Happy (Belated) Second Blogiversary!

I'm a bit behind since the holiday and I haven't yet acknowledged last week's milestone. On November 28, 2007, the California Genealogical Society Board of Directors voted to approve the CGSL blog. It was a venture started rather hastily, with great enthusiasm but little planning. I admit to losing a few nights' sleep the first week wondering how I would ever sustain it. Now I can't believe it's been two years.

Since that time CGS and I have discovered a whole new Web 2.0 world of wikis and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter where I've made many new friends in the GeneaBlogger community. My colleagues are a prolific bunch who fill my blog reader with an endless stream of all things genealogical and who offer a font of inspirational ideas which I gladly co-opt for the benefit of CGS.

During this last year the CGSL blog has become a kind of internet centerpiece for the society. Blog articles link back and forth to the CGS website, to the eNews and to social networking sites and calendars where our events are posted.

Recently Amy Coffin of We Tree featured the CGSL blog in her article Should Your Genealogical Society Have a Blog? She summed up the blog-website relationship perfectly:

Blogs are websites. Websites aren't always blogs. A genealogy society's web page is like a store window. It highlights the group's value, hopefully enticing visitors to walk through the virtual door and explore the site. A blog is like a genealogy society's in-store sale circular. It is a good communication tool for the latest information and quickly changing details. A genealogy society's web page serves one purpose and a blog another.

Now that the whole blog-website-internet dynamic is working well for us, CGS is ready to pretty things up a little. Several members of the Pub/Mark and Website Committees have been working on the CGS "brand" and we will be rolling things out over the next couple of months.

Today Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings very graciously recommended the CGSL blog in his Follow Friday post. Nothing gets past Randy and he made note of the fact that this blog has a new URL: http://blog.californiaancestors.org/. This is the first peek into the branding project which will involve a major redecorating overhaul of the CGSL blog.

Stay tuned.

Wordless Wednesday

Working on the Judge Project

Photograph by Kathryn M. Doyle, October 5, 2009, Oakland, California.

CGS e-News, December 2009

The December 1, 2009 issue of the CGS e-News, volume 3, number 12 has been published and emailed to members and friends. As always, the e-News 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's photograph is of Job Daniel Joseph SEMLER and his family on their homestead near Sargent, Nebraska. Member Mary Hunt found this photograph of her ancestor on the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog on the Library of Congress website.

All past issues of the CGS e-News are available for viewing at the e-News ARCHIVE. The January 2010 issue will be e-mailed on 12/31/2009. To receive a copy, please join our mailing list.

Gold Rush Records: Clues Amidst Chaos, by Nancy Peterson

The Fall 2009 issue of New England Ancestors magazine is out and it's all about the California Gold Rush. The feature article is Gold Rush Records: Clues Amidst Chaos, by CGS Research Director Nancy Peterson.

The magazine's Managing Editor, Lynn Betlock, sums up Nancy's article like this:

Nancy Peterson’s informative and detailed survey of gold rush era records forms the centerpiece of the issue. The comprehensive source listings serve as an invaluable checklist for researchers. And by describing the context in which records were created — or not created — Peterson offers a stark contrast between life in orderly New England and unruly California.

New England Ancestors is a benefit of membership in the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. The current issue is available online to NEHGS members.

The CGS Fire Drill Convergence

November 19, 2009 started out like a normal Thursday at the California Genealogical Society Library. Long-time volunteers Anne Robinson and Gene Peck were working on yet another project for the society. Past-president Verne Deubler was seated at a computer handling the CGS email. Linda Darby was finishing the manuscript collection overhaul, Lavinia Schwarz stopped in to handle a book order and our newest Desk Duty volunteer, Roger Bird, was shelving books. Dick Rees arrived at around 10:00 a.m. to tell us that a fire truck was parked out in front and he thought that there might be a fire drill.

Just then the relative quiet of the library was shattered by the extremely loud and obnoxious sound of the building fire alarm. All genealogical activity stopped as we followed procedure and made our way through the basement maze to the stairwell to exit the Breuner Building. On the way out we passed Engine 15 from the Oakland Fire Department.

The tenant occupants of the eight floors of 2201 Broadway are to gather in the parking lot behind the building on Valley. Luckily it was a gorgeous sunny but crisp autumn day. While we waited for the "all clear" we learned that we accomplished the building evacuation in a record six minutes.

We also learned that our newest volunteer was quite comfortable discussing fire drill procedures. In fact, Roger Bird is a retired captain with 31 years service in the Oakland Fire Department. Amazingly, Capt. Bird's home station was #15 – located at 27th Street and Telegraph – the one closest to the building!

Roger introduced us to his colleagues who stopped by the library for a short visit. At least a couple of our new friends are interested in their family history so we hope we convinced them to come back again and do some research.

Photographs by Kathryn M. Doyle, 11/19/09, Oakland, California.