Iel Offers Beginning Genealogy Course

Tracing your roots is a fascinating pursuit, whether out of curiosity or to gather information to join the Daughters (or Sons) of the American Revolution.

Ann Hemmert will teach beginning genealogy classes through the Institute for Extended Learning during winter quarter.

The Wednesday classes, beginning Jan. 21, will introduce the first steps in researching your family history with an emphasis on using area resources.

The eight Wednesday classes will be at these locations and times:

Corbin Senior Center, 827 W. Cleveland, 9:30 to 11 a.m. (for people 55 and older),

South Side Senior Activity Center, 2727 S. Mount Vernon, 1 to 3 p.m. (55 and older).

North Central High School, Room 213, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Call 533-3770 to register for any class. But call early; if not enough students enroll, the classes will be cancelled.

Hemmert spotted a listing for unusual gift items in a trade catalog.

“What’s with all the death-related products suddenly on the market?” the article asked, then listed several gift items:

The Shared Urn - it looks like a cookie jar and six custard cups. Each container is filled with the deceased’s ashes; the jar stays with the most important survivor, with the cups going to family members or friends. Additional cups can be ordered.

Dearly Departed Jewelry - lockets that work on the same principle as the Shared Urn. A spoonful of ashes goes into each locket.

The Autographed Casket - a white casket with a set of indelible ink pens. Before the casket is delivered to the final resting place, mourners write messages on it. “Gives a new meaning to the term ‘graveyard graffiti.”’ the article’s author quipped.

The Coroner’s Gift Shop - The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office runs a gift shop called “Skeletons in the Closet.” Patrons can order clothing and household linens decorated with the coroner’s official seal and/or a chalked body outline, personalized toe-tag keychains, stationery and other items bearing death-related designs. According to the article, it does about $300,000 a year retail!

Let’s hope this sort of thing does not become a trend, even among genealogists.

In other genealogy-related new:

The Tri-Cities Genealogical Society has begun to publish the “Index to the World War I Draft Registration Records for Benton County, Washington,” in its periodical.

The actual records are available on microfilm, but Carolyn Oster of that group wanted to offer an index to make using the records easier.

The Tri-City Genealogical Society Bulletin, Vol. 37, No. 2, November 1997, has the alphabetical list from Abken through Byrd. The list will continue in future issues.

For more information, contact Tri-Cities Genealogical Society at P.O. Box 1410, Richland, WA 99352-1410, or charanne@3-cities.com.

Also, “Basic Computer Technology for Genealogy Research” is the topic for the Tri City’s Jan. 14 meeting at the Kramer Center, 509 Newton, in Richland. It begins at 7:30 p.m. It might be worth the drive to attend this meeting. For more information, call Harold Ransom, (509) 375-0231.

, DataTimes MEMO: Donna Potter Phillips welcomes letters from readers. Write to her at The Spokesman-Review, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. For a response, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review