Finding Your Ancestors Through Latino/Hispanic Genealogy, A Two-Part Series

Sheila Prader

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

July 23, 2011 and August 6, 2011
Both sessions 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join professional genealogist Sheila Lee Prader and Dr. Ellen Fernandez-Sacco for two Saturday workshop sessions on finding your Latino/Hispanic ancestors.

Session I – Beginning Research in Spanish Records: An Introduction
Saturday, July 23, 2011, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Getting Started:

• Family and original sources: ecclesiastic, civil, immigration records

Getting Organized

• Handwriting, commonly used words and phrases, interchangeable letters
• Forms and extracts: family group sheets, parish records, civil records

Parish Records

• Determining location
• Overview of content
• Hands-on exercise: Sample extract. Try it yourself

Bring your questions, family group sheets and a document if applicable. Specific areas will be addressed based on registrant feedback and the time available.


Session II – Digging Deeper: Record Types and Specific Locations of Origin
Saturday, August 6, 2011, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Focus On Record Types

• Baptism/birth, death/burial, marriage, dispensas
• Other types of documentation

Focus on Records for Specific Locations

• California
• Mexico
• Caribbean & Latin America
• Spain

• Hands-on exercise

• Guided assistance in group setting

Bring your questions, your family group sheets and a document, if applicable. Specific areas will be addressed based on registrant feedback and the time available.

The workshop is limited to twenty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-members fee is $20.00 for each session (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.

Sheila Lee Prader began researching her own early California and Mexican genealogy in 1983. She has conducted considerable research in the records of Spain, the Azores, Mexico and early California, and continues to research Hispanic ancestry for herself and for clients. She maintains a great interest in the local history of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and southern Santa Clara counties in California. She has the Certified Local designation from Professor/Historian Sandy Lydon.

Ellen Fernandez-Sacco’s involvement with genealogy started in 1999, when she began researching the oral history of her family in Moca, Puerto Rico. She has traced her background to Mallorca and Galicia, Spain and is also of Taino Amerindian descent. She has a Ph.D. in Art History and is a co-founder and chair of Sociedad Ancestros Mocanos, a Yahoo! Group, whose focus is the genealogy and oral history of Northwest Puerto Rico.  Dr. Fernandez-Sacco will provide support and assistance during the workshop.


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

Wordless Wednesday

In the Library

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Photograph courtesy of Tim Cox, Oakland, California.

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

Mapping Madness with Ron Arons – Saturday, July 16, 2011

Saturday, July 16, 2011
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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


Member and author Ron Arons will discuss numerous websites where one can find historical maps and he will review two Goliaths of online mapping: Microsoft and Google as well as other interesting online, map-oriented tools including Microsoft's MapCruncher.

Hands-on learning: Ron will provide instructions/excercises for using a number of the online tools discussed during the lecture.

This class is limited to forty 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 class.

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

Register online.

Born and raised in New York, Ron Arons has traced his roots to England, Poland, Romania, the Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. In researching his book, The Jews of Sing Sing, Ron took a genealogical approach, collecting a variety of original source documents. The book includes biographies of more than a dozen famous gangsters and lesser-known criminals and paints a broad canvas of Jewish criminality in New York City. Ron's newest book is Wanted! U.S. Criminal Records: Sources and Research Methodology.


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

Jeffrey Vaillant's Top Ten Reasons to Go to the Allen County Public Library

Here are Jeff's ten reasons you should sign up for the CGSL tour to the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

1. Six days of uninterrupted research!
2. A leader to help you with your research problems (Jeffrey Vaillant).
3. Talk non-stop genealogy to other participants to help solve problems.
4. Fantastic resources for the Midwest and other parts of the country. Search the Genealogy Center catalog at: http://smartcat.acpl.lib.in.us/?skin=genealogy.
5. Open stacks – the new library opened in February 2007.
6. A lecture by Curt Witcher, Manager, Historical Genealogy Department, Allen County Public Library.
7. ACPL is the creator of PERSI – the Periodical Source Index. You can do all your periodical research and all periodicals are there to use. (You can search PERSI at CGS or on HeritageQuest).
8. Unique resources due to their book binding service.
9. Great accommodations at the Courtyard Marriott, one and one-half blocks from library.
10. You chose this one:

• Get away from the kids
• Don’t have to cook
• Pick your own schedule
• See the TinCaps minor league baseball team
• Visit an auto museum
• Learn the tune to "Back Home in Indiana."

Download the registration flier or register online.


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

eNews June 2011, volume 5, number 6

The June 2011 eNews, volume 5, number 6,  has been published and emailed to members and friends. As always, the eNews features timely information about the California Genealogical Society and our upcoming events. Each edition also includes Suggested Links From the Blogosphere and a photo feature: California Ancestors.

This month we pay tribute to Lois Elling's family enjoying a gathering at the Robinson family home in 1916 Los Angeles.

Past issues of the eNews are available at the eNews archive.

The July 2011 issue will be emailed on June 30, 2011. To receive a copy, please join our mailing list.

Photograph by William Robinson, Jr., courtesy of Lois Elling.


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