354th Service Squadron Reunion Olean New York 1972

Due to a recent scare from a flooded basement I have been scanning bunches of photos. My dad had one of those photo albums that ruin the photos if left too long so I wanted to get the photos out of that book and preserve them. This was the first photo in the book and I did not know where it was taken. I Googled  Castle Inn and found them all over the country but a lot in California. He had went to a reunion in Ventura California in 1978 but Google did not find a Castle Inn in Ventura.

The 354th Service Squadron was formed at Geiger Army Air Field soon after Pearl Harbor, they serviced the B-17 and B-24 bombers. They were first sent to England then to North Africa and near the end to Italy.

This photo from the parking lot shows a Motel DeSoto across the street, so I Googled that and the first entry came up Olean New York. The 354th had a reunion in Olean in 1972, so I Googled Castle Inn Olean New York. First hit was a picture of the Olean New York Castle Inn being demolished!! The rubble did not look like the above photo. A couple of hits below the top one was a postcard on Amazon of the Castle Restaurant and Castle Inn of Olean New York. The Castle Inn looks just like the photo above, so now I know these photos are from the 1972 354th reunion in Olean New York. The postcard will be here next week. I also have the sheets where all the veterans and their wives that came signed in.
In with these 1972 photos was four old black and white photos. Three did not have a location.

 This one said Camp San Sevro on the back. I was not sure that was spelled correctly so I Googled San Sevro Italy since I remember pop saying they stayed there a while. Found out that the USA had a large base of P-51 fighters at San Severo Italy in April 1944 and 1945, so I guess this photo was taken there at San Severo Italy.

Saturday Night Fun Genealogy Societies

Been a while since I even posted on my own blog and even longer since I did a Saturday Night Fun post.


Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) What was the first genealogical society you joined?  Why did you join that one?  What other societies are you a member of?


In 1991 we had a Hansen reunion and one of my dad's first cousin was a volunteer at a Family History Center (Now Family Search Center). She had some information on our ancestors. Soon after the reunion our local Community College had a class on beginning genealogy. My sister and I took the class and one suggestion was to join the local genealogy society. 
My sister and I joined Eastern Washington Genealogical Society in 1992, 
Later on I was on the Prodigy genealogy  board and found out I was related to the expert there.
I also joined the Grundy County Missouri Genealogy Society, the Adams County Genealogical Society, the New England Genealogy Society, and the National Genealogy Society
Today I still belong to the National Genealogy Society, Whitman County Genealogical Society, Eastern Washington Genealogical Society, and the Washington State Genealogical Society.

My 9th Blogversary

I almost missed my 9th Blogversary, I did miss my 8th Bloversary last year. I did all the rest though posted here
I have not been doing much on my personal blog, been busy digitizing for Scribe and blogging for the WSGS Blog
Maybe this year  I can post more.
The Seattle Worlds Fair posts I did quite a while ago seem to still be popular.

General Data Protection Regulation

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Wordless Wednesday Lawrence Hansen Grandchildren

This postcard has the grandchildren of Lawrence Hansen

Wordless Wednesday Lawrence Hansen Postcard

Just received my grandmothers postcard book, found this interesting postcard blank on back. I did recognize the two adults so I labeled them. I think the three kids are their oldest children.

Saturday Night Fun Quiz

Well I have not done a Saturday Night Fun post in a while, so here it goes:

1)  Heather Wilkinson Rojo posted a "fun" quiz yesterday on her "Nutfield Genealogy" blog titled "How Genealogy Literate Are You?"  Rather than post it again here and violate someone's copyright, please go read it on her blog.

2)  Answer the questions and assign the count the points as noted.  

3)  Please post your totals, and any comments, on this blog post as a comment, and also on Heather's post.  

8 1 point = 8

13 2 points =26

10 5 points = 50

4 10 points =40

0 20 points

Total    124

Part of this is just being around genealogy for a long time. Our library got the 1930 census microfilm before it went online, so found my family before they had even indexed the 1930 census.