Angel Island Family History Day is Here!

There's no need to worry, Angel Island is a state park so it's not affected by the government shut-down. Ferry service to Angel Island provided by Blue and Gold Fleet.

Grant Din has put together a fantastic program:

10:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Free open house of the Immigration barracks by State Park interpreters and staff – at your leisure. You are also encouraged to visit the grounds from the barracks to the bay, including the footprint of the Administration Building, the Immigrant Heritage Wall, Chinese immigrant memorial, and dock where immigrants first stepped ashore. The pier that formerly extended into the bay was torn down in the 1960s.

12:30 p.m.
Family History Panel at the historic World War II mess hall will explore Angel Island and family history research about families that traveled through the facility. Introduction by Michael McKechnie, executive director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation.

Moderator: Grant Din, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation staff, grandson of four Angel Island grandparents and avid family history researcher for over thirty years.

Panelists: Maria Sakovich, public historian, independent scholar and author of Angel Island Immigration Station Reconsidered: Non-Asian Encounters with the Immigration Laws, 1910-1940 (MA thesis) and several related articles; Kay Speaks, expert genealogist and member of the Livermore-Amador Valley Genealogical Society; and Rosalyn Tonai, executive director of the National Japanese American Historical Society whose mother’s family journeyed through Angel Island in the 1930s.

There will be handouts and time for questions.

2:30 p.m.
Formal ending of the program but panelists will be available for questions. Attendees can continue to
make self-guided visits to the Immigration Station.

Several genealogical and historical organizations will have information display tables in Room 105 in the nearby immigration barracks.

Special thanks to the staff and volunteers of Angel Island State Park who make this event possible!

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Ancestry Day San Francisco 2013 Flier

Flier by Debbie Mascot. Thank you, Debbie!

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

eNews October 2013, volume 7, number 10

The October 2013 eNews, volume 7, 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 we honor the Robinson family of California Nugget Production Editor Lois Elling.

Lois' father Herman Robinson and his sister Alice posing in front of the family car in 1918 Los Angeles. 

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

The November 2013 issue will be emailed on October 31, 2013. To receive a copy, please join our mailing list.

California ancestor photograph courtesy of Lois Elling.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

How Will You Celebrate Family History Month?

For more than a decade, October has been celebrated as Family History Month among genealogy enthusiasts. As always, the society library will open its doors to the public during the month of October. We waive the library usage fee for non-members and invite everyone to come and explore the library's resources.

Member volunteers have been busy gearing up for a month of special events and exciting classes. Celebrate Family History Month at one of our October events:

The California Genealogical Society is a co-sponsor of Angel Island Family History Day on Saturday, October 5, 2013, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Pam Miller will be teaching our First Saturday Intro to Genealogy class on October 5, 2013, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

The Book Repair Committee will hold its monthly work session on Tuesday, October 8, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The October Membership Lunch and Meeting will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2013, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. This month's theme is: Our Ancestors and World War I.

The RootsMagic Special Interest Group will meet Tuesday, October 15, 2013, 6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.

Book Repair Chairman Bill O'Neil is teaching an encore of the Create Your Own Document Box workshop on Friday, October 18, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.,

Ron Arons will present a new lecture Understanding Our Families, Understanding Ourselves: Genealogy Meets Family Systems Theory on Saturday, October 19, 2013, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The San Francisco Special Interest Group just celebrated its first anniversary. They will meet on Saturday, October 20, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Support the library and attend our special fundraiser – Their Roots Are Showing! – Saturday, October 26, 2013, Del Valle Theater, 1963 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek, CA 94602. The silent auction of celebrity memorabilia starts at 7:00 p.m.; curtain up at 8:00 p.m. sharp.

For a full listing of all Bay Area genealogy events in October, check the San Francisco Bay Area Genealogy Calendar. Plan to spend some time with your family history!

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Their Roots Are Showing Flier

Event flier by Therese Hart-Pignotti.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.