What Bay Area Genealogy Events Will You Attend in May?

May 2011 events have been published on the San Francisco Bay Area Genealogy Calendar – a collection of local genealogical society classes, workshops and meetings within a 75 mile radius of San Francisco.

The May calendar includes forty-five events at various venues around the Bay Area, sponsored by twenty different societies and genealogy libraries.

Among the choices you will find several featuring speakers who are members of the California Genealogical Society:

5/1 Janice Sellers – Researching Newspapers Online, Central Library, Sacramento

5/7 Craig Siulinski – Who Do You Think You Are? Into to Genealogy, CGSL, Oakland

5/7 Janice Sellers – Using the Subscription and Free Web Sites available at the Oakland Regional Family History Center, ORFHC, Oakland

5/14 Glenn Koch – Wish You Were Here: Using Postcards in Your Genealogy Research, CGSL, Oakland

5/15 Janice Sellers – Newspapers Online, Albert Einstein Center, Sacramento

5/15 Cath Madden Trindle – Land Ahoy! Locating Property Records, Central Library, Sacramento

5/21 Marcia Holstrom – Social Networking for Genealogists, Grace Lutheran, San Mateo

5/21 Jeffrey Vaillant – Chasing a Civil War Ancestor, Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa 

5/22 Lisa Lee – Genealogy Research Puzzles: A Brainstorming Session, Central Library, Sacramento


If you would like to add your group's events to the calendar, please email the information by the 20th of each month for publication on the 25th. (Please put "SFBA Calendar" in the subject line.)


Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Wordless Wednesday

At the library:

Glenn Koch, Carl Muller, and John Keilch.

Photograph courtesy of Tim Cox, Oakland, California, 2/19/2011.


Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Summer Evening Hours Start Thursday, June 2, 2011

Events coordinator Tim Cox and Jane Lindsey are excited to announce summer extended research hours at the library designed especially for our working members and patrons.

Starting June 2, 2011, and continuing every Thursday through August, the California Genealogical Society Library will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Hours on the two other open days will remain the same: Friday (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) and Saturday (10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)

In addition, informal discussions are planned from 6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. Participants of all levels of research experience are welcome to network and join the conversation. Topics will include:

• Using Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, and AmericanAncestors.org
• Research problems and possible solutions
• Getting the most from FamilySearch.org
• Help with researching New Netherlands and New York
• Online newspapers
• Genealogy gadgets: digital cameras, flash drives, portable scanners, etc.
• Using Google, Mocavo, and other search engines
• Census research
• Writing family histories and other creative ways to share your research
• Ethnic research: Chinese, French-Canadian, German, Hispanic/Latino
• Social networking: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and RSS
• Genealogy software: RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, The Master Genealogist, Ancestral Quest, Reunion

Dates and facilitators will be announced in May. Please check back or watch the calendar for updates.

Non-members are welcome. There is a $5.00 library user’s fee for non-members. The user’s fee will be waived for those who arrive after 5:00 p.m. for the discussion sessions.

BYO dinner or buy something nearby. If you plan to drive, metered spaces in Oakland are free after 6:00 p.m. but they fill up fast. Traveling by BART is easier – get off at the 19th Street station. Group discussions will end by 8:15 p.m. to allow for everyone to walk to BART together before dark.

We would love your feedback. Do these topics appeal to you? Will extended summer hours entice you to spend some time with us?

Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Fort Wayne, Indiana Research Tour August 21-28, 2011

Fort Wayne, Indiana Research Tour
Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
August 21-28, 2011

Join Director Jeffrey Vaillant for the fifth California Genealogical Society research tour to the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Whether you have visited before or this is your first time, you will enjoy your week at the best public genealogy library in the United States.

Jeff will provide individualized attention in Ft. Wayne to help you with your research problems. Planning meetings can be arranged by phone or in person prior to the trip.

PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• Seven days, double occupancy, at the Marriott Courtyard Fort Wayne 
• Free shuttle service to and from airport
• Two group dinners (Monday and Saturday)
• Breakfasts included

Library orientation and a lecture, TBA

The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) is the home of PERSI (PERiodical Source Index), searchable on Ancestry.com or HeritageQuest. ACPL has over 513,000 rolls of microfilm and 55,000 compiled genealogy volumes, an impressive collection of state and territorial censuses, and many other resources unique to this library. Be sure to browse the Genealogy Center's online databases and search the library's online catalog.

Space is limited to fifteen participants. For full information, please download the registration flier.


Photographs by Kathryn M. Doyle, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 8/20/2009.

Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Writing and Publishing Your Family History with Nora Profit

Nora Profit

Saturday, June 11, 2011
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society and Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

Everyone has a story to tell. What about you? You've done the research, gathered the facts, and now you're ready to write your family history.

Join Nora Profit for an afternoon and learn how categorize your experiences, memories and family traditions and present them in a cohesive structure. The world is waiting for your one-of-a-kind story. Let Nora share the information you need to know to get it published.

This workshop is limited to twenty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the day of the workshop.

Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Registration confirmations will be sent to the first twenty participants to register. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

Register online.

Nora Profit is an award winning journalist, feature writer, columnist, author, and executive director of The Writing Loft. She is a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Your Dreams as well as the author of 10 Glaring Mistakes Amateur Writers Make and How to Avoid Them.

A graduate of San Jose State University, Nora received a B.S. in Journalism and went on to own the public relations firm, The Profit Exchange, providing promotional materials for business and professional clients. Her speaking credits include the National Organization of Naval Officers, The Writer’s Resource Center, California Writing Club, and Romance Writers of America, groups associated with poets and writers, and numerous professional organizations.


Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library