Alameda County Fair Genealogy Booth

Volunteers Needed!
June 20 – July 6, 2008
The Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society (L-AGS) is gearing up for the annual Genealogy Booth at the 2008 Alameda County Fair. This is the ninth year that the society has organized and staffed the popular station in the fair's Technology Adventures Building at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, located at Valley Avenue and Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton, California.

CGS member and L-AGS Fair Booth Coordinator, Kay Speaks, sent the following:
"We are inviting other genealogy societies, DAR Chapters, FHC docents, historical societies and library genealogy docents to join us in this fun and very rewarding endeavor. Want to reserve an entire day for your organization? Please contact the fair booth coordinator to reserve a convenient date."

The genealogy booth is one of the most popular attractions at the seventeen-day fair, where hundreds of people get their first exposure to the genealogy bug. The booths are equipped with computers, laser printers and Internet access. Each session has three research docents and two greeters scheduled. Many volunteers, like CGS member Lorna Wallace, have wonderful stories to share from past years so organizers are promoting the event as "An Experience You Will Want to Repeat Year After Year."

The Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society serves the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin and surrounding areas in the Livermore and Amador Valleys of southeastern Alameda County, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The society was formed in June 1977 by student participants of a Livermore Adult Education Class. General meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Congregation Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Court, Pleasanton. The Society, in cooperation with the City of Pleasanton Library, maintains the largest collection of genealogical materials in the Valley, numbering over 1000 books.

For additional information about volunteering, e-mail Kay Speaks.

The CGS Style Sheet

One of the most important works to come through the CGS Publications Committee will never be assigned an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) or be found on the shelves of a library. The CGS Style Sheet, contrived and collated by Jane Hufft and Shirley Thomson, was created to help lay the foundation toward a consistent style among the various publications of the California Genealogical Society and Library.

The CGS Style Sheet covers various aspects of usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and presentation. It is an evolving work based on some of the common problems spotted by Shirley and Jane. The style sheet is to be used for the broad swath of CGS written works, including committee reports, newsletter articles, public relations copy, Web site pages, fliers, and even this blog.

Specifically, the style sheet addresses abbreviations, acronyms, formatting requirements, bibliographies, book lists and titles, capitalization, compound words, dates, electronic sources, numbers, plurals, spacing, voice and several other specific issues. The document also refers users to three additional publications: The Chicago Manual of Style, The Elements of Style and Webster's Third Dictionary.

Shirley shared these thoughts: "Anyone called upon now and again to write in the name of CGS is urged to make use of it. At first glance the sheet may seem a collection of odd bits and pieces. It is also a useful tool, answering questions, providing examples and creating awareness of the style choices made (often unconsciously) in any written work."

The creators of the style sheet both serve on the CGS Board of Directors in addition to their work on the Publication Committee.

Shirley Pugh Thomson is the Recording Secretary for the society and has served as chairperson of the Publication Committee. She has many years’ experience in editing, writing, project management and publishing.

Jane Hufft is the editor of the CGS Newsletter. She came to CGS after thirty-six years in education as a teacher, project manager and administrator.

Source: Hufft, Jane and Thomson, Shirley, "The CGS Style Sheet," California Genealogical Society and Library, Publications Committee, 2007.

Another Society Bites the Dust

Elizabeth at Little Bytes of Life reports that her local genealogical society left no forwarding address in her blog post Another One Bites the Dust.

I took a look and the Lompoc Valley Genealogical Society Web site is still online and even includes a membership plea to "Join an exciting and involved society." The telltale tip is the "last revised" date at the bottom of the page: 18 August 2002.

Elizabeth was looking for "fellowship" which is what we are quite good at here in Oakland. Does the California Genealogical Society have any members who live down Elizabeth's way??

NEHGS Research Trip: September 21-28, 2008

It's not too early to sign up for the California Genealogical Society and Library Research Trip to the New England Historic Genealogical Society library, September 21-28, 2008.

CGS President and past NEHGS Trustee, Jane Lindsey and Jerome Anderson, long-time researcher at NEHGS will co-lead this biennial trip to Boston, Massachusetts.

Accommodations are at the John Hancock Hotel and Conference Center in the Copley Square area of downtown Boston, located about three blocks from NEHGS.

The tour begins on Sunday evening with a brief orientation. Since the NEHGS library is closed on Monday, participants will have the option that day of visiting the Massachusettes State Archives, Suffolk or Middlesex County courthouses, or other repositories, including, the Massachusettes Historical Society or Boston Public Library.

The Tour Package includes:
* Hotel room (7 nights, double occupancy)
* Daily light continental breakfast
* Sunday evening orientation
* Free day Monday to visit your choice of several repositories
* Shuttle service to and from the airport
* Two group dinners (Monday and Saturday) at local restaurants
* Optional pre-trip consultations with Jane Lindsey
* On-site lectures - to be announced

The cost is $1075.00 (airfare not included.) A deposit of $200 is required by June 28, 2008, to hold one space. The trip registration brochure (also sent with the May CGS News) gives the full details and a description of the cancellation and refund policy.

Participants at the NEHGS tour in 2006.
[Photograph courtesy of Jane Lindsey.]

The first group dinner will be on Monday evening. NEHGS is open 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Boston Public Library, near our hotel, is open until 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The BPL has an excellent microtext department with a wonderful newspaper collection.

Update: The NEHGS Trip to Boston has been canceled. The minimum number of members did not sign up.

Portrait of Harold Roberts

On this Memorial Day holiday, I thought I would post an update on the Corporal Harold Roberts project.

As he has done in the past, Retired Army Sergeant First Class Gary McMaster ordered a flower arrangement to be placed on Roberts' grave at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery today from the Camp Roberts Historical Museum in the name of the Soldiers and Civilians at Camp Roberts. He plans to do this every year.

In addition, McMaster sent me this photograph of the near-completed portrait that he has commissioned to hang in the museum. The painting includes a depiction of Roberts' Medal of Honor and a background view of the village of Exermont, France.

Photograph courtesy of Gary McMaster.

Read the entire series:
Part 1 — Searching for Harold Roberts
Part 2 — Roberts: What We Found
Part 3 — Roberts' Battlefield Letter
Part 4 — A Face for Harold Roberts
Part 5 — A Hero's Final Resting Place