Celebrating the Past and the Future: 2018 Genealogy Events and Education Plans

by Maureen Hanlon

Our 120^th Anniversary in 2018 is a great milestone --- we’ve planned a number of events and classes to both delve into our heritage and leverage the science that allows us to understand that past even better.  

Currently,  we are scheduling our five part Records Series and four part Skills Series. Your suggestions are most welcome for ideas on classes and events as we continue planning for 2018 continues. Come to our January 13th Annual Member Meeting and Birthday Party to hear more details and enjoy a talk about ancestors.

    

NOTE:  Our free Introduction to Genealogy on the first Saturday and the popular San Francisco Special Interest Group and Family Tree Special Interest Group will continue meeting on the third Saturdays. 

DNA

DNA will be a major focus as we have engaged Blaine Bettinger, The Genetic Genealogist, to come for an amazing event on March 3rd.  Get ready for Blaine's event by attending Pam Miller's previously held three foundation lectures on the major DNA tests, Ancestry, FamilyTree and 23 and Me on January 27th, February 3rd and 10th, respectively.  

Then check our schedule for a talk by Eva Goodwin from Ancestry to be held later in the year on DNA, Adoptions and Unknown Parents. We will also continue the monthly first Saturday meetings of an ongoing DNA study group for those who have completed the foundation series. 

Heritage

Our fortune and that of our ancestors lies in California’s rich geography. We’ve scheduled the popular Melinda Kashuba, author of Walking with Your Ancestors: a Genealogist’s Guide to Using Maps and Geography for April 14th. 

We’re also celebrating the diversity of our state and its early settlers with a Chinese Ancestry Day in May, which is Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. Grant Din, Marisa Louie Lee and others will talk, plus we are exploring a tour of Angel Island. Look for Stewart Traiman's class that will share insights and strategies for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender (LGBT) genealogy on June 23rd.

 

The online CGS Irish Ancestry Network will hold its second anniversary get-together on March 24th with an informal meet-up and an afternoon lecture by Cath Trindle on Irish Townlands. 

Trips and Tours

In addition to our annual Salt Lake City Research trip being held April 22nd-29th, Jane Lindsey will lead a trip for intermediate genealogists in August to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne Indiana, home of the most extensive genealogy periodical collection.  We also have plans in the works to visit Sutro Library and events with The California Historical Society.  

Updates, more information and registration links will be published on our EventBrite page at least two months prior to the events.

It's going to be a wonderful year of genealogy and celebration at The California Genealogical Society.  We hope you'll be a part of the magic!

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

What's happening in 2017? More Classes, More Speakers, and...

by Maureen Hanlon

We're excited to let you know that plans for our education program in 2017 are moving fast.  

What's happening?

• We've already confirmed Melinda Kashuba for February where she will talk about Migration to the Gold Rush, and the Legal Genealogist herself, Judy G. Russell, will be speaking in September.
• A new DNA Special Interest Group (SIG) will be formed to help members with their test results and understanding.
• And for beginners and all researchers looking to sharpen their skills, we will be offering a four-part, "Building Your Skills" set that will help you avoid common mistakes and build your family tree with best genealogical practices.  The series will include strategies on how to analyze and critically evaluate sources of the person, along with places and times.  It will be offered twice during the year.  

Other plans include a Media Day where our experts will talk about both Social Media and Organizing Your Media.  We'll continue offering ethnic and geography-based topics, including Central European genealogy.  Lastly, we hope to confirm an expert from Ancestry to give us all those inside tips and tricks.

There's always more "in the works"!  Please check our calendar and e-News for frequent updates. 

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Wordless Wednesday

Mad about Maps Genealogy Seminar with Melinda Kashuba

Saturday, Sept 14, 2013

Photograph by Kathryn M. Doyle, Oakland, California, 9/14/2013.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Mad about Maps Genealogy Seminar with Melinda Kashuba - Saturday, September 14, 2013

Portion of an 1895 panoramic map of Stockton, California from Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division

Saturday, Sept 14, 2013

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society Library

2201 Broadway, Suite LL2

Oakland, California 94612

Maps assist genealogists in not only locating physical addresses but also providing context for the lives of their family. Maps provide details about the places where an ancestor lived, worked, worshiped, attended school, shopped, and recreated. Dr. Melinda Kashuba is back with three talks to show how maps and online map tools can help you flesh out an ancestor’s life.

Using Maps for Urban Research
This lecture is designed to introduce different types of historical city maps that are useful in locating urban ancestors, their homes, and workplaces.

Locating Foreign Maps for Genealogical Research
Ready. Set. Jump into research abroad. This lecture will teach you how to locate maps that detail your ancestors’ lives in the home country.

Online Mapping Tools and Apps
New tools available on the Internet can help you document your ancestor’s life, a genealogy research vacation or help solve research problems. Google Earth, Crowd Map, Click2Map, and others will be showcased in this fun lecture that shows you how to create customized maps.

Register online

This in-house seminar is limited to thirty participants. The fee is $20.00 for members. Non-member fee is $40.00 (non-refundable). Non-members who attend can receive a $20 discount on a new membership only on the day of the class.

Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Registration confirmations will be sent to the first thirty registrants. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

Dr. Melinda Kashuba holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a professor of geography at Shasta College and a professional genealogist. Dr. Kashuba is a popular lecturer and the author of Walking with Your Ancestors: a Genealogist’s Guide to Using Maps and Geography (Family Tree Books, 2005) and numerous articles. Her research specialties include nineteenth and twentieth century American records and maps. She performs genealogical research for clients and lives with her family in Northern California.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Anatomy of the Sanborn Maps Workshop with Melinda Kashuba

One of the things the California Genealogical Society does really well is events. Our classes, workshops and seminars are usually well-attended and more-than-meet expectations. Melinda Kashuba‘s Sanborn Maps workshop last December was a home run.

Events Coordinator Tim Cox and his team do a fantastic job at handling every aspect from scheduling, through execution. Online registration tools are now an integral part of the operation and make the collection of statistics a snap.

Tim sent these numbers:

• Total registered: 29
• Cancellations: 2
• No show: 1 (non-member)
• Non-members registered: 2 (1 was a no-show and the other one joined)
• Total in attendance: 26
• Total evaluations returned: 15

Tim also uses online tools to send an evaluation form to participants. It makes it easy for them to send feedback. The results:

• Length of workshop (2 hours) was appropriate.
• Number of attendees (24) was a nice size for most. Two responded that it was too crowded to get to the maps for the hands-on experience.
• The workshop met everyone's expectation! "There was enough information to demonstrate the maps' uses and advantages, but not so much that one is overwhelmed."
• It was unanimous that we should invite Melinda back for a repeat workshop or have her teach on another topic.
  

Thing that could be improved: moving the maps to the hallway for the interactive exercises for easier access.

Here's a sampling of some of the comments:

It was great to be able to examine the large Sanborn firemaps she'd posted on the wall in detail. I have a much better understanding on where to look for such maps, as well. – Dan Ford.

She had a nice mixture of listening to lecture and actively using our knowledge that required some physical movement. She was able to tie it altogether to make a very understandable and usable lecture. – Cheryl Schmidt.

The informal atmosphere made it easy to ask questions of the instructor. The presenter was well informed and the hand-outs were helpful for reference. – Ed Souza.

The topic was interesting and the speaker enthusiastic. I particularly enjoyed the exercise of looking at the maps. Learned lots. – Chris Pattillo.

Melinda is very knowledgeable and well organized. I thought she did a great job of presenting the information. – Marcia Holstrom.

Thanks, Tim, for the report and photographs of another well-run event.


Update 10/25/2011 – Craig Siulinski posted a summary of Melinda's workshop on his Genealogy Jamming blog: The Value of Insurance Maps. Check it out! —kmd.


Photographs courtesy of Tim Cox, Oakland, California, 12/11/2010.

Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Workshop: Heating Up Your Research with Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Saturday, December 11, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society and Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

Join Dr. Melinda Kashuba for this informative workshop and learn how to use Sanborn fire insurance maps in your family history research.

Tracing urban ancestors can be challenging because of the mobility of city residents and the ever-changing nature of cities. Maps assist genealogists in not only locating physical addresses but also providing context for the lives of their family. Maps can provide details about the places where an ancestor lived, worked, worshiped, attended school, shopped, and recreated.

There are a number of map resources available to the researcher to help flesh out an urban ancestor’s life. The lecture portion of the workshop is designed to introduce you to fire insurance maps and what they can tell us about individual properties, neighborhoods as well as the development of cities during the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States and Canada. The workshop includes a participatory component where you will become familiar with the symbols used on fire insurance maps and have an opportunity to study examples of this phenomenal information source.

The workshop is FREE for CGS members but is limited to twenty people. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the day of the workshop. Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted.

Register online.

Melinda Kashuba holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a popular lecturer and author of Walking with Your Ancestors: a Genealogist’s Guide to Using Maps and Geography (Family Tree Books, 2005) plus numerous articles in genealogical magazines and other publications. Her specialties include nineteenth and twentieth century American records and maps. She performs genealogical research for clients and can be reached at TKashuba@aol.com.


Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.