First Saturdays Free: Intro to Genealogy

The California Genealogical Society offers a free introductory class on the first Saturday of every month, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the library at 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California, in the historic Breuner Building.

The class – Genealogy: An Introduction – is part of our monthly First Saturdays Free policy when we welcome non-members and the general public. We open the library and share our resources with anyone interested in learning more about their family history. The library is a benefit of membership and is available to non-members for a $5.00 day fee during the rest of the month.

Volunteers take turns teaching the class which focuses on basic research methods and terminology. The class covers common (and uncommon) family history records and the resources available, both online and in libraries, repositories, and archives. The two-hour session also includes a tour of the library and an overview of our extensive holdings.

And don't think you have to be a beginner to benefit from the class! Our instructors do a great job of tailoring each session to the experience and needs of the participants so everyone comes away with new knowledge.

The 2014 schedule follows:

January 4, 2014 – Lisa Gorrell
February 1, 2014 – Pam Miller
March 1, 2014 – Diana Wild
April 5, 2014 – Dick Rees
May 3, 2014 – Diana Wild
Jun. 6, 2014 – Lavinia Schwarz
Jul. 5, 2014 – Lisa Gorrell
Aug. 2, 2014 – TBA
Sep. 6, 2014 – Pam Miller
Oct. 4, 2014 – Dick Rees
Nov. 1, 2014 – TBA
Dec. 6, 2014 – Lavinia Schwarz

Register online for the January 4, 2014 class, or any of the upcoming Intro to Genealogy classes in the coming year.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Back to School: Intro to Genealogy

It's back-to-school time at the California Genealogical Society!

Join us for a free introductory class on Saturday, September 7, 2013, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at our library at 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California, in the historic Breuner Building.

The class – Genealogy: An Introduction – is part of our monthly First Saturdays Free open house when we welcome non-members and the general public. We open the library and share our resources with anyone interested in learning more about their family history. The library is a benefit of membership and is available to non-members for a $5.00 day fee during the rest of the month.

The September class, taught by Lavinia Schwarz, will focus on basic research methods and terminology. Learn about common (and uncommon) family history records and the resources available, both online and in libraries, repositories, and archives. The two-hour session also includes a tour of the library and an overview of our extensive holdings.

And don't think you have to be a beginner to benefit from the class! Our instructors do a great job of tailoring each session to the experience and needs of the participants so everyone comes away with new knowledge.

Register online.

A genealogist since 1999, Lavinia Gilbert Schwarz is a former member of the California Genealogical Society board of directors. She currently serves on the society's research committee. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in English Literature, then earned a masters at Tufts in education. Schwarz completed the National Institute on Genealogical Research (N.I.G.R.) program in 2008 at the National Archives in Washington D.C. and College Park, Maryland. She has traced her ancestors to France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Germany, Cuba and San Domingue (now Haiti).

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

First Saturday Intro Classes – 2013 Schedule

February 2012 First Saturday Free class 

The California Genealogical Society offers a free introductory class on the first Saturday of every month, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the library at 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California, in the historic Breuner Building.

The class – Genealogy: An Introduction – is part of our monthly First Saturdays Free event when we welcome non-members and the general public. We open the library and share our resources with anyone interested in learning more about their family history. The library is a benefit of membership and is available to non-members for a $5.00 day fee during the rest of the month.

Volunteers take turns teaching the class which focuses on basic research methods and terminology. The class covers common (and uncommon) family history records and the resources available, both online and in libraries, repositories, and archives. The two-hour session also includes a tour of the library and an overview of our extensive holdings.

And don't think you have to be a beginner to benefit from the class! Our instructors do a great job of tailoring each session to the experience and needs of the participants so everyone comes away with new knowledge.

The 2013 schedule, with instructors, is as follows:

January 5, 2013 – Lisa Gorrell
February 2, 2013 – Kim Cotton
March 2, 2013 – Dick Rees
April 6, 2013 – Muriel Sonne
May 4, 2013 – Pam Miller
Jun. 1, 2013 – Lavinia Schwarz
Jul. 6,  2013– Muriel Sonne
Aug. 3, 2013 – Lisa Gorrell
Sep. 7, 2013 – Kim Cotton
Oct. 5, 2013 – Pam Miller
Nov. 2 – Dick Rees
Dec. 7 – Lavinia Schwarz

Register online for the January 5, 2013 class.

Photograph courtesy of Linda Okazaki, 2/4/2012, Oakland, California.

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

First Saturdays Free and CGS Intro to Genealogy Classes

The California Genealogical Society offers a free "Intro to Genealogy" class on the first Saturday of every month, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the library at 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California, in the historic Breuner Building.

The intro class is part of our monthly First Saturdays Free event when we welcome non-members and the general public. We open the library and share our resources with anyone interested in learning more about their family history. The library is a benefit of membership and is available to non-members for a $5.00 day fee during the rest of the month.

First Saturday intro class in February 2012

Volunteers with research experience take turns teaching the intro class which focuses on basic research methods and terminology. The class covers common (and uncommon) family history records and the resources available, both online and in libraries, repositories, and archives. The two-hour session also includes a tour of the library and an overview of our extensive holdings.

The schedule of the remaining 2012 First Saturday class dates and instructors is:

• April 7 – Mary Beth Frederick
• May 5 – Craig Siulinski
• June 2 – Kim Cotton
• July 7 – Muriel Sonne
• August 4 – Lisa Gorrell
• September CLOSED for Labor Day weekend
• October 6 – Lavinia Schwarz
• November 3 – Kim Cotton
• December 1 – Dick Rees

The dates above each link to the registration pages for each class. Please join us!


Photograph courtesy of Linda Okazaki, 2/4/2012, Oakland, California.


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

Wordless Wednesday

First Saturday Free - Intro to Genealogy Class

November 6, 2010

Muriel Sonne

Photograph courtesy of Tim Cox, Oakland, California.


Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Some Nice Press From A Surprising Source

I mentioned last month that advertising our First Saturdays Free "Intro to Genealogy" classes on internet events sites like Yelp, Yahoo Upcoming and Facebook seems to be reaching a new and younger audience. This month's April 3 class, taught by Mary Beth Frederick, included a student who found us on Yelp and who was interested in more than just learning some genealogy.

Brianna Headsten let us know in advance that she was coming and that she would be writing an article about the class for her school newspaper. A communications student at California State University East Bay, Brianna is on the staff of The Pioneer. I was thrilled to receive a copy of her article, All Branches Have Common Roots, published on April 8, 2010, and assurances that she will be back to do more research on her family history.

Thanks so much, Brianna!

Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

The Morning After Who Do You Think You Are? - First Saturday Free!

First Saturdays FREE
Introduction to Genealogy
Saturday, March 6, 2010
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Sometimes things are carefully scripted and planned. Sometimes it's just plain dumb luck. This month the California Genealogical Society and Library's First Saturday Free and Introduction to Genealogy class (taught by Lisa Gorrell) just happens to come the morning after the premier of Who Do You Think You Are?.  I'm hoping for an onslaught, so, attention volunteers: 

ALL HANDS ON DECK!

In anticipation of an increase in patronage of the library, local members are asked to volunteer their time to answer phones, re-shelve books and be on-hand to assist visitors. If WDYTYA? creates the same response in the U.S. as it did in 2004 in the U.K., we are going to need more volunteers to staff the desk and help in the library.

It remains to be seen if the program will translate to a resurgence in interest in genealogy but NBC is pulling out the stops to promote both the show and the pursuit of our favorite hobby. Executive Producer Lisa Kudrow has been busy. She's made appearances on the Today Show on NBC, The View on ABC and on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, she'll hang with Oprah on Celebs Dig Up Their Family Secrets.

In any case, it's cause for celebration anytime mainstream media is paying attention. Yesterday's New York Times sited the "genealogy craze" and today's Los Angeles Times review includes one encouraging statement:

The power of "Who Do You Think You Are?" does not lie in the celebrity but in the much more dramatic nature of "ordinary" life. Residents of 21st century America cannot be reminded often enough of how easy so many of us have it compared with previous generations. As anyone perusing their own genealogy knows, the infant mortality rate of even a few generations ago is shocking to the modern sensibility.

So don’t forget to tune in tonight to watch Sarah Jessica Parker and stop by the library to greet all the newcomers!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

First Saturday Free - June 6, 2009
Introduction to Genealogy Class with Lavinia Schwarz

Photographs courtesy of Tim Cox.

Library Closed for President's Weekend

Please note that the California Genealogical Society Library will be closed on Saturday, February 14th (Valentine's Day) for the three-day President's Weekend. Monday, February 16, 2009 is the Washington's Birthday holiday.

The library re-opens on Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.

The CGS Library is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m, on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and by appointment. Non-members are welcome for a $5.oo fee. The first Saturday of every month is free to all.

First Saturday Beginners Classes

The California Genealogical Society offers a FREE "Intro to Genealogy" class on the first Saturday of every month, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the society's library at 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California, in the historic Breuner Building.


Intro to Genealogy is part of the "First Saturdays Free" policy that allows open access to the library and resources to non-members and the general public on the first Saturday of every month. The library is a benefit of membership and is available to non-members for a $5.00 day fee during the rest of the month.

Vinnie Schwarz, Margaret Bowman and Kirsten Netterbled at the November 1, 2008 class.

And it is not just beginners who attend. Lavinia Schwarz sent this report: "Two members attended the November class that I taught. Neither are beginners but they were there nonetheless, with great enthusiasm. We went through the usual -- interview all the elders, forget spelling, keep track and source your evidence. I threw in my organizational favorite habits of color coding the four grandparent lines and using time-lines. We talked about names, places, dates, and events. It was fun."
The next class is set for December 6, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and will be taught by Lisa Gorrell.

The Events Committee is working on the list of volunteers who will teach the FREE First Saturday Classes in 2009. If you are interested in volunteering please e-mail Jane Knowles Lindsey. The basic outline and hand-outs are provided, all you need to add is your time, patience and expertise!

The classes are always listed on the CGS Google calendar.

Finding Cousins in the Library

Genealogists are always on the hunt for cousins – it's what we do. But imagine finding them in the next chair at your local genealogical society library!

That's what happened to three active volunteers at the California Genealogical Society. Book repairers Marianne Frey and Dick Rees were chatting one second Tuesday and realized that they had both attended Yale and both had New Haven, Connecticut ancestors. When they started comparing surnames, they zeroed in on KITCHEL (an original settler) and his SHEAFE wife.

On another day at the CGS Library, Lavinia Schwarz referred to an upcoming visit to her daughter in New Jersey and some family research time in nearby Morristown. Marianne's ears perked up at the mention of the ancestral home of "hordes" of her ancestors and, as she tells it "we started tossing names around and found several in common, including KITCHEL."

Seventh cousins: Marianne Frey, Lavinia Schwarz and Richard Rees.
[Photograph by Kathryn Doyle, January 19, 2008]

Marianne provided this background:

"The KITCHEL clan was part of a large group of colonists who didn't like the way things were being run in their part of Connecticut. They got a charter to start a settlement (now Newark) in New Jersey, which was Dutch when negotiations began but became English before they were finalized. Expansion meant moving inland, westward over the low "mountains" into what is now Morris county.

Some of the Kitchel-Sheafe tribe moved to New Jersey while others stayed in Connecticut. There's been lots of research, including articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register and The American Genealogist in the early 1900's and two books on the Kitchel family -- a slim volume from the 1800's and a nice thick one from the late 1900's.

I discovered the latter volume when a Jane Kitchel appeared on the roster of my folk dance club. She owns the book, which enabled us to figure out that we are seventh cousins, not removed! (During the 1800's someone in my line started spelling our name "Kitchell" with two L's.)"

In July 1983, Dick had the opportunity to visit Cranbrook, Kent, England, the home of their common SHEAFE ancestor. Dick sent this photograph of the monumental brass rubbing he did of the Thomas Sheafe (ca. 1470 - 1520) tomb in St. Dunstan's Church. The oval on the right is made up of Sheafe's initials (T.S.) with his merchant mark in the center.

Dick provided this account:

"Cranbrook is not easy to reach. I had to take a train from Canterbury to Ashford, then one from Ashford to Staplehurst and a bus from there to Cranbrook. I bought the last stick of rubbing wax in the town, along with black paper and a huge roll of masking tape. I made three rubbings of the brass (my brother has one of them and I don't know what became of the third.) I had time one evening and the next morning to walk around Cranbrook. There are several buildings still standing that belonged to the Sheafe family, as well as some windmills and a school named for Mary (Harman) Sheafe, the wife of Thomas Sheafe II."

Besides sharing New England ancestry, the cousins have lived for a time in the New England states while pursuing their education (Lavinia received her M.A. at Tufts) and all three have worked as educators. Marianne taught junior high (two years) high school (seven) and community college (twenty-three). Dick started his teaching career in public schools in Connecticut, moved to private schools in Shaker Heights, Ohio; in Montecito, California; and finally in San Francisco. Lavinia, better known as Vinnie, worked for a time as a preschool teacher.

At CGS, Marianne Frey was membership chair for a few years and set up the Lookups project on the Web site. She and Dick Rees are members of the Book Repair Committee. Dick wears several other hats at the society. He regularly teaches the class for beginners on Free First Saturdays, does occasional desk duty, manages some special projects and handles the mail. Lavinia Gilbert Schwarz is a member of the CGS Board of Directors and handles Lookups (with Pat Smith) as part of the research department. Vinnie is currently also overseeing a research project for the Peralta Hacienda.

Marin County Genealogical Society's Field Trip to CGS

Members of the Marin County Genealogical Society have journeyed to Oakland as a group twice in the last month. Jim Robinson, who is a member of both societies, organized the field trips, first to the CGS March Membership Meeting at the Oakland Regional Family History Center to hear Margery Bell's update on the changes at the Family History Library. On April 5, 2008, a group of six came from the MCGS for First Saturdays Free to spend a day at the CGS Library to do a day of research.


The group included (L. to R.) Shirley Genetin, President; Jim Robinson, Vice-President; Pam Saulter; Doris Salvisberg, Director of Hospitality; John Bowman, Past Treasurer (also a CGS member) and Will Deady. The Marin County Genealogical Society was formed in May 1977 in Novato, California.

CGS welcomes interested groups to come and tour the library and spend some time exploring our resources. Contact CGS at (510) 663-1358 to schedule a field trip.

Genealogy for Beginners

The California Genealogical Society is offering an ongoing, free, introductory class in genealogy, the first Saturday of every month, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the CGS Library at 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California, in the historic Breuner Building. This Saturday's class will be taught by Dick Rees.

The course is part of the "First Saturdays Free" policy that allows open access to the library and resources to non-members and the general public on the first Saturday of every month. The dates for the remainer of 2008 are: April 5, May 3, June 7, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1 and December 6. The library is a benefit of membership and is available to non-members for a $5.00 day fee during the rest of the month.

For the remainder of 2008, CGS is opening its doors to the tenants of the Breuner Building for use during the lunch hour, at no charge. President Jane Lindsey notified the society's neighbors that CGS will offer this benefit on Thursdays and Fridays, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the remainder of 2008. CGS recently marked the one-year anniversary of the society's move to the Breuner Building.

Please note that the CGS Library will be closed on the first Saturday of July for the Independence Day holiday. Further information is available at the CGS Google calendar.

My Goal for 2008

Traditionally, January 1st is a day for New Year's Resolutions but many years ago I began instead to create a yearly set of Goals. Perhaps this is just semantics but while I am good at deciding or resolving to do something, it's usually the execution that is the problem. This "goal setting" exercise has evolved into a set of lists that I create for the various parts of my life. I've learned to set fewer goals but to include specific "actions" - a technique learned from David Allen's Getting Things Done, The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. The "next action" is one of the hallmarks of Allen's GTD philosophy, and he defines it as: "the next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion."

I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to get one of the local media outlets to do a piece on the California Genealogical Society and Library and so I am hereby making this my 2008 CGS goal. And in keeping with the GTD action step requirement, I've created a "Top Ten" pitch list to email to Bay Area newspapers and magazines. I will be modifying it to send to some of the local television and radio talk shows, as well. I'll keep you posted as I come up with new strategies for reaching my goal and I welcome any suggestions you may have (or the phone number of your brother-in-law who works for KTVU).

Top 10 Reasons to Feature the California Genealogical Society and Library in 2008:

1. The California Genealogical Society (CGS) was the first genealogy society in the state, founded February 12, 1898, in San Francisco. CGS has been located in Oakland since 1998.

2. The California Genealogical Society and Library blog debuted November 25, 2007.

3. A full 73 percent of Americans are are intrigued by their family roots according to a 2005 poll by Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI).

4. A Cal State Fullerton study showed that interest in genealogy spans a wide range of ages with the strongest interest being in middle age, most starting "at an average age of 40."

5. California Genealogical Society Research Director, Nancy Peterson, literally wrote the book on San Francisco research. Raking the Ashes: Genealogical Strategies for Pre-1906 San Francisco Research was published by CGS in June 2006.

6. In March 2007, CGS moved to its newest location in the historic Breuner Building in Oakland's Uptown District.

7. The California Genealogical Society maintains a library of over 30,000 genealogy reference materials and has released a beta version of its online catalog.

8. Long-time CGS volunteer Dorothy Fowler penned A Most Dreadful Earthquake, A First-Hand Account of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, with Glimpses into the Lives of the Phillips-Jones Letter Writers. The book was published in April 2006 by CGS to coincide with the centennial of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

9. The California Genealogical Society and Library (now 900 members strong) hosts monthly membership meetings and has a First Saturday Free policy of allowing non-members free access on the first Saturday of every month.

10. The Oakland Convention & Visitors Bureau list of 100 Things to Do includes tip #80: "Trace your family history at the California Genealogical Society."