Update on Reopening of the CGS Library

 

President James Sorenson

On March 10, 2021, Alameda County returned to the red tier for COVID-19 restrictions.  That change does not allow for the reopening of office spaces, which includes the CGS library. Offices can reopen at 25% capacity in the orange tier if required safety protocols are in place. CGS is following Alameda County announcements and comparing reopening plans with similar organizations.  Due to the steps CGS will have to take to comply with safety protocols, our reopening will not occur immediately after the County returns to the orange tier. We will continue to work towards reopening and will keep you updated as to our progress.

 

As more people are completing their vaccination cycle, it is logical to ask if one’s vaccination status will impact your ability to return to the library. At this point, it is highly unlikely that the County will adjust their restrictions to reflect individual vaccination status in the near term. One reason is that it is unknown if vaccinated individuals can still spread the virus to others. It would also be difficult to administer a system which reflects the haves and have-nots of vaccination.

 

We know many of you are eager to return to your research at the CGS library. We will do all we can to make sure that happens in an efficient and safe way and look forward to having you visit again.

 

James Sorenson, CGS President

An update on reopening the CGS Library from President James Sorenson

I’m sure all of us are eager to see the CGS library reopen for use by the genealogical community. In May and June, the CGS Board discussed various issues and challenges related to reopening our library. Effective October 9, Alameda County said that libraries could reopen at 25% capacity with certain protocols. For CGS that meant: contacting our front desk volunteers about their willingness to come in; incorporating the County protocols with the ones we had already addressed; and developing a training program for our volunteers. We also contacted various area libraries about their reopening plans and learned that for various reasons, none of them had a definite date for reopening; and like us, most were looking at a reservation system for library use. 

 

We thought we might be able to open in November. However, we contacted the County health folks for some clarifications and were told that CGS would have to meet not only library protocols but also those for offices (which have not been allowed to reopen in Alameda County), as well as the ventilation requirements for movie theaters (since we are windowless). After reviewing the above input, the Board has decided that we should not plan to reopen the library until next year, possibly by March 2021 but nothing definite. Since that decision, the County has officially closed the window on our reopening due to a resurgence of COVID cases. I’m also disappointed to say that I do not expect us to schedule any classes at our library before June 2021. 

 

Another impact of the closure is that our annual meeting on 9 January 2021 will be held by video conference and although it is free, attendees will have to register ahead of time. We will all miss the opportunity to see each other in person and share our experiences of the past 8 months.

James Sorenson, CGS President

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Update on CGS Library closure

Due to concerns about COVID 19, the CGS library will now be closed through at least April 15. All CGS classes and events have been canceled through the end of April (except for those held with remote conferencing). This closure and cancellation may be extended, so please check our website before visiting. Note that this also applies to classes scheduled at the Oakland Family Search Library: OFSL, as well as the Family Search Library in Salt Lake City, announced their closure on March 13 until further notice.

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Results of the CGS Member Survey

image: Eventbrite

Late in the fall of 2019, we emailed a 26-question survey to our 880 members. We received 202 responses! Here are some of the things you told us:

Nearly half (47.8%) of the respondents rated their own genealogy skill level as Intermediate, while 20% rated themselves as Advanced, and 25% as Beginners. Two percent of the respondents were Certified Genealogists. About 75% said they belong to or participate in other genealogical societies, or regularly visit other libraries and archives.

We’re happy to know that 88% of respondents think CGS is offering classes that are of interest to them. Leading topics of interest were DNA (genetic genealogy), methodology, and technology, with a number who appreciated classes on particular countries or ethnic or geographical groups. Related to this were requests that the CGS Library carry more books on particular countries: at the top of the list was Britain, followed closely by Ireland, then Germany and related regions (such as Prussia and Pomerania). There also was considerable interest in Scotland, Canada, France, Italy, and the Baltic states.

Librarian Arlene Miles welcomes suggestions for new books
you'd like to see in the CGS library

Regarding the requests for books, CGS Librarian Arlene Miles would love to know what specific titles you’d like to see in the library. Please email her at amiles@californiaancestors.org.

While 63% of you feel it is very important that the society maintains its own library, slightly more than half (54%) would like more events to be held in different venues. The reasons for this varied, although many members live far enough from downtown Oakland that it is difficult for them to visit.

Many (68%) of you have a strong interest in seeing CGS offer online classes, live webinars, or posting recorded classes online. Our 2020 goal is to recruit volunteers with the necessary technical skills to set up and oversee this kind of a program.

We appreciate the feedback. CGS is continually striving to engage members by being responsive to their interests. The newly redesigned website includes a link where you can send us any comments or feedback on our programs and your needs.

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

Our Library Collections: Wyoming

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo, highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

Bareback rider at Wyoming rodeo

Our hard-copy books shelved in the Wyoming section are modest – only five books. But our online card catalog indicates that we have forty-nine print books, fifteen articles, nine journals and two maps. The seeming discrepancy can be accounted for because Wyoming information is included in books filed in other sections of the library. The five books shelved under Wyoming look very interesting. The section begins with West of Yesteryear by Peg Layton Leonard, published in 1976. This book offers profiles of twenty-four pioneer families plus twenty-two profiles of early businesses in Wyoming. Part III is headed “Bits and Pieces” and includes chapters on Pioneer Graveyards, Frontier Life in Fetterman Country, Natural Bridge, Wyoming State Fair, A Glimpse at Courthouse History, and Christ Episcopal Church. The book includes good photographs.

A history book about Fort Bridger

Next is Fort Bridger, Wyoming: A Brief History by Robert S. Ellison. This too provides a narrative on pioneer life. “This little volume is the only complete history of Fort Bridger that has been written; and it has been prepared by the one man who knows it best.”

Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart was published in 1913. The book is divided into twenty-six chapters, each telling the story of a pioneer woman and her homesteading experience. Chapter headings are enticing: "The Horse-Thieves," "At Gavotte’s Camp," "A Thanksgiving-Day Wedding," "A Confession," and much more.

An ad in the
Cheyenne business directory

We also have a copy of History and Business Directory of Cheyenne and Guide to the Mining Regions of the Rocky Mountains. Clearly this is a specialized reference, but if you happen to have family who were miners in Cheyenne you will be delighted to find the book.

Finally we have Pages From Converse County’s Past – a centennial book published in 1986. Like other books of its type, it is filled with bios of local families and histories of events, Churches, Communities, Mines, Organizations, Schools, Land Acquisitions by Homesteading, and lists of County officials. This book is also filled with lots of photos.

One of many photos in Pages From Converse County's Past

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Wisconsin

Our library has many Wisconsin history books

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo, highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

Our collection of books for Wisconsin is unique for its sameness. We have a disproportionate number of books about the history of the state and counties plus a number of biographies. This fact no doubt reflects the interests of the individuals who donated these books to our library.

Our collections starts and ends with two sets of journals. The first is Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletter beginning in 1955 and continuing to the current issues. Featured in the most recent issue is “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President” – sounds intriguing. I was impressed to find a list of their scheduled webinar topics, one for each month of the year. Much of the newsletter consists of announcements of upcoming events much like our eNews.

Recent edition of the Wisconsin
State Genealogical Society Newsletter

Our second set of journals is the French Canadian/Acadian Genealogists of Wisconsin. We have copies from 1988 to 2010. Its style is very similar to our own Nugget.

Towards the end of the Wisconsin collection the topics are more diverse. One such book is History of the Oshkosh Welsh Settlement, 1847-1947. This provides the history of the Welsh of Winnebago and Fond du Lac counties. It was edited by Rev. David Davies and translated by Hanes Y. Cymry. 

Example of photo collections in History of the Oshkosh
Welsh Settlement

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: West Virginia

Our West Virginia has a book about highway
markers

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo,  highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

At first glance, our collection of books for West Virginia seems to include a notable number of interesting books. Compared to other states I’ve written about there are fewer of what I would term “traditional” genealogy books – compilations of data on pioneers, marriage, death, bible records, etc. There are more books on unique topics. The first book in this category is West Virginia Highway Markers – about those small metal signs you see throughout the country. My personal perception is that the southern United States have more than their share of these signs, which I found very helpful while traveling in the south. While not primarily genealogical reading, these mini-history markers are a quick way to learn about the highlights of local history.

Indian Warfare and Massacres on the West Virginia Frontier is another somewhat unusual reference. We have two volumes of this book. Each chapter includes several articles. Chapter 5 is all about pioneer women and Chapter 6 contains personal recollections of persons living on the frontier during the Indian wars.

Indian Warfare and Massacres on the West
Virginia Frontier

For a good overview of the state you could choose to look at The 55 West Virginias: A Guide to the State’s Counties by E. Lee North. Each county is summarized in two pages. Articles include a couple of photos, a short narrative, a location map, a larger map showing the featured county and what counties surround it, an economic profile and a table of statistics for that county.

History of The Pan-Handle: Being Historical Collections of the Counties of Ohio, Brooke, Marshall and Hancock, West Virginia is a hefty volume with over 500 pages of fine print. First published in 1879, it was donated to CGS by Stanley Ross. The book includes a number of nice illustrations and individual biographies.

55 West Virginias provides concise data on each
West Virginia county

We have four volumes of Family Stories & Bible Records of Central West Virginia. These are extracts from the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram, and provide detailed biographies for families. An example is a profile of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Stonestreet of Near Wolf Summit during their sixty years of marriage. Chapter subheadings tell us what sort of information is included. They include: "English Stock," "Friends Form Screen," "Recalls Trip," "Nine Children," "Drove Sheep on Foot," "Buried on Tenmile," "Married Wetzel Farmer," "Two Sons Marry," "Mathematics Instructor," "Court Reporter," "Invalid at 17," "Union Soldier, Killed at Antietam," "Weds Three Times," ""Dies of Infection," "Husband Stayed on Farm, …. And it continues with nine additional topics. Who wouldn’t love to discover one such article about their ancestors?

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Washington

A photo of the Lindstrom family from the The Researcher

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo, highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

Our collection of hard copy books for the state of Washington occupies two shelves in the Dorman Room. It includes a good selection of the standard fare of genealogical sourcebooks including cemetery and death records, marriage, pioneers, and bible records and several histories for the state.

There are two sets of journals. The first, East Washington Genealogical Society Bulletin, is limited to the years 1970-1971. The other, The Researcher, published by Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society, covers 1994 to 2001. The last edition we have of The Researcher is quite substantial, coming in at 114 pages. Featured articles include “Searching for Ladies: The Rumerfield Sisters,” “Ladies in the Shadow of the Mountain” and “Pierce County Pioneer Woman: Margaret Meyer Tiedeman." This caught my eye because of recent discussions at CGS about how to do more to help our members find their female ancestors.

Whitman Mission genealogies for the families
impacted by the Whitman massacre

A book of particular note is Whitman Mission, 29 Nov 1847 Families, including some Cayuse and Nez Perce. This book is a preliminary genealogical index compiled in 1998 by Warren Louis Forsyth. The book includes the family histories and genealogies of persons impacted by the Whitman massacre of 1847, when missionary Marcus Whitman, his wife Narcissa and eleven others were massacred by members of the Cayuse tribe because they suspected Whitman of poisoning 200 Cayuse tribe members who died of measles. On the cover page, the author added this note, “Yes, go copy what you want (including electronically, and microfilming & circulating film copies to branch libraries) of all pages for private use and public research/teaching study if proper identification is included.” Our copy appears to be such a bootleg copy, in that it has numerous hand-written annotations throughout the book.

A book about the San Juan Islands

Our collection includes a few county books and a half dozen directories. We also have San Juan Islands: The Cronstadt of the Pacific by Archite W. Shiels, published in 1938. For anyone planning a vacation to the San Jan Islands this looks like a good read.

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Virginia

William Wirt:  could this be the person my great uncle was
named after?

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

At long last I’ve finally gotten to Virginia where my Pattillo ancestors are from. Fortunately for me and others with Virginia ancestors this is one of the largest sets of books in our library, occupying twenty-three shelves in section F221-235. I should also note that it is preceded by F206 and F209 that cover southern genealogy in general and section F213 that has books about southern plantations.

The collection starts with a small number of books about Virginia counties. These are books that cover multiple counties. As in other states our books on specific counties follow the books on statewide topics.

We have both volumes of Virginia Historical Index by E.G. Swem.  One of the cover pages notes that 425 copies were printed and we own set No. 195. These caught my eye because during one of my two visits to the State Library of Virginia I was startled to encounter our own Lavinia Schwarz in the library. At that time she emphatically insisted that I make time to visit the Swem library while I was in Virginia, so I know this is a good source. These books are an extensive index to articles that appear in other periodicals. Page 400 lists several Pattillos including twelve citations for James Pattillo. I have seventeen James Pattillos in my database so possibly some have made it into these journals.

There are three large collections of genealogy magazines for Virginia. The Virginia Genealogist starts in 1957 and continues to the current edition. We have the Virginia Magazine from 1941 to 1972 - the October 1972 issue of the Virginia Magazine begins with an article about William Wirt, described as “friend and confidante of four presidents. As a lawyer, he ranked with the best in the nation, appearing in many of the landmark cases before the Supreme Court … Identified by one legal historian as the “most beloved of American advocates …” My great-grandparents named their first born Wirt W. Pattillo in 1880 – an unusual name that I’ve found nowhere else in the family. Is it possible they named this son after the statesman?

Our stacks hold eight volumes of Cavaliers and
Pioneers for the state of Virginia

We have eight volumes of Cavaliers and Pioneers Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants by Nell Marion Nugent. This is a compilation of land ownership in Virginia beginning in 1607. Each entry provides a synopsis of land patents that were granted in a rather charming style. As an example, “Thomas Sully, of the Neck of Land in the Corp. of James City, Yeoman & old planter, 6 acs. Aug 14, 1624 p. 12. Within the island of James City E. upon Blockhouse field cleared in the time of the government of Sir Thomas Gates, extending towards the new blockhouse lately built. Part of the first dividend for his personal adventure.”

For those with Scotch-Irish ancestors we have three volumes of Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia by Lyman Chalkley, published in 1989.

Many of our books are devoted to specific counties, including Mecklenburg County, where my ancestors lived for four generations. We have six books on Mecklenburg including Early Settlers, Mecklenburg County, Virginia compiled by Katherine B. Elliott, a very prolific genealogy researcher and writer.

A book for those with Scotch-Irish ancestors

Next time you visit the library, check our Virginia books – no telling what you might find.

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Vermont

Families of Cavendish focuses on
Windsor County, Vermont

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

 Our Vermont books occupy five and a half shelves in the library. Most of the space is occupied by the bulletin of the Genealogical Society of Vermont, Branches & Twigs. Our copies cover the period of 1982 to 1995. We also have the Index to Branches and Twigs for 1972-1995, donated by Kathy Beals in 2000. Our set of the journal Vermont Genealogy begins in January 1996 and continues to the current issue.

We have three different state gazetteers for Vermont and at least three gazetteers for counties. There are two thick volumes of Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont by Hiram Carleton, each volume filled with more than 700 pages of dense information.

Photos of the Adams family

One of our county books is Volume 3 of Families of Cavendish: The Early Settlers of the Black River Valley in Windsor County, Vermont, compiled by Linda Margaret Farr Welch. This book covers the Adams, Blood, Burbank, French, Gammon, and Giddings families. The chapter on the Adams family includes a detailed family tree, short biographies, copies of the wills of Henry Adams, Samuel Adams, and Daniel Adams, and one page of portraits.

The History of Wallingford, Vermont by Walter Thorpe covers different periods of history and settlers, churches, libraries, industries, town war records, politics and more. It includes a nice variety of photographs and sketches.

A sketch from History of Wallingford

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Utah

One of many color illustrations in Utah Profile

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

 Our Utah books are cataloged in section F821 – 835. As I looked for this state in our library I presumed that we would have a large number of books for the state of Utah so I was surprised to see that in fact there is only one shelf of hard copy books – many fewer than for many other states.

Utah begins with thirty bound volumes of Utah & Historical Magazine covering the period 1910 to 1940. These were published by the Genealogical Society of Utah in Salt Lake City that has been in existence four years longer than our society having been organized in 1894. Each volume includes a list of articles found in the bound collection at the end of the book along with an index.

We have a three-volume set titled Utah, The Storied Domain: A Documentary History of Utah’s Eventful Career by J. Cecil Alter, published in 1932. The cover page tells us these volumes comprise “The Thrilling Story of Her People from the Indians of Yesterday to the Industrialists of Today.” Volume One has 37 chapters that cover myriad topics.

Another illustration from Utah Profile

Our Utah collection includes two of three volumes of Heart Throbs of the West: A Unique Volume Treating Definite Subjects of Western History compiled by Kate B. Carter. From the title I was expecting tales of Errol Flynn, but instead learned that the book covers twenty-four phases of pioneer life. The table of contents offers some enticing topics including "Historical Miracles of Pioneer Days," a chapter on pioneer women and pioneer recipes.

Kate Carter is the author of Heartthrobs
of the West

Utah Profile is an unusual source for our library. It was published by American Heritage Publications and falls in the category of “coffee table books” as far as I can see. It consists of over 400 pages of glossy, color and black and white photographs covering government, education, the arts, religions, sports, film commissions and more.

Sketches of the Inter-Mountain States: Utah, Idaho, and Nevada, published in 1909, is a more typical book for our library in that it presents profiles on the leading men who were active in the development of these three states. This resource includes biographies with photographs and a wealth of information on the history and industries of each state. 

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Texas

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland.  For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

This issue of Stirpes includes several excellent
articles on DNA

Stirpes (Latin for family branch or line of descent) is the name of the journal published by the Texas State Genealogical Society. We have copies starting in 1961 and going up to the latest issue. The theme of the most current issue is "Navigating the DNA Maze." There are several good articles on how to understand and interpret ancestral DNA for genealogical research, from the basic “Beginning a DNA Journey” to “Use DNA Match Clusters to Organize and Analyze Your Shared Matches,” to an update on the Early Texans DNA Project. Useful even if you have no ancestors from Texas.

Our shelves hold two copies of The New Encyclopedia of Texas, first published in 1925 and  reissued as a two-volume set in 1937. The book begins with a lot of useful background information about Texas. All three volumes consist of short biographies of individuals and full-page photos with autographs. The 1937 set  has a beautifully embossed multi-color cover, a very impressive gold bookplate, and a lot of detailed artwork throughout the book.

The Encyclopedia of Texas
has a handsome cover.

After perusing forty states for this series it is rare for me to find something that I have not seen before, but I did just that with Character Certificates in the General Land Office of Texas, edited by Gifford White and first published in 1985. It features a compilation of certificates submitted by those wishing to purchase land in Texas in 1834-1835, when it was part of Mexico. According to the book's foreword, “The government of Mexico, in allowing the settlement of Texas by people other than its own residents, wanted to ensure that the new Anglo-American settlers were of high character. It did not want the province to include the criminal element or the non-productive.” Hum, does this sound familiar? The book is a compilation of more than 3,000 abstracts, each listing the name and residence of the applicant, along with other personal details and the name of the character witness. A typical example is entry number 333 for Jose Maria Cervantes from Nacogdoches, recorded on 22 August 1835: “Certify citizen Jose Maria Servantes de Bejar is a man of very good character… resident of this municipality since the year 1820… single without family… has not obtained land … [signed] Radford Berry” These 28 words tells us where the subject he was living in 1835, his marital and economic status, and that he is associated with Radford Berry.

A book of particular interest to me

A book I know I’ll return to is Tracks Along the Clear Fork Stories from Shackelford and Throckmorton Counties by Lawrence Clayton and Joan Halford Farmer. I have several relations from those counties, including a great uncle who owned a ranch on the Clear Fork. Once again I am impressed by our collection and what it has to offer.

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Summer Thursday Evenings at the Library

In case you missed it: our library is open till 8 p.m. on Thursdays in July and August! More time for research, and we offer FREE classes by a variety of our members.

Talks kicked off last week with Robert Jackson speaking on "Discovering Your German Roots." This is a 3-part series, with classes continuing July 18 & 25. Check the listing for more details.

On August 1, Stewart Blandón Traiman discusses "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Genealogy."

Maureen Hanlon offers tips on research using "Historical Newspapers" on August 8. 


August 15: Therese Hart-Pignotti and Dawn Kosmakos lead a DNA roundtable.


August 22: Keith Montgomery talks about using Genome Mate Pro to keep track of your DNA information.


August 29: Jane Lindsey presents "Beyond the Search Boxes on FamilySearch."

The classes are all free, but size is limited; please follow the link to register your attendance.

Parking is free after 6 p.m. in downtown Oakland, and North Oakland is hopping with new restaurants within blocks. Grab a friend and come on down!

All our events can be found listed on the CGS Facebook page

or on our website:

or at EventBrite.com (search for California Genealogical Society)

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: South Dakota

Hand-drawn map of Fort Randall in
South Dakota

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland. For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

Our South Dakota books begin with six volumes of South Dakota by the Department of History Collections in Brule County. Chapter One is a history of Brule County. That is followed by chapters on individuals and a variety of topics. Volume 23 published in 1947 has chapters on Ferries on the Big Sioux River, Hand County, and Newspapers of South Dakota. Each chapter is long – for example, the chapter on Father Christian Hoecken is forty pages, so unlike some of the autobiographical sketches our collection holds, these are quite substantive. These books are really packed with a lot of genealogical information and are something anyone with South Dakota roots needs to look at.

These five volumes are Dakota Territory and South Dakota

We have five dense volumes titled History of Dakota Territory by George W. Kingsbury, each with a San Francisco D.A.R. bookplate. They were published in 1915. The table of contents, 19 pages long is somewhat unique in that for each chapter there is a brief summary of the contents of the chapter. This set of books provides an excellent history of the state and is very well illustrated so is another tremendous resource.

We have a nice set of four books that were compiled by Ronald Vern Jackson. The set includes the 1860, 1870 and 1880 censuses plus the 1880 Mortality Schedule.

This centennial book includes articles
written by multiple authors

Our hard copy book collection includes a few books focused on specific counties in South Dakota. One of these is Lawrence County Dakota Territory Centennial, 1861–1961 by Mildred Fielder. It contains a series of articles written by different authors on a range of topics such as mining, dairying, lumbering, transportation, education, churches, sports and more. 

Historical Collections from Deuel County follows the format of many of our bicentennial books. It provides a history of the county followed by short bios for many individuals in chronological order. This particular book is very well illustrated. At the beginning of the book they included individual plot maps for each township with the names of original landowners. These are clear and easier to read. 

Betsy Uven 1884 is one of the many biographies
found in Historical Collections by Deuel

Photos of Native Americans
in one of our South Dakota books

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Tennessee

King Mule (no relation) and his Queen,
Mule Day, Columbia, TN,1949 from
the Fodor's travel book.

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland. For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

Tennessee is another state packed with my ancestors so I am very happy to find that we not only have copies of Ansearchin’ News, the journal of the Memphis Genealogical Society, starting in 1957 right through the current issue – we even have an empty box labeled 2019-2021 waiting on the shelf. This is the first time I’ve seen an empty box ready to receive future publications. The most current edition is sixty-two pages and packed with well-written and illustrated articles.  

A couple of books caught my eye because they are somewhat unusual. The first is a Fodor’s travel book published in 2006. We don’t have many travel books in our collection but of course, they are very handy for providing maps and background information needed when researching on site. It includes a chapter on the history and culture of Tennessee and separate chapters that cover each of the areas within the state.

The other somewhat unusual book is Tennessee Divorces 1797–1858 by Gale W. Bamman and Debbie W. Spero. This seems like an odd topic to decide to devote an entire book to but for some I am confident you will find this to be a great reference.

One of the somewhat unusual books in our
Tennessee collection

I also found Bible Records and Marriage Bonds compiled by Jeannette Tillotson Acklen, President of the Nashville Chapter, Colonial Dames of America, published 1933. This book mentions my third and fourth great grandfathers in the wills of Isaac and Mary Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s grandparents. It also contains several Drakes in the index that I need to follow up on later.

I know I am biased but I really think our Tennessee collection has several exceptional and unusual books. For example, Nineteenth Century Tennessee Adoptions, Legitimations, and Name Changes by Alan N. Miller. This is not the sort of book that I’ve seen for many other states–I guess people from Tennessee are just exceptional.

We have Genealogical Abstracts from Tennessee Newspapers 1803-1812 by Sherida K. Eddlemon – a Heritage Books publication, 1989. The index lists several entries for Drake so I will have to come back to this book as well.

Fodor's travel guide for Tennessee has
lots of helpful information

Finally, we have History of Tennessee, Containing Historical and Biographical Sketches of Thirty East Tennessee Counties, published in 1887. This book focuses on the places where my Stover-Drake-Ward ancestors are from …. And I’ve never looked at it before. Keep in mind that I’ve traveled to Tennessee twice and have looked at practically every book I came across but I have never seen any of the books mentioned in this blog post. It just goes to show that our library is a tremendous resource. If you have any doubts about my claim you should come down and see for yourself.

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: South Carolina

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland. For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

South Carolina research guide published by
NGS. We have NGS guides for several states.

Ah, I have finally gotten to one of "my" states – my second great-grandmother Joanna Gaines is from Abbeville, South Carolina. The section starts with two sets of journals. The South Carolina Historical Magazine begins in 1955 and continues through 1982. The Carolina Herald and Newsletter begins with the September 1998 issue and continues through 2018. There are three additional sets of journals lower on the shelves.

One source I’ve seen in other states but not yet written about is the research guide from the National Genealogical Society. The one for South Carolina was written by Janis Walker Gilmore in 2011. These booklets follow a similar structure for each state. They are a good guide for where to find records. The preface of this particular copy begins, “Many genealogists find research in South Carolina daunting. Sometimes referred to as 'the black hole' of genealogical research.” I can confirm this statement. Abbeville is where the Civil War officially began and ended so for my ancestors the black hole is particularly deep. The reference includes a history of the state, information on where to find archives, libraries and societies and all sorts of records.

We have at least fourteen books for South Carolina marriages plus many other books of other compiled records. There is a Who’s Who in South Carolina 1934-1935 that lists five Gaines but none that are related to my Gaines. I did find a William Waller in Heads of Families First Census of the United States–1790 South Carolina. This could be one of the sixteen William Wallers in my database but I won’t try to figure out which one right now.

This book by Willie Pauline Young
helped knock down one of my personal
brick walls

I was pleased to see Abstracts of Old Ninety-Six and Abbeville District Wills and Bonds by Willie Pauline Young on our shelves. During my travels I found several genealogical books by Ms. Young and they are all excellent. This book helped me break down some of my brick walls so I know it is a great source. One of the opening pages offers this quote, “without genealogy, the study of history is comparatively lifeless.” --John Fiske.

Martha Wardlaw Hill-a possible family connection-
in Presbyterian Women of South Carolina

I was also glad to find Presbyterian Women of South Carolina by Margaret Adams Gist – not because I expected to find any ancestors chronicled in the dense tome but because it is always nice to find a book that acknowledges the existence of women and their role in history. This is a substantial book with over 770 pages. I suspect it has much to offer so I will come back to it later.

This book contains the 1790 census for
South Carolina

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Our Library Collections: Rhode Island

One in a series by CGS member Chris Pattillo highlighting some of our holdings at the Library in Oakland. For a fuller listing of books, journals, and more, consult the CGS Library catalog in WorldCat.

An example of a four-generation tree from
Ancestral Dictionary

You will find our Rhode Island books shelved in F76 through F90. The section starts with five volumes of Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England by John Russell Bartlett, published in 1861. It covers thirteen years of history from 1757 to 1769. I sure hope I find a similar set of books when I get to Tennessee and Virginia, where my farming ancestors are from. It includes several original letters from the key participants in the conflicts between the colonists and French. Each volume has an index.

We have twenty-one volumes of Vital Records of Rhode Island 1638-1850 compiled by James N. Arnold and published in 1891. Each book covers a different set of counties. The preface of volume one offers an apology for the record not being complete, and an explanation that the fault lies with our ancestors for not having “placed the items upon the Town Records.” Arnold estimates that not more than a quarter of what should have been placed there exists for the period 1790 to 1850. That said, these volumes contain a wealth of data that may be just what you’ve been looking for.

The next little gem is Ancestral Dictionary edited by John Osborne Austin, published in Providence in 1891. This book consists entirely of tiny family trees for sixty-four individuals. Each page presents a four-generation family tree with names, birth and death dates, some location data and some titles. Anyone who is starting their research will be thrilled to discover this book.

One of the engraved portraits from Representative
Men and Old Families of Rhode Island

Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island (1908-1912) is covered in six large volumes. These books were donated by Charles Francis Griffin and are similar to many other biographical books the library houses. They provide lengthy written biographies and beautifully rendered engravings of many of the men profiled with their signature.

The Book of Rhode Island is from the Dorman collection. It was published in 1930 by several state business associations and includes biographies, a history, maps, photos of historic houses and civic buildings, information on local businesses and towns, and much more. It is very well illustrated but lacks a table of contents or index. The book features a lot of industrial plants and is really quite fascinating There is even a photo of a nicely-designed aeration plant of the Providence Water Supply at Scituate.

One of many images about the industries of Rhode Island
from The Book of Rhode Island

The final book I selected was Churches in Rhode Island by Henry Jackson (1854). This is a charming little book that has been lovingly housed in one of Bill O’Neil’s beautiful handmade boxes. The contents are a report by Rev. Henry Jackson at the twenty-eighth annual session of the Baptist State Convention. He visited each Baptist church in their organization and reported on what he found in this book.

First Presbyterian Meeting House of Rhode Island

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