document “formally announces their partnership as members of the Inter-Agency Collaboration on Education”.  Each organization involved pledges to utilize its historic artifacts and institutional expertise to create interactive digital media, apps, and websites. In the spirit of this declaration, Washington State Library would like to highlight some of  our digital services and activities that also share…

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Spotlight on Staff: Kim Smeenk

Spotlight on Staff: Kim Smeenk

If the first rule of management is to hire well, then the Public Services group of Washington State Library got off to a good start when reference librarian Kim Smeenk was invited to join the staff over half a decade ago. Kim, who is a specialist in genealogical research and a fine reference librarian as well, is amazingly prolific in answering online queries. This is an especially desirable trait in light of significant loss of librarians the Public Services unit…

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Finding Your Father’s War

Finding Your Father’s War

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff So you found an old photo of your ancestor in the attic. He or she is clad in what you think must be a World War II uniform.  But you know almost nothing about his or her service. There may be visual clues to help you find out. That’s when you go to Finding Your Father’s War by Jonathan Gawne. This book talks about how to track down records on your World War II ancestor….

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American Battle Monuments

American Battle Monuments

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff In honor of Pearl Harbor Day, the Washington State Library is featuring “American Battle Monuments,” edited by Elizabeth Nishiura. This guide provides detailed descriptions of battle monuments honoring soldiers from World War I, World War II, and other conflicts. Each monument’s entry includes its location, hours, a description of the site, and a history of its development.  Specific names of soldiers are not included in this guide, but genealogists can track those down using sites like…

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New in Genealogy: Stories in Stone

New in Genealogy: Stories in Stone

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff Did you ever wonder what that symbol on great granddad’s tombstone meant? Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography is just what you need. This is an outstanding resource for deciphering cemetery symbolism. It includes hundreds of beautiful color photographs from cemeteries around the world. The chapter on fraternal organizations and secret societies is especially fascinating.  If you can identify one of these symbols on an ancestor’s grave, it…

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New in Genealogy: Ancestry’s Concise Genealogical Dictionary

New in Genealogy: Ancestry’s Concise Genealogical Dictionary

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff Ever wonder what an anaplerotic is? How about a faldstool or a knockknobbier? If you’ve ever run across strange words in historical records, Ancestry’s Concise Genealogical Dictionary can help. It defines a wide range of obscure legal and colloquial words and phrases that you may find when researching your family history. In case you’re wondering: Anaplerotic: “Medicine which promoted the healing process and helps renew flesh or wasted parts—often found in medical records.”…

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Free Genealogy Presentation This Weekend in Sumner

Free Genealogy Presentation This Weekend in Sumner

Are you a genealogist or family historian?  Would you like to find out more about the resources available at the Washington State Library and Washington State Archives for researching your Washington relatives?  Then you’re in luck this weekend!  Librarian Kim Smeenk will be highlighting genealogical resources at the State Library and Archives in a free presentation at the Heritage Quest Research Library on Saturday, October 22 at 10 AM in historic downtown Sumner.  HQRL is a nonprofit genealogy library, managed…

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State Library, Archives websites among nation’s best

State Library, Archives websites among nation’s best

Family Tree Magazine released its list of “75 Best State Websites” for 2011 and our State Library and State Archives both made the list. The twin achievements reflect the thousands of hours of work by our talented Library, Archives and IT staffs, as well as the many able and dedicated volunteers who participate in the Historical Records Project or who volunteer at the Library or Archives. Our Digital Archives consistently has been among the magazine’s “101 Best Websites for Genealogy”…

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D.B. Cooper Revelations

D.B. Cooper Revelations

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff Reports that the FBI is investigating a “creditable” D.B. Cooper lead have the news outlets and blogosphere buzzing.  Here’s just one such story from the Seattle Times.  News sites are relying on information from the niece of the suspect (and upcoming authoress), who identifies him as her uncle Lynn Doyle (L.D.) Cooper, who passed away ten years ago. WSL librarian Kathryn did some digging in several of the genealogy resources we have linked to, and found additional information…

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