CGS Annual Membership Meeting - 1/12/2008

The Annual Membership Meeting of the California Genealogical Society will be held on Saturday, January 12, 2008, at 1:30 p.m., at the CGS Library (2201 Broadway at 22nd, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA). Please join CGS President, Jane Lindsey, for a quick review of the society's accomplishments in 2007 and a look forward to what's in store for 2008, our 110th year of helping people find their roots.

This important session will include Colleen Huntley's power point presentation on the history of the society, an update on our Web site and blog, brief committee reports, approval of the society budget and election of new board members. There will be time for questions and answers.

The annual meeting is always well attended so arrive early to get a front seat, see old friends and meet some new ones. Light refreshments will be available before the meeting at 12:30 p.m.

Some free advice from Maureen

I'm just back from a holiday vacation and while catching up with the various genealogy blogs, I found some great advice in a recent post to 24-7 Family History Circle. Maureen A. Taylor, the Photo Detective, wrote Saving Your Family Treasures: Four Destructive Habits.

Maureen, who will be our special guest lecturer at the California Genealogical Society and Library 110th Celebration, on February 9, 2008, tells how mishandling, poor storage, laminating and mislabeling practices can harm our family photographs.

Maureen has also submitted a sneak preview of her detective skills to Roots Television. In her 4 1/2 minute slide show Solved by the Photo Detective!, Taylor guides us through three examples as she describes in her own voice the clues she used to analyze photos of a building facade, an immigrant woman and her own grandmother.

CGS Celebrates 110 years with The Photo Detective

The California Genealogical Society and Library will celebrate 110 years of helping people find their roots at a day-long program with Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective at the Concord Hilton on Saturday, February 9, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Maureen will present four seminars exploring ways to identify and preserve photographs to enhance our family history:

Tales from The Photo Detective
Identifying and Dating Family Photos
Preserving Family Photographs
Reading Immigrant Clues in Photos

$45.00 includes all seminars, lunch and a silent auction. Private photo consultations with Maureen are available. Contact CGS in advance to arrange.

Maureen Taylor is a nationally recognized photo identification and family history expert. She is the author of a number of research articles and books, including Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs and Preserving Your Family Photographs: How to Organize, Present, and Restore Your Precious Family Images. Maureen was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal.

For further information about this event, visit the CGS Web site or download the event flyer and reservation form.

For additional information about Maureen visit her website or Photo Detective blog.

CGS Membership Coffee

Another in a series of CGS membership coffees will be held Thursday, January 24, 2008, from 2-4 p.m. in the Berkeley, Oakland and Piedmont area. Members living in these East Bay communities will be receiving a personal invitation by phone or email. The get-togethers are a fun way to meet members who live locally and are designed to help us link up with others who share similar genealogy research interests. The coffees are also a great way to set up car pools for future CGS meetings, events or research trips. CGS President, Jane Lindsey will give guests an update on current events at the society.

If you live in our target area, please save the date and let us know if you can come. You can also feel free to bring a friend who may be interested in joining our society. Let us know if you need transportation - we can help you arrange a carpool.

The first CGS coffees were held in 2006 in the Lamorinda and Rossmore areas (the latter was jointly hosted with the Mount Diablo Genealogical Society.) Future coffees are planned for members living in San Francisco, Marin, the Peninsula, San Jose, Napa/Sonoma and Sacramento. If you are interested in hosting an event in your area or you would like to help coordinate these events, please contact me at CGSpublicity@gmail.com or call the society.

The Universe of Immigration Records, 1882-1954

The San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society presents The Universe of Immigration Records 1882-1954 by noted immigration historian Marian Smith, at its membership meeting on Sunday, January 13, 2008. Dr. Smith's presentation will focus on records of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS, now USCIS) found at the National Archives and in Agency custody. It will begin with an overview of all types of records created and maintained over time, and how these records are distributed between the two agencies. Her talk will also cover the services and records becoming available through the new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Genealogy Program. A question and answer session will address the particular interests and concerns of researchers.

CGS Research Director, Nancy Peterson advises: "One should get there early as seating is somewhat limited. With respect to naturalization and immigration records, Marian is the smartest person in the country. You can check out some of her articles on the NARA Web site."

Time and Place:
Jewish Community High School
1835 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA
Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Lecture begins promply at 1:00. Admission free.
Free parking: enter parking garage from Pierce Street.

Marian Smith is the Senior Historian at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security. She regularly lectures at national and international genealogy conferences on the history and uses of immigration and naturalization records held in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.

The San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (SFBAJGS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development, preservation and distribution of Jewish genealogical knowledge and material, and the sharing of techniques and tools with others who may be searching their Jewish Roots. The SFBAJGS functions through the voluntary efforts of its members, all of whom are encouraged to participate. The Society is governed by a Board of Directors, according to a set of published bylaws. The SFBAJGS is a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS).