Online genealogy, March 8-14

Our weekly roundup of upcoming genealogy events. Numerous associations offer online genealogy classes every week. Most are free. To register for one of the events below, click on the name of the host organization.

CGS Events:

March 13: Monthly Board Meeting. All welcome.
March 14: "The Story Behind Shanghai Angel (Love, Detention, Lies)" by Heather and Jeff Klein

Conferences & Workshops:   

March 11: DNA Bootcamp (Family Tree Academy UK)

March 12-13: 2021 Winter Virtual Genealogy Conference (Family Tree Magazine University)

March 13: 15th Annual Family History Seminar featuring Nicka Smith (Greater Sacramento African American Genealogy Society)

March 13: Swiss and German Research: 2021 Virtual Spring Seminar with Daniel Jones (Ohio Chapter of the Palatines to America German Genealogical Society) 

American Ancestors

March 11: "Kitchen Explorations: Favorite Passover Recipes" by Michael Leviton

March 12: "Old House Do's and Don'ts" by Carissa Demore

BYU Family History Library

March 10: "The Following Feature in FamilySearch Family Tree" by Kathryn Grant

Legacy Family Tree

March 9: "Using different family tree views for your research" by Uri Gonen
March 10 & 11: "Researching Ancestral Locations in Prussian Genealogy Records" by Nancy E. Loe

Other Listings

Sutro Library's Bay Area Genealogy Calendar lists a wealth of Bay Area events and exhibits, including regular genealogical group meetings. This week's highlights:

March 8: "The Records Behind the WWI Draft Registrations" by Susan Goss Johnston (Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society)

March 10: "Nuestra America: My Family in the Vertigo of Translation" by Claudio Lomnitz (San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society)

March 13: "Three Coins: A True Story about Kidnappings, Slavery, and Romance in San Francisco's Chinatown" by Russell Low (Oakland Asian Cultural Center)

March 13: "The Sonoma County Archives: One of the Most Important and Endangered Repositories of Local History" by Katherine Rinehart

March 14: "Street Names and Numbers: Grid Changes, Renaming, and More" by Thomas MacEntee (San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society)

Conference Keeper has a large calendar of classes (too many to list) hosted by genealogical organizations around the country and abroad. Lots to explore, and new events are added often, so be sure to browse the entire calendar. Here's a sampling of the coming week's offerings:

March 8: "Family Tree DNA Family Matching Tool" (North of Ireland Family History Society)

March 9: "The fate of Holocaust victims in Yad Vashem's documentation and projects" (JewishGen)

March 9: "Using Your DNA to Connect to Your Irish Roots" (New York Genealogical and Biographical Society)

March 10: "The Queer History of the Suffrage Movement" (Connecticut Historical Society)

March 11: "We're Related to George Washington? Proving (or Disproving) Family Stories" by Gena Philibert-Ortega (Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society)

March 13: "Melancholia or Mania: Researching the Mental Health of Our Ancestors" (Victoria Genealogical Society, British Columbia)

March 13: "Irish Famines and Emigration - Before, During and After the Great Hunger" (Irish Genealogical Society International)

March 14: "Research Jewish Genealogical Resources on the Internet" (Santa Cruz Jewish Genealogy Society)

See our post "Genealogy Learning in the Time of Coronavirus" for links to classes archived online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsTech, and more. Be well, stay safe, and happy learning!

Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society

Online genealogy, week of September 14-20

Our Events:
September 14: Our "Writing Your Family History" Series continues Tuesdays at 7 p.m. This week: Lois Elling talks about "Making Your Book Look Good: Page Layout and Software."

September 19: The "Exploring Military Records" series with Deborah Goss Johnston kicks off with a look at "Pension and Bounty Land Applications."

Conferences: [fee]

• September 14-17: Family Tree Academy Conference hosted by Family Tree UK
• September 16-18: Northern Great Plains History Conference hosted by University of Wisconsin 
• September 19: FREE Fall 2020 Seminar with Tom Jones by San Diego Genealogical Society German Interest Group
• September 19: Paths to Freedom: Essential Steps for African American Genealogy by Dallas Genealogical Society
  

Classes:

 
Numerous associations offer online genealogy events every week. Most are free. To register for one of the events below, click on the name of the host organization. See our post "Genealogy Learning in the Time of Coronavirus" for links to classes archived online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsTech, and more.

American Ancestors

September 16-30: "Checking for Vitals: U.S. Vital Records Substitutes" (series: fee)

September 17: "Northern New England Resources at American Ancestors" by David Allen Lambert and Melanie McComb

 

BYU Family History Library

September 16: "Using German Periodicals and Periodical Indexes" with Larry Jensen

Family Search

September 19: Nordic Genealogy Research Seminar

Legacy Family Tree

September 15 & 16: "Reconstructing the Murphy Family Using DNA & Documentary Evidence" by Melissa Johnson

September 16: "Finding Genealogical Evidence in the Chinese Exclusion Act Files" by Trish Hackett Nicola

September 18: "Your DNA Questions Answered Live" by Diahan Southard

 

Southern California Genealogical Society 
September 16: "Putting America to Work: Records of the WPA and the CCC" by Peggy Lauritzen

Conference Keeper has a large calendar of events (too many to list) hosted by various genealogical organizations. New events are added often, so check back frequently. Here are some of the coming week's highlights:

September 14: "Scrivener for Professional Genealogists" by Kimberly Powell (Association for Professional Genealogists)

September 15: "Using Mortality Schedules in Your Research" (Allen County Public Library)

September 15: "Insider's Guide to Genealogical Cousin Bait" by Marian Burk Wood

September 15: "Swedes in Wisconsin and Beyond: Unlocking Your Swedish Family History" by Deanna E. Korte

September 15: "Getting Started in Genealogy Research" (New York Public Library)

September 16: "Civil War Pensions: A Closer Look" with Laura Congleton (Connetquot NY Public Library)

September 16: "Introduction to African American Genealogy" (New York Public Library)

September 16: "Researching Your House History" (Appleton WI Public Library)

September 17: "Family History for Health" by Diane Stepro (Jeffersonville IN Public Library)

September 17: "Hidden Gems: Materials in Digital Libraries for Family Research" by D. Joshua Taylor

September 18: "Seafaring Ancestors: Early 19th Century Port Records" by Diane Richard

September 18: "Virginia Genealogy to ca. 1850" (Library of Virginia)

September 19: "Explorations in Mexican Genealogy" by John Schmal

September 19: "Trails West: Crossing the Continent, 1840-1869" by Mary Kircher Roddy 

September 20: "Spinning Gold: Shaping Your Family Research into Compelling Stories" by author Christine Halvorson

 

Be well, stay safe, and happy learning!

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

CGS September Classes and Events

The California Genealogical Society has adapted during the pandemic, moving many of our classes online. To judge from the response we've been getting, this is very popular with many of our members. As we move into our fall classes, you'll see some old favorites as well as exciting new offerings. We hope you'll check them out and consider joining us online!

September 5: 1st Saturday FREE "Intro to Genealogy," our popular monthly series. This month: Genealogy Basics.

September 1, 8, 15, 22: Our "Writing Your Family History" series continues on Tuesdays through September. Join us for tips on citation, graphics, layout, and indexing!

Two special multipart courses launch this month:

September 19: "Exploring Military Records" with Susan Goss Johnson, a 4-part course on alternate Saturdays.

September 29: "Introduction to DNA and Genetic Genealogy" with Mark McLaren, a 6-part course held Tuesday evenings.

National Hispanic Heritage Month spans September 15-October 15. We have two special presentations on the theme:

September 26: "An Introduction to Researching Your Mexican Ancestors" by Colleen Robledo Greene.

October 1: "Researching Mexican Land Grants in Alta California" by Susan Skilton.

All our Events can be found listed on our website
Or at the CGS Facebook page
Or at EventBrite.com (search for "California Genealogical Society")

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Rare opportunity to buy complete set of Civil War-themed books

Here's an idea for a unique gift for the holidays or other special event:

A very generous longtime CGS member has made a large donation of the complete American Civil War collector's series published by Time-Life in the 1980s. We have added a lot of the genealogical titles to our collection. We hope to raise funds for the society by selling the duplicate titles and the books that fall outside of our collection criteria. Usually we put such books for sale on our eBay account, but today, in the hope of inspiring some holiday shopping among our historically inclined members, we would like to make this incredible collection of Civil War books available for purchase direct from the library.

We have a complete set of twenty-nine books–twenty-eight titles, one in two volumes–of the Time-Life Books Collector's Library edition. These are leather-bound reprints of books published during or shortly after the Civil War (see below for titles). The richly illustrated books have gilded page edges, red ribbon bookmarks, and embossed images on the cover.  In excellent condition, they would be a treasure for any Civil War historian, young or old. We would like to sell the set locally to avoid expensive shipping charges. We are asking $160 for the complete set; a bargain at less than $6 a volume!

Interested? Contact our library volunteer Kristi Wessenberg for further information.

Books in the series:

Reminiscences of the Civil War by John B. Gordon

Daring and Suffering by William Pittenger

Campaigning With Grant by Horace Porter

Army Life in a Black Regiment by Thomas Wentworth Higginson

A Rebel War Clerks’ Diary, Volumes 1 & 2 by John B. Jones

Memories, by Fannie A. Beers

Army Memoirs By Lucius W. Barber

Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life by Carlton McCarthy

Richmond during the War by Sallie B. Putnam

Hard Tack and Coffee by John D. Billings

One of Jackson’s Foot Cavalry by John H. Worsham

Mosby’s Rangers by James J. Williamson

Recollections of a Private by Warren Lee Goss

The Citizen-Soldier by John Beatty

Destruction and Reconstruction by Richard Taylor

Three Years in the Sixth Corps by George T. Stevens

The Narrative of a Blockade-runner by John Wilkinson

The Story of a Common Soldier by Leander Stillwell

War from the Inside by Frederick L. Hitchcock

Battle-fields of the South by An English Combatant

Three Months in the Southern States by Arthur J. L. Fremantle

Confederate Operations in Canada and New York by John W. Headley

Campaigns of a Non-Combatant by George Alfred Townsend

A Soldier’s Recollections by Randolph H. McKim

In and Out of Rebel Prisons by Alonzo Cooper

Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman by James Harvey Kidd

Four Years in Rebel Capitals by T. C. DeLeon

Life in the Confederate Army by William Watson

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Member Survey: You talked, We listened

Written by Maureen Hanlon

Thanks to your fantastic response rate to our Fall All-Member Survey,  we heard loud and clear that you (our members) value our classes, on-line sites, social media channels, and eNews.  We also learned that even in this digital age, you especially enjoy our bi-annual genealogy journal, The California Nugget.  Thank you.

In terms of education, what we have learned is that you are clear about the topics and level of classes you want to see.  This included more Intermediate and Advanced genealogical learning opportunities, more about DNA and classes focused on specific ethnic groups and localities.  You also want to improve your technical skills.

Question 16 from our All-Member Survey

Based on this feedback, we’re adding the following classes to our 2016 calendar: 

Ethnicity and Geography:  French-Canadian, German, Irish, African-American, Jewish, Nikkei Pilgrimage, Angel Island, Western Pennsylvania, and Locations Basics.

Technical:  Spreadsheets (repeat of Susan Goss Johnston class), Creating a Blog, and Optimizing FamilySearch.

Intermediate and Advanced:  Repeat of Susan Goss Johnston Advanced five class series, National Archives, Forensic Genealogy, Handwriting, and Certification.

DNA:  DNA for Beginners (quarterly) and DNA for adoptees.

The 1st quarter offerings are now on Eventbrite and more will be added soon.  We're currently in the planning stage with other instructors.  The classes listed above do not include the activities of our very popular San Francisco and FamilyTree Maker Special Interest Groups.  We'll report more about their plans as they become available.  

This Fall there will be an All-Day Event with Cyndi Ingle of Cyndi’s List (not yet on Eventbrite). We're so excited to have Cyndi come and speak---mark your calendars for November 5th!

Thank you for your feedback.  We hope that you'll be pleased with this year's class line-up.

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Happy Holidays & 2016 Preview!

As we end 2015, the California Genealogical Society & Library would like to extend a warm "thank you" to our members, volunteers and visitors this year.

Thanks to you, our members and volunteers, we've been able to continue growing.   You're willingness to embrace technology helps us continually strive to be the best.

 

What's ahead in 2016?

Research trips to Boston, Salt Lake City and Washington, DC with a group of experienced researchers and team leaders.

In addition to the research trips, we have an outstanding line-up of classes & speakers---over 29 so far--- for you, including Gina Philibert Ortega, Susan Goss Johnston, Janice Sellers and Cyndi Ingle from Cyndi's List fame.  These trail-blazing women have set the bar high in genealogy as they continually push to uncover what's next.  Look for our 2016 calendar of classes  on our website this January!

If you haven't done so in a while, please visit us at the library and take advantage of our newly acquired city directories collection. 

Journey with us in 2016 as we discover what's next in genealogy.

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society

An Introduction to U.S. Military Records

Exploring Record Sets Series

An Introduction to U.S. Military Records

More than 35 million people have fought in the military conflicts in America's history. The records created during and after their service are invaluable sources for family historians. Discover the many record types available, where to find them, and study problems that can be solved only through these fascinating documents. Join Susan Goss Johnston on Saturday September 13 as she presents "An Introduction to U.S. Military Records" from 1:00-3:00 at the California Genealogical Society and Library. 

Susan Goss Johnston was a member of the first undergraduate class of women at Yale University, earning a B.A. in physics. She is a frequent speaker in the Bay Area and has been involved in teaching and researching for more than thirty years. Sue is a ProGen Study Group alumna, completing the program in 2011, and she attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research and completed the "Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis" course at the Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. Her personal research focuses on families in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region, and she specializes in military records and federal land records.

Please register on our eventbrite page. 

Class size is limited to 30 attendees. Pre-registration is required.

CGS members are admitted for free.

Non-members fee is $30.00 and can be applied towards a new one year CGS membership the day of the seminar.

Register early to confirm your seat. Walk-ins will not be admitted.

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society and Library