The War to End All Wars didn’t. The very idea seems quaint, doesn’t it?
But World War I was a profound turning point in world history; some consider its lofty global ideals, and its industrial approach to killing, the real beginning of the “modern times” in all their hope and horror. The 100th anniversary of the war’s end is getting lots of attention and reflection this year.
Here in Vancouver, the occasion dovetails with Memorial Day weekend and “a hotbed of historical happenings,” as the Clark County Genealogical Society notes in a statement about its spring seminar. That takes place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 26 at the historic Red Cross Building near the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site; the star of the show is internationally renowned researcher David Allen Lambert, chief genealogist for the New England Historical Genealogical Society.
Lambert’s three talks are aimed at serious history buffs and genealogical detectives: “World War I Military Records,” “Settlers and Their Treasures in the Great Migration West,” and “Probate and Deed Records Research.” The price of attendance is $85 for nonmembers; a box lunch costs $15 more.