Wordless Wednesday: Angel Island Nikkei Pilgrimage

 Volunteers from left to right:  Maureen Hanlon, Diana Edwards, Todd Armstrong,
Jim Russell, Lisa Gorrell, Janice Sellers, Stacy Hoover, Linda Okazaki and Adelle Treakle

A day of education, fun and remembrance was had October 1st as the California Genealogical Society took part in the Nikkei Pilgrimage to Angel Island that celebrates the Japanese-American experience.

How did we participate?

Linda Okazaki, our president, gave a presentation that encouraged people to find their family through the power of family history.

We also had a wonderful group of our dedicated volunteers who conducted genealogy consultations and helped participants get started in their hunt for family records.

Grant Din, Community Relations Director at the Angel Island Immigration
Station Foundation and California Genealogical Society member 

We love being a part of events that celebrate the diversity of California and the United States.  Do you have an event that you'd like us to participate in? Contact Linda Okazaki and learn how the California Genealogical Society can help with your next genealogy event.

Photos courtesy of Ted Okazaki

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Calling all Members: 2016 Genie Awards

Do you dream of a Genie?

This Saturday, October 8th from Noon - 4pm is the California Genealogical Society & Library's annual 2016 Genie Awards & Fall Membership meeting held at our library. 

First up is the Fall Membership meeting that gives us all an opportunity to join with friends for lunch and conversation, as well as celebrate everyone's volunteer contributions.

Then the Genie Awards begin.  The red carpet will be unrolled and before you know it, you’ll encounter our mystical master of ceremonies (replete with her gold lame' turban).  For good luck, we’ll have magic lamps available for you to make three genealogy wishes!
  

2015 Genie Award Recipients
Back Row: Karen Wetherall, Ron Madson, Bill O'Neil, Rich Kehoe,
Larry Youngman, Georgia Lupinsky, and Phil Hoehn
Front Row: Keith Montgomery, Jane Hufft, Virginia Turner

Setting the fun aside, the Genie Awards gives the society an opportunity to thank our generous volunteers.  Without your help and generosity, we wouldn’t exist.  The Genie Awards also lets new and returning members learn what efforts, both large and small, keep the California Genealogical Society growing and thriving.

Please don’t forget to bring your own lunch.  However, dessert and beverages will be provided.

Join in the fun and don’t forget to make your three genealogy wishes.  With your help, CGS will have a wonderful 2017.

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

October is Family History Month

Family History Month kicks off in October at the California Genealogical Society!  Are you ready?

If you haven't been either in a while or ever, take the time to plan a visit today and see what our library has to offer you. Explore our wonderful genealogy collections and resources for free during the month of October.  Our hours are 10-4, Thursday through Saturday.  

Our library is located in the historic Breuner Building at 22nd Street & Broadway, one block north of the Paramount Theater, in uptown Oakland.  All classes (for which you must register) during October will be held here, unless specified.

Have you explored our City Directories?  It’s now a part of our main library with a collection of 6,000 city and telephone directories dating from the 1840s to the 1960s.

Our member volunteers have been lining up a month of special events and exciting classes. Please help us celebrate Family History Month by attending one of the many genealogy events we’ve highlighted below in the San Francisco Bay area:

Saturday, October 1st

1pm - 3pm  If you’re ready to find out your family’s story, then we’re here to help you. Register now for our Intro to Genealogy - First Saturday Free! class.

Image from www.nichibei.org

11am - 3pm  The California Genealogical Society (CGS) is participating in the Nikkei Pilgrimage to Angel Island.  This fun, all-day event is focused on the Japanese-American experience at the "Ellis Island of the West". CGS President Linda Harms Okazaki will present and then will be available to help people get started in their own research.  Our other volunteers helping are Todd Armstrong, Lisa Gorrell, Maureen Hanlon, Diana Edwards, James Russell, Stacy Hoover, Janice Sellers, and Adelle Treakle (all CGS members & genealogists).   

Presented by: the Nichi Bei Foundation in partnership with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation & National Japanese American Historical Society.

Saturday, October 8th

10:00am - 11:30am  Attend the monthly meeting of the CGS Board of Directors that focuses on making our tagline, “helping people connect to their diverse family heritage” a reality.

12 noon - 3pm  Please come for the 2016 Genie Awards and noontime Fall Membership meeting in the CGS Library.  The Fall Membership meeting gives all of us the opportunity to “Join your CGS” friends for lunch, conversation, and celebrate our volunteer contributions.

The Genie Awards are not only an opportunity to thank our generous volunteers, but also for new and returning members to learn about ways (large and small) to help keep CGS alive and thriving.

The red carpet will be unrolled, our mystical master of ceremonies will be there with her gold lame' turban and magic lamps will be available for your three wishes!  Please bring your own lunch.  Dessert and beverages will be provided.

Saturday, October 15^th

10am - 11:30am  Our San Francisco Special Interest Group (SF-SIG) is led by Sandra Britt-Huber.  Topics include both pre & post 1906 time periods. Come & join us this month if you have an interest in San Francisco history and genealogy! Register here.

1pm to 4pm  Need an easier and better way to organize, find, and maintain all of your genealogy research?  Then come join our Family Tree Maker™ Special Interest Group (FTM-SIG) that’s devoted exclusively to better understanding and using this genealogy research organizational software program. Facilitators are Ron Madson and Karen Halfon. The topic for the October 15th meeting will be The Publishing Module, Part I.  Register here.

John Phillip Colletta, PhD
Photo from www.genealogyjohn.com

9am - 3:30pm  Our friends at The Contra Costa Genealogical Society are presenting famed genealogist, John Phillip Colletta, PhD in “Ancestors on the Move”.  It’s an all day seminar in Lafayette comprised of 4 lectures focused on immigration and naturalization.  He’s been described, “as one of America’s most popular genealogical & family lecturers” with his lectures being known for their warmth and humor.  Click here for details and registration information. 

Saturday, October 22^nd

1pm to 4pm  You may have been asking yourself, “I've tested. So how do I use the results?”  Well, we’ve got a class to help you get some answers.  Attend our You Have Your Ancestry DNA Results: Now What? class.  This has been revamped.  It's geared to those who have submitted DNA samples at Ancestry.com and want to know the best steps and strategies to make family connections from the results. Pam Miller is the instructor.  Register here.

9am-3pm  Spend the day in Menlo Park as our friends at the San Mateo Genealogical Society present Research Rewards from Paula Stuart-Warren with Paula Stuart-Warren, a nationally known professional genealogist.  This wonderful all-day seminar encompasses 4 interesting lectures and will help you become a better researcher.  Click here for details and registration information.

Tuesday, October 25^th

10:30am – 12pm is the California Historical Society Tour. Visit the California Historical Society (CHS) near Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.  A CHS staff member will present a brief lecture and a viewing of selected items from their extensive collection.  

The California Historical Society represents a rich resource for family history research. What’s of particular interest to genealogists? Their treasure trove of early newspapers and periodicals, Gold Rush and Immigration collections which include diaries, photographs, journals, letters and much more.  Register here.

Saturday, October 29^th

1pm - 4pm  Similar to our class on the 22^nd that’s focused on DNA testing results from Ancestry.com, You’ve got Your Family Tree DNA or 23andMe DNA Results, Now What?, is a revamped class geared to those who have submitted DNA samples at FamilyTree DNA or 23andMe and want to know the best steps and strategies to make family connections from the results. Pam Miller is the instructor.  Register here.

Want more to choose from?  For a full listing of all Bay Area genealogy events, check the frequently updated San Francisco Bay Area Genealogy Calendar.

Get started today on your family history today and begin telling the stories of your family now and for generations to come.

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Journey back to understand the Japanese experience

On Saturday, 2016 Saturday, October 1, 2016 from 11am to 3pm is the 3^rd annual Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage presented by the Nichi Bei Foundation.  Just be sure to catch the 9:45am San Francisco ferry or the 10 am ferry from Tiburon to make the opening ceremony.

This year’s theme is "Family Reunion" and will focus on honoring the immigrant ancestors and rediscovering the history of the Japanese and Japanese American legacy at Angel Island. From 1910 to 1940, a total of  85,000 people of Japanese descent passed through here before being allowed to set foot in the U.S.

CGS Volunteers from the 2015 Pilgrimage

A group of volunteers from the California Genealogical Society (CGS), led by President Linda Okazaki, will be there to help people begin tracing their family history.

“Most people are curious about their family history. They want to know how to unveil the mystery of the past and understand the lives of their ancestors,” says Linda.

Linda has researched her husband’s Japanese ancestry and this journey has led her to discover everything from Immigration Records to Evacuee Case Files to DNA --- with many more intriguing bits in between.

Who’s involved with this effort?

The Nichi Bei Foundation also partnered with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation & National Japanese American Historical Society along with support from the California State Parks, California Genealogical Society, San Francisco State University Asian American Studies, San Francisco chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, and J-Sei.

What will be on display?

Historical exhibits specific to the Japanese and Japanese American experience on Angel Island, including those sent there from Hawai‘i during World War II

Who will be recognized?

• Professor Charles Egan, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, San Francisco State University who translated poems published in the Nichi Bei Shimbun written by Issei between 1910 and 1924.
• The Hokoda family, whose descendants wrote the oldest known writing found in the Immigration Station barracks, who are from Hiroshima Prefecture. They were discovered by Professor Egan and visited the Immigration Station for the first time last year.

What else is happening?

• Talk on "Nikkei at Angel Island" by San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Professor Christen Sasaki, Ph.D.
• Musical performances by Berkeley Genyukai and Friends, along with Cal Raijin Taiko of UC Berkeley
• Storytelling vignettes
• Children’s activities

With so much to see and do, this a wonderful way to relive the Japanese immigrant experience to America.  It’s also just a wonderful way to spend some time on San Francisco Bay enjoying your family and friends.

Stop by and say hello to Linda and the volunteers if you attend.

Domo Arrigato!

Photos courtesy of Linda Okazaki

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society