California Genealogical Society blog: genealogy travel

Showing posts with label genealogy travel. Show all posts

31 January 2018

Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) 2018!

Posted by Linda Okazaki

The California Genealogical Society (CGS) was well represented, 17 members, at this year's Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, otherwise known as #SLIG2018!

The 17 Genealogists were...

Ron Arons (Instructor), Sheila Benedict, Sandi Benward, Jan Brandt, Kim Cotton, Vanessa Crews, Lisa Gorrell, Stacy Hoover, Laura Lee Karp, Victoria Kolakowski, Linda Okazaki, James Russell, Joanna Shear, Jacqi Stevens, Jeffrey Vaillant, Tina Wikner, and Carolyn Williams

and they took 7 Courses...

Advanced Methodologies, Advanced Land Tools, Early English Records, Repositories and Archives, Great Lakes, Swedish and Finnish Records, and Writing.

We had a blast in Salt Lake!
Send in your pictures and we will add to the mix!

02 October 2017

Stories & Tips for A Genealogy Road Trip

Posted by Shannon Reese

by Chris Pattillo

My Genealogy Journey
One month after retiring I embarked on a 2 ½ month cross-country trip. I drove over 9000 miles through 19 states and did family history research in Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia. Along the way, I visited six county courthouses in four states, sixteen libraries, and made 3390 copies of pages of documents. Sounds tiring, right? I was exhilarated!

During the trip I found several people who helped me find family graves and clues to my family history. One encounter led to a small rural burial plot where my 2nd great grandmother is buried. While in Albany, Texas I found one small clue that enabled me to break down my tallest brick wall – one I’d been trying to topple for over 15 years.

It was a remarkable trip filled with amusing stories and tales about how dogged determination led to genealogical treasures. Come hear my tales and be inspired to make your own genealogy journey on October 14th from 1pm - 3pm, right after our The California Genealogical society's quarterly membership meeting and Annual Genie Awards!

Catch up with what happened before the talk by visiting my blog and read about what I experienced. The blog archive is located near the bottom right of the homepage with posts arranged by month. I can't wait to share with you what I learned!

About the Speaker

Chris Pattillo first became interested in family history research when she toured the then new Mormon Temple in Oakland in 1963. She started her research while on a family vacation in the late 60s and has continued to work on it in fits and starts ever since. After running her own Landscape Architecture firm for 40 years, Chris retired last April and spent two and a half months traveling across the United States, visiting Texas, Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina where her Pattillo ancestors are from.

She has self-published four family history books and now writes the Pattillo-Thornally Family History blog. Chris has had a few articles published in the CGS quarterly – The Nugget, and since her trip has had articles published in an Albany, Texas newspaper and the Watauga Association of Genealogists bulletin in Tennessee.

09 July 2017

Chris' Genealogy Journey: Handley Cemetery & Tarrant County, TX

Posted by Shannon Reese

by Chris Pattillo

Cemeteries and Courthouses...a genealogy goldmine. My next highlighted stops as I continued along my genealogy adventure had me in Texas with visits to the Handley Cemetery, near Fort Worth, and the Tarrant County Courthouse. So take a quick break now and enjoy a bit of genealogy travel and research along with me, a fellow California Genealogical Society member.

Handley Cemetery

After the Stock Yards on the 24th I drove to Azal, a little northwest of Fort Worth, where I found an RV Park for the night. My spot had a very nice view of a field with a small herd of Angus cows grazing in it. I planned to find the Handley Cemetery, the following day, and look for the grave of Wirt W. Pattillo. Wirt was listed on the 1880 census with his parents and his birth information showed he was born in May of that year. I Googled “Handley Cemetery” to I could find the location and the Find A Grave site came up – a tremendous resource for genealogists.

I entered “Pattillo” and three burials were listed. I was taken aback to find three infant sons buried in the Handley Cemetery. Previously, I’d known about two infant boys that had died but now I found that there were three. Wirt W. Pattillo was born May 25, 1880, James H. Pattillo, named after his grandfather, was born September 18, 1882 and died November 11, 1883 – just 13 months old, and Infant Pattillo, a son died January 31, 1884. In just three years James and Carrie Pattillo had lost three children. How very tragic. I’d like to know the causes of death but those records were lost in a fire, as I learned later in the day at the Tarrant county Courthouse. For more photos and the end of Chris' tale, click here.

Tarrant County Courthouse

When I left the Handley Cemetery I drove south to Camper World to have my solar power converter fixed. I arrived a little early for my 1:00 appointment but spent the time shopping for a few things I needed. After the lunch break I went out to the shop to show them where the converter was hidden. The technician asked me a couple of questions about what the problem was, he tested for electricity flow, then moved a little black switch into the “on” position and voila my problem was fixed – No charge! So, now all my technical problems were fixed and I had time to visit the Tarrant County Courthouse that afternoon.

It is a beautiful building designed by Gunn & Curtis Architects in the Renaissance Revival style. The original cost of construction was $408,840 and the citizenry thought the politicians were so extravagant at the time they voted them out of office. The interior of the building is also spectacular. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

After finding a parking space directly across the street from the courthouse, I made my way to the City Clerk’s office. The man at the front desk informed me that the marriage record I sought for my great grandparents did not exist because there had been a fire and ….. just then one of his co-workers, Mary Boyd, returned from her break and chimed in, “oh, yes we do have those records”. The front desk person looked dubious but Ms. Boyd escorted me into the adjacent room filled with computer workstations and within five minutes had located my prize. She explained, “we only get requests for these old records about once every five years, so they forget that we have them, but I love looking for them.” The story continues here.

Stay tuned for my next adventure at the Tennessee State Archives. If you've got ancestors from this neck of the woods, you'll enjoy this one!

Photos courtesy of Chris Pattillo

28 May 2017

Chris' Genealogy Journey, First Stop: Albany, Texas

Posted by Shannon Reese

Leaving Liz's in Tucson, AZ in my new RV shirt

by Chris Pattillo

Come along with me, a fellow California Genealogical Society member, and read excerpts from my blog as I begin a genealogy adventure focused on Texas, Virginia, Tennessee and Illinois. Along the trail I plan to visit state and national parks too. Ready? Let’s go!

The Why and the How

Inspired by my mom and dad’s camper trips when I was a kid, I’ve got my own small motorhome now, so I’m hitting the road. For many years I’ve wanted to spend time where my ancestors lived and to learn more about what they did, where they lived and what their lives were like. Now that I’ve recently retired, I can spend time seeing these places and doing research at local history libraries, state archives, courthouses and other places where historic records are kept.

In 1971 my parents Lottie and Ed bought a Ford pickup and a new camper

Texas: My Ancestor Trail Begins

I’ve heard that people in Texas are friendly. Today I experienced the truth to that statement, and I would add they are helpful and generous. This morning I drove from Snyder, Texas to Albany, Texas (Shackelford County) and I started the genealogy part of this trip.

My great grandfather James William Pattillo left Mecklenburg, Virginia after the Civil War and migrated to Tarrant County, Texas. The earliest record I have for his being in the county is his marriage to Carrie Brooks Stover on 5 April 1879. On the 1880 Tarrant County census James was identified as a cattle dealer living in Handley just west of Fort Worth. By 1887 James and Carrie were living in Los Angeles, California but Carrie’s brother David Gaines Stover remained in Texas.

Saw this map in the Dawson County Courthouse.
At top center are Shackelford, Stephens and Tarrant Counties

There are footprints of this branch of my family in three counties all west of Fort Worth – Tarrant, Stephens and Shackelford. I started in Shackelford because I knew where Carrie’s brother, his wife and two of his sons are buried in the Albany Cemetery.

Saundra Nobles had surveyed the Albany cemetery and uploaded all her data and photos onto the Find-A-Grave site. The section, block and lot numbers were all listed on the site, so I figured finding them would be easy. It’s a large cemetery with very clearly labeled street names, but I didn’t see any section, block or lot numbers. I was stumped...for Chris’ complete story, click here.

Everyone I encountered today was warm, friendly, helpful and remarkably generous. Thank you Albany, Texas – a great town. Stay tuned for my next genealogy adventure!

Photos courtesy of Chris Pattillo

27 April 2017

California State Archives: Come Experience It With Us!

Posted by Shannon Reese

The California State Archives is a rich resource for researching family history. Join us for an exciting and productive field trip to the State Archives in Sacramento on June 13, 2017 at 10:00am. The Field Trip will include a tour of the Archives and time to do your own research. It's also free for members. Register here.

What's there?

The State Archives contain microfilmed copies and original records from 28 of California's counties including probate, deeds, military, prison, and naturalization records, as well as many state collections of interest to genealogists.

What to expect

This tour involves walking up and down one flight of stairs and about a mile on concrete. No food, beverages, bags, purses, or backpacks are allowed on the tour. You can lock your personal belongings in the lockers at the Archives. You may bring a camera on the tour, but flash photography is not allowed. Those who wish to do research may do so by appointment prior to the tour.

Getting there

There is limited metered parking and a city-parking garage at the corner of 10th and L Streets. Transportation will be by casual carpool. It is about 1 ½ hour drive from CGS in Oakland. CGS cannot provide the transportation.

What are you waiting for? Sign-up for this fun day of genealogy!

ABOUT LINDA OKAZAKI

Linda is a fourth generation San Franciscan who has lived all but two years of her life in the Bay Area. Her interest in genealogy began as a hobby in 1998 but has since grown to a personal quest.

Linda has been researching her husband’s ancestry for the past several years, documenting his family in the internment camps and in Japan. She is passionate about researching, documenting, teaching, and sharing the stores of Japanese Americans.

07 December 2016

Wordless Wednesday: Washington, D.C. Genealogy Research Trip

Posted by Shannon Reese

Did you miss out on our inaugural genealogy trip to DC this past November? Linda Okazaki, our president, led this wonderful group of passionate genealogists to explore all that D.C. has to offer.

Here are a few of the photos from the group that went. We've got more photos and stories to share in a longer post that we're working on about the trip, so enjoy these in the meantime!

Photos provided by Linda Okazaki

28 July 2015

Tuesday Genealogy Travels

Posted by Linda Okazaki

Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex

by Mary Mettler

St. Mary the Virgin Church in Saffron Walden
Photo by Mary Mettler

This trip should be called "genealogy-lite!" No libraries, no archives, no historical societies! We simply are driving to as many ancestral towns in Southern England as possible. Hmmm...might even be called a forced march!

Our first week has included Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex, all of which were "seething with Puritanism" in the 17th century. Although we Americans know Reverend John Eliot as the proselytizer to the Indians, he was a powerful influence in the Puritan movement in this area of England.

Fortunately, many of the churches remain in which my ancestors worshipped. We can thank those strong builders, the Normans! Although they have been remodeled and expanded, Norman details still exist - a door, an arch, or a font. Henry VIII stamped his mark on many of the restored timber ceilings, which often include one or more Tudor roses.

We had a great stroke of luck when we stopped at St. Michael's Church in Bishop's Stortford on a Sunday. One of my favorite ancestors, 9th great-grandfather George Denison, worshipped here as a child. The organist, Nate Collins, was practicing and not only entertained us but invited us to the evening service, which included ten bells ringing changes (peals) from the tower. I have an application if you are interested in becoming a bell ringer! My niece, Bonnie, told me they don't call it a melody, but the patterns seem much like it. I'm posting a short video to show you how wonderful they are!

Our favorite picturesque town is Saffron Walden, a sparkling clean, old English town with many half-timbered buildings. It is home to St. Mary the Virgin Church where my 9th great-grandparents, Samuel and Anne (Savell) Bass were married and their children baptized.

I can't resist two non-genealogy and non-history items. One is a faucet in the public rest rooms. Place your hand under the faucet for a real treat! It dispenses soap, switches to water, and finishes off with a perfect drying job! The other is a very civilized "no parking" sign. I would love to find one of these for my driveway! Do you have more questions? Feel free to contact me.

Photo by Bonnie Mettler

Stay tuned for more adventures with Mary...

04 November 2013

Encore Presentation! On the Road Again: Practical Tips for Successful On-Site Research

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Saturday, December 7, 2013

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

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

A research trip to one's ancestral home can be extremely rewarding, but also may present many challenges. Join Pam Brett for an encore presentation of her class on successful on-site research. Pam will share practical tips on how to plan an on-site research trip to achieve your research goals and to bring home a new understanding of the lives of your ancestors.

Register online.

This class is limited to thirty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership 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.

Pam Brett has been interested in genealogy for nearly forty years since she began filling in the family tree of her first-born child’s baby book. Raising two daughters and working as a public health social worker left little free time until 1999 when she began her family research in earnest.

Brett's ancestors were mobile which led to research in thirty-one states and the District of Columbia. She loves doing on-site research in the States "where there are many challenges but the rewards are priceless."

05 July 2013

On the Road Again: Practical Tips for Successful On-Site Research

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Thursday, August 15, 2013

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

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

A research trip to one's ancestral home can be extremely rewarding, but also may present many challenges. Join Pam Brett for an evening class on successful on-site research. Pam will share practical tips on how to plan an on-site research trip, to achieve your research goals and to bring home new understanding of the lives of your ancestors.

Register online.

This class is limited to thirty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the day of the class.