California Genealogical Society blog

06 March 2017

SF History Days: History Comes Alive

Posted by Shannon Reese

What do you get when you combine period costumes, an historic building and enthusiastic organizations devoted to history? Fun with a purpose!

What is SF History Days?

From the SF History Days website, "...Join dozens of organizations celebrating and telling the stories of the City's unique past. Community historians, archivists, genealogists, archaeologists, researchers, educators, re-enactors and other history enthusiasts will enjoy a Free Community Open House on Saturday (March 4th) and Sunday (March 5th) at the historic site."

By the time I arrived, around noon on Saturday, the place was humming with people and excitement. As you'll see from the photos, there were a cast of characters who love re-enacting the past and sharing their knowledge of the past.

Emperor Norton lives again!

How were we involved?

We had quite a few members who came to either speak or support the event on Saturday. Linda Okazaki, our President, Janice Sellers, Editor of The California Nugget, and Ron Filion of SFgenealogy presented "There is No History without Family History" to a large and engaged crowd. Many questions were asked by the audience and quite a few stuck around at the end to get more detailed responses from Linda, Janice and Ron. Rich Kehoe was also on-hand to enjoy the discussion.

Janice Sellers

Linda Okazaki

A big thanks goes to Sandra Britt-Huber. Sandra led our booth effort and was instrumental in getting us space for this year's event. She and her volunteers came up with creative ways to display all of our interesting historical artifacts.

What else was happening?

A little gambling

Amazing gold ore stamping mill in the lower level.
Once used to stamp U.S. coins.

Shannon Reese hanging out with Adolph Sutro.
Thank you Sutro Library.

Thank you to all of our volunteers and supporters that attended the event.

27 February 2017

Successful Family History Research? Start Here.

Posted by Shannon Reese

Member Pam Brett's new series is for beginning researchers and anyone who wants to build a foundation of research skills that can be used with all types of online and offline records and resources.

This course will be conducted in four Saturday sessions and run from March 11th until April 8th.

The classes will cover six key research skills that will help avoid pitfalls, wasted time and unreliable family trees.

Topics include: determining what records to look for, where to look, documentation, and using critical thinking skills.

The skills learned will help you evaluate, analyze, and confidently produce trees, stories, or more formal documents based on your goals. Participants will do pre and post skills surveys and have group exercises, plus optional homework assignments. Class handouts will include multiple examples of offline resources, as well as web links and sites.

Ready to start building your genealogical foundation? Register today.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Pam Brett's interest in genealogy started over 40 years ago at the birth of her first child, but it wasn't until 1999 when she began serious pursuit of her family history. Most of her ancestors came to America early and moved often leading to research in 31 states and the District of Columbia.

In this series, she hopes to share skills acquired from many years of beginner's mistakes to help participants to focus their personal goals and to acquire new understanding of the lives of their ancestors.

22 February 2017

Our Manuscript Collection: Here’s How It Can Help Preserve Your Family Story

Posted by Shannon Reese

by Virginia Turner

Did you know that you can have your family papers or book preserved using archival standards so that they are available for generations to come? That is a key function of our manuscript collection and the volunteers who maintain it. Keep in mind that a manuscript contained in the California Genealogical Society library can range from just the beginnings of research, such as papers and letters about your family story, to a fully published book.

This month we highlight what makes up our manuscript collection, along with some helpful tips on how you can create and protect a manuscript for your family’s story.

Things to keep in mind

When a person begins the process of recording notations leading to a finished manuscript or book, the researcher does not have to wait until a finished product is ready for the library shelf.

If a published book is the ultimate goal, it is wise to donate a copy of the beginning manuscript to a library location for safekeeping, as well as for use by others who may be helpful in rounding out the final product through exchange of information between two or more searchers. At our library, we index the items collected by surname. Next, the indexes are placed online and are made available to the public on request.

Safe storage is key

Acid free boxes and paper supplies will keep research materials safe from deterioration from the environment. A safe location of the copy in the library manuscript collection will keep it free from destructive processes of theft, plagiarism, insects, and moisture.

Manuscripts come in many shapes and sizes

Research as small as a family group sheet with factual references can find a place in the miscellaneous collection boxes. The first letter of the family surname alphabetizes these group sheets.

It can grow to include additions of pedigree charts for related families. Copies of references from letters, books, and published genealogies of related people will eventually lead to the author’s final product.

If you want the eventual book or article to be more interesting for the reader, then add copies of family photographs, maps, photocopies of letters, family bible inscriptions, newspaper accounts, tombstone inscriptions and other historical material.

Another way to approach it is to make several separate small manuscripts, which will eventually be combined into a published family genealogy, or a collective genealogy that includes many family writings, which are related to a particular locality or subject.

Ready to publish?

Small manuscripts may find a place in various genealogical magazines. These days, publishing companies can assist you in editing and publishing your articles of genealogy.

Did you know that certain members of the California Genealogical Society could assist in readying your manuscript for submission to specialized genealogical magazines interested in your stories?

When your manuscript is ready for saving in the California Genealogical Society Collection, please contact Georgia Lupinsky or myself for advice on editing and preparing your work for publication. Our goal is to give you the courage to meet your goal.

I hope that makes clear what our manuscript collection is, how your research can become a part of it and how, ultimately, we can help you get your manuscript published.

21 February 2017

On Our Shelves: The American Genealogist

Posted by Shannon Reese

by Nancy Cork

I love periodicals: the thrill of opening a new publication not knowing what delights it may contain never gets old!

Each week at the library, as I check in the new magazines, journals and newsletters, I sneak a few moments to leaf through some of the periodicals, noting articles that relate to my area of family research, and relishing the curious titles that pique my interest.

This week, I want to share with our California Genealogical Society (CGS) community an article I found that is special for another reason: it was written by one of our own members.

Darcie Hind Posz

In the journal The American Genealogist, CGS member and certified genealogist Darcie Hind Posz writes of a family’s path from Japan to Hawaii, which movingly includes the bombing of Hiroshima and the internment camps of World War II. Darcie’s two-part article is a compelling, beautifully written and documented read. She won the American Society of Genealogists Scholar Award in October 2015 with this article.

Want to read it? Here’s what you need to know.

“Tanaka and Ishihara Families of Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, and Papaaloa, Hilo, Hawaii” by Darcie Hind Posz, CG

The American Genealogist, April 2016 Vol. 88, No. 2, and continued in July 2016 Vol. 88, No. 3 Library call number: CS42 .A44

This is just one of the many treasures waiting for you to discover in our genealogy library. So, the next time you are visiting our library, take a moment and treat yourself to a scholarly delight…because it’s on our shelves!

30 January 2017

Why Go on a Research Trip to the Family History Library?

Posted by Shannon Reese

by Lisa Gorrell

Are you on the fence about whether a group research trip should be in your plans this year? Need some good reasons to encourage you to make the trip?

Here are my top reasons to visit the Family History Library in Salt Lake City:

Research in the best library on the West Coast with microfilmed original records from around the country and the world.

Enjoy the successful finds with companions who get your excitement of breaking through a brick wall. You'll have access to consultations before and during the trip to help you over any researching hurdles. Your leader, Lisa Gorrell, and others in the group can be great sounding boards when you’re unable to make progress.

Family History Library consultants can help you, too. There are experts on every geographic area around the globe, especially the British Isles, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia.

Make new friends and cultivate old friendships during lunch and dinner breaks.

And the best: Spend a week away from your home chores and focus on your research without distractions. My personal favorite!

The deadline for the early bird pricing is February10th. The final deadline is March 10th. Right now, we've only had two people register for the trip and we need seven more attendees to make it a go.

So what are you waiting for? Help us continue the annual tradition of our Salt Lake City Genealogy Research trip by registering today---you'll be glad you came!