The Antique Sewing Box Mystery - Part 1

One of the decidedly non-genealogical routines associated with the California Genealogical Society is a fund-raising device that's become a standard part of our full day seminars – the silent auction. Members donate things that appeal to others who bid on them. The auctions serve as a place to browse between lectures and they are 100% profit for the society.

Our last silent auction was held on October 30, 2010, at Google All the Way with Lisa Louise Cooke. That auction was pretty much like all the others until it turned into The Sewing Box Mystery.

One of the donated items was an antique black-lacquer sewing box with mother-of-pearl inlay. Member Diana Wild bought it at a small antique shop in London in 1996 or 1997.  She never used it for its intended purpose but kept it as an ornament in her guest room.

It was Nancy Servin who set the whole thing in motion when she took a close look at the sewing box.

I was looking at it, and I opened the inside top of the box. It had a mirror in it with a mother-of-pearl clasp. It unfolded open to a shallow pocket, and in the bottom of the pocket was a slip of newspaper that was the size that you find in a fortune-cookie. It was so shallow in there and the pocket was fragile. I had no tweezers with me, but had a cat comb in my purse (don't ask) which was narrow enough to get into the bottom of the pocket and bring up the piece of newspaper.

It was an obituary (!) cut out of a London paper. (I think Diana said she got the box in London). No date, no paper named, but the name, age, and month and day of death were in the obit.

CREIGHTON. – 24th June, at 28, Ferme Park-rd,

London, N., Richard Creighton, in his 67th year.
No flowers.

New member Rusty Keilch had the winning bid and is now the proud owner of both the sewing box and the obituary.

What are the chances that a sewing box would travel from London to California with a hidden obituary in it, and ended up at a genealogical society silent auction?

As you can imagine the research got started within twenty-four hours. Stay tuned for The Antique Sewing Box Mystery Part 2.

 

Photograph and scan courtesy of John Keilch.

Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

eNews January 2011, volume 5, number 1

The January 2011 issue of the eNews, volume 5, number 1,  has been published and emailed to members and friends. 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: California Ancestors.

In this month's edition we pay tribute to Flossie Smith Pugh (1891-1979), grandmother of Shirley Thomson.

Flossie Smith Pugh

Past issues of the eNews are available at the eNewsARCHIVE.

The February 2011 issue will be emailed on January 31, 2011. To receive a copy, please join our mailing list.


Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Workshop: Comparing Genealogy Software - Saturday, February 19, 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

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

Join Glenn Koch, Lisa Gorrell, Gary Darnsteadt and Kathy Watson for a preliminary discussion about genealogy software. Our panelists will present a brief, live demonstration of four popular programs: Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, RootsMagic and The Master Genealogist.

This is a great opportunity to compare software and ask questions of our team of power users.

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

Register online.

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

More New York City Research with Steve Harris - Saturday, February 12, 2011

Saturday, Feb 12, 2011
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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

New York City Research Part II - Naturalizations, Probate Files, and Directories

If you are like the majority of Americans, at least one of your ancestors spent time in New York City.

Just over a year ago Steve Harris presented his first NYC workshop to rave reviews. Now he's back with a second installment – this time on using naturalization records, probate records, and city directories to research your New York City ancestors in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Attendees will also have access to Steve's large personal library of New York City telephone and city directories after the workshop.

The workshop is FREE for CGS members but is limited to twenty people. There is a sign-up fee of $20 for non-members. (This fee is non-refundable and can be applied toward membership on the day of the workshop.)

Register online.

Dr. Stephen Harris is a consulting genealogist with extensive experience assisting clients with their family histories. Born in Brooklyn, he has deep roots in New York City, but the siren call of California was too strong to resist. Steve is president of the California Genealogical Society and Library. His office and 6,000-volume research library are in Oakland, just down the hall from CGS.


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

Mary Mettler's Best Christmas Gift Ever

Mary Mettler shared this story of her best Christmas gift ever. Thanks, Mary, for a great story and another idea for where to look for information about ancestors.

Two years ago, I was puttering on my computer, when I received an email from my grandniece, Anna Lindemann, then a senior at Yale. “Aunt Mary, go to this website and find seventy-nine pictures I took for you. You have two weeks to download them. Merry Christmas!” I have no idea how long it took her to locate and take pictures of 79 documents in the Yale University Archives, all of my father who is also her great-grandfather and a 1915 graduate of Yale. These were a treasure trove of information!  I never would have thought to look for anything other than the University yearbooks; however, Yale, and probably other universities, kept a close watch on their graduates and have rich archives of information.

There were birth and marriage announcements for him and his children, newspaper clippings, pictures, a history of the class of 1915 reunions, a questionnaire given to the graduating seniors, and questionnaires for most years from his graduation to his death in 1955. The senior questionnaire was really fun! I learned that he coveted a “Y” in track more than a Phi Beta Kappa key, had the Scott-Hurtt scholarship, loved to watch football and to participate in track, had been to twenty states and was nicknamed “Monty.” (He was born and raised in Kalispell, Montana.) His favorite prose writer was Rudyard Kipling; his favorite poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson; and his favorite historical character, Julius Caesar. It also included where and with whom he lived each of the four years, what classes he had taken and much more. The annual questionnaires showed every address change, each job and job title he had, the dates he served on various boards, what his sons did in World War II, what charitable work he had done and even the charities to which he donated. 

I doubt that I will ever receive a more memorable Christmas present! My father died, when I was seventeen; but I learned so much about him from these documents. Even if you don’t have relatives attending colleges of your ancestors, please do add college archives to your list of valuable genealogical sources. Thank you, Anna, for the best Christmas present I ever received!

Image from Yale University Archives courtesy of Mary Mettler.  

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