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| The California Nugget, Vol. X, Issue 1 |
Dear Readers,
For most genealogists, it is all about the chase: to find the maiden name, the death date, the elusive spouse. Were there five children or six? What made them leave there to come here? It is a whole tapestry that we family historians want to weave, and it takes patience to bring all the strands together, perseverance to untangle the knots and determination to tug out the threads that don’t match. We hope that the articles in this issue will inspire you to keep on with your own researching and writing, not only to preserve your family’s story, but to share your discoveries with others.
Bill O’Neil’s World War I ancestor gave his life for his country, and the small town Richard Howard Ferrell came from will never forget his sacrifice. We are inviting more WWI ancestor stories for our next two issues, Spring and Fall 2014, to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of this calamitous upheaval that tragically altered forever the lives of so many families around the world. Bill’s article is in our “ Twenty-First Century” section to acknowledge that online resources and newspapers are major avenues for WWI research.
Henry Snyder’s ancestor, the brilliant and restless lawyer and newspaperman William Wal- lace Theobalds, traveled up and down the West Coast with his family in the nineteenth century. Were the early western states, so open and full of opportunities, a magnet for the talented and the restless? Because of the new, and magnificent, newspaper archives that are now online, the kind of detailed, careful and thorough research that Henry Snyder carried out is something more of us can aspire to. The powerful technology of OCR (optical character recognition) continues to improve, opening new avenues of information.
Georgia Lupinsky’s beautiful story of her grandfather’s life captures a bygone era and paints a portrait of a courageous, loving and kindly man. It is a perfect example of how a memoir can become part of a genealogist’s work.
Laura Lee Karp didn’t give up the search! Her story will rekindle your energy to keep on looking for that missing gravesite and lost ancestor. Although Find-a-Grave is marvelous, not all cemeteries and gravesites are yet included in its huge database, and sometimes we have to rely on tenacity and—gravestone karma.
Jane Hufft, Editor
Dear Readers,
Yes, it has been a race against time to have this issue of The California Nugget arrive in your mailboxes while it is still officially spring! We do hope you will enjoy the articles and information we have gathered for our CGS readers and friends.
The reissue of Kathleen C. Beals’ Index to San Francisco Marriage Returns 1850 – 1858 is one of many projects underway at the society. This new edition will once again make this important data available to researchers. We asked Kathleen about the history of the Index, which she recounts in her article that begins on the front cover. Data from the nineteenth century, compiled in the twentieth, is newly available in the twenty-first.
This issue is especially rich in family history. Linda Harms Okazaki tells the story of her research into the Okazaki family’s internment during WWII and what she discovered as she traced the ordeal: forced removal from home and possessions, separation from family members and community, loss of identity and dignity.
An ancestor’s diary is a treasure for a family historian. Lisa Gorrell places a series of diary entries into the context of her ancestor’s life, illuminating courtship in the 19th century, and letting us know how Amos Gorrell chose his future wife and made important personal decisions.
Lavinia Grace Schwarz has meticulously traced the history of her most elusive ancestor, Laura Evelyn Duggan Gilbert Christie, in the hopes that someone, somewhere, has a photograph of her. In the meantime, Lavinia’s sketch of Laura’s complicated life is not to be missed.
While CGS currently has over a thousand members, the special page honoring Member Anniversaries celebrates the long-term commitment to the society demonstrated by those who have been members from twenty- five to fifty years. In the fall issue, we will celebrate another group, those who have been members for twenty to twenty-four years.
Jane Hufft
Editor
Dear Readers:
Too much family history piled up in the garage? Denise Levenick will make you feel better about all of it. Still looking for that elusive female ancestor’s family? Alison Shedd shares her strategies in “Finding Carrie Seigle.” Ever wonder what good a genealogy society does? Read Virginia Turner’s “The International Congress of Genealogy, 1915, San Francisco.” To this day stories and excerpts from that significant, founding event are discussed and archived on the internet. Need new places to look for information? This issue of the California Nugget has a mini-theme of specialty libraries: The Maritime Museum in San Francisco, described by Gina Bardi, is a local treasure; in Boston, the New England Historic Genealogy Society’s library and the Archdiocese Archives of Boston, more commonly called the Catholic Archives, both maintain unique collections, as does the Leo Baeck Library in New York City. Oh, and don’t miss the list of family surname newsletters we have at the library. Is your surname there?
New research opportunities continue to come to light. In their article on the Alien Case Files, Jeanie Low and Jennie Lew describe an amazingly rich and valuable resource at the National Archives, only recently made available to the public. More newspapers appear online; see “Historical Portuguese Newspapers of California Digitized.” Society-sponsored research trips always yield fresh discoveries, as you will read in “Researching the McKinley Family in Boston.” This fall the CGS library acquired a wealth of new books, an event documented by Henry Snyder in “Generous Gifts Enrich the Library.”
No matter how quickly you read through the following pages, don’t miss the wonderful family photograph shared by Cynthia Gorman, a treasure from by-gone era.
—Jane Hufft, Editor
Dear Readers:
We have a variety of articles for you, each one an exciting account of significant discoveries. Wayne W. Padgett found a forgotten Civil War soldier in a very unlikely place and uncovered the details of his battle experiences. What started out as a quest to answer a few questions concluded with a moving ceremony involving two countries.
Last spring Chris Pattillo shared with Nugget readers, in her enthusiastic account “Thirty Days of Total Immersion in Genealogy,” what it was like to dive into the sometimes cold waters of family history research. In November 2011 Chris took the next step when she joined other CGS members and friends for her first trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her newest discoveries are recounted in “One Week in Salt Lake.”
Linda Okazaki was on the same trip and she will agree the stars were aligned! The startling discovery of an ancestor’s true name in a San Francisco newspaper account sent Linda’s research in completely new directions, solved a long-standing mystery and provided an astonishing story for descendants.
Without Amy Coffin, many of us would not be aware of what is happening on the frontiers of genealogy. Her insider view of the 2012 RootsTech conference gives an update on the future of family research, and it most certainly involves technology.
CGS President Jeffrey Vaillant tells all in his account of the society’s August 2011 research trip to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Participants met Library Manager Curt Witcher, found genealogical treasures in the stacks and microfilm collection, and sampled Fort Wayne restaurants and Indiana weather.
Write your stories and send them to us. We’d love to hear about your research, your discoveries, and your aha! moments with technology. There is space reserved in The California Nugget for your family, and, please note, you do not have to be a CGS member to submit a manuscript. Having your family history in print in a journal that is archived in libraries across the United States guarantees permanency for your research. Email me at jhufft@comcast.net for the Submission Guidelines and then take the leap. Make 2012 the year you visit a new library, learn the latest technology skills, and write it all down!
—Jane Hufft, Editor
The Fall 2011 edition of The California Nugget has been sent to the printer and should begin arriving in members' mailboxes next week. It's another information-filled issue by Editor Jane Hufft and Production Editor Lois Elling.
Dear Readers:
This issue of the California Nugget is arriving in your mailbox earlier than usual so we can share exciting news about two events. First, the California Genealogical Society proudly announces the publication of the newly revised Raking The Ashes, Genealogical Strategies for pre-1906 San Francisco Research. This new second edition is the finest tool available for conducting genealogical and historical research in San Francisco in the years before the great earthquake. No one knows more about work-around strategies to find cemeteries, records, repositories, unique sources, church information, land records and other genealogical and historical records related to San Francisco than author Nancy Peterson. Completely updated, painstakingly researched, carefully organized and thoroughly user-friendly, Raking the Ashes, second edition, belongs on the shelf of every California researcher. For more information and ordering information, please see page 17.
There’s more! CGS and Ancestry.com are bringing a special all-day genealogy con- ference to San Francisco on Saturday, November 5. This informative day will offer many workshops and lectures. If you can be in the area, plan on joining us. Registration information is on page 16.
In other articles, Amy Coffin’s description of the first RootsTech Conference will take readers one step further into an exciting future where technology and genealogy meet. Rachel M. Popma, editor of Indiana Genealogist, has graciously allowed us to reprint her recent article that describes how to add eBay to your toolbox of genealogy search strategies. In “California Ancestors,” Jim Sorenson recounts the unexpected results of a persistent search to find just one more cousin. Virginia Turner looks back on early days of researching at CGS, and Sheri Fenley recounts the story of a successful pioneering family in San Francisco.
One way to have your family’s history saved for posterity is to have it in print. Have you thought about submitting your family’s story to the Nugget? We are always looking for well-researched family histories as well as articles that will help our readers become better genealogists and more successful writers and researchers.
Jane Hufft, Editor
Yesterday, Harold Henderson of Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog, published State and Regional Genealogy Journals: The List. "The List" is a downloadable pdf file of genealogical periodicals published by genealogy organizations throughout the United States, compiled by Henderson and Michael Hait. They make the point that state journals "often contain high-quality genealogies of local families, utilizing a wide variety of local, state, and federal records."
The article was timely since the newest issue of The California Nugget has been printed and mailed to members. As always, the Spring 2011 Nugget includes exactly the kind of local genealogies Hait and Henderson describe.
Dear Readers:
Do you feel like you are still just getting started in genealogy? Chris Pattillo had begun her family history research but felt like she still didn’t know what she was doing. The story of her headlong dive into genealogy when she unexpectedly had a month off from work and her emergence four weeks later with a treasure trove of new skills, resources and information is inspirational.
Finding the Laughran Sisters Part III wraps up, for now, the story of how the discovery of one online newspaper article revealed the names and relationships of an entire pioneer California family. Resources such as Newspaperarchive.com are truly goldmines of information. Be sure you are using the many online newspapers to further your research.
In our California Ancestors section, Virginia Turner and Georgia Lupinsky bring to life a treasure from the CGS manuscript collection, telling the story of the Covell family who settled near San Jose. Then Bill O’Neil shares the struggles of his Union soldier ancestors in the Civil War, a conflict that took a formidable toll on many families.
We have news for our members: now is the time to sign up for the August research trip to the Allen County Public library! Information is on the flier. Also, be sure to save November 5 for a spectacular day with Ancestry.com and the California Genealogical Society in San Francisco.
Capturing the story of any migration should be a focus of individual family histories as well as the work of genealogical societies. Now and then a best-seller, in this case Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns, reviewed in the book section, turns out to be a real addition to the literature of genealogy and family history research. Whether or not you are descended from the black southerners who made the journey north, this book speaks to every family that has ever set out for someplace better.
Jane Hufft, Editor
The Fall 2010 edition of The California Nugget has been sent to the printer and should be arriving in members' mailboxes next week. It's another information-filled issue by Editor Jane Hufft and Production Editor Lois Elling.
Dear CGS Members:
True to the title of our publication, we have a goldmine of articles for you in this issue. In our “Twenty-First Century Genealogy” section, Dr. Henry Snyder, Professor Emeritus of U.C. Riverside, writes about the current state of California newspaper digitization, a topic of enormous importance to anyone conducting research in the golden state. An expert in the subject, he is the former director of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research at U.C. Riverside.
Thomas MacEntee, a professional genealogist specializing in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogical research, makes the case for careful and thorough citing of sources, a must for twenty-first century genealogical research. Twenty-first century genealogy also requires that the society embrace the electronic world. As society member Cathy H. Paris explains in her article “Lulu Comes to California Anccestors.org,” we are doing exactly that by using print-on-demand services for our newer books to expedite publishing.
Our “California Ancestors” section features an engaging account from CGS member Janet Brewer Forsburg, whose immigrant ancestor’s successful company was widely known in the Bay Area. CGS manuscript specialists Virginia Turner and Georgia Lipinsky assisted with the preparation of this remarkable story. Kathleen C. Beals, author of many genealogical and history titles, including Early Families of Unity, New Hampshire and San Francisco Marriage Returns, 1850 – 1858, describes how a second look at previously completed research on Simeon Leach unearthed fresh and surprising mate- rial. The 1883 List of Pensioners appears here alphabetically by pensioner which makes this compilation unique.
With winter coming, curl up with one of the new titles reviewed by Marston Watson, a professional genealogist specializing in New England genealogies, and author of three volumes on Royal Families: Americans of Royal and Noble Ancestry.
We have a splendid list of new books, the names of many new members, and a brochure for you to use for ordering any of the society’s publications.
Please note that Part III of “Finding the Laughran Sisters” will appear in the Spring 2011 issue.
Jane Hufft, Editor
Writing, editing, formatting and printing of the Spring 2010 edition of The California Nugget is complete and copies should be arriving at members' homes any day. Kudos to Editor Jane Hufft and Production Editor Lois Elling for another outstanding issue!
For 2010 both issues will have green covers, signaling freshness, renewal, and growth in the articles and information we present for our readers. May this inspire your research to bloom!The cover article is an informative and entertaining piece by Thomas MacEntee: The Day Grandma Fran Got On Facebook: Why the World Didn't End and Why It Was a Good Thing. Thomas is a "far-flung" member of the California Genealogical Society who lives in Chicago.
The Fall 2009 edition of The California Nugget has been sent to the printer and should be arriving in members' mailboxes in the next week. I was able to get a sneak peek and I'm thrilled to report that Editor Jane Hufft and Production Editor Lois Elling have outdone themselves and Volume 1, Issue 2 is even better than the first! Here's Jane's message:Dear CGS Members:TABLE of CONTENTS
We hope you will enjoy the variety of articles and information in this second issue of The California Nugget. Be sure to read “Elyse’s Genealogy Blog” which describes a generation gap among family historians, and let us know what you think CGS might do to help unite researchers of all ages. (We’ve taken the first step by adding a student membership at $20.) Our "California Ancestors" section highlights two very different BROWN families, and the ‘06 earthquake is memorialized by a BOSWORTH ancestor.
In April 2010 the planets align when the annual National Genealogical Society Conference and the annual CGS research trip are back-to-back in Salt Lake City! The 2010 NGS Family History Conference is 28 April – 1 May 2010. There is a conference blog at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org. Sign up now to take advantage of the week-long CGS trip—what a wonderful ten days for those who can be there for both events.
Coming in the next issue of the Nugget: exciting details about a major new CGS publication, San Francisco Deaths, 1865 – 1904 and first part of the alphabet from the newly compiled California Names in the Index to the List of Pensioners on the Roll, 1883.
What about your California ancestors? Please share your stories, photos and family trees for our readers and your descendants!
Jane Hufft
Editor
After months of planning, writing, editing, designing, indexing, sourcing and proofing, The California Nugget, Volume 1, Issue 1, will be arriving in members' mailboxes any day. Its thirty-four pages of original articles - most contributed by CGS members - have been beautifully assembled by Jane Hufft and Lois Elling.
As announced earlier this year, CGS stopped publishing a paper version of the society newsletter and now communicates with members electronically via the monthly CGS e-News and this blog. The change has allowed our publication duo – Editor Hufft and Production Editor Elling – to turn their attention to a revival of the "Nugget" which ceased publication several years ago. As President Jane Lindsey notes in an introductory letter on page one, "We are delighted to be able to bring back a serial publication in a new and up-to-date format."
The inside cover is a goldmine of information about the society and includes the publication's mission statement:
The California Nugget, the magazine of the California Genealogical Society, is published twice a year. Its purpose is to share the unique genealogical material in the CGS library, add to the body of family history information about Californians, offer guidance and timely information to family researchers, and provide a forum for members to share their expertise and findings. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. The magazine is distributed free to members and is available to non- members for $5.00 an issue plus postage.
TABLE of CONTENTS
Twenty-First Century Genealogy
What Is a Genealogy Blog and Why Should I Care? By Kathryn Doyle
An Unexpected DNA Journey By Kathy Beals
California Ancestors
My Mallorcan Ancestor: Guillermo Castell Enseñat By Thomas Fox
Martin Bacon and Mary Elizabeth Shepley By Kenneth Haughton
Alfred Guile Thompson By Susan Hutchinson
William Mendenhall, “The Forester” By S. A Mendenhall
For Our Readers
Events Calendar for 2009
Research Trip to Allen County Public Library: Registration Form
Recent Acquisitions in the Library
NEHGS Fall Event: Registration Form
Guidelines for Submissions to The California Nugget
Book Review By Laura Spurrier
Books and Publications Order Form
Salt Lake City Research Trip \
News from the Society
New Members
Index
Please come back to this announcement after you've had a chance to read the first issue and leave your comments for Jane and Lois.
The California Genealogical Society entered a new era of paperless communication after mailing the last official issue of the CGS News to members in December. Following the lead of many other societies, the CGS Board of Directors made the decision to "go green" and use electronic means as the major way to communicate with membership. The society will use four online avenues to stay in touch with members: the CGS e-News, the CGSL blog, the CGS website and the CGS Google calendar.
The CGS e-News, e-mailed to members and friends on the first of every month, is in its third year of publication. (I took over as editor in January 2008.) The monthly electronic newsletter features news about upcoming society meetings and events, suggested links, timely announcements and "CGS Ancestors" – a member-submitted photograph with accompanying family story. Up-to-the-minute society news is always available here at the CGSL blog. CGS member volunteers Larry Youngman and Marianne Frey are working hard to keep the CGS website updated with the latest information on upcoming events and program offerings. CGS Events volunteers Carolyn Steinberg and Tim Cox keep the online CGS Google calendar up-to-date. Detailed information about each entry is just one click away.
"Going green" freed up funds in the society budget to allow the reintroduction of a more scholarly journal. Newsletter editor Jane Hufft will turn her attention to the launch of The California Nugget which will be published twice a year beginning with the spring 2009 issue. Hufft has announced that her "goal is to provide a quality publication that will have something of interest for every member." The California Nugget will carry in-depth articles about California genealogy, contain help and guidance for those just beginning their research and provide book reviews. Hufft gave this list of the type of content she plans to feature: "Brick-wall stories, Hispanic research connected to California families, unique unpublished indexes, research highlighting early Bay Area settlers and 'cite-your-sources' articles."
Jane is soliciting manuscripts for The California Nugget from members. Precise submission guidelines will be made available in the first issue. Contact CGS or email Jane Hufft directly with a description of your manuscript.
