I love teaching genealogy!

My day yesterday was full of helping people get started in their genealogical research. There was a lot of traveling involved to be able to meet with the different classes, but I'm so grateful for the opportunities to share this wonderful addiction hobby with others. I love it!

I drove an hour and a half to Port Angeles, Washington, to teach at the senior citizen center there. They have a fantastic facility that includes a computer lab. I've been teaching up there for more than a year, now. This month's class was fairly small, but still eager to learn. One of my sisters is going to assist me at the Forks Family Fair in May, so she and her daughter came along. This was their first time learning about doing family history research. It was fun for all of us.

The first hour, or so, was spent learning the very basics of genealogy. What is a pedigree chart? What is a family group record? How do we properly fill out those forms? Should we use genealogy software? What about sources and sourcing our information? I always enjoy making this presentation, and feel it is almost the most important as it creates the foundation for all of an individual's future experiences in family history.

During the second half of this class, I shared several websites which can form the base from which all internet research jumps. These sites are loaded with information that will then lead each researcher toward sites more suited to their specific research needs. I have often found that when I get myself stretched too thinly online, these are also great places where I can return and regroup. Obviously, there are many more sites which could be included in the list, but these can really get folks going.

• familysearch.org
• ancestry.com
• google.com (books.google.com)
• mocavo.com
• findagrave.com
• billiongraves.com
• genforum.genealogy.com
• databases available through library cards (Heritage Quest, ProQuest)
• Family History Center Portal (Family History Centers only)
• cyndislist.com

I was also able to make the internet presentation at a class for the Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Department in Poulsbo, Washington, last night. It was every bit as enjoyable, and the class expressed amazement at what can be found online. Just imagine how excited they'll be when they actually find information about their own families!

Maybe this list will help someone out there who is just getting started in their research. Or, maybe it will help some of you with more experience refocus. I know I've returned to these sites repeatedly. Hey. I have them bookmarked!

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St. George Family History Expo - Tomorrow!

Wow! Family History Expos is ten years old! Pretty exciting. The St. George Expo starts tomorrow at the Dixie Convention Center. This is the ninth year St. George has hosted Family History Expos. 

The agenda is chock-full of a fabulous offering of presentations. This link will take you there. If you're in the area, don't miss it.

I'm disappointed to not be able to be there on Friday, but I'm stuck in the snowstorm in the Midwest. The upside is I'm stuck with grandchildren. :) I will be at the Expo on Saturday, though, and very much looking forward to it. Look for me at the 'Ask the Pros' booth. I'd love to hear about your research or try to help you out.

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February Photo Collage Festival - #6

Eugene Aitchison

My father-in-law, Eugene Aitchison, served in the U. S. Navy from 1945 to 1946. He was among the first sailors into Yokosuka, Japan, at the end of World War II. He achieved the rank of motor machinist third class.

Gene was born on January 21, 1921, in Alderwood Manor, Snohomish County, Washington. In 1929, his father, William Rutherford Aitchison, died there. In the 1940 census, Gene is enumerated with his mother (Ivy Ellen Youker Aitchison) and his brother, Bill; also in Alderwood Manor.

By  1945, Gene had joined the Navy and was stationed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) which is in Kitsap County. He met Mary Wynne. They were married on May 15, 1945, in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. Shortly thereafter, Gene shipped out with his unit to serve in the Pacific.

While he was overseas, Mary purchased a home in Suquamish, Kitsap County, Washington. They raised their family of seven children there. Gene died in 2002.

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February Photo Collage Festival - #5

William Rutherford Aitchison

I don't know when this picture was taken, but it is the most formal one we have of my husband's grandfather, William Rutherford Aitchison, as an adult. As an infant (a twin) he was photographed with his mother and brother. I featured their picture as #1 of this series.

William was born in on December 12, 1865, in Sullivan Township, Grey County, Ontario, Canada. He and his brother, Andrew Rutherford, were the third and fourth children born to John and Elizabeth (Ewing) Aitchison; William was the older of the two.

According to the 1920 census, William immigrated to the United State in 1892, naturalizing in 1893. On March 20, 1899, William was married to Ivy Johnson (her maiden name was later legally changed to Youker - story for later) in La Grande, Union County, Oregon. He and Ivy continued living there, where their first two children were born. When their daughter, Mildred, died at the tender age of three, they began making plans to move. Their little son, John, was just one month old.

In 1905, when their third child, William "Colonel," was born, they were living in Boise, Ada County, Idaho. William then moved his family onto land in western Idaho along the Snake River in Canyon County. They had two children when living there; Arthur (1912) and Elizabeth (1917;later Margaret Elizabeth).

In about 1919, the family went to Sequim, Clallam County, Washington, where some friends were living. However, by 1920, they had a home in Cedarhome, Snohomish County, Washington. This is now Alderwood Manor.

In 1926, Arthur was killed in a sad gunshot accident. This was devastating for the family. Then, in 1929, William R. died suddenly from a heart attack. They are both buried in the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery in Seattle, Washington.

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February Photo Collage Festival - #4

Aitchison family & friend, 1930

Many thoughts go through my mind when I see this picture. I love the clothes, the hair, the happy. I love how happy the children appear to be, especially my father-in-law, Eugene (Gene). He's the one in the middle. Grandma doesn't look quite as cheerful. Then, I remember that her husband died just the year before. They had moved to Snohomish County, Washington, by 1920. Gene was born in Alderwood Manor in 1921. His father, William Rutherford Aitchison, died April 29, 1929.

Elizabeth, or Aunt Betty, was about 12 years old in this picture. She was an attentive older sister and treated Gene well throughout her life. She married Richard Keniston in 1941. Aunt Betty died in 2000.

The other child in the picture is Grandon Waldron. Grandon was a lifelong friend of Gene's. They played together as children, hunted together as adults and spent many happy hours socializing. Grandon, or Wally, died in 2005. The family has many pictures that include Grandon.

I don't know who took the picture. It is obviously a posed one. I'm glad it was taken, and especially glad it was preserved.

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