California Genealogical Society blog

01 July 2014

NEHGS Comes West! Navigating New England and New York Resources

Posted by Anonymous

Join the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the California Genealogical Society at a one-day seminar on exploring your New England and New York roots. The seminar is at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, 2086 Allston Way, Berkeley, California.

NEHGS genealogists Chris Child and Alice Kane will present tips for navigating the records of New England and New York. Special emphasis will be placed on resources available online.

Useful genealogy and history books will be available for sale by both the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the California Genealogical Society, and CGS will also offer a used books sale and silent auction.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Saturday, September 13, 2014

9:00 am Welcome

9:15 am Migrations Into and Out of New England, 1620-1900, Chris Child

10:30 am Boston in a Whirlwind: A Primer Tour of 10 Repositories, Alice Kane

11:30 am Break (lunch on your own)
1:00 pm NEHGS Sources for New York Research, Chris Child
2:15 pm I Had Him in My Sights & POOF!: Strategies for Relocating the Disappearing Ancestor, Alice Kane

3:30 pm Seminar concludes
6:00 pm Optional Dinner at Hotel Shattuck Plaza (additional fee)

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION (by July 31, 2014): $65

Registration (after July 31, 2014): $75 Dinner $75

REGISTER TODAY: http://tinyurl.com/nyc97zc

About the Speakers

Chris Child has worked at NEHGS for fifteen years and has been a member since the age of eleven. He is an expert in genealogical research in Southern New England and New York, the ancestry of notable figures, genetics and genealogy, African-American and Native-American genealogy, westward migrations out of New England, and applying to hereditary societies. Chris has authored several articles in American Ancestors magazine, The Register, and The Mayflower Descendant. He is the co-editor of The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton and co- compiler of The Descendants of Judge John Lowell of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Alice Kane assists patrons of the NEHGS research library with queries and genealogical challenges of all kinds. Prior to joining the NEHGS staff, Alice was a librarian at the Boston Public Library for nineteen years. Alice is an expert in using mobile tools for genealogy, Chinese and Chinese-American genealogy, and also has experience with French-Canadian, Irish, and German research.

20 June 2014

Don't Miss It: Jim Smith's San Francisco's Lost Landmarks - This Saturday 6/21!

Posted by Anonymous

This Saturday, join the SF SIG to hear author Jim Smith give a presentation based on his book, San Francisco's Lost Landmarks!

When: Saturday, June 21, 2014
Where: California Genealogical Society & Library 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, CA 94612
Time: 10am

Cost: Free to members, $20 non-members

To Register, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/n3u6awq

13 June 2014

We're back... Announcing Extended Summer Hours & Discussion Schedule

Posted by Anonymous

Summer Night on Berkeley Pier. Photo: Ellen Fernandez-Sacco

For our fifth year, the California Genealogical Society will offer extended summer research hours, specially designed for our working members and patrons.

Starting mid-June and continuing every Thursday through August, the library will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 8:15 p.m. Library hours for the other two days were are open each week will remain the same: Friday and Saturday (10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)

We’re bringing back our popular weekly informal discussions. Participants with all levels of research experience are welcome to network and join the conversations here on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Discussion schedule:

June 12: Open- no discussion group planned; Research assistance will be available.

June 19: Using FamilySearch.org facilitated by Jane Lindsey

June 26: Got Questions? Bring your questions to discuss with our Research team

July 3: NO EVENING HOURS

July 10: Help finding information online for your genealogical research

July 17: What to do before beginning your foreign research

July 24: New England research questions Facilitator: Jane Lindsey

July 31: Got Questions? Bring questions to discuss with our Research team

August 7: San Francisco Researchers, bring your questions to an informal discussion on available resources. Facilitator: Sandra Britt-Huber

August 14: German discussion group. Facilitator: Lisa Gorrell

August 21: DNA testing for genealogy. Facilitator: Pam Miller

August 28: Got Questions? Bring questions to discuss with our Research team

There is no need to RSVP or register – just come to take advantage of the many resources in the library. Non-members are welcome, and the library charges a $5.00 user fee for non-members. The user fee will be waived for those who arrive after 5:00 p.m. for the discussion sessions.

If you plan to drive, the lot in the rear of the building has a reduced rate after 3:00 p.m., and the metered spaces in Oakland are free after 6:00 p.m. (but they fill up fast!) Traveling by BART is easier – get off at the 19th Street station. Group discussions will end by 8:00 p.m. to allow for everyone to walk to BART together before dark.

Come & spend a summer evening with us!

26 February 2014

Wordless Wednesday

Posted by Kathryn Doyle

15 February 2014

Committee Spotlight: Library

Posted by Marie Treleaven

Library Committee Chair Henry Snyder

2014 Library Committee Members:
Henry Snyder (Chairman), Janet McDonald, Kristi Wessenberg, Shirley Hoye, Arlene Miles, Carrie Fruzza, Gibran Roth, Nancy Schlegel, Marcelle White.

Libraries are out-of-date. The internet has made libraries obsolete. These statements appear more frequently as the use of digital resources grows. No one can deny that the internet has become a powerful force in making information available but not everyone is ready to give up the ability to personally hold and examine the resource they are consulting. Library Committee members agree with the need for the existence of libraries and at the same time acknowledge that online access is also crucial. Every single committee member interviewed emphasized how dynamic and important the library is not only for society members but for anyone doing genealogical research.

As an introduction to the committee, a few facts about the library itself will make clear the reasons for their dedication. If you have not looked through the catalog (available online via the website), you are missing the chance to explore a collection offering a wide range of research materials. According to Committee Chairman, Henry Snyder, there are 13,400 items in the online catalog. A quick browse of the catalog reveals numerous enticing sources whether your family history has roots in California, elsewhere in the U.S., or in other parts of the world.

In the more than 100 years of its existence, the library has been located at several sites in San Francisco. The original collection was destroyed by fire during the 1906 earthquake and had to be recreated from scratch. In the years following it shared locations with a number of different institutions and organizations such as the Sutro Collection Library, the San Francisco Public Library, the Sons of the American Revolution Library (in the War Memorial Building) and the California Historical Society before moving to two locations of its own in San Francisco and eventually to its present home across the bay in Oakland.

The committee has been fortunate to have had the expertise of professional librarians over the years and continues to attract enthusiastic volunteers who tend to the ongoing tasks needed to keep the library functioning. According to Dr. Snyder, “A major accomplishment this past year was the processing to completion of all the books, and problems awaiting attention on the shelves behind our desk. They are all cleared out! Moreover, we cleaned up three drawers of cards, all pulled because of some cataloguing issue. The backlog dated back to 2005.”

Shirley Hoye and Arlene Miles

There is a lot going on constantly behind the scenes at the library. Volunteers tackled an extensive manuscript collection whose contents were mostly unknown and which was unavailable for regular use. Although it is not yet part of the online catalog, the collection is searchable and available to researchers at the library. Another volunteer made the first lists of the microfilm and microfiche collections from which the online catalog entries for this collection were created. There is a wide range of information such as passenger and immigrant lists, military records and much more available on microfilm and microfiche. A current project needing volunteers involves cataloging the vertical files, 2 or 3 page documents that are stored in filing cabinets and which contain a wealth of information on innumerable topics. Along with scrapbooks there are composite volumes that group together unrelated materials like pamphlets, family Bible records and cemetery records. It is necessary to separate and catalog all these items to make the information in them useful and searchable. If you enjoy the hunt for historical treasure, this is a great project to volunteer for. Former committee member Jane Lindsey says that she has been told that the CGS library contains material that can be found nowhere else. There are many more “little gems” awaiting discovery.

However, not all of the library collection is unique; duplicates of existing items and material not relevant to the mission of the library have to be moved on to free up needed space. To help solve this problem, the eBay project was created. Marcelle White, who headed this project last year, reports that “Since the end of February 2013, almost 300 books have been sold, raising about $6,000 for the library.” She also registered CGS with PayPal’s “Giving Fund” program, which helps nonprofits keep more of the profits from eBay Sales. Thanks to the efforts of Marcelle, Henry Snyder, Arlene Miles, and Shirley Hoye, CGS is now a “top-rated seller” on eBay and ships books all over the U.S. and even to France. Direct sales are another part of this effort. According to Henry Snyder, “We have sold several thousand dollars’ worth of books at two meetings – our event with the New England Historic Genealogical Society and at the Ancestry Day extravaganza. The proceeds fund all our acquisitions and other library needs.”

Marcelle White and Arlene Miles

The combination of regular library tasks and special projects makes it possible for volunteers of different skill levels to make significant contributions as part of the Library Committee. Many volunteers are active in more than one area at a time. Long-time volunteer, Arlene Miles, manages the serials as well as assisting with or managing a myriad of other essential projects. Arlene and Shirley Hoye are at work doing a long overdue shelf list check to make sure everything on the shelves is in the online catalog. Carrie Fruzza has joined the team and has taken over some of the responsibilities for serials allowing Arlene to help in other areas. And there are still many projects to be done. One project that needs volunteers is checking the publications of California county historical and genealogical society publications against the CGS library resources to see what we need to acquire. Not many members are aware that the library owns pedigree charts recorded on long rolls of paper. These have just been unrolled and need to be reviewed and analyzed before they can be useful. For aficionados of maps, there is a whole map case that has to be organized. You do not have to be a professional librarian to help; the role of the library itself is diverse and there is a need for many different kinds of talents to assist in keeping it vital and relevant.