Angel Island

Site Visit At Angel Island Immigration Station

Smithsonian Representatives, Magdalena Mieri and Lauren Safranek

NPS Representative, Ray Murray 

AIISF Community Relations Director, Grant Din

California Genealogical Society President, Linda Okazaki

Photos by Ted Okazaki

Back to School at the California Genealogical Society!

It's Back-to-School time at the California Genealogical Society!

Join us for a free introductory class on Saturday, October 1, 2015, from 1:00 until 3:00. You may register for this class on our Eventbrite page.

The class – Genealogy: An Introduction – is part of our monthly "First Saturdays Free" open house when we welcome non-members and the general public. We open the library and share our resources with anyone interested in learning more about their family history. The library is located in the historic Breuner Building at 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, in Oakland

The will focus of this class will be on basic research methods and terminology. Learn about common (and uncommon) family history records and the resources available, both online and in libraries, repositories, and archives. The two-hour session also includes a tour of the library and an overview of our extensive holdings. But don't think you have to be a beginner to benefit from the class! Our instructors do a great job of tailoring each session to the experience and needs of the participants so that everyone comes away with new knowledge.

If you have already taken this class or are ready for the next step, consider enrolling in the Beginning Series. There are two sessions offered in October, one on Wednesday afternoons and one on Saturday mornings. You can read more about these in our blog. For more details and to see a list of other upcoming classes, please visit our Eventbrite page. 

For more information about the California Genealogical Society, please visit our website or take a look at our most recent edition of the eNews.  

Our library is a benefit of membership and is available to non-members for a $5.00 day fee. However, the fee is always waived on the first Saturday of the month, as well as during October's Family History Month!

Fall 2015  introductory classes are as follows:
October 3: Pam Miller
November 7: Dick Rees
December 5: Diana Wild

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society 

Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group

Please Join Us!

 by Ron Madson

Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group

First Meeting

October 17, 2015

1:00-3:00 PM   
    

Last July, the California Genealogical Society hosted a class on “Using Family Tree Maker Software.” There was quite a bit of enthusiasm generated regarding the establishment of a Special Interest Group for FTM.

To carry this gusto forward, the first meeting of the Special Interest Group (FTM SIG) will be at CGS on Oct 17^th, from 1:00-3:00 pm. Attendance is open to all; anyone interested is encouraged to attend. At this embryonic meeting, we will design the direction and orientation of the group.  The mission of this group is to help us all improve our use of this software. Possible directions could involve the Family Tree vendor helping us.  We could share shortcuts and usage hints, how to easily get the most out of the FTM Modules.  We hope that the membership will bring its issues and concerns to be discussed at future meetings.

At the first meeting, we will discuss the schedule, group facilitation, and direction. Linda Okazaki will guide the initial discussion and present FTM basics. Ron Madson will discuss handling FTM hints from the web using PC, MAC, iPads. Karen Halfon will help facilitate this group in future meetings.

As a group we have much to share that can help us all use this software with greater productivity and creativity.  Please RSVP on our Eventbrite page. We look forward to seeing you at our first meeting.

Special Interest Groups are a membership perk at CGS. They are free and open to all members. Non-members may attend one session. 

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society 

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: What’s Buried in Cemetery Records

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: What’s Buried in Cemetery Records

Do you ever wonder exactly where your ancestors are buried? Do you want to know if there is more to a cemetery than just gravestones? No genealogy research is complete without an exhaustive search of cemetery records.

Please join Janice Sellers as she presents "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: What's Buried in Cemetery Records" on September 26 at the California Genealogical Society, from 1:00-3:00. You will learn how to identify the cemeteries in which your family members are buried. After that, Janice will teach you how to obtain and evaluate the cemetery records to further your research.

Janice is a professional genealogist and owner of Ancestral Discoveries.  She specializes in forensic, Jewish, and newspaper research. Janice offers translation services in Spanish, Russian and French, as well as indexing and editing services.

Please visit our Eventbrite page to register for this class.

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society

Wordless Wednesday

Mechanics Institute Field trip to the California Genealogical Society
Photos by Jerry McGovern 

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society