Quarantine Quests: Quaker Connections

This Quarantine Quests story comes from CGS member Sandy Fryer, who used DNA and records from the Society of Friends to home in on an elusive ancestor.

Those of us whose ancestors had distinctive surnames have it much easier than those who struggle with a Smith, Murphy, Lee, or Jones. Sandy Fryer has to contend with a third-great-grandfather named Elverton Jones. Thank heavens he has an unusual first name. The only thing Sandy knows about this elusive ancestor’s birth is that he was born in Virginia about 1800.

Sandy created this table to help her keep track of yDNA connections

Traditional research methods have not enabled her to expand beyond these basic facts, so Sandy decided to submit a yDNA sample from her brother in hopes of finding new leads and paths to follow. Sandy joined the Jones DNA project and used FamilyTree DNA to identify other Joneses within a genetic distance of 3. These individuals have a 78% chance of having a common ancestor within six generations. Since Sandy lacks sufficient information to identify Elverton’s parents her strategy is to look at other Jones families in hopes of finding a common ancestor.

She started by looking at R.A. Jones, but fairly quickly proved that his family tree was only accurate to his third-great-grandfather.  Next, she focused on R.L. Jones, who had identified his Jones line back to a Richard Jones born about 1704.  Notably, this family line were Quakers and it was fairly easy to verify R. L. Jones’s work. Needless to say, doing this work is a painstaking effort requiring good record keeping–an ideal diversion while confined to one’s home during the pandemic.

A third lead is C.D. Jones, for whom Sandy has been able to document multiple generations. More importantly, she again confirmed a Quaker connection and documentation that Nathan Jones, C.D.’s fifth great grandfather served during the American Revolution–for which he was expelled from the Quakers.

One of the records Sandy found for Nathan Jones in a Roster of
Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia

This Quaker theme seems like a strong lead. The Quakers kept good records so Sandy’s next research steps will focus on Quaker connections. She asks, “If any of our members have experience researching Quakers, particularly in Virginia, please get in touch with me to share what you know.” Sandy can be reached at sfryer@californiaancestors.org.

The member-posted family trees on Ancestry.com have aided Sandy in her search. Knowing that one cannot rely upon these trees as being accurate, Sandy has instead used the trees to find documentation that supports their claims and sometimes offers clues to other places where she can look for further documentation. Ancestry has pretty good Quaker records, which is also helping her make progress.

One of the Quaker sources Sandy found mentions Nathan Jones and
two of his brothers

Sandy created a table to help her keep track of the names and facts she is finding for each Jones candidate. Her table enables her to easily compare each individual by generation and associations. Sandy also created a family tree using her Legacy genealogy program for her yDNA connections. She uses this tree, which is separate from her primary tree, to keep each piece of information she finds along with her sources. She also uses Legacy to create reports that help her analyze her data.

Since using Ancestry Family Trees has helped Sandy make progress on her conundrum she admits to feeling a little guilty for not having shared her research on Ancestry. Now, she is reconsidering that decision and may share some portion of her tree publicly. 

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Capital Campaign Successful

The 2016-18 capital campaign is now officially over as of February 18, 2018 – the actual date of the Society’s 120th anniversary. As chair of the campaign I want to thank everyone who made a donation and helped us raise over $402,000. This money is invested in our Sherman-Haughton Fund and will continue to help augment the society’s financial needs for the next 100 years.

I, and committee members Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer, also want to thank everyone who helped us during the campaign. Lois Elling who designed special graphics for the campaign, Shannon Reese who helped with writing and editing blog posts, and Stewart Blandon who promoted the campaign in our eNews. Kathie Jones kept us up to date with monthly financial reports. Linda Okazaki was a tremendously helpful sounding board, and the Board of Directors who reviewed and acted on our ideas.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOU DID & FOR YOUR GENEROSITY.

Chris Pattillo, CGS Capital Campaign Chair

Copyright © 2018 by California Genealogical Society

Capital Campaign: Help Us Finish Strong

by Chris Pattillo, Capital Campaign Chair

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today our Sherman-Haughton fund has $384,390 more than it did before the campaign began. Wouldn't it be great if we could reach $400,000 by the time our Capital Campaign ends on February 1st?

The official kickoff of the first ever California Genealogical Society (CGS) Capital Campaign was February 2017, nearly a year ago. The Campaign Committee (myself, Jane Lindsey & Sandy Fryer) reached out to our membership as well as to individuals and philanthropists who have an interest in preserving family history. Our goal was to raise $1.2 million in honor of the 120th anniversary of the society. We did not succeed in reaching this lofty goal but have succeeded in raising an incredible $384,390. This is an amazing number for an all-volunteer organization to raise!

Where does the money go?
Our investment committee has managed our funds prudently, so for the past ten years our portfolio has grown by an average of 9.4% a year. These funds provide financial security for our society, and provide us with the ability to offer more services to our membership.

Why am I sending you another Capital Campaign Appeal?
As you may know, revenue generated from membership fees, seminars, classes, and research trips does not cover our annual expenses. Every year we rely on our members’ generous donations in response to the Annual Appeal and prudent withdrawals from the Sherman-Haughton Fund to supplement the budget shortfall. Our expenses, particularly the rent, continue to increase every year. Have you contributed yet?

Long-term goals and financial stability go hand-in-hand
The Board and Campaign Committee want CGS to continue to be a leader in family history. We want to offer value to our members by providing nationally known speakers and state-of-the-art educational programs for beginning to advanced researchers. We want to do more to enable our long-distance members to have better access to the society by offering participatory webinars and by digitizing our records and making them available online to members.

Here are 2 easy ways to make a donation:

Mail or drop off a check at the library:

2201 Broadway LL2, Oakland, CA 94612-3031

Write checks to: CGS – Capital Campaign

or

DONATE on our website, CaliforniaAncestors.org

Why I believe in this campaign
Family has always been important to me—it’s my anchor and enabler. CGS feels like an extension of my family. I value how being part of the society has helped me with my research—every visit to the society I learn something new from another member. I hope you share this feeling and will support CGS financially today with a donation to the Capital Campaign and always through donations in response to the Annual Appeal. The money donated to the Capital Campaign goes directly to the Sherman-Haughton fund.

Thank you.

Copyright © 2018 by California Genealogical Society

Putting It All Together

Do you know how valuable you are to The California Genealogical Society (CGS)?  Our member-volunteers are why our genealogy society and library exist.  From our first president, Dr. Edward Stephen Clark, in 1898 to our current president, Linda Okazaki, our society is filled with dedicated volunteers that are always pushing for genealogical excellence. You are now part of this heritage and we want you to know how your society can help you.

Visit the library

One way to help is to remind you to visit our research library. It is an amazing resource to historians and family history researchers alike.  Have you been to the library lately? Just a reminder that we're located in Oakland's Uptown District and the area is hopping with great restaurants, cool coffee shops and wonderful stores that are filled with the energy from the neighborhood. Luckily, we're in the middle of it all!  

Full of surprises

One of the unsung heroes of the library is our Manuscript Collection. It is comprised of 108 linear feet on the shelves, as well as loose papers, research and family histories that have been donated to our library over its almost 118 year history.  We are forever grateful to volunteers Pat Bonderud and Linda Darby for cataloguing and organizing this treasure trove. The incredibly helpful and insightful Georgia Lupinsky and Virginia Turner are now the volunteers who manage our collection. They created a thirty-page inventory (in pdf format) available for download our website.

This searchable database provides a synopsis of each collection, providing enough information to help you determine if further examination of a manuscript is beneficial to your own research. Individual collections may be viewed at the Library by appointment.

Another way we can help you search for research materials is to use our online Library Catalog. I think you'll be amazed once you start looking at what's available to assist in your genealogy search.

Our Capital Campaign Needs Your Donation

Even with all of the free labor given by our volunteers, we still need money to continue our mission. Between high real estate costs in the Bay Area, continual upgrades to our computer equipment, offering high quality speakers and classes, along with keeping our library filled with new resources (including online databases), a group of long-term volunteers realized the society needed a committee dedicated to raising long-term funding for CGS. So earlier this year, the Capital Campaign was born. 

Chris Pattillo (Chair), Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer began raising money that will help cover the shortfall in the annual operating expenses of CGS.  Think of it as a substantial rainy day fund that lets us all benefit by having access to great classes, seminars, plus all of our online and library resources.  

How you can contribute:
*  Make a donation on our website or send a check.
*  Become a Life member to support the campaign. 
*  List CGS as a beneficiary in your will or personal trust. 
*  Provide a tax-deductible donation through your IRA or 401K .

There are many ways to donate, so choose what works best for you. 

Questions? Send an email to Chris Pattillo or Jane Lindsey. They're waiting to hear from you.

  
Become a part of the campaign, and make a donation today.  Thank you for your continued support.

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Capital Campaign – Starting Strong

by Chris Pattillo, Chair, Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer

As we write this article we are thrilled to announce that we have met our initial goal to raise $350,000 during the early phase of the capital campaign. This addition to our fund alone will generate over $30,000 of income per year. Money that will help cover the shortfall in annual operating expenses of the California Genealogy Society (CGS) when needed. 

So far, the response to the campaign has been gratifying. Over 112 individuals have made contributions to the campaign as of August 31st. The amount of the average donation is $2600 and the median donation is $100. Individual contributions have ranged from one figure amounts to six figure amounts. 

There are myriad reasons why our members and non-members have chosen to support CGS during this capital campaign. One non-member made a $25,000 donation because she appreciated the help she received researching her family history.  

How you have given
Looking at the donations by categories we have 5 donors who have given $10,000 or more, 4 individuals made donations in the $5000 to $9999 range, 8 gave $1000 to $4999, 6 gave amounts in the range between $500 and $999, 6 others gave $250 to $499, 56 are in the $100 to $249 bracket and an additional 40 people gave $100 or less. Every gift helps us reach our goal.

Our members have responded to the campaign in various ways:
*  Donating through our website’s DONATE tab or by sending a check in response to the   campaign mailing sent earlier this year. 
*  Becoming a Life member to support the campaign. 
*  Listing CGS as a beneficiary in their will or personal trust. 
*  Providing a tax-deductible donation through their IRA or 401K .

We are grateful and THANK everyone who has contributed. All those who have contributed to the campaign are helping ensure that the society will be in a position to continue helping people research their family history for years to come.  

CGS has given so much to so many – now it is time to give back. Members tell us they appreciate the lectures, field trips, workshops and casual camaraderie they find with fellow members. They appreciate the one-on-one help they receive at the library and on research trips. We should not take CGS for granted. Genealogical societies like other non-profits are vulnerable to rising expenses and tough economic times. If we want the society to be around for the long term, we need to support it.   

Graphic designed by Lois Elling

If you have not already made a donation to the campaign, right now is the perfect time to do so. You can mail in a check or visit our website to use a credit card. Go to the donate tab where you will find a check box for the Capital Campaign with a link to PayPal. Or you can use one of the tax saving mechanisms that other members have used.  

We deeply appreciate everyone who has given to the campaign but there is more to do to achieve our ambitious goal of raising $1.2 million in honor of the 120th anniversary of the society. For those who made a donation to the campaign in 2016 please consider making an additional contribution that will provide a tax deduction for 2017.

This Capital Campaign will officially end in February of 2018. Become a part of the campaign, and make a donation today.  

Thank You.

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Why I Donated to the Capital Campaign: Ken Haughton

Ken and Beverly Haughton

Our third in a series of blog posts entitled, Why I Chose to Contribute to the Capital Campaign focuses on life member and donor, Ken Haughton.

Ken has given generously of his time and money for over 39 years to California Genealogical Society (CGS).  He was CFO for many years and has served on our board of directors. Ken also started our endowment fund and trained our current Investment Committee members, Chris Pattillo and Jim Sorenson.  He now serves as a sounding board to our investment committee.

Here are a few questions that I asked him on why he chose to financially support our society:

By contributing to the Capital Campaign, what do you hope to accomplish? The economy of the United States is somewhat temperamental.  A slump could affect the income from membership in a negative way.  It is important to keep the organization active and vital, no matter what happens, so that it can continue to preserve all forms of family history for future generations.

You have many organizations to choose from when considering a donation, what made you choose us? Well, history has an effect on history.  I have had many positive interactions with the Society and feel it should continue to perform in that manner with many more folks.

How does donating to CGS extend your personal legacy or the legacy of California Genealogical research? Providing facilities and assistance goes a long way toward extending the legacy of the Society and if it is healthy, this effect is multiplied.

How did CGS' genealogical resources help your research efforts? It's hard to enumerate all the ways it has helped me.  The Library and all of it resources have led me to any number of discoveries.  But most of all, the community associated with it has led me on with questions and suggestions (and general advice).

What would you say to those contemplating a donation to the Capital Campaign? This is an honest and solid society that provides an unbiased look into history on the personal level.  Anything to help this objective is worth the effort.  Besides, it's fun.

The idea behind the Capital Campaign

The California Genealogical Society's Capital Campaign kicked off this past February with a goal of raising $1.2 million dollars. The goal was created to coincide with the beginning of our 120th Anniversary in 2018. 

The money raised from the Capital Campaign will help ensure that our society will remain a leader in genealogy and give us the necessary financial cushion to weather various storms in the future.

A committee chaired by Chris Pattillo was created to lead this effort. Chris also has the considerable help and talent of both Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer to ensure that the campaign will be a huge success.

Are you interested in donating to our Capital Campaign?  Please contact Jane Lindsey or Chris Pattillo with any questions.  They would love to hear from you.  Thank you.

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

What the California Genealogical Society (CGS) Can Do for You

by Chris Pattillo (Chair), Sandy Fryer & Jane Lindsey

Want to hear how CGS has helped some of your fellow members?
Lavinia “Vinnie” Schwarz, long-time research volunteer & member told us, “When I first joined CGS, I just wanted a lovely local library where I could quietly concentrate on who my ancestors are and where they came from. I used the books and computers to research the pushes and pulls that made my families migrate.  But I found so much more. I took advantage of many CGS classes – like how to do English, African-American, Jewish, German, or Japanese genealogy, or how to organize material, use old newspapers, date photographs, navigate digital archives, plat maps, and use a genealogy database.

CGS is an all-volunteer organization whose members have histories from all over the world.  They are willing to share their knowledge and expertise in running the society and doing research. We continue to learn together how to study the past, and how to write up our work in the present so the stories will be known in the future.  It's an extraordinary place.”

One member told us a story about going on the CGS research trip to the Family History Library and how it jump-started her genealogical research. Other members have said that they really appreciate the help they received breaking down a brick wall.  Still other members say they appreciate the classes that CGS has offered that enabled them to hone their genealogical research skills.  

Member Lisa Gorrell said, "The RootsMagic Special Interest Group (SIG) helped me become more efficient in using the software so that I can keep better track of my research." A more recent response is that members appreciate the help they received interpreting their DNA results. What we’re hearing is that most members feel that CGS has significantly helped them with their genealogical goals.  Help us keep up the good work.

What have you given back to CGS?
Many of us start giving back to our university a few years after we graduate and we start to appreciate what our education has done for us. We may start donating to a medical non-profit when a medical crisis impacts our family or close friends. We may support our local arts, museums or institutions that interest us.  How many of you have considered supporting CGS in a significant way?  

Will you do something for CGS?
The Capital Campaign was started last year and the goal was set to raise  $1.2 million, an amount that will strengthen the financial stability of our society for the long term. To date, we have received one large donation and many other donations ranging from $20 - $15,000 in support of our campaign. Thank You!  As of June a total of $330,000 has been donated to the campaign.   We appreciate everyone who has made a contribution, but if we are to reach our goal more members must get involved and make significant contributions.   

Here are some ideas on how to give:

• One or more members could give a very large donation. In return, CGS will consider naming the library after the donor or the person of their choice. Genealogical research and/or a publication can also be rolled into a major gift.  
• If just 2-5% (25-50) of our 1000+ members donate $10,000, then we would have $250,000-$500,000.
• We also would love members to consider becoming a Life member at $1200 as a way to support our campaign.  If 100 of our members become Life Members at $1200, then we would have an additional $120,000.  Life Member dues are donations to the Capital Campaign.  

Thank you for all of the support and financial contributions that you may have already made!  Without you, The California Genealogical Society wouldn’t be here to support genealogical research or have our library to serve as a community-gathering place.  You are what has made and continue to make this possible. Please consider donating to the Capital Campaign and know that every dollar counts and is appreciated.

Photos courtesy of Chris Pattillo

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Why I Chose to Contribute to the Capital Campaign: Bob Grant

Bob Grant has published Sorting some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia, currently a 16-part series of works. He's here at his desk with one of the parts ready for publication.
Photo courtesy of Bob Grant.

The California Genealogical Society's Capital Campaign kicked off this past February with a goal of raising $1.2 million dollars.  The goal was created to coincide with the beginning of our 120th Anniversary in 2018.  A committee chaired by Chris Pattillo was created to lead this effort. Chris also has the considerable help and talent of both Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer to ensure that the campaign will be a huge success.

The money raised from the Capital Campaign will help ensure that our society will remain a leader in genealogy and give us the necessary financial cushion to weather various storms in the future.

I hope you enjoy our second in a series of blog posts entitled, Why I Chose to Contribute to the Capital Campaign.  This month we’re focusing on life member and donor, Bob Grant.

Bob has given generously of his time and money for over 45 years to California Genealogical Society (CGS).  He has served as legal counsel and has been a wonderful sounding board over various issues that have confronted our society. Bob feels strongly that he should support CGS and it’s mission.  He knows that our society contributes both to our local community and collective history of California.

We are lucky to have such an interesting and diverse group of members.  Bob is no exception.  His current genealogical project has him extending, Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia, to additional Wright families about whom he has collected data over the years.  Currently there are 16 published parts, with number 17 in the works.  As Bob said, “There are a lot of Wrights in Virginia!”

Here are a few questions that I asked him on why he chose to financially support our society:

• By contributing to the Capital Campaign, what do you hope to accomplish?  I hope to keep the California Genealogical Society and Library as an active resource for all genealogists everywhere and to help educate newcomers to this fun and interesting activity.

• You have many organizations to choose from when considering a donation, what made you choose us?  We support many charitable organizations and try to find those, which will make effective and efficient use of our contributions.  I am very confident that the Society will do that.

• How does donating to CGS extend your personal legacy or the legacy of California genealogical research?  The Society has one of the libraries to which I donate copies of the genealogical books that I have been writing.  I hope other researchers interested in the same family lines will find those books of value to their research in the same way that I have found books produced by other genealogists, who preceded me, to be helpful to my research. And while my children do not currently have the same interest in genealogy that I do, both live in the Bay Area.  Someday, I hope the future might generate another member of the family who discovers genealogy to be as fascinating as I do.

• How did CGS' genealogical resources help your research efforts?  When I first began my research, I had no idea how to proceed.  The library became a resource to which I could turn. The staff was not only welcoming to me, but also knowledgeable and helpful in directing me to records and sources.  That made my visits enjoyable and productive. I am still researching some 45 years later.

• What would you say to those contemplating a donation to the Capital Campaign?  We have all benefited from those who went before us and but for their contributions, could not do what we do today.  We are like our family trees, part of a long line of transmission, and contributions to the campaign are one effective way to continue that legacy for our future generations.

If a donation to the Capital Campaign sounds daunting, then consider becoming a Life Member of the society.  Did you know that 100% of the Life Membership fee ($1200 that can either be paid at once or over a 5-year installment plan) is invested in mutual funds and provides long-term support for CGS? 

The interest from these funds is used to cover unanticipated expenses and helps secure that the Society will remain viable in the years to come.  Rather than calculating a return on a Life Membership, we encourage you to think of this as donation with benefits.

Have questions? Please send either Chris or Jane an email to discuss what's best for you. 

We are thankful for our dedicated and visionary members like Bob who have stepped forward and made the pledge towards creating a more sustainable and prosperous future for CGS.  Please act now to preserve the heritage that you've worked so hard to discover. We're counting on you.

Thank you for considering how you can help ensure that The California Genealogical Society will remain a financially strong leader in the field of genealogy.

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society