FRENCHTOWN RENDEZVOUS 2018

October 6, 2018, Assumption Church Parish Hall, 2098 E. Alder St., Walla Walla, WA

 

         This year, the Frenchtown Historical Foundation was pleased to welcome historical archaeologist Maryanne Maddoux as our Rendezvous keynote speaker. Maddoux’s work includes supervising the Harriet D. Munnick collection for the St. Paul Mission Historical Society, and her presentation offered both genealogical and archaeological perspectives on the history of the region.

          If you’ve done genealogical research in the Pacific Northwest, you’ve probably used Harriet D. Munnick’s Catholic Church records. Munnick’s translations and accompanying research are a rich resource for understanding the history of the Pacific Northwest. What you may not know is that much of her research remained unpublished at her death.

          At Rendezvous, participants learned about the process of managing and digitizing the Munnick archive. Participants learned tips for how to use this new digital archive for their own investigations. But genealogy is not the only way to dig through history; Maddoux also spoke about her experience as a site manager at the excavation of a French-Canadian homestead at Champoeg, Oregon.

 

 

Workshop on Family History

Led by Christina Dubois

           At this year’s Rendezvous, we held a “Workshop on Writing Family History,” led by Christina Dubois, freelance book editor, graphic designer, and former editor of Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History.

           Dubois’ hour-long workshop focused on researching, writing, and publishing family histories. Participants reflected upon how and why they want to bring their ancestors to life by telling their stories, guided by Dubois’ extensive experience with the writing and publishing process.

 

Schedule:

1-2 PM : Workshop on writing and publishing family history by Christina Dubois, retired editor of Columbia Magazine of the Washington State Historical Society. 

2 pm: Doors open to the public. Come stock your wine cellar at the silent auction, buy a raffle ticket for a Chief Joseph Pendleton blanket, or check out the history displays. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.

4 PM:  Historical archaeologist Maryanne Maddoux will speak about the digitization of the Harriet D. Munnick Papers by the St. Paul Mission Historical Society, and the field school excavation of a French-Canadian homestead at Champoeg, OR. 

5 pm: Tri-tip dinner catered by Marty Bray. 

All proceeds go to the maintenance, restoration, and interpretation of the Frenchtown Historic Site, 8364 Old Highway 12, Walla Walla, WA.