TriCity Genealogical Society Assists At Lincoln Event

Kennewick, Washington’s MidColumbia Library is hosting the traveling exhibit of “Lincoln – The Constitution and the Civil War.” Opening festivities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, speeches, and prerecorded documentaries about President Abraham Lincoln and how the United States Constitution was deeply examined and questioned during the Civil War.

TCGS members worked with the MC Library to have on-site genealogy help for several days during the exhibit. Thanks to TCGS member Cody Allen for these pictures: 

Margie Beldin and Dan Metzger

John Covey, Susan Faulkner, Cody Allen 

Susan Faulkner and Dan Metzger

Along with these opening ceremonies, the TriCity Genealogical Society was invited to host a table. This allowed members of the society to interact with the public and discuss the study of history from a family historian’s interest. The TriCity Genealogical Society had many handouts available, one of them included links to Civil War websites. In addition to handouts other visuals were created. Using a spin from “Who Do You Think You Are” a notebook was also made available for patrons to look through that showed Abraham Lincoln’s relationships to six celebrities. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln is related to Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Spike Lee, and Mitt Romney? Of course these relationships are X cousin to Y removed relationship. The closest related celebrity currently alive is Tom Hanks who is Abraham Lincoln’s 3^rd cousin 4 times removed.

There was also an hourglass family history chart showing four generations of Abraham Lincoln’s ancestors as well as four generations of Abraham Lincoln’s descendants. There are currently no living direct descendants of Abraham Lincoln. Or are there? Yes, even the Lincolns have non ending drama. Abraham Lincoln’s great-grandson Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith was married for a short time to a lady by the name of Anna Marie Hoffman. As divorce proceedings were in place, Anna announced that she was pregnant with Abraham Lincoln’s only great-great-grandson. Robert countered that her announcement was a fraud since he had undergone vasectomy surgery years before their marriage. The young Beckwith child was born, and the estate of Abraham Lincoln paid him dearly to if he (or his mother) agreed to not publicly claim any heritage.

If you get a chance to drop by this wonderful traveling exhibit, don’t miss it. It will be on display at the MidColumbia Library on Union Street until September 2^nd.

(Article by Susan Faulkner.)

Our Washington State Ferries

(Thanks to Google Images)

The Evergreen State is nearly bisected by Puget Sound and our Washington State Ferries (WSF) are the means to keep us all in touch and getting to where we want to go. 

Created in June 1951, the ferries now boast 10 routes and 20 terminals with 450 departures every day.

The WSF fleet is always being upgraded. The newest ship joined the fleet in March 2014, two years after the first weld on the ship. According to the shipbuilder, Vigor Industrial, a total of 2200 tons of steel went into the ferry. The ship is 362' long and stretches 83' wide. Named the Tokitae, it can hold 144 cars and more than 1500 passengers.  Each propeller on the Tokitae is nearly 12' in diameter and weighs 12,960 pounds. The cost of building the Tokitae was $117 million dollars. 

The name for Washington's newest ferry comes from a Coastal Salish or Chinook jargon greeting that means "nice day, pretty colors," and was used when members of different tribes met one another while traveling or trading. 

Look for the Tokitae the next time you have occasion to ride on one of our Washington state ferries. 

(Thanks to the magazine Discover Kitsap 2014 for information for this article. I picked it up on the ferry!)

SVGS Offering Classes Beginning in September

Skagit Valley Genealogical Society to Offer Beginners Genealogy Workshops

at the Anacortes and Burlington Public Libraries This Fall

SKAGIT COUNTY – The Skagit Valley Genealogical Society (SVGS) will be offering 6-week courses at both the Anacortes and Burlington Public Libraries starting in September 2014.  This new class series: Beginners Genealogy Workshop will be held at the Burlington Public Library, at 820 E Washington Avenue, Burlington on Tuesdays, from 1pm-3pm, starting September 9 and running through October 14. The workshop will be repeated at the Anacortes Public Library, at 1220 10^th Street, Anacortes on Wednesdays, from 12:45pm to 2:45pm, starting September 10 and offered weekly through October 8, with the final class on October 22 (no class on October 15).

To register visit SVGS’ website: skagitvalleygenealogy.org to download and print out the mail-in registration form. Registration is by check or cash only. The fee for the 6-week series of classes is $50 for all six classes if pre-registered by September 2, 2014. Space is limited so early registration is recommended. Walk-ins are welcome at both workshop locations on the day of the classes as space becomes available. Classes may also be registered for individually for $10 per specific class. A $10 discount is offered if registered for all 6-classes ($50 for 6 classes). For details visit www.skagitvalleygenealogy.org; email genealogy0715@gmail.com; or call Hazel at (360) 630-0170. 

SVGS is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, preserving and promoting family history research in our Skagit County communities. SVGS’ meetings are open to the public and are held on the third Tuesdays of the month. Meeting locations vary seasonally. Check the SVGS website for location and program information. The next SVGS general meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 7pm-9pm at the Burlington Senior Community Center at 1101 Greenleaf in Burlington. A topic of interest to all levels of genealogy researchers will be presented.

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Mount Rainier & Our History

It's hot summertime and as there is little genealogical society doings going on, I thought to share some thoughts on Washington history.

Can you imagine doing this? Here is Fay Fuller (1869-1958) in her climbing gear. She was the first woman to summit on Mount Rainier in about 1890. Can you imagine any kind of hiking in that garb??? I noticed especially the un-warm hat and the "pantaloons" showing under the obligatory skirt. And probably plain old leather boot-shoes? Our mother-ancestors did do things like mountain climbing right along with their men-folks and images like this prove that fact.

How much do we even know about our most famous Washington mountain? I'll send a free gift to everybody and anybody who answers these questions........ and two gifts for NOT using Google!

1.  Who gave Mount Rainier its "white" name? (It was known as Tahoma for eons to the Indians.)
2.  When did Mount Rainier become part of the National Park system?
3.  What year did the first automobiles enter Mount Rainier Park?
4.  How high is Mount Rainier?
5.  When did Mount Rainier last erupt?
6.  Do experts think it will erupt again?
7.  Is Mount Rainier one peak or two peaks or three peaks?
8.  Have you ever climbed Mount Rainier?
9.  Have you ever flown over Mount Rainier?
10. Which of these animals has not been spotted on Mount Rainier:  Bald eagle, Black bear, Elk, Marmot, Sea Star, or Stellar's jay?

Spokane Bids the Best for Thompson Hall

I was doing some research in the 1894 Spokane Chronicle newspaper when I ran onto this article on the new building to be built at the State University. This article is from the Spokane Chronicle May 10, 1894 page 3.

I hope Donna does not mind that I borrowed a copy of the postcard she bought showing Thompson Hall at Washington State University in 1903. The above article describes the building to be built and that two Spokane Contractors won the bid to build Thompson Hall. 1893, 1894 and 1895 was bad times in the USA due to a recession, so any work these contractors got would help them in this bad time.

WSU & Thompson Hall

Bought this 1903 postcard in an antique-junque-mall in Virginia last May for $2.00. (Postcards from 3000 miles away are cheap.) Since our Washington children for decades have attended WSU in Pullman, Washington, thought you all might be interested. Especially when you click to this link for a tour of Wazzo's historic buildings:  http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/masctour/wsu_buildings/exhibit2.htm

The postcard shows Thompson Hall.......... and here is the info on that building from the above website:

THOMPSON HALL

Thompson Hall is the oldest extant building on campus, designed by noted Seattle architect, James Stephen and his Chicago trained partner, Timothetus Jesnhans. Their firm was selected over 16 other entries in an architectural competition held by the Board of Regents. Thompson Hall was constructed for less then $50, 000 using local red brick made from clay deposits in back of what is now Stevens Hall. Until 1968, it served as the Administration building as well as housing a number of other university functions. It is prominently sited and immediately identifiable by its two large towers, one truncated and one with conical roof. The romantic Victorian Romanesque character of the building s further enhanced by rich variety of windows and entryways and the use of rock-faced granite (quarried near Spokane) for its contrasting trim. It was rightly described by the Regents at the 1895 dedication as "an excellent piece of work and one that in point of convenience, strength, and architectural beauty compares with any state building." Today, it has been extensively remodeled inside, but the exterior remains largely intact. It is one of WSU's most notable buildings, an excellent example of an early ideal in education architecture. Click here to view additional images of Thompson Hall.

WSGS Member, Susan Davis Faulkner, Is Family Chronicle Author!

Susan Davis Faulkner, who lives half-time in Richland, Washington, and half-time in Aiken, South Carolina, where her hubby works, is a multi-talented member of WSGS. Not only will she be a speaker at the upcoming WSGS annual conference in Arlington, but she has been twice published in Family Chronicle Magazine.

See the blurb right here on the cover of the July-August 2014 issue, "Beware The Sand Built House." This is our Susan's article! We are (and I personally am) so proud of her and her accomplishments.

You can purchase this issue of Family Chronicle at various newstands and bookstores but I recommend subscribing.  Click to www.familychronicle.com for all the details.

And plan to attend Susan's sessions at our August conference.