California Genealogical Society blog

06 September 2013

Encore Workshop! Create Your Own Document Box - Friday, October 18, 2013

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Friday , October 18, 2013

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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

Bill O'Neil is back with an encore presentation of Create Your Own Document Box.

Learn how to create a custom-sized and beautifully decorated box for a book or personal item(s). When registering, let us know the dimensions of your treasure: height, width and depth, so Bill may prepare your materials. Size should be no larger than 8 1/2" x 11" x 2". Bill will provide all the tools you will need: pencils, rulers, glue, and exacto knives.

The workshop is limited to ten participants. The materials fee is $35 for members and $55 for non-members. ($20 of the non-members fee may be applied towards society membership on the day of the workshop.)

Register online.

Registration confirmations will be sent to the first ten who register and pay the materials fee. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

PLEASE NOTE:

Workshop is limited to ten.
Materials fee must be pre-paid.
Walk-ins will not be admitted.

Linda Okazaki at the 2012 workshop.

Linda Okazaki sent this review of the 2012 workshop:

The box workshop was active and interactive with a lively group. Where else can you learn to create an archival box that is beautiful and functional, and have fun in the process? It was also nice to meet some new people, both members and non members. Thanks, Bill!

02 September 2013

eNews September 2013, volume 7, number 9

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

The September 2013 eNews, volume 7, number 9, 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 honor former slave, Cherokee Freedman, pensioned veteran of the Civil War, and U.S. Deputy Marshal Isaac "Ike" Rogers, great-great grandfather of director Nicka Smith.

Captured outlaw Crawford "Cherokee Bill" Goldsby (center) and United States Deputy Marshals, including Ike Rogers.

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

The October 2013 issue will be emailed on October 1, 2013. To receive a copy, please join our mailing list.

California ancestor photograph courtesy of Nicka Smith.

31 August 2013

Their Roots Are Showing! Three Bay Area Celebs Find Out Who They Are

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

Saturday, October 26, 2013
7:00 p.m. Silent Auction of celebrity-signed memorabilia
8:00 p.m. Curtain Up!

Del Valle Theatre
1963 Tice Valley Blvd.
Walnut Creek, California 94595

Join us for an evening of excitement and surprise as we uncover the family histories of three Bay Area celebrities. Billy Beane, Vice President and General Manager of the Oakland Athletics; Natalie Coughlin, winner of twelve Olympic medals and the most decorated female medalist of all time; and Tim “Herb” Alexander, drummer for Grammy-nominated rock band Primus, will journey up their family trees before a live local audience.

Inspired by the television series, Who Do You Think You Are?, Their Roots are Showing promises to be an entertaining look at the ancestors’ lives of our three special guests. Whether you’re a genealogy novice, expert or have no interest in it at all, you won't want to miss Billy Beane, Natalie Coughlin and Tim Alexander on their special night of discovery as they learn more about their family’s past.

Hosting the event will be Gianna Franco-Sutter, producer and television and radio reporter for CBS-5, 95.7 FM, and KCBS 740. Gianna will guide us through our celebrity's family history stories.

Download the event flier.

Buy tickets now!

William "Billy" Beane is Vice President and General Manager of the Oakland Athletics. Prior to his front office career, he played major league baseball as an outfielder. He joined the A's front office as a scout in 1990, and was named General Manager after the 1997 season. Beane is the subject of Michael Lewis' 2003 best-selling book on baseball economics, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, which was made into a 2011 film starring Brad Pitt as Beane.

Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall is an American competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. In 2008 Coughlin became the first U.S. female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympiad, and the first woman ever to win a 100-meter backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics. She has won a total of forty-eight medals in major international competition, including twenty-one gold, seventeen silver, and ten bronze medals spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships.

Timothy W. "Herb" Alexander is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the Grammy-nominated rock band Primus. He’s also ranked No. 16 in Rolling Stone’s "Top 100 Drummers of All Time." Following his departure from Primus, he went on to form his own group, Laundry. Currently, he’s designing and making Steam Punk style lamps and functional art made from found objects and scrap metals for his business Forging Designs. He’s also still involved with his first love of drumming, working as an instructor both online and in-person.

30 August 2013

Genealogy Roadshow Nashville Debuts September 23, 2013

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

The San Francisco "studio" was in the Old Mint.

I scored a ticket to the taping of the new PBS series Genealogy Roadshow in San Francisco this summer at the Old Mint (thank you, Wendy!) and was able to watch two segments being filmed – one hosted by Kenyatta Berry and one with Josh Taylor.

Like Who Do You Think You Are, the new series is an import from the British Isles. Ireland's The Genealogy Roadshow was itself a spin-off of the popular Antiques Roadshow series. In the Irish version, the show sets up "in an historic building in an iconic location" and people turn up from the surrounding area seeking verification of family legends instead of valuation of family heirlooms.

Kenyatta Berry shares information with Lisa Gates and her two sons.

The American version of Roadshow was taped in four cities on four consecutive Sundays. Participants were selected in advance from applicants who submitted their questions using an online form. This gave researchers time to do the digging necessary to answer the questions posed by the "winning" applicants.

Josh Taylor reveals what researchers found about Cecilia Chen's family.

The series will air on Monday nights on following schedule:

September 23, 2013 – Nashville
September 30, 2013 – Detroit
October 7, 2013 – San Francisco
October 14, 2013 – Austin

Locally, the show will air on KQED Channel 9 at 9:00 p.m., following Antiques Roadshow.

Much more about the taping was revealed in the July 25, 2013, San Francisco Chronicle article by Katharine Schwab. [Access may be limited to subscription holders.]

29 August 2013

Report from FGS Conference 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

The California Genealogical Society had a table at the recent Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) annual conference held August 21-24, 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. FGS makes it easy for even distant genealogy societies to have a presence in the exhibit hall as part of their Society Showcase. Thank you, Polly Kimmett and FGS, for the opportunity!

Door prize winner Diane Coleman is our newest member!

This year, participating societies were asked to provide door prizes. Attendees placed their tickets at the tables of their choice for a chance to win. The California Genealogical Society gave away a membership and three of our publications: The Insider's Guide to California Research, A Most Dreadful Earthquake, and Raking the Ashes: Genealogical Strategies for Pre-1906 San Francisco Research. Our winner, and newest member, is Patricia Coleman of Birmingham, Alabama.

Members Sandi Benward and Linda Darby stopped by our table for a photograph.

Only a few members were in attendance. Sandi Benward, Linda Darby, and Amy Coffin stopped by to visit.

Far-flung member Amy Coffin blogs for one of next year's host societies, Texas State Genealogical Society.

Next year's FGS Conference will be held August 22-30, 2014 in San Antonio Texas. FGS also announced their 2015 conference will be held in conjunction with RootsTech in Salt Lake City.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit FGS.org.