ARLINGTON — History buffs will have an opportunity to stock up on books about the Civil War while helping to support the Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society next month.
Michele Heiderer, head librarian for the Society, has invited the community to a Civil War book sale at the library’s current location, at 135 S. Olympic Ave., on March 5th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“More than a hundred books will be offered for sale,” Heiderer said. “Most will be priced at $5 apiece, with a few books priced higher. We have a wide selection of books pertaining to Confederate and Union military units, flags, armaments and troop movements, as well as the more famous military leaders of the day.”
All proceeds go to benefit the Society and its library of more than 6,000 books, which include extensive genealogical information about not only Arlington and Snohomish County, but also the rest of Washington’s counties, other states and even other countries.
“It’s obviously not possible for us to have all the records that anyone might need here in this office, but we can answer people’s questions about how they can find that information,” Heiderer said. “We have genealogy newsletters, probate records for Connecticut, general reference texts on all the battles of the Civil War, and the Pennsylvania Archives, through which I found out that my niece’s father and my son-in-law’s family can be traced back to the same county in Pennsylvania in the 1700s.”
The Society’s library likewise boasts microfilm and microfiche of death and marriage indexes from Washington, Oregon and beyond, as well as of The Arlington Times from its first issue forward. It also hosts classes that cover subjects such as how to use the Internet to develop your own family trees.
“Super Saturday” book sales, such as the one on March 5, tend to generate a few hundred dollars each, while the Society’s summer garage sale can raise as much as $2,000 a year.
“But our books aren’t selling like they used to,” Heiderer said. “People are more inclined to use the Internet, even though so much of our information is not online and never will be.”
Fresh baked goods will also be offered for sale during the March 5 Civil War book sale. For more information, log onto the Society’s website at www.stillygen.org, or call them at 360-435-4838 on Tuesdays from noon to 4 p.m., Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when their library is open.
