Tech Saturday Workshop with Mary Beth Frederick - An Encore Presentation

Saturday, March 20, 2010
10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway LL2 Oakland, CA 94612

Digital Photography: A Tool for Your Genealogical Research

Back By Popular Demand!

Let Mary Beth Frederick teach you how to use your digital camera to take photographs of books, original documents, microfilms, and computer screens. Using her method will save you time, money, energy, and frustration. You'll also be kind to your back by never again toting a mountain of paper in your carry-on baggage!

10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Lecture
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Lunch – bring a brown bag and participate in an informal question and answer session.
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.  Hands On: take advantage of the equipment and materials in the library and use your own camera to try the techniques presented during the lecture. Mary Beth will be on hand to assist and make suggestions.

The workshop is a FREE benefit of membership but is limited to twenty participants. Preregistration
is required. No walk-ins will be admitted.

Mary Beth Frederick has enjoyed careers in marketing research, systems analysis and design, project
management and editing both print catalogs and an online website. She has been engaged in the full-time research of her family for several years and when the volume of paper threatened to outgrow her office, she started taking digital photos of source documents.

PLEASE NOTE:
• Workshop is limited to 20
• FREE for members; $10* for non-members
• Reservation form required

* The $10.00 contribution is non-refundable and may be applied toward membership on the day of the workshop.

Download the registration flier.

A Valentine From the Manuscript Collection

This month's word prompt for the 20th Edition of the Smile For The Camera Carnival is "Valentine."

Love is in the air, so celebrate with Smile by sharing a photograph of a Valentine; be that person or paper. The interpretation of Valentine is yours. Admission is free with every photograph!

This special valentine is part of the California Genealogical Society's manuscript collection. Linda Darby shared it with me and it was so adorable I snapped a couple of photographs. Now I have the perfect opportunity to share them.

This valentine is neither paper nor person - it is actually a piece of fabric - muslin, I believe - and seems to have been created to commemorate a GRIFFIN family event.

It is a list of family names and the upper right corner includes the following:

August 11, 1908

Souvenir

Picnic Dinner

Griffin Family

Detail - Upper Right Corner

The California Genealogical Society manuscript collection, stretching ninety linear feet on the shelves, consists of loose papers, research and family histories donated to the library over its 100‐plus year history. A searchable document provides a synopsis of each collection and can be downloaded from the society's website.

Photographs by Kathryn M. Doyle, November 16, 2009, Oakland, California.

The Successful Research Trip: Lessons Learned on the Road - March 13, 2010

March Membership Meeting with Mary Mettler
Saturday, March 13, 2010
1:00 p.m.
California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California

The Successful Research Trip: Lessons Learned on the Road

Many of you will recognize Mary's name from her Tuesday Tales - the series of blog articles she wrote in 2008 during her three-month genealogical trek across country. Mary has also made several shorter research trips so her expertise is measured in time and miles.


Mary will tell us about taking research trips to our ancestors' locales, especially small and mid-sized places. She has made seven such trips from as short as one week to that once-in-a-lifetime journey. She will discuss preparation, tools to take, unique sources, tips/tricks and possible pitfalls.

Please note that a short membership meeting starts promptly at 1:00 p.m. Mary's talk follows immediately after. Seating is limited so please arrive early. Meetings are open to everyone but non-members pay a $5.00 users fee to enter the library. (Or come and become a member!)

Call For Submissions: First Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies

Announcing the first edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies!

Jasia of Creative Gene generously allowed me to introduce this idea back in October with the 82nd edition of the COG, Breaking Into Society. In case you are new to the concept, the Carnival of Genealogy (COG) is a bimonthly blog event invented by Jasia in 2006. Individual genealogy bloggers write about an assigned topic and post the articles on their blogs. Each carnival edition has a host who gathers the submissions and publishes a round-up of links to the articles.

Regular readers know I am a firm believer in genealogical society membership and that this blog has been a wonderful way to showcase the good work of the dedicated volunteers at the California Genealogical Society. It is my hope that a carnival devoted exclusively to writing about societies will broaden awareness of what a great resource a society can be and provide a venue for gen-blogging groups to share ideas and perhaps solve problems.

Society blogs are becoming more commonplace – Thomas MacEntee has 37 Genealogy Society blogs listed on Geneabloggers and Chris Dunham's Genealogy Blog Finder now lists 85 Association and Society blogs. But this is a drop in the bucket when compared to the 500 societies represented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS). From their website:

FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow. To do this, FGS publishes FORUM magazine, filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news. FGS also publishes an extensive series of Society Strategy Papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society.

FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference — four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics.

I think that a blog carnival can create a gen-society subset within the larger, existing geneablogger community. Although they don't always write about it, many gen-bloggers are active members and officers of their local societies and hold membership in distant societies where their forebears lived. Here are some great articles I've noticed in the past few months that are worthwhile reading for anyone involved in the running of a society:

Genealogy Societies by Karen

Promoting Genealogical Societies by Tina Sansone

Blog Presentation at my Society Meeting by Granny Pam

Should Your Genealogy Society Have a Blog? by Amy Coffin

Amy Coffin's 25 Great Topics for Genealogical Society Blogs

And now for a few specifics. For the first few months I will plan to host the Carnival of Genealogical Societies here at the CGSL blog but my intention is that hosting will rotate to other gen-society blogs. However, any individual blogger is welcome to write an article for the carnival and submit it – as long as it is on topic. The GenSo Carnival will run every other month with entries due on the 7th. I look forward to receiving your entries by March 7, 2010 and I will publish the first edition on March 10, 2010. Even if you've never participated in a blog carnival before, please consider joining us. I welcome your feedback about this new venture.

Call for Submissions! The topic for this inaugural edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies is: Doin' Things Right! Shine a spotlight on a specific program, project, or publication at a genealogical society and tell us why it worked. Tell an anecdote about how you benefited from a particular genealogical society service. Share a success story and be specific! The deadline for submissions is March 7, 2010.

Please do indicate in your article that you are writing for the First Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies. Submit your blog article using the the submission form provided by Blog Carnival. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any article you plan to submit and/or write a brief introduction to your articles in the "remarks" section of the form.

See you at the Carnival!

Wanted! U.S. Criminal Records by Ron Arons

CGS member Ron Arons has announced the release of his second book, Wanted! U.S. Criminal Records: Sources and Research Methodology.

Following up on the success of The Jews of Sing-Sing, Ron shares the knowledge he gleaned while investigating his great-grandfather's time in the slammer. He's bundled his experience collecting source documents for his first book into a unique resource for genealogists and historians. As he tells it, the first book was about putting the pieces of his family puzzle together. This new work tells us "how to find the pieces."

WANTED! is a 388-page reference that lists archives, libraries, courts and online sites with the information you need to track down the black sheep in your family: prison, court, parole and pardon records, execution information, and investigative and police reports.

George Morgan gave Ron's book a great recommendedation during the Janurary 27, 2010 Genealogy Guys Podcast #195 and summed it up by saying, "Every public library ought to have a copy of this book." I hope Ron will be donating one to the California Genealogical Society Library. What do you say, Ron?

Ron's book can be purchased through his website.

Wordless Wednesday

Honoring Past-President Jane Knowles Lindsey

Photograph by Kathryn M. Doyle, 1/20/2010, Oakland, California.

eNews February 2010, Vol. 4, No. 2

The February 2010 issue of the eNews, volume 4, number 2, has been published and emailed to members and friends, and it's sporting our new look. As always, the eNews features timely information about the California Genealogical Society and our upcoming events. Each edition also includes Suggested Links From the Blogosphere and a photo feature: CGS Ancestors.

This month we pay tribute to the Jonathan Johnson family of Jeffersontown, Jefferson County, Kentucky – photograph and story submitted by Jane Hufft.

Jonathan Johnson family of Jeffersontown, Kentucky

All past issues of the eNews are available for viewing at the eNews ARCHIVE. The March 2010 issue will be emailed on February 28, 2010. To receive a copy, please join our mailing list.


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

Our New Look

Whew! It's taken almost two years but the dust has settled and I've just checked a big "to-do" off my list. Welcome to the new and improved California Genealogical Society and Library blog. Do, please, let me know what you think!

First, you should know that this is more than just a blog remodel. Our new look extends to all of the locations that the California Genealogical Society sponsors across the web. We've come a long way since 2000 when the society put up its first web page. I was able to find an image thanks to the wonders of the Wayback Machine.

For many years it was our sole home on the net until things changed in 2007 when we published the first edition of the eNews and started the blog. With the addition of a Facebook Page in 2008 and Twitter in 2009, it became apparent that we needed to think about coordinating our look – to create a "brand" – to present a cohesive message to the world.

The one piece that has remained at the center of our look has been the seal of the California Genealogical Society. Who created it is lost to history but it was certainly commissioned under the auspices of the New Englanders who founded the society on February 12, 1898.

 

Some call it a "logo" but our former recording secretary, Shirley Thomson, set me straight. It is a seal and the library is still in possession of the hand crimper that is used to emboss the image onto paper. The digital image has been cleaned up a bit as evidenced by this photo I took of the front page of The California Register, Vol. 1, No. 1, April 1900. As you can see, the original seal was quite a bit more detailed. It has been prominently used by the society since our earliest days.

We had a couple of false starts with the "branding project" but things came together last July at a meeting of the Publication and Marketing Committee when Cathy Paris pushed us to think of a "nickname" for the society. She was concerned that our domain name, calgensoc.org, was difficult to remember and in a brilliant, collaborative session CaliforniaAncestors.org was born.

It is fitting that 112 years after its founding, the California Genealogical Society is once again following the lead of the New England Historic Genealogical Society which has been using NewEnglandAncestors.org for several years. The Website Committee, under the leadership of Kathy Watson and the technical skills of Larry Youngman, took care of all the details and coding involved in switching to a new domain and changing the masthead and colors at the website.

Cathy Paris created a mock-up of a banner and we turned things over to our wonderful graphics volunteer, Lois Elling. Lois works for CGS behind the scenes but her work is everywhere. She is the production editor for The California Nugget and it was she who created the cover for our magazine. Lois's first clever idea was to use that old Ted Turner trick and add color to the seal.

Lois has been a patient and tireless artist, taking in MANY suggestions, and tinkering with colors and fonts to come up with what we now proudly display as our new masthead. (I especially love the outline of the state and yes, the blue field on the far left IS the ocean!)

So now you know the backstory of our new look. We aren't Coke™ or Nike™ so there won't be any Superbowl ads. We did this on a shoestring budget thanks to an army of society volunteers. And we are putting our best face forward in time for what we hope will be a surge in interest in genealogy with the premier of Faces of America on February 10 (PBS) and Who Do You Think You Are? (NBC) on March 5, 2010.

Local AAUW Group Visit to the Library

The CGS Library hosted a small group from the Pleasant Hill Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on Thursday, January 28, 2010. Six visitors made time for a quick stop and a tour of the library. Kay Ernst made the arrangements for the group's Genealogy section.

The Pleasant Hill Branch has over 70 members who are a diverse group of professional career women, community activists, elected and appointed public officials, teachers, parents and artists. The group, chartered in September 1957, is one of over 1850 branches nationwide, representing more than 150,000 members who seek personal lifelong development and advocate social change and public policy consistent with gender equity. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) promotes equity for all women and girls, lifelong education, and positive societal change.

The California Genealogical Society welcomes interested groups to tour the library and spend time exploring our genealogy resources. E-mail the society or call 510-663-1358 to schedule a group visit.

Introducing Our Newest Board Members

The California Genealogical Society is pleased to introduce three gentlemen who have consented to serve and have been elected to the Board of Directors in 2010. They are Tom Gesner, Craig Manson and Jeffrey Vaillant.

Tom Gesner moved to California from the East Coast to work as a scientist for a biotechnology company where he is still employed. He became interested in genealogy in 1997 as the Internet began its explosion of genealogical content. Tom joined the society seven years ago and has been an active member of the French-Canadian Special Interest Group. He spends his research time exploring his Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Canadian (French and Maritime) roots and anticipates completing his first genealogical publication later this year.

Craig Manson is Distinguished Professor and Lecturer in Law at the Capital Center for Public Law and Policy at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. He teaches administrative law and has been a lawyer for twenty-eight years. Craig began the study and practice of genealogy in 2004 and writes the popular blog, GeneaBlogie. A member since 2008, Craig spoke at the society's Blogging Workshop last October and will offer two lectures at our African-American program in February for Black History Month.
 

One of the founders of the International Facility Management Association, Jeffrey Vaillant's first professional career was Certified Facility Manager. He is past President of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce and chaired the Government Affairs Committee at the Santa Rosa Chamber. He is switching gears and is currently working towards professional genealogical certification which he targets for 2010. Jeff holds membership in no less than twelve family history associations – he joined the California Genealogical Society in 2007. Jeff has written two series for this blog and has promised to write more.

Please welcome our three new directors!