A Special Wedding Gift: The Pattillo Family History

Earlier this year, then-Vice President Chris Pattillo shared her Genealogy Addiction with readers. Chris was in a race with the clock to finish another family history book in time for a family wedding.

I'm pleased to announce that Chris finished on time and published The Pattillo Family History with Stover, Drake, Gaines, Land and Ward Ancestors. She brought a copy to "Creative Ways to Share and Write Your Family History Research" – one of the Thursday evening discussions this summer.

Chris was able to make her deadline thanks to the assistance of Ernie Grafe. Originally, she had intended to learn InDesign and do all the production work herself. She notes: "Since I had such a short time to write, edit and produce the book (only 4 months), I wisely made the decision to work with Ernie, an editor/producer who I met while taking an InDesign class and whose services I have since utilized for my business." Chris advises it's okay to use help: "It's not cheating and frees one to concentrate on the research and writing."

The Pattillo Family History with Stover, Drake, Gaines, Land and Ward Ancestors

From the back cover:

About the Author
I am the great-granddaughter of James William Pattillo and Carrie Brooks Stover, granddaughter of Lewis Wood and daughter of James Edward Pattillo. This is my fourth family history publication, but not the last. I have been interested in genealogy since the mid-1960s. I joined the California Genealogical Society (CGS), based in downtown Oakland, in 2004. In the summer of 2010 I took a month off and immersed myself in family history research. I learned many new research techniques and was finding a lot of new information. Using the Melba Crosse book and other family trees found online, I was able to take our family back several more generations. I knew I would want to publish another book and share this information with the rest of our family, but the question was, when? Your “Save the Date” postcard gave me the answer. Since it arrived I have been possessed, and devoted most of my free time to continuing my research and writing this book. During my month off, and since, I have learned a tremendous amount about how to do genealogy research. The members of CGS have been generous and patient in guiding me along — particularly Jane Lindsey, Vinnie Schwarz and Judy Bodycote. I am grateful for their help, passion and inspiration.

Congratulations, Chris, and thanks for the tips.


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

November Membership Meeting: Members Talk, CGS Listens

Saturday, November 12, 2011
1:00 p.m.

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

The California Genealogical Society has had a busy and productive 2011. As we begin to make plans for 2012, we thought it was important to make time for member feedback. We want to know what you're thinking!

Join President Stephen Harris and Vice-President Jeffrey Vaillant for a special member session where you'll do all the talking. We're seeking input and feedback from members on a variety of topics. Join us for a one-sided conversation: you talk, we listen!

For our distant members who can't make it, please leave a comment here and I'll make sure your remarks are read at the meeting.


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

Honored Twice and Doubly Well-Stated!

The December 2011 issue of Family Tree Magazine arrived and this month's cover is their now annual feature: 75 Best State Websites.

Contributing editor Rick Crume, in the article "Well Stated" (pages 20-26), lists the magazine's 2011 picks for the seventy-five best U.S. state-focused websites for genealogical research.

In selecting this year's best state websites for genealogy, we were looking for databases where you can look for a relative's name. Many of the 75 sites (at least one per state) have indexes, and in many cases, you can even view images of original records.

The Golden State has two picks and the California Genealogical Society and Library is proud to have close ties to both!

The first is our own website CaliforniaAncestors.org.

Click the Databases tab to search more than 350,000 records – including voter registers, probate records, cemetery records and more – in the California Names Index for free. If your ancestor's name appears you can order a copy of their original record for $10. Members have online access to San Francisco church records and newspapers.

The second is the California Digital Newspaper Collection, founded by our newest board member, Dr. Henry Snyder.

Access more than 5 million California newspaper articles from 1846 to 2009.

Henry is the former director of The Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California, Riverside, where he led the California Newspaper Project from 1990 through 2009.

I've written before about Professor Snyder and the project which went digital in 2007. In case you missed it, Henry's article The California Newspaper: What Survives and How to Find It was published last year in the Fall 2010 issue of the Nugget. CGS is honored to have such an esteemed historian on our board and we're thrilled that Family Tree Magazine is bringing attention to his work.

This is the second year that the CGS website was chosen. We're honored to be listed among so many fantastic online state resources. Thank you, Family Tree Magazine!

Kudos to Kathy Watson and Larry Youngman and their technology team who work tirelessly for the society to keep our website up-to-date.

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

eNews October 2011, volume 5, number 10

The October 2011 eNews, volume 5, number 10,  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 Pat Gallagher honors her Gallagher family of San Francisco.

L to R, seated: Alice, William J., Jr (my father), Mary Maloney (my grandmother), William J. Gallagher (my grandfather); rear, standing: Madeline and Theresa

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Patricia Gallagher.


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

The California Nugget, Fall 2011, Volume III, Issue 2

The Fall 2011 edition of The California Nugget has been sent to the printer and should begin arriving in members' mailboxes next week. It's another information-filled issue by Editor Jane Hufft and Production Editor Lois Elling.

Here is Jane's letter from the editor:

Dear Readers:

This issue of the California Nugget is arriving in your mailbox earlier than usual so we can share exciting news about two events. First, the California Genealogical Society proudly announces the publication of the newly revised Raking The Ashes, Genealogical Strategies for pre-1906 San Francisco Research. This new second edition is the finest tool available for conducting genealogical and historical research in San Francisco in the years before the great earthquake. No one knows more about work-around strategies to find cemeteries, records, repositories, unique sources, church information, land records and other genealogical and historical records related to San Francisco than author Nancy Peterson. Completely updated, painstakingly researched, carefully organized and thoroughly user-friendly, Raking the Ashes, second edition, belongs on the shelf of every California researcher. For more information and ordering information, please see page 17.

There’s more! CGS and Ancestry.com are bringing a special all-day genealogy con- ference to San Francisco on Saturday, November 5. This informative day will offer many workshops and lectures. If you can be in the area, plan on joining us. Registration information is on page 16.

In other articles, Amy Coffin’s description of the first RootsTech Conference will take readers one step further into an exciting future where technology and genealogy meet. Rachel M. Popma, editor of Indiana Genealogist, has graciously allowed us to reprint her recent article that describes how to add eBay to your toolbox of genealogy search strategies. In “California Ancestors,” Jim Sorenson recounts the unexpected results of a persistent search to find just one more cousin. Virginia Turner looks back on early days of researching at CGS, and Sheri Fenley recounts the story of a successful pioneering family in San Francisco.

One way to have your family’s history saved for posterity is to have it in print. Have you thought about submitting your family’s story to the Nugget? We are always looking for well-researched family histories as well as articles that will help our readers become better genealogists and more successful writers and researchers.

Jane Hufft, Editor

TABLE of CONTENTS
Twenty-First Century Genealogy
RootsTech: A Report from the Trenches by Amy Coffin
Using Automated eBay Searches for Genealogy by Rachel M. Popma

California Ancestors
Chasing After Cousins by Jim Sorenson
Pursuing My Spooner and Ruffcorn Legacies at CGS by Virginia Turner
David Nathan Walter: Jewish Pioneer of San Francisco by Sheri Fenley 
1883 Pensioners List: Cashman, James to Dorland, John M.

For Our Readers
November 5 Ancestry Day in San Francisco Registration Form
Raking the Ashes order form

At the Society
Recent Acquisitions in the Library
New Members
Index

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