Wordless Wednesday

Jeff Vaillant, aka Mr. Fix-it

 

Photographs by Kathryn Doyle, Oakland, California, April 20, 2011.



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

Ancestry Day in San Francisco - Saturday, November 5, 2011

Saturday, November 5, 2011
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Hyatt Regency San Francisco
5 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA

Ancestry.com and the California Genealogical Society (CGS) are partnering to present Ancestry Day in San Francisco 2011 on Saturday, November 5, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, located on the waterfront near the historic Ferry Building.

This full-day event will help you start or hone your genealogical skills. Explore the world of genealogy, listen to engaging lectures, meet with expert staff and learn about the incredible resources available at Ancestry.com and at the California Genealogical Society Library.


The day will include:

• More than a dozen family history lectures 
• Ancestry.com experts on-hand to answer your questions
• One-on-one consultations with genealogists 
• Beginner’s classes where your family and friends can learn the basics

The “early bird” price (through October 5, 2011) is $42 for the all-day event. To learn more about the classes and consultation offerings, visit our event page Ancestry Day in San Francisco.

Register online.

About Ancestry.com
With more than five billion historical records and in excess of 20 million family trees, Ancestry.com is the world's largest genealogical database. Have you explored what Ancestry.com has to offer? Visit Ancestry.com.

About CGS: The California Genealogical Society, founded in San Francisco in 1898, gathers and preserves vital records, offers research services and online databases, and maintains a library in Oakland. CGS disseminates information through publications, meetings, seminars, workshops and its website: CaliforniaAncestors.org.


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

eNews August 2011, volume 5, number 8

The August 2011 eNews, volume 5, number 8,  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 member Dick Rees pays tribute to his grandfather, R. George Rees, with an interesting photograph.

Dick notes, "Dating an old photo can be difficult. Not so with this one where everything was included except the year!"

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

The September 2011 issue will be emailed on August 31, 2011. To receive a copy, please join our mailing list.

Photograph courtesy of Dick Rees.




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

Fourth Annual Beginning Genealogy Series Starts September 15, 2011

In celebration of October Family History Month, the Oakland Regional Family History Center (ORFHC) and the California Genealogical Society (CGS) are offering the fourth annual Fall Beginning Genealogy Research Series. Six 1-1/2 hour sessions includes a field trip to the California Genealogical Society Library. Enrolled students may attend Thursday afternoon or Tuesday evening sessions, or both. Come and learn the basics!

Where:  Oakland Regional Family History Center, 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602
When:   Thursday afternoons (1-2:30) or Tuesday evenings (7-8:30) – see specific dates below
Cost:     $30 for six sessions, includes syllabus – $5 to attend one class, if space available

Preregistration is necessary to ensure adequate handouts. Download the information flier for the full course schedule.

Register online.

Afternoon Sessions – Thursdays 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 15, 2011 – Introduction to Genealogy
Thursday, September 22, 2011 – Secondary Research
Thursday, September 29, 2011 – Getting the Most from the Census
Thursday, October 6, 2011 – Field Trip to the CGS Library
Thursday, October 13, 2011 – Vital Records and the Calendar Change of 1752
Thursday, October 20, 2011 – Orientation to the ORFHC

Evening Sessions – Tuesdays 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 – Introduction to Genealogy
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 – Secondary Research
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 – Getting the Most from the Census
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 – Orientation to the ORFHC
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 – Vital Records and the Calendar Change of 1752
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 – Field Trip to the CGS Library

PLEASE NOTE:

• Class size limited to the first thirty who register. 
• Walk-ins only if space allows. 
• Free parking at the Oakland Regional Family History Center 
• $10.00 off a CGS membership if you join by November 1, 2011

*All sessions at the ORFHC except Field Trip to CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Oakland.


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

September Membership Meeting: Putting Flesh on the Bones with Ron Arons

Saturday, September 10, 2011
1:00 p.m.

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

Why limit yourself to simply expanding your family tree by looking for names, dates and places? Beyond the Who, When, and Where, it is possible to explore the far more interesting question: WHY?  Why did our ancestors behave the way they did?

After a short membership meeting at 1:00 p.m., Ron Arons' presentation will provide two related examples from his own research experience on how this process works. The unexpected benefit of this approach is that it allowed Ron to push back his family tree four more generations and find many living relatives he never knew before.

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 latest book is Wanted! U.S. Criminal Records: Sources and Research Methodology.


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