Family Tree Maker SIG Goes Virtual

The Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group, co-facilitated by Ron Madson and Karen Halfon, became our first CGS Special Interest Group (SIG) to take its meetings to the Internet.  The regular meeting of the group was held online on Zoom on May 16, 2020 at 1:00 pm.  The official meeting was ushered in by a “social hour” beginning at 12:30. Attendees were free to chat with each other or ask questions before the meeting started.

A notable guest to this virtual event was Russ Worthington (“Cousin Russ”), who authors the blog “Collecting Cousins.” He contributed updates and insights on the progress, status, and functioning of the new FTM release.  We may be seeing him in upcoming virtual meetings.

The Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group met online this month

The topic for this meeting was a discussion of the newest release of the FTM software, FTM2019.  The agenda included new features of the software program including a function called “TreeVault” which allows users to upload a tree to the vendor’s (Software MacKiev) cloud storage. The Vault-saved tree is updated in real time with every update or change made to the FTM tree and can be restored to the user’s computer when and if necessary.  

A video recording of the meeting is posted on YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCsv3SAykTI

The FTM-SIG plans to continue the monthly Zoom meetings during these shelter-in-place times, at the usual time on the third Saturday of the month. The June 20th meeting program will focus on "Family History Fact and Event Management Tools." For more information, contact:
Ron Madson (rmadson@californiaancestors.org)
or Karen Halfon (khalfon@californiaancestors.org).

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Quarantine Quests: A Genealogist's Fairytale Come True

Chris Pattillo is collecting "Quarantine Quests," stories of genealogical projects and discoveries made by our members while sheltering at home due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This story is from CGS Member Ron Madson.

Ron Madson’s Quarantine Quests story began in the Summer of 2019 when he traveled to France and Switzerland to attend the Women’s Soccer World Cup. While there he visited a cousin, Claire Daams, who is an attorney in Bern and happens to be conversant in seven languages, including Old German. Recognizing an opportunity, Ron asked Claire if she might help him with his second-great-grandfather Niklaus Glaüs. Ron had attempted to read the records that are available online at the Bern StateArchives but with little success.

Claire agreed and within minutes had identified Ron’s second- and third-great-grandparents. Even better, she gave Ron a personalized lesson in how to read Old German. Ron refers to the script as nothing more than "squiggles" but with Claire’s help, he quickly began to be able to decode the information contained in the documents. These records typically include the basics – birth, death, and marriage. Marriage records sometimes include the bride and groom's places of origin, the names of their parents, and sometimes the dates that the parents were married. Some death records include the date and place of birth. Some do not include date of birth, but include exact age at death: years, months, and days. But many of the older death records do not contain this vital information, although they may have "extras" added by the priest or officiant. "I try very hard to read this 'extra stuff,'" Ron says. "And it kills me that ninety percent of the time I can’t, while knowing that beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is 'good stuff' there."

After his lesson, Claire asked if Ron would like to visit the village where his ancestors were from – “a genealogist’s fairy tale come true,” he says. Ron’s ancestors lived in a small village in the foothills of the Alps in the Interlaken District of Bern. While there is no way to know the exact home or farm where his ancestors lived, Ron did recount the pleasure of eating lunch in a local restaurant right on the lake. He ordered fish that had been caught in the lake and knew that his ancestors had fished in that same lake generations before.

Fast-forward nearly a year and now while Ron is quarantined at home he is working feverishly to find, decipher, and document new ancestors and more records. Ron reports that he has added hundreds of new ancestors since he learned to decode the Old German text. Each time he thinks he has found a new ancestor he says “I look for other records to shed light on the found record, to prove or disprove that this is the correct record. Depending on the circumstances, the names, area, year(s), record information, what, and where I look varies.”

For each new person he tries to find birth, marriage and death records. He then enters the data into his Family Tree Maker genealogy program. Like most of us, he makes copies of every document he finds. He then imports the digital file into Adobe Photoshop and extends the page at the bottom and top to add research notes. At the top he includes the name of the document and a summary of what it says. At the bottom, he adds his source information.

Ron has identified the two oldest living people on this line: Florine (Lee) Glaus, now 93 and living in South Dakota, and Clare Leone Glaus, who is 102 years old and lives in Seattle. He was able to interview both of them and has fifteen hours of recorded interviews plus stories, documents and photographs.

When I asked, “Have you established a particular routine for doing this work during the shutdown?” Ron explained, “my wife and I have dinner, then we watch a movie, after which I spend several hours each day – sometimes into the wee hours – working on my genealogy.” Ron is also planning to listen to a podcast to learn more about how to read Old German so he can continue his research on a different family line.

Have you made any big discoveries while you have been staying at home? Let us know and we will share your story. You can reach me at cpattillo@californiaancestors.org

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

February Classes and Events

 

No Valentine-themed events this month, but we're still sure you'll LOVE our selection of lectures, classes, and other events. 

We start off with our FREE "Intro to Genealogy" class, Saturday, February 1. This month, Dick Rees gives tips on "Using the Census."

Then it's on to more adventures:

February 8: On the Road Again: Practical Tips for Successful On-Site Research

Pam Brett discusses how a well-planned on-site research trip will increase your chances of answering your most perplexing research questions and enhance understanding of the lives of your ancestors. 

February 19: Intermediate Record Series

Lisa Gorrell kicks off her popular five-week course for those ready to go beyond vital records and the census. This intermediate class will focus on court records, church records, emigration/immigration and naturalization, land and property records, and demonstrate how to find these records both on and off line.

February 22: Photo Scanning Workshop

Ron Madson leads a hands-on photo scanning class using a PC or MAC to assist you in scanning documents for use with genealogical projects. 

February 25: Field Trip to California Historical Society

(CGS members only) CHS reference and outreach librarian Frances Kaplan will describe the Society's diverse holdings and share selected materials for our perusal. 

AND: Planning ahead? You can still register for our May trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City!

Don't forget our Special Interest Groups!
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

Wordless Wednesday: SCGS Genealogy Jamboree 2017

Front row: Tim Foley, Diana Edwards & Lisa Gorrell
Back row: Lavinia Schwarz & Ron Madson

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Why I Contributed to the Capital Campaign: Jim Sorenson

Jim at the Annual Membership Meeting, January 2017

For those not familiar, The California Genealogical Society's Capital Campaign kicks into high gear this February with a goal of raising $1.2 million dollars.  The goal was created to coincide with the beginning of our 120th Anniversary in 2018. 

A committee chaired by Chris Pattillo was created to lead this effort. Chris also has the considerable help and talent of both Jane Lindsey and Sandy Fryer to ensure that the campaign will be a huge success.  

Why is a Capital Campaign needed?  The money raised will help ensure that our society will remain a leader in genealogy and give us the necessary financial cushion to weather various storms in the future. 

Now that you know about the Capital Campaign, I hope you enjoy the beginning of a new monthly series of blog posts entitled Why I Contributed to the Capital Campaign.  The first will focus on life member, long-time volunteer, donor and previous board member Jim Sorenson.  

Jim has given generously of his time and money for over nine years to The California Genealogical Society (CGS).  He has been involved in key strategic roles in the organization that have allowed us to thrive and succeed where many genealogy societies have either failed or begun to lose membership. Jim is a strong believer that the California Genealogical Society is an institution that contributes to our local community and collective history.  His latest genealogical project is pursuing information pertaining to his biological paternal grandfather, who was recently identified using analysis of autosomal DNA test results.

With that being said, here are a few questions I asked him on why he chose to financially support our society:

• By contributing to the Capital Campaign, what do you hope to accomplish? I’m strongly interested in keeping CGS going as a vital resource for doing genealogical research and to support the many educational activities that they present.

• You have many organizations to choose from when considering a donation, what made you choose us? My wife and I support many local and national charities. However, I know that my donation to CGS will be used wisely and every dollar goes to support CGS without being diverted to pay for expensive fundraising.    

• How does donating to CGS extend your personal legacy or the legacy of California genealogical research? By keeping CGS fiscally healthy, I know that their great resources will be available to my descendants and me for years to come.

• How did CGS' genealogical resources help your research efforts? In addition to the subscriptions to online databases, the CGS library has many books which can’t be found online or at general-purpose libraries. Although I’ve been doing genealogy for several years and have built up considerable experience, the collective expertise of the CGS members and their programs offers help that is not available if you just do it on your own.

• What would you say to those contemplating a donation to the Capital Campaign? Donation decisions are personal and there are many deserving organizations asking for support. However, being an all-volunteer organization means that your support of CGS goes further to support its goals and purposes in providing an understanding of your ancestors and the world in which they lived, the challenges they faced, and the successes or failures that made them what they were.

If a donation to the Capital Campaign sounds daunting, then consider becoming a Life Member of the society.  Did you know that 100% of the Life Membership fee ($1200 that can either be paid at once or over a 5-year installment plan) is invested in mutual funds and provides long-term support for CGS? 

The revenue from these funds is used to cover unanticipated expenses and helps secure that the Society will remain viable in the years to come.  Rather than calculating a return on a Life Membership, we encourage you to think of this as donation with benefits.

Have questions? Please send either Chris or Jane an email to discuss what's best for you.

We need our dedicated and visionary members like Jim to step forward and make the pledge towards creating a more sustainable and prosperous future for CGS.  Please act now to preserve the heritage that you've worked so hard to discover.  We're counting on you.

Thank you for considering how you can help ensure that The California Genealogical Society will remain a financially strong leader in the field of genealogy.

Photo by Ron Madson

Logo designed by Lois Elling

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Addicted to genealogy? Volunteer at California Genealogical Society!

written by Kathleen Beitiks

Years ago, when I thought about the word “addiction,” I never even considered pairing it up with the word “genealogy.” However, since I became a volunteer at CGS, I find that I want to introduce myself by saying, “Hello, my name is Kathleen Beitiks and I am a genealogy addict.”

Photo courtesy of Ron Madson

The California Genealogy Society is staffed with volunteers who would probably freely admit that they, too, are hooked on genealogy. And it’s those volunteers who have kept our organization chugging along since 1898.

Volunteers are the heart of CGS – and we always need more. Our loyal volunteers bring with them a variety of skills and interests that keep CGS alive and thriving. Sometimes they teach us and other times we teach them.

Life moves on, however – some volunteers “retire,” or they pass away or other commitments take them away from CGS.

When that happens, we need to “fill the gaps” with another generation of genealogy “addicts” who want to donate their time and talents to the organization that has provided them with the tools to dig up the stories and lives of their own ancestors.

Currently, we are looking for members who can donate a few hours a month to help us with some of the following volunteer positions:

Website Development – If you love working on websites and have some experience, then we need you to update content and oversee the maintenance and development of our website.

Computer Maintenance – Join our team of volunteers who spend a few hours, once a month, keeping our computer systems up and running.

Tech Steering Committee – Help create a vision of how we integrate and leverage technology to strengthen our brand and keep us on the cutting edge in the world of genealogy.

Desk Duty – One of the best ways to learn about us is to volunteer for Desk Duty once a month. Basically, volunteers staff the reception desk to answer questions from library patrons and answer the phone.

Events Committee (Marketing, Eventbrite Manager, Offsite Events Assistant) – The Events Committee is looking for several volunteers: Marketing - Help us put out the word about our events and classes; Eventbrite.com Manager - Work remotely as the manager of our online sign-up site for classes and events; Offsite Events Assistant - Help us with special offsite events, held 2-3 times a year.

Digital Historian – We could use a generous volunteer to spend some time digitally scanning our historical records and preserve them for our archives.

120th CGS Anniversary Historian – In 2018, CGS will be 120-years-old! Champagne, party hats and noisemakers will be in good supply, but we also need a volunteer now to help us compile the glorious history of the organization that has helped thousands of people compile their own family histories!

Remember - all of these volunteer jobs come with training. If you are a current member, please don’t be shy about asking for details. 

Contact me (kbeitiks@californiaancestors.org) for more information. I look forward to meeting more of you genealogy “addicts!”

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Inspiration, when you least expect it

At the recently completed Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), there was a contest held for the best tagline for attendees.  The idea of sharing your experiences via social media was the inspiration.

Guess who the winner was?  

Our current president, Linda Okazaki!  What did she win? She gets to choose the course she wants for SLIG 2017.

Linda Okazaki, photo courtesy of Ron Madson

What was her winning tagline? 

Looking for ancestors, but finding friends #SLIG2016.  Linda says, “It was a spontaneous expression that just came to me.  I’ve made some wonderful friends through the years at SLIG.  Networking is a big component of institute attendance and I’ve developed some amazing long-term relationships!”

Linda's parting thoughts 

“Social media really can be a vehicle for developing personal relationships.  Also, I hope that people new to genealogy realize that there’s more to this pursuit than just finding ancestors.”

Congratulations to Linda Harms Okazaki!

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society