Todoroo Genealogy Apps for the Android

Dick Eastman recently published an update article in response to a reader's comment: "I wish someone would write a genealogy application for the Android operating system." I'm pleased to announce two Android apps for genealogy from Todoroo – both created by our own Cathy Paris.

Todoroo is the Palo Alto, California company that created Astrid - the popular organization tool for Google Android phones that was downloaded over 300,000 times in less than a year. Co-founded by Cathy's son, Jon Paris, Todoroo is developing a line of "self help" mobile apps called "Roos." Their unique approach to technology has a decided psychological bent which promises to "nudge" us into action with "expert advice and creative reminders" to help us reach our goals.

Our Roos know that you're forgetful, lazy, and easily taken off-task. They help by super-charging the classic to-do list. Trying to manage your money better? Let the wisdom of experts provide you with new tips and relevant feedback based on your spending patterns last week. Working hard to meet a deadline three weeks away or hardly working? A Roo can provide a helpful nudge on the to-do items you keep postponing. Whatever the task, a Roo can help you keep moving in the right direction.

Cathy's first app is Introduction to Genealogy which is a module for beginners which sends messages to the user's phone to help them get started and presents a variety of ways for the novice to become acquainted with the world of genealogy.

Who do you think you are? I will direct you to tools for effectively journeying into the past and will lead you to the places - both real and virtual - where genealogists lurk and where invaluable information can be found.

For experienced family historians, Cathy created the Genealogy Research Planner:

Are you doing research on multiple branches of your family and having trouble creating and maintaining detailed research plans? As an alternative, use me to create, for handy reference on your smart phone, a research plan/checklist for each of the eight major branches of your family. Simply check one or more of the twenty-five significant areas in which you plan to focus your research activities.

The Todoroo website states that the company will be releasing a version for the iPhone in the coming months.

Cathy H. Paris is a member of the California Genealogical Society's board of directors and is chairperson of the Publications and Marketing Committee. With her expertise in process engineering, she was the creator of the federal government's first fully functional electronic commerce system. Cathy has been researching her family history since 1999 and she's been blogging her genealogy at Is Meets Was. She is currently working on The Ancestor App, coming soon, which will lead users to various websites to learn more about an ancestor.

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

Using Microsoft Outlook 2007 as Your Email Source for Genealogical Correspondence

Saturday, October 02, 2010

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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

Outlook 2007 is an improved integrated solution for managing your time and information.

In this workshop, Kathy Watson will show you how to:

• move around in Outlook 2007 and understand how and why some things have changed
• find commands on the Ribbon to do the things you do every day
• read and send e-mail
• work with appointments and meetings
• use your contacts
• send and receive pictures and attachments

and more!

You will get hands-on practice by working on some instructor-created exercises. If you don't bring your laptop to class you can partner with someone and then try the exercises at home.

Skill level: beginner to intermediate.

This workshop is limited to 15 participants and one of the free benefits for CGS members. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards a CGS membership the day of the workshop.

Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted.

Register online.

Update 9/27/2010. This workshop has been CANCELED.

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

Honored by FGS: 2010 Certificate of Appreciation Award

Sue Kaufman, Chair of the Federation of Genealogical Societies Awards Committee, informed me that the California Genealogical Society research team has been honored with a Certificate of Appreciation Award for their work on the Judge Project.

The award acknowledges the volunteer team that researched, wrote and published The Ancestry of Theodore Timothy Judge and Ellen Sheehy Judge: Including the Families of Boland, Roussel, Harman, McMurphy, Kelley, Bohane, Chapin, Freiermuth, Taylor, Moore and Farneman.

According to the FGS website, The Certificate of Appreciation was established in July 1983 and is "presented to an individual or organization expressing thanks for duty performed in an exemplary and outstanding manner." I can't think of a more worthy effort than the Judge book.
 
FGS honored the award winners this morning at the opening session of the annual conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tim Cox is there representing the society and accepted the award.

Awards Committee Chair Sue Kaufman, Tim Cox and Patricia Oxley, FGS President

CGS President Stephen Harris has this to say about our award winners:

The Judge Project was an excellent example of teamwork, of people doing what they do best. At first, some team members thought they couldn't pull this off, or did not personally have the requisite skills. Some were daunted by the magnitude of the task. But the product is a wonderful demonstration of the level of research accuracy and completeness that we try to inculcate in all our members. Congratulations and thanks to all.

Judge photomontage by Lorna Wallace; FGS award photographs courtesy of Tim Cox.


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

Wordless Wednesday

On this Day: Starring Jane Lindsey and Nancy Peterson
FamilySearch Indexing Film for FGS 2010

Photographs courtesy of Patrick Parker and Christopher Clark of FamilySearch Indexing, Oakland, California, 7/22/2010.


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

Well-Represented in Knoxville at the FGS 2010 Annual Conference

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) annual conference is underway at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The meeting runs August 18-21, 2010 and this year's theme is “Rediscovering America’s First Frontier.” Co-Sponsors for the event are the East Tennessee Historical Society and Kentucky Historical Society.

The California Genealogical Society and Library is well-represented in far-off Tennessee. Kentucky native and CGS Events Coordinator Tim Cox is there, after a couple of days visiting family.

Member Cath Madden Trindle, CG, is presenting three lectures: Financial Considerations for Your Non-Profit Society, Grandma, Who Are You? and Wills, Estates, and Guardianships. Cath is treasurer of FGS, Projects chair for the California State Genealogical Alliance and Publications Chair for the San Mateo County Genealogical Society.

Two of our "long-distance" members have been busy blogging and tweeting from Knoxville. Amy Coffin writes the We Tree Genealogy Blog and helps out on the Pub/Mark Committee. Thomas MacEntee is the genius behind Geneabloggers and writes a personal research blog Destination: Austin Family.

All four of our members attended yesterday's Association of Professional Genealogists Professional Management Conference where Thomas sat on the Roundtable panel exploring Your Internet Presence- How to Get IT and What To Do with IT: A Discussion of What IT Is.

If you want to keep up with what is happening at the conference, Thomas set up a news feed of all the blog posts and #FGS10 tweets at Geneabloggers: Latest News From FGS Knoxville. I have a bit more news that I'll share tomorrow.



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

Fall 2010 Beginning Genealogy Series - Sign Up Now!

In celebration of October Family History Month, the Oakland Regional Family History Center (ORFHC) and the California Genealogical Society (CGS) are offering an encore Beginning Genealogy Research Series. Classes will be held from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday evenings at the ORFHC.

The course has been completely overhauled since last year's series and includes new material, more sessions and a field trip to the CGS Library.  Classes begin on September 28, 2010 and run through November 9, 2010.

There is a $20 fee for the full series of classes which includes a printed syllabus. Single classes can be attended for a fee of $4 per class if space is available.

Free parking is available at the Oakland Regional Family History Center, located at 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, California 94602.

Preregistration is necessary to ensure adequate handouts. Drop-ins will be welcome on a space available basis.

There are two easy ways to sign up.

Download the registration flier and mail with a check for $20 to CGS – OR –

Register online.

Class outline and schedule:

Class 1 – Getting Started
     Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the ORFHC.

Class 2 – Using the Census to Expand Your Knowledge and Extend Your Pedigree
     Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the ORFHC

Class 3 – Orientation to the Oakland Regional Family History Center and Workshop
     Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the ORFHC.

Class 4 – Organizing Files and Documenting Sources
     Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the ORFHC.

Class 5 – Documentation in the Digital Age
     Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the ORFHC.

Class 6 – Vital Records
     Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the ORFHC.

Class 7 – Field Trip to the California Genealogical Society Library
     Saturday, November 6, 2010, 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. at the CGSL.

Class 8 – Where Do I Go From Here?
     Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the ORFHC.


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

Silent Auction Items Needed for October Seminar

The silent auctions held at past California Genealogical Society sponsored events have been very successful fund-raisers and they've been fun, too!

Members donate things that appeal to others who bid on them. The auctions are a place to browse between lectures and they are 100% profit for the society.

Items are needed for a planned October seminar. Can you help?
 

Look around your home. Do you have something that might be a sought-after auction item? Use your imagination! Here's a few examples:

Decorative - nice glass or crystal pieces, sculptures, a set of dishes, a set of popular books, handmade items such as quilts or afghans. One member donated a leather briefcase for our NEHGS event.

Special Opportunities - a cruise on the bay, a tour of something not readily available to the public. A behind-the-scenes tour of BART was a well-received item at one of our events.

Services - genealogical research, software tutoring, entering genealogy into a database, etc.

Small items for Theme Baskets

• Baskets
• Coffee, mugs, scone or muffin mix - "Coffee-break basket"
• Wine, glasses, appetizers, napkins - "Happy-hour basket"
• Scented soaps, oils, lufa - "Spa basket"
• Picnic basket

All suggestions welcome!

Please email Pam Lewis or Jane Lindsey if you have any questions or possible silent auction items.

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

Workshop: Working with Footnotes and Indexing

Saturday, September 25, 2010
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

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

Join Jane Hufft and Matt Berry for this two-part workshop to help you cite your research sources and create an index for your family history.

In Part 1, Jane will take the fear out of footnotes and give you the basic information you need to write needed, useful and clear citations for all your research. Learn how to cite your sources with a sense of confidence, using the best models in the field. You will be given helpful examples and a variety of ways to make notations for your family history writing.

Most people don’t read family histories—they look up things in them. In Part 2, Matt will discuss how to create a useful index to your book using the tools available in Microsoft Word 2007. Topics include: what to include in the index, how to create the index, how to format the index, and how to update the index after you make revisions to your book

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.

Jane Hufft, current editor of the CGS publication The California Nugget and former CGS board member, has written several articles for genealogy journals and continues to work on her own family history research. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband Ron.

Matthew B. Berry is a San Diego native who came to the Bay Area at a young age and grew up in Foster City. He now lives in Livermore with Karen, his wife of seventeen years, and daughter Christa.


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

Announcing: San Francisco Probate 1906-1942 Register of Actions

In the early 1980s, the Superior Court in San Francisco completed the filming of the Registers of Action for probate cases dating from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire through early 1942. After learning that the intent was to destroy the original oversize volumes, the California Genealogical Society obtained the originals. These priceless volumes became a fixture on our shelves and were indexed by a team of our member volunteers lead by Vernon A. Deubler.
 
As explained by Research Director Nancy Peterson in Raking the Ashes: Genealogical Strategies for Pre-1906 San Francisco Research (2006):

Register of Actions ledgers reference all papers that will be found in a probate file. Arrangement of entries in them is chronological according to initial filing date, or the date of reopening of pre-earthquake proceedings... (R)eferences to pre-earthquake proceedings have been found in ledgers as late as 1925.

The 1906 calamity destroyed all San Francisco probate files including wills, guardianships and administrations. With the exception of one lost register (volume 11) covering the two-month period, January 9 to March 17, 1908, the registers include the period from April 12, 1906 to March 27, 1942. Some of the cases were not finalized until the mid 1980s.

For the first time in print, San Francisco Probate 1906-1942 Register of Actions, provides an index to the 108,898 names in the registers of probate action of the city and county of San Francisco.

Each Register of Actions captures in abbreviated fashion every transaction required to process the probate. Many of the transactions are routine administrative actions, such as the recording of an affidavit, public notification of time and place of future actions or hearings, voucher files, etc. Some probate proceedings required years to complete. Entries for wills, mailings to heirs, final settlements and distributions of assets may lead to useful genealogical information. Rarely are original wills retained in the files that are indexed, but register entries usually point to locations where these documents have been transcribed or summarized.

The index is presented in two volumes, the first covering surnames beginning with A-K, and the second L-Z. Information was extracted from 179 volumes, each containing 500 pages. Included are 108,998 names, aliases and minor’s names representing over 85,500 probates and guardianship proceedings.

Many of the probates from 1906 were ongoing proceedings from before the fire and represent reopened and reconstructed files. A date of “1906” may, therefore, be misleading and refer to earlier probate proceedings no long in existence. Other probates from before 1906 may have been re-opened when additional assets were uncovered. Those will bear the date of re-opening and not the date of the original filing.

San Francisco Probate 1906-1942 Register of Actions is available for purchase at our Lulu bookstore.

Verne Deubler and the California Genealogical Society acknowledge with gratitude the many people who contributed to compiling the index, including Carol Backhus, Dorothy Fowler, Gloria Hanson, Patti Melvin, Nancy Servin and in particular, the most diligent proofreader, Anita Dean, who single handedly reviewed more than two-thirds of the index.

In addition, we extend our thanks to Barbara Close and Cathy Paris for transforming and publishing the index as reference books

Vernon A. Deubler is a past president and long-time board member of the California Genealogical Society. He compiled the book, San Francisco, California: Columbarium Records 1847-1980, published by the society in 2003. With Barbara Close, he compiled the four volumes set of books, San Francisco Deaths 1865-1904: Abstracts from Surviving Civil Records, also scheduled for publication in 2010.

San Francisco Probate 1906-1942 Registers of Action
Softbound, 8 1/2 x 11" format
498 pp. (vol. I)
490 pp. (vol.II)
ISBN 978-0-9785694-7-1
LOC 2010926283
Published by the California Genealogical Society


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

Wordless Wednesday

A Busy Saturday at the Library

March 20, 2010

Photographs courtesy of Tim Cox, Oakland, California.


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