This blog is for and about the California Genealogical Society. We hope you will join us on our genealogy journey!
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by CGS Vice President, Chris Pattillo
I think genealogy should come with a warning – Danger: May Be Addicting. I should know. I’ve been possessed ever since I took a month off last July to immerse myself in genealogical research. I’ve amassed volumes of new information, agreed to co-chair the RootsMagic Users Group, signed up for the ten week Intermediate Genealogy course with Marge Bell, paid the deposit for this year’s Salt Lake Research Tour and attended Shirley J. Riemer's German Genealogy workshop a couple weeks ago.
As the mound of new data has grown, I realized I need to get it all organized and ready to share with family members, but I pondered - at what point? The notion of stopping to write up what I’ve already found and needing to cut myself off from this feverish rush to discover more and more has been a bit unfathomable. I thought, “Well, something will tell me when the time comes to write it up.”
Then a few days ago a modest 4” x 5” card arrived in our mail with a simple message, “Save the Date! Dana and Mary will tie the knot June 18, 2011” and I knew this was it – a deadline. Counting on my fingers – February, March, April, May, June – that’s just four and a half months. When I published our family history in celebration of my oldest nephew’s marriage in 2001, I spent every weekend for six months to get the job done. That involved writing sixty-three biographies, scanning and composing over 100 black and white photos and writing captions. In the final days, before my flight to Australia for the wedding, I begged my partner and a friend to help with editing and rearranging several hundred commas – not my strong point.
Four and a half months would be tight and I wanted to learn a new program for the book production. Now mind you, I still work at a real full time job. In fact I own my own landscape architecture business and have partial responsibility for the livelihoods of three business partners and eight staff. But, at every opportunity, I am focused on research, writing, checking facts, selecting images and thinking about how to organize and present the new material I’ve found thanks to many at the California Genealogical Society. On weekdays, as soon as dinner is over, I’m on my laptop doing research or writing. During my lunch break at the office I edit what I found or wrote the night before. In essence, I am possessed. I talk about my latest finds with my staff – like the online Find A Grave website – oh, that’s cool. I found eight Stover and Drake family relatives, including one great obituary, in one evening all buried in the Carr and Drake’s Cliff cemeteries in Carter County, Tennessee, but my fascination is starting to make my staff a little nervous.
So, I needed to share this story because I knew you readers would be sympathetic – you’d understand, but really we should consider adding that warning label to the society's website. Genealogy – it’s great fun, but very addicting.
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| Chris reflected in a monument at the San Lorenzo Pioneer Cemetery where her great-grandfather "James Pattello" is buried. |
One of the things the California Genealogical Society does really well is events. Our classes, workshops and seminars are usually well-attended and more-than-meet expectations. Melinda Kashuba‘s Sanborn Maps workshop last December was a home run.
It was great to be able to examine the large Sanborn firemaps she'd posted on the wall in detail. I have a much better understanding on where to look for such maps, as well. – Dan Ford.
She had a nice mixture of listening to lecture and actively using our knowledge that required some physical movement. She was able to tie it altogether to make a very understandable and usable lecture. – Cheryl Schmidt.
The informal atmosphere made it easy to ask questions of the instructor. The presenter was well informed and the hand-outs were helpful for reference. – Ed Souza.
The topic was interesting and the speaker enthusiastic. I particularly enjoyed the exercise of looking at the maps. Learned lots. – Chris Pattillo.
Melinda is very knowledgeable and well organized. I thought she did a great job of presenting the information. – Marcia Holstrom.
Spaces are filling fast for the 2011 Salt Lake City Research Tour. Although final payment isn't due until April 15, 2011, plan to send a deposit ASAP to hold your place.
Payment can be made online via PayPal or you download the information flier and snail mail a check.
Once you have signed up, appointments can be made in person or by phone to discuss your research plan. Email Jane Knowles Lindsey if you have any questions.
I first published this "top ten" list of reasons to go to Salt Lake City with the California Genealogical Society three years ago – but they still hold true today.
#10 - The Family History Library is vast and going alone for the first time can be intimidating. Come with two experienced leaders who will save you hours of time learning what is where and how best to use the overwhelming number of resources.
#9. - Arrangements for hotel, breakfast, shuttles and three dinners have already been made for you. Accommodations are at the Shilo Inn - three blocks from the Family History Library and the rooms have free wireless internet.
#8. - Spend time with like-minded individuals. No one will roll their eyes when you start rattling on about your great-great whoever. Where else can you spend a week with other people who are just as nutty about genealogy as you are?
#7. - You will finally have time to organize your papers. Catch an early flight and throw everything into an extra suitcase. Spend Sunday afternoon in your hotel room without distractions and get ready for a week of research. (Believe me, we have all done this!)
#6. - Take advantage of advanced assistance. Jane and Nancy will review your research goals and objectives and make suggestions before you even go to Salt Lake.
#5. - The tour is a perfect blend of togetherness and alone time. Three dinners are planned with the group (don't miss Saturday night at Lamb's) and the other evenings are free to do with as you please. Groups meet informally in the library lobby for lunch and you can choose to join them, explore on your own or stay and work through lunch.
#4. - Nancy Peterson, CG has donated her time and expertise to assist you. Nancy is the CGS Research Director and has taught numerous genealogy classes. Private appointments with her during the week are included in the price.
#3 - Jane Lindsey is a mother hen who logs miles and miles running up and down the library stairs making sure we are all finding what we need. She has been researching in Salt Lake City for over twenty years and has led all of the CGS tours.
#2 - The company is fantastic. I've made friends that I only see once a year but we pick up just where we left off. And there is always someone in the group who has the experience in an area that you don't.
And the number ONE reason to go to Salt Lake City with the California Genealogical Society?
It is the perfect way to get away from life's distractions and responsibilities – except to your ancestors.
Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
California Genealogical Society and Library works with FamilySearch to provide free online access to the records of funeral homes in the San Francisco area. These records are among the few collections that date back prior to 1906 and the San Francisco earthquake and are great substitutes for death records for that time period.
A half dozen or so San Franciscans interested in genealogy gathered at Dr. Edward Stephen Clark's office at 16 Geary. They pooled their knowledge of family history research and shared the materials they'd separately gathered. In fact, they held the first meeting of what would become the California Genealogical Society, the state's first organization of family history researchers.
Friday, February 18, 2011,
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
California Genealogical Society and Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612
In celebration of Black History Month, the California Genealogical Society presents a special program by one of our newest members, Anita Wills. Her two talks on African-American history and research are free and open to the public.
1:00 p.m. African Americans in California
Anita will discuss the history and background of African-American settlers in California prior to and after the Civil War.
2:30 p.m. Mining Gold: Finding My Ancestor in Gold Country
Anita presents the story of her ancestor, William Penn Martin – a soldier, gold miner, and inventor. Martin was born in Pennsylvania and may have remained there had it not been for the Civil War. He joined the United States Colored Troops shortly after the war broke out. His unit traveled to Texas, where he mustered out. Family lore has it that he joined the Texas Rangers and went to California to mine gold. Wills will share some of his fascinating adventures.
Writer, author and speaker Anita Willis has been a genealogy researcher for over thirty years, specializing in free persons of color in Colonial Pennsylvania and Virginia. She is the author of two books: Pieces of the Quilt: The Mosaic of An African American Family and Notes and Documents of Free Persons of Color. Anita is a new member of CGS and hosts Anita Talks Genealogy, on Blog Talk Radio. A member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Monacan Indian Nation in Amherst County, Virginia, she is currently working on her third book, Minqua: People of the Welsh Mountains.
Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
The February 2011 issue of the eNews, volume 5, number 2, 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, member Kay Speaks shares four generations of her family photos and sends greetings:
I was so surprised to see Gaye Lenahan’s sad face on page C-1 of the San Francisco Chronicle on Monday, January 24, 2011. It was on the front page of the Bay Area section under the article Strangers’ burial ground: Hundreds of unknown lie in field at Mountain View Cemetery entrance. That got my attention. I’ve visited the cemetery dozens of times and had never heard of the place.
Gaye is a docent at the cemetery and an active volunteer at the library so I contacted her a get the backstory.
Chronicle reporter Carolyn Jones inquired after reading a piece Gaye wrote for the Friends of Mountain View Fall 2010 newsletter entitled “The Strangers’ Plot.” Lenahan agreed to meet reporter Jones and photographer Lacy Atkins at Mountain View Cemetery where Gaye has been a docent for fifteen years.
A couple of years ago Gaye "made it her business" to dig into the cemetery files for the history of the now defunct Stranger's Plot. She found that the early records refer to it as "Potter's Field" or "Poor Ground" and is the resting place of approximately 500 indigent and unknown persons.
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| Section S - Strangers' Plot, Mountain View Cemetery |
Many of the graves are of men, women and children labeled “unknown.” Unknown infants number in the hundreds. A few burials appear to be removals from the old cemeteries in downtown Oakland. One entry specified “Twelve unknown bodies from 14th and Harrison.”There are a number of persons who died of drowning. The files record deaths due to suicide or gunshot wounds. Several “hanged” criminals are buried on this hillside.
– Gaye Lenahan
Things were hopping at the library on Saturday, January 8, 2011, as approximately fifty members gathered for the annual business meeting, a used book sale and a reception to honor our volunteers.
Arlene Miles and Henry Snyder organized the book sale which was staffed by members of the library committee. The sale netted more than $700 for the library.
Craig Siulinski shared his blogging know-how in a recent Blogging class at the library.
January 15, 2011 marked an exciting day for a few folks eager to jump into the world of genealogy blogging. After a presentation of informational slides and a demonstration of how to write a blog post using Blogger, the participants proceeded to go live with their own blogs. Much thought and discussion was spent on the selection of blog titles and the creation of effective purpose statements. As the instructor of the workshop, I am proud of these new blogs since they will surely enrich the genealogy blogging community.
This is Jeff's last report from SLIG. Thanks, Jeff, for another great series!
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Salt Lake City, Utah
Friday, 14 Jan 2011
The last morning opened again with homework debriefing. The problem was to solve the father’s name of a workbook exercise that we had been looking at off-and-on all week. There were several suggestions. Dr. Jones offered a little hint and a big hint via email for those interested. The little hint did not help me. What helped me, I would say, is a better understanding of analysis.
Today we packed in six lectures starting with Special Problems III: Identifying Landless, Enslaved, Peasant and Other Impoverished Ancestors; Resolving Conflicting Evidence; Correlating Sources, Information and Evidence to Solve Genealogical Problems; Federal Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation and Correlation by Clair Bettag; Writing Genealogy and Continued Advancement.
In Thursday’s report I said I would provide some problem solving examples from the course work. Dr. Jones gave permission to do so; however, in reviewing the examples they would be out of context. Instead, given the internet email discussions about starting a GenWrite class like the GenPro class, here are a few points from the lecture on Genealogy Writing.
Dr. Jones spoke about his own experience. He had written articles in his professional field of special education for journals that were published. He submitted his first genealogy article to the NGS Quarterly when Elizabeth Shown Mills was the editor. As Dr. Jones told the story, he got his work back and looked at the first page, the second page, the third page and then on the fourth page finally found something he had written! He relates this story in great humor to fully illustrate that genealogical writing is a field unto itself.
His definitions of genealogical writing are “essays that describe a genealogical problem, discuss the evidence pertaining to the problem; and—if applicable—present and explain a solution to the problem.” There are a variety of products of writing from articles to books and the use of writing can be to illustrate to oneself what further research needs to be done.
The characteristics of writing are that it is readable, fully sourced, well grounded and structured, honest, precise, logical and comprehensive.
It was one of many great presentations.
I am going to conclude with the points made in Continued Advancement. This was my third SLIG course along with the IGHR in Birmingham along with the FGS and NGS conferences and one day workshops that constitute my continuing education. Dr. Jones’ list is similar – formal courses of study, major conferences, genealogical study groups, participating in support groups and seeking a credential. He went on to encourage reading journals, doing personal research, seeking expert vetting and regularly and routinely writing research with a view to publish.
BOTTOM LINE: The five days were fantastic and intense. The bibliography with each presentation was enormous allowing for further study. I encourage each person reading this to pursue their own professional advancement.
Next I am off to Charleston, South Carolina for the NGS Family History Conference, May 11-14, 2011. Will I see you there?
Jeffrey Vaillant
14 Jan 2011
Jeff's series continues from SLIG.
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Salt Lake City, UT
Thursday, 13 Jan 2011
Another morning opened with the homework debriefing. Not a lot of hands went up with solutions. Some students took up to four hours to try to solve the problem. The outcome for all, I would say, is a better understanding of analysis.
Today we packed in five lectures starting with Probate Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation and Correlation, Local Land Records: Analysis, Interpretations and Correlation, Bring Law to Bear on Complex Genealogical Problems, Special Problems I: Finding Immigrant and Migrant Origins and ending with Special Problems II: Identifying Female Ancestors. Each of these presentations by Dr. Thomas Jones included little problems to solve at the end of each lecture. All of his material is copyrighted so I will obtain permission to publish a problem or two here tomorrow.
Yes, there is another homework assignment tonight. One page – which means it will be difficult. So I better get to it.
We are still behind schedule and tomorrow is Friday!
Jeffrey Vaillant
13 Jan 2011
Jeff's series from SLIG continues:
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Salt Lake City, UT
Wednesday, 12 Jan 2011
The morning began as a debriefing on the Tuesday evening homework with Claire Betteg. In general classmates were able to work through the challenging Library of Congress website. The point was made by someone that the Congress funds its own library well, unlike the National Archives and Records Administration. A user of both facilities in Washington, D.C. was of the opinion that the LOC has ten times the staffing of NARA!
We found ourselves a mere 24 hours behind schedule. The mornings topics were Census, Census-Substitute and Name List Strategies: Analysis, Interpretations and Correlation and Tax Roll Strategies: Analysis, Interpretations and Correlation by Dr. Thomas Jones. Jones has a wealth of professional genealogical experience which is brought to each lecture with examples. Of course, this leads into the Wednesday homework.
Richard Sayre, CG, was back in class talking about Rural and Urban Map Strategies: Analysis, Interpretations and Correlation. He pointed to the Library of Congress and its 5 million maps, 80,000 atlases and 6,000 reference works. He encouraged visiting it and the NARA location in College Park, Maryland, where there are another million+ maps. He spoke about the USGS topographical maps and showed how he was able to use them, along with other resources including Google Earth to pinpoint cemeteries. (Course 8 of the Samford Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research this June in Birmingham, Alabama will feature an entire week on maps!)
Then it was time for homework. The homework was a nine page assignment to find the father of a person who lived in the late 1700s in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. I spent a couple of hours hacking away at the problem and I spent a couple of hours at the Family History Library hacking away at my own research. In neither case did I solve any problems – does that sound familiar?
Jeffrey Vaillant
12 Jan 2011
Jeff continues with his reports from the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Salt Lake City, Utah
Tuesday, 11 Jan 2011
As reported yesterday we have fallen behind in class. Today we explored the topics of Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses; Planning an Exhaustive Search along with Transcribing, Abstracting, Extracting, Quoting and Documenting Sources in the morning – which were supposed to be Monday mornings topics!
Richard Sayre, CG, presented an informational loaded Military and Pension Records Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation and Correlation. This presentation barely scratched the surface of the subject and offered numerous opportunities for further research. He and I had exchanged emails prior to the Institute so I was able to follow up with a conversation on the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Richard showed me a presentation he made on the GAR in St. Louis a few years ago. There is a concerted effort by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War to identify all GAR records and their locations. Another part of his presentation that was useful to me was the section on the War of 1812. While this year we recognize the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, the bicentennial of the War of 1812 is next year. A great deal of planning is taking place in the Midwest.
Claire Bettag blitzed us with her presentation Federal Research: Government Documents. She talks fast and must have said “gov docs” three zillion times!! And she gave us our first homework assignment which was to work with the Library of Congress site and its Century of Lawmaking to determine the outcomes of several citizen requests for government payment due to contracts disputes with the federal government. She allowed as an alternative to pick a private law of our own. I chose to explore the pension request the daughter of Major Charles Fuller, US Army, 4th Regiment, War of 1812 made in 1889. I found it and there is still more work to be done – does that sound familiar?
Jeffrey Vaillant
11 Jan 2011
Jeff reports from his first full day at SLIG:
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Salt Lake City, UT
Monday, 10 Jan 2011
“Fasten your seat belts, put your trays in an upright position” will be the mantra for the week as we take off with Thomas Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS in his Advanced Genealogical Methodology class. After a full day we are still on the first presentation: Developing an Evidence Orientation. We have been discussing a great deal of terminology around Sources, Information and Evidence as well as the processes of Analysis, Correlation, Weighing, Hypothesis, Case Building and Conclusion leading to a proof argument. Dr. Jones assures us that we will catch up as the week progresses. We did use the two case studies sent ahead of the class to illustrate some of the points in this first presentation.
Also we had a comprehensive presentation by Claire Bettag, CG, CGL on Archival Research at the National Archives and Other Repositories. This was particularly useful as the NARA is undergoing significant changes in its web presence. She emphasized using the finding aids, the descriptive pamphlets and the NARA tutorials that are available at the National Archives website. She spoke about the Library of Congress Manuscript Division and its registers that describe its principal collections. 120+ registers are published, some of which are online at the Manuscript Reading Room.
This evening I attended Dr. Jones’ lecture Strategies for Finding "Unfindable" Ancestors. The bottom line: finding those ancestors is hard work taking a great deal of time and the cost to travel to the location(s) of original documents.
Jeffrey Vaillant
10 Jan 2011
CGS Director Jeffrey Vaillant is continuing his pursuit of professional genealogical certification and is attending the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, January 10-14, 2011. As he did last year, Jeff is sending reports. Here's his first installment:
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
Salt Lake City, Utah
Pre-course Work
As Dick Eastman puts it in his newsletter, I’m “on the road again” to the Salt Lake City Institute of Genealogy. This year’s trip started with pre-class work:
Course 9 Advanced Genealogical Methods Course Coordinator: Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA. Participants will develop advanced genealogical research, analysis, correlation, and compilation skills. Hands-on activities drawn from original sources will enhance this learning. Examples will be drawn from American states and colonies and European countries. Before the course begins, participants will complete two pre-course reading assignments. Three in-course homework assignments will be optional.Yes, I have done the pre-course work by reading the case studies several times. I am not too sure about the homework as it is described as one additional hour of class plus up to three hours of in-library research!
There are numerous evening lectures to attend. The Family History Library is open until 9 p.m. This is my third SLIG and I learned from the first time it is important to pace oneself.
A number (28) of this year's attendees have completed or are part of the ProGen Study Group. I was fortunate to be in the first group (April 2008–December 2009).
ProGen Study Groups are organized to encourage professional and aspiring genealogists to put into practice the principles found in Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills. This program employs an innovative method of collaborative learning focused on developing genealogical research skills and business practices. Each month group members study one or two chapters of Professional Genealogy and complete a practical assignment relating to the material. They meet online to discuss the topic in small group discussions. Members review each other's assignments and offer constructive feedback. The study program covers all of the chapters in the book, including research procedures and business practices. This program requires time and commitment, but provides a unique opportunity for constructive feedback from colleagues. Each ProGen group has a BCG Certified Genealogist or ICAPGen Accredited Genealogist mentoring the group. These volunteer mentors participate in the monthly discussions to answer questions and offer guidance.I would encourage anyone interested in broadening their genealogy foundation to consider ProGen as a means to accomplish such a goal.
I close with the following which outlines the learning for the next five days:
Off to registration...
- Developing an Evidence Orientation
- Developing Research Questions and Hypotheses; Planning an Exhaustive Search
- Transcribing, Abstracting, Extracting, Quoting, and Documenting Sources
- Archival Research
- Census, Census-Substitute, and Name-List Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation
- Military and Pension Records Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation
- Tax Roll Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation
- Federal research: Government Documents
- Rural and Urban Map Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation
- Local Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation
- Probate Strategies: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation
- Bringing Law to Bear on Complex Genealogical Problems
- Special Problems I: Finding Immigrant and Migrant Origins
- Special Problems II: Identifying Female Ancestors
- Special Problems III: Identifying Landless, Enslaved, Peasant, and Other Impoverished Ancestors
- Resolving Conflicting Evidence
- Correlating Sources, Information, and Evidence to Solve Genealogical Problems
- Federal Land Records: Analysis, Interpretation, and Correlation
- Writing Genealogy
- Continued Advancement
Jeffrey Vaillant
9 Jan 2011
