Latest issue of The California Nugget

The Fall 2020 issue is in the mail and now available online

 

Our latest issue of The California Nugget is in the mail now! and hopefully will arrive soon in your mailbox. Members can access the digital version online at our website.

 

Our Editors' Note gives this overview:

Lucille Ball

We’ve assembled articles on a variety of topics. In "Lucy’s Fred: Three Generations of Hunt Ancestry of Lucille D. (Ball) (Arnaz) Morton," Darcie Hind Posz looks at the time actress Lucille Ball came under scrutiny by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Examining why Ball and other family members joined the Communist Party in the 1930s, Posz uncovers a history of sympathy for the working class that stretched back to the Civil War.

 

 

In this year marking the centennial of American women’s suffrage, Virginia Turner shares the story of her ancestor Elizabeth Healy Turner, who lived in Wyoming Territory when women there were granted the right to vote in 1870, and who was one of the first women called to serve on a jury. 

Lizzie Spooner

Ted Steele’s "Benjamin Franklin Lowe, A California Pioneer" profiles a businessman ancestor who came to California during the Gold Rush. It follows the interesting histories of his children, half of whom returned to their native East Coast, while the other half settled permanently in the West. 

Benjamin Lowe

In our genealogical methods column, Lisa Gorrell examines the first principle of the Genealogical Proof Standard—“reasonably exhaustive research"—and discusses what that means for the researcher.

Table of Contents

 Our Ancestors:

"Lucy’s Fred: Three Generations of Hunt Ancestry of Lucille D. (Ball) (Arnaz) Morton" by Darcie Hind Posz

"The Vote Before the Vote: Lizzie Healy Spooner in Wyoming Territory, 1870" by Virginia Turner

"Benjamin Franklin Lowe, A California Pioneer" by Edward E. "Ted" Steele

21st-Century Genealogy:

"What Does It Mean to Do Reasonably Exhaustive Research?" by Lisa Gorrell

At the Society:

2022 National Genealogical Society Conference

Upcoming Events

Index

 

NOTE: We always welcome submissions. For more information, contact the editors at nugget@californiaancestors.org.

 

Photo credits: Lucille Ball, Wikimedia; Lizzie Spooner, Debbie Smith; Benjamin Lowe, Society of California Pioneers.

Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society

Recap: The California Nugget, Spring 2020 issue

The California Nugget, mailed to all CGS members
and now available in digital form at our website

 

Amid all the tumult of the last few months—including but not limited to COVID-19, heat waves, power outages, and wildfires—we neglected to announce our Spring 2020 issue of The California Nugget, which was published and mailed out in early August.

Here is our Editors' Note from the latest issue:

To our members and readers, we hope you will enjoy this issue of the Spring 2020 Nugget, produced while we are all under quarantine. Perhaps it is appropriate that several members have shared anecdotes of their ancestors who lived through the 1918 flu pandemic. As they endured the challenges and disruption brought about by that global crisis, we can take heart from their examples.

Our articles in this issue illustrate how Americans of different eras took on the challenges and opportunities of their time and place. Melissa Kelley revisits the life of her distant cousin, Pearl Eubanks. Born into a troubled family and orphaned by age five, the young Pearl was the subject of a sex scandal, described as “incorrigible,” and sent to a reformatory school before embarking on the first of three marriages. However, she rose above her early misfortunes to carve out a happy and stable life.

In “The Rise and Fall of George Gray,” Robbie Johnson traces the successes and failures of George Gray, a humble farmer from Ontario who found fame and prestige in California in the last decades of the 19th century, but who was unable to navigate the politics of an increasingly urban society in his later years.

Lisa Gorrell offers a primer on using the FAN network (friends, associates, and neighbors) to expand our understanding and further trace the lives of ancestors.

It’s our hope that you will find some insights and inspiration in these pages.

The Editors

Table of Contents

Our Ancestors

• The “Incorrigible,” Indomitable Pearl Eubanks by Melissa Kelley
• From Canada to California: The Rise and Fall of George Gray by Robbie Johnson, CG
• 1918 Flu Epidemic Stories by our members

21st-Century Genealogy

• How the Probate File of Frederick Bishop Illustrates the Importance of FAN Research by Lisa S. Gorrell, CG
• Online Resources Recently Added to the Library Catalog

ALSO...

We are pleased to announce that digital issues of the Nugget are now available to members on our website. Currently you can access the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 issues. If you are a member and have not yet received your print copy in the mail, please let us know at nugget@californiaancestors.org

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Fall 2019 Nugget is here! Plus, a call for submissions

Happy Solstice, everybody! Our Fall 2019 issue of The California Nugget hit the mailboxes just before the official first day of winter. (Talk about making it just under the wire.) If your copy hasn't yet arrived, you should be seeing it soon.

The fall issue contains a number of articles we hope you'll find interesting. "The Curious Case of Daniel Duracq" follows the trail of a boy from South Boston whose adventures led him across the country and eventually into San Quentin State Prison. Also, Barbara Kridl details how an old newspaper clipping inspired her investigation into the story of an Ohio ancestor who joined the California Gold Rush. Carolyn Nash writes about the Ölander brothers, Swedish immigrants to California. And our columnist Lisa Gorrell offers a guide to "writing as you go" for the contemporary genealogist.

We hope you enjoy the magazine! You'll also find a preview of upcoming 2020 classes and events—and a call for submissions! Do you have an interesting genealogical story to tell, or a research problem you've solved? Why not write about it for The Nugget? Next year marks the centennial of Prohibition and women's suffrage in the USA, as well as the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower's arrival at Plymouth, Massachusetts, so we are looking for items related to those anniversaries, but anything that might be of interest to our wide and varied readership is invited for consideration.

Wishing you all happy holidays.

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Changes at the Nugget

The first issue of The California Nugget, published in Spring 2009

It was 10 years ago this spring that our biannual magazine The California Nugget was launched under the direction of the late Jane Hufft. We hope you all are looking forward to the forthcoming Spring 2019 issue!

 

There’s been some recent reorganization. Janice Sellers, who assumed the post of editor in the fall of 2016, saw the publication through the Society’s 120^th anniversary year in 2018 even as she relocated to Portland, Oregon. We appreciate her leadership over the past two years.

At this time, Nugget assistant editor Stacy Hoover and CGS blog editor Jennifer Dix have agreed to act as co-editors. They are joined by a talented team that includes Marie Treleavan and Barbara Kridl; Lois Elling continues to provide her incomparable layout skills. 

Thanks to everyone who’s provided us with first-rate content, feedback, and encouragement! As always, we welcome submissions for consideration in future issues. (Click HERE for submission guidelines.)

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

Celebrating the 120th Anniversary of The California Genealogical Society in the Nugget

by Janice M. Sellers

Next year, 2018, will be the 120th anniversary of the California Genealogical Society (CGS). 

To help commemorate that milestone, The California Nugget (our genealogical society's magazine) is particularly looking for articles and short items having to do with people and events in 1898. 

Here's what we need your help with

• If someone in your family was hatched, matched, or dispatched (born, married, or died) that year, send a message with the relevant information, so the editor can begin to create a calendar of 1898 life events. 
• If something significant happened in your family in 1898, or you know of an event that took place in San Francisco that year, consider submitting an article about it. 
• If you had relatives who were members of CGS during its first few years, send a note about who it was and what activities that person was involved in. 

Send your submissions and suggestions to editor Janice M. Sellers at Nugget@CaliforniaAncestors.org.  Thank you!

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

Next Issue of the Nugget Is Almost Ready

Antonia Maltos Davis, great-grand-aunt of Linda and Stella Allison

Janice M. Sellers, the new editor of our genealogy journal, The California Nugget, is happy to announce that the next issue is almost ready and should be going to the printer soon.  As this is her first issue, there's definitely been a learning curve, finding out about all the people and procedures involved.  But she has a great team working with her, and things have been going pretty smoothly.

Two things that will be new with this issue are a message from the president, in place of the previous message from the editor, and a regular column on genealogical methods by Certified Genealogist® Rondina Muncy.  In addition to those, here are some teasers on the articles you will find:

Stella and Linda Allison wrote about their great-grandfather's sister, a Mexican immigrant to San Francisco who moved up economically from her beginnings in Mazatlán.  Scott McKinzie used DNA and old-fashioned paper research to determine who his grandfather was.  Joe Reilly and Tim Cox have stories about their relatives who served and died in World War II.  Kathleen Javdani dove into research on her great-grandmother, trying to find if the information in a family narrative matched reality.  And Carolyn Ervin wrote about memories of her own great-grandmother, whom she was fortunate enough to meet shortly before the latter passed away.

This is officially the Fall 2016 issue.  Janice came on as editor at the end of September, and she wanted to make sure that the Nugget maintained its tradition of quality, so rather than rush to have it out in November, we've delayed it a little.  The Spring 2017 issue will probably be pushed back a month, and by November we should be back on our regular schedule for the Fall 2017 issue.

Copyright © 2017 by California Genealogical Society

The California Nugget: Passing the Genealogy Baton

The California Nugget, our genealogy journal, is getting a new editor.  After many years of wonderful work and tireless dedication as its editor, Jane Hufft has decided its time to pass the baton onto someone else.  Who’s that someone?  Janice M. Sellers.  

  

Why she's the right choice for us

Janice already edits three genealogy publications: ZichronNote, journal of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (SFBAJGS); The Baobab Tree, journal of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC); and the CSGA Newsletter, from the California State Genealogical Alliance (CSGA).  Drawing on this wealth of experience, society members should feel confident that she will produce a genealogy journal that will continue the high standards of quality and interesting stories we’ve all come to love.

In addition to her editing credits, she’s a professional genealogist who specializes in Jewish, black, dual citizenship, and newspaper research.

What’s her philosophy on genealogy?

Janice said, “I am passionate about genealogy.  I love researching my own family and everyone else's.”

She also offered, “I love to find the stories behind people and learn as much as I can about why they did what they did.  By looking at the historical context around the people I research, I’m able to help a client understand who came before them.  Once you know what was happening in your ancestor’s world, their actions begin to make more sense.”

Her extensive genealogy background

Janice is the vice president, as well as the programming and publicity director, for SFBAJGS.  She’s a board member of AAGSNC and CSGA.  She has been on the staff of the Oakland FamilySearch Library since 2000.  In addition, Janice has been researching her own family for more than 40 years.

She’s also a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy, Genealogical Speakers Guild, and California Genealogical Society.  Janice is active as a volunteer in the genealogy community and has taught many classes here at the California Genealogical Society & Library. 

Before becoming a professional genealogist, she worked in publishing for many years as an editor, indexer, translator, and compositor.

On a fun note

Way back when, Janice was in the USC Marching Band (according to her, “The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe”) for five years.  While in the band, she had the joy of performing at two Super Bowl halftime shows and one World Series game, and can still be seen in the movie "The Naked Gun".  She says, “Being in the band was one of the best experiences of my life.”

What does Janice like to do outside of genealogy?

When not involved in genealogy or publishing, she loves music, singing, cooking, needlework, gardening, historical reenactment, painting small miniatures, and taking care of her birds and cats.

Help her make a successful start as the next California Nugget editor!

Do you have a story, idea, or concept you’d like to have published?  Send her an e-mail and get the conversation started.  Who knows, you just might be in an upcoming issue of the Nugget!

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Member Survey: You talked, We listened

Written by Maureen Hanlon

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

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

Question 16 from our All-Member Survey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

The California Nugget preview: Fall is filled with mystery & intrigue

Are you ready for the fall issue of The California Nugget ?

Editor Jane Hufft says, “In each issue of the Nugget we want to offer something for every reader, especially for those newly embarked on genealogical research. Fortunately for us, our submitters always seem to light the way.”

Here are Jane's thoughts on this upcoming edition:

Two of the articles in “California Ancestors” demonstrate the importance of an ancestor’s F.A.N. club, or Friends, Associates and Neighbors, the approach to research stressed by renowned genealogy researcher, Elizabeth Shown Mills.

Powerful research approach

While family connections are important, the addition of the names of friends, neighbors, and associates enlarges the historical context, suggests possible links to new information, and adds layers of richness and detail to the story.

Hollywood Intrigue

In the first article, Darcie Hind Posz takes on an unsolved Hollywood mystery that both celebrity writers and other researchers had not been able to solve, and found the true identity of Dorothy Millette. By tracing associates and siblings Darcie uncovered Dorothy’s real name and family, showing how she had lived two lives, first as a poor foster child and then as a player in a Hollywood tragedy.

A Woman of Color

Next is Robert Bubb’s account of Louisa Yoos’ life, first in Texas and then in California, which also followed associates to gleen wonderful nuggets about her past. Not only is Louisa located in very precise times and places because of careful attention to those around her, but her neighbors and associates were also brought to life, painting a clear picture of the challenges she faced as a former slave and woman of color.

Newspaper Research Pays Off

There’s yet another elusive ancestor story, this time from Henry Snyder.  In this case, newspaper research revealed decades of information about Rhenodyne August Bird’s drama-filled life, the good and the bad. The resources he found in various online archives, especially the California Digital Newspaper Collection, shows how they should not be overlooked.

The War to End All Wars

We finish with three WWI ancestor sketches that take us back to the trenches:

A positive experience was had by Clement Robert Gibson (written by Mary Keller) who wrote lively, reassuring letters from France to his family and then returned home to civilian life.

The flipside was true for two other soldiers who perished.  The tales of George Fail of England written by Hugh F. Daniels & Sharon Corey Harris and Henry Oscar Sommer of California as told by Scott Taylor, lost their lives in the huge Allied offensive during the last days of the war. They are not forgotten by their descendants. David Goerss’ introduction to their stories explains the history of the Hindenburg Line.

We hope you enjoy this edition (publication expected by end of November).  Thank you to all our submitters for their thoughtful stories about their ancestors.  Also, kudos to Lois Elling for design and layout!

Have a story about one of your ancestors that you’d like to share?

To submit an article for one of The California Nugget’s upcoming editions, please email Jane Hufft.  She can be reached at jhufft@californiaancestors.org

The California Nugget, the magazine of the California Genealogical Society, is published twice a year. Its purpose is to share the unique genealogical material in the CGS library, add to the body of family history information about Californians, offer guidance and timely information to family researchers, and to provide a forum for members to share their expertise and findings. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. The magazine is distributed free to members and is available to non-members for $5.00 an issue, plus postage.

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society