Genealogy Trip: Boston's Calling

Ready to go on a Genealogy Road Trip?

Sign-up today for the California Genealogical Society (CGS) and Library Research Trip to the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) library February 28 - March 6, 2016.  The deadline is soon---Sunday, February 7th---so don't delay if you want to reserve your spot.

Join Jane Lindsey, former CGS president and past NEHGS Trustee, as she leads our biennial trip to Boston, Massachusetts.  

Yes, it’s winter in Boston, but don’t worry because you’re just steps to everything you’ll want to see.

The run-down

Accommodations are at the Charlesmark Hotel which is located in the Copley Square area of downtown Boston.  The hotel is across the street from the prestigious Boston Public Library and only 2 blocks from NEHGS. 

The tour begins Monday morning with a brief orientation. Since the NEHGS library is closed on Monday, participants will have the option that day of visiting a local repository.  One idea is the Boston Public Library, an amazing research institution in it’s own right.

The cost ranges from $1355.00 for a Double Bed room and $1515.00 for a Queen room based on single occupancy (airfare not included).  Unfortunately, no two-bedded rooms exist in the hotel.  Deadline for registration and payment via credit card is February 7, 2016.  

Visit our Eventbrite page listing for full details, including cancellation and refund policy. 

A gentle reminder:  Tour participants must be members of the California Genealogical Society to attend.  You can sign-up on our website.  Also, if you are not a member of NEHGS, please consider joining for $89.95.  You'll gain access to their great website and avoid a $15 daily user fee for non–members.  

What’s the trip like?

Our current President, Linda Okazaki, has been on our research trip before and offered the following observations, 

"First of all it's walking distance to NEHGS, so I didn't have to worry about transportation there and back.  Next, I really enjoyed learning from the world-class genealogy instructors in an amazing institution.  Last, but not least, was the camaraderie of the group.  We helped each other to maximize our research efforts, plus the group dinners were a wonderful way to connect with each other." 

What does the package include?

Optional pre-trip consultation & planning with trip leader, Jane Lindsey

Optional Monday visit to a repository

Orientation and lectures at NEHGS

7 nights at the Charlesmark Hotel (located across the street from the Boston Public Library and 2 blocks from NEHGS)

Daily continental breakfast each morning at the hotel

Two group dinners (Monday and Saturday) at local restaurants

Research schedule

Sunday: Arrive in Boston.

Monday: There will be a brief morning orientation at the hotel.  

Since the NEHGS library is closed on Monday, participants will have the option of visiting the Massachusetts State Archives, Suffolk or Middlesex county court houses, the Massachusetts Historical Society or the Boston Public Library---all AMAZING resources! You can also spend the day sightseeing in Boston.

Tuesday-Saturday: The focus will be on NEHGS. The hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Extended hours on Wednesday (9:00 am to 9:00 pm).

Also, the Boston Public Library, across the street from our hotel, is open until 9:00 pm, Monday - Thursday. It has an excellent microtext department, newspaper collection, and the excellent Norman B. Leventhal Map center. 

Do you still have questions that haven't been answered here? Contact Jane Lindsey with your inquiries at jlindsey@californiaancestors.org

Talk about a ringing endorsement:  Linda Okazaki, our current president and previous trip attendee, has just signed–up for the trip again.  Join Linda, Jane and the others on a genealogy trip you’ll never forget!

Photographs courtesy of Jane Lindsey

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Wordless Wednesday

Boston NEHGS Research Tour, Photo: Jane Lindsey

Copyright © 2014 by Ellen Fernandez-Sacco, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Join Jane Lindsey on the CGS Research Trip to Boston!

CGS Research Trip to Boston: 
Visit the New England Historical and Genealogical Society

Do you have New England ancestors? Would you like to do your research while taking advantage of the amazing resources that the New England Historical and Genealogical Society in Boston has to offer? You'll also have a chance to visit another of Boston's archival repositories and learn more about resources in the area. 

Join Jane Lindsey, Past-President and past NEGHS Trustee on a CGS research tour to Boston to visit the NEHGS!  Dates for the tour are November 2-9, 2014, and the trip includes a stay at the Charlesmark Hotel. 
***This trip requires a minimum of ten attendees. If ten registrations are not received by August 1, full refunds will be issued.   

To Register: 

Schedule: November 2-9, 2014

Sunday: 
Arrive in Boston, take cab or 'T' subway to hotel

Monday: NEHGS closed, visit one of Boston's repositories: 
 -  Boston Public Library
 -  Massachusetts State Archives
 -  Catholic Archives [prescheduled appointment needed]
 -  Group dinner at local restaurant

Tuesday - Saturday: 
 -  Research at NEHGS
 -  Dinner Saturday night

Cost: 
$1,568 single occupancy, airfare not included. Extra nights add $148 per night.

Includes: 7 nights with continental breakfast, two group meals, Tuesday orientation at NEHGS and Pre-trip consultation/planning with Jane. 

Additional details:

• Charlesmark Hotel* has double and queen beds only 
• Not a member of CGS? Please add $40. 
• Membership to NEHGS ($79.95) is suggested, or pay a $15 daily user fee for non-members. Join now to use their excellent website before the trip. 
• All cancellations must be in writing. If you cancel BEFORE September 15, 2014 your fee will be refunded. You will be responsible for expenses after September 15, 2014. 
• Please arrange your own trip insurance. 

* The Charlesmark Hotel is located directly across the street from the Boston Public Library and 1 1/2 - 2 blocks from NEHGS. We will be walking to the library and to dinners. www.charlesmarkhotel.com 

Questions? Contact Jane Lindsey: jlindsey@californiaancestors.org

Copyright © 2014 by Ellen Fernandez-Sacco, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Tour You Missed: 2012 Research Trip to Boston and NEHGS

A week's vacation spent in libraries is not everyone's "cup of tea" but for a genealogist it is a dream come true. This year's California Genealogical Society Tour to Boston – home to the Boston Public Library and the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library – was a successful adventure for  ten members.

Bates Hall Reading Room, Boston Central Library at Copley Square

Tour leader Jane Lindsey has provided several photographs of the week and several of the attendees have provided feedback.

Jane Wolf Hufft at the Boston Public Library.

Jane Hufft spent the week pursuing her Cook genealogy.

This was Lynne Dory's first research tour. She found a branch of her mother's Canadian family she had never seen before. "Sarah Kast was a Palatine and British Loyalist who sacrificed a great deal for her loyalties, then ended up in Western Canada where she now has a present-day following of descendants who erected a stone in her memory."

Lynne had nothing but good things to report. "Jane Lindsey was so patient, so knowledgeable, and she even seemed as interested in my tree as I am. I was thrilled with the trip to Boston and all that I learned and gained in my family tree! I'm now looking forward to making a trip to Salt Lake City, if Jane plans to lead one in the spring."

Researching at the Boston Public Library.

Diana Morris Wild resolved several stubborn problems on two lines, confirmed many facts, and discovered she has a Mayflower ancestor.

Sisters Carolyn Lachenmayr and Judy Jones with Gary Boyd Roberts at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library.

Judy Zelver was really pleased with the help she received from Irish Specialist Marie Daly at NEHGS. Marie was able to help Judy pinpoint the exact location where her family resided in the mid-1800s, and using an overlay with a current map in Google, Judy could virtually travel down the road where her family lived. Judy also extended her Feake family lines by several generations – back into the early 1500s in England.

Kathleen Merlino received assistance from Gary Boyd Roberts at the NEHGS Library.

Kath Frail Merilo traveled to Salem the weekend before the Boston tour. During her research week she was surprised to discover one of her ancestors was a witch:

"Gary Boyd Roberts causally mentioned that there was information about the Pease family in Massachusetts. Upon researching the name I learned that an ancestor was accused of being a witch during the Salem Witch trails in 1692. A warrant was issued for her arrest and she was arrested and jailed for a period of time. Fortunately she was not hung. I have known that I had an ancestor, Samuel Frail, who had signed a petition in defense of Jonathan Proctor, who was hung as witch, so I wanted to visit Salem and the memorial. After the trail, both the Pease and Frail families left Salem and headed West. The grandchildren of Mary Pease and Samuel Frail married around 1730."

Sandy Jones Fryer at the NEHGS Library.

Sandy Fryer reports: "Gary Boyd Roberts gave me some tremendous leads when I was at NEHGS two years ago. I thought that meant that there was not much more for this visit. I could not have been more mistaken! Gary was very generous with is time. His knowledge of early New England families is amazing. He helped me extend Peck, Kimball and Parke lines in my husband's family, and my Mainwaring, Tallman and Fuller lines, with good secondary sources. It will take me months to organize all the information I gathered and verify the data with primary sources."

Favorite signs: rest rooms at the NEHGS Library.

Be sure to read Alison Kern Shedd's account of her success at the Boston Catholic Archives, "Researching the McKinley Family in Boston," in the upcoming issue of The California Nugget.

Around the table starting left: Jane Lindsey, Diana Wild, Kathy Merilo, Carolyn Lachenmayr, Judy Jones, Lynne Dory, Pat Smith, Sandy Fryer, Alison Shedd and Judy Zelver. (Not shown: Jane Hufft.)

Photographs courtesy of Judy Jones and Jane Knowles Lindsey, Boston, Massachusetts.


Copyright © 2012 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Announcing the CGS Boston Research Tour to NEHGS September 23-30, 2012

It's time to sign up for the California Genealogical Society and Library Research Trip to the New England Historic Genealogical Society library September 23-30, 2012.

Jane Lindsey, former CGS president and past NEHGS Trustee, leads our biennial trip to Boston, Massachusetts. Accommodations are at the Boston Common Hotel and Conference Center in the Copley Square area of downtown Boston, located about three blocks from NEHGS.

The tour begins Monday morning with a brief orientation. Since the NEHGS library is closed on Monday, participants will have the option that day of visiting the Massachusettes State Archives, Suffolk or Middlesex County courthouses, Massachusettes Historical Society or Boston Public Library.

The Tour Package includes:

• Hotel room (7 nights, single occupancy)
• Monday morning orientation
• Free day Monday to visit your choice of several repositories or sight-see in Boston
• Tuesday orientation at NEHGS
• Daily continental breakfast
• Two group dinners (Monday and Saturday) at local restaurants
• Optional pre-trip consultations with Jane Lindsey
• On-site lectures - to be announced

Linda Darby and Sandy Fryer at NEHGS in 2008.

The cost is $1674.00 (airfare not included). A deposit of $300 is required by July 15, 2012, to hold one space. Download the tour flier for full details and cancellation and refund policy. Tour participants must be members of both the California Genealogical Society and the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Register online.

The first group dinner will be on Monday evening. NEHGS is open 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. The Boston Public Library, near the hotel, is open until 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and has an excellent microtext department with a wonderful newspaper collection.

Photographs courtesy of Jane Lindsey, Boston, MA, 9/22/2008.


Copyright © 2012 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Wordless Wednesday

New England Historic Genealogical Society
Boston, Massachusetts
Linda Darby, Sandy Fryer and Steve Tirrell
September 2008

Photographs courtesy of Jane Knowles Lindsey.