Online genealogy, week of September 14-20

Our Events:
September 14: Our "Writing Your Family History" Series continues Tuesdays at 7 p.m. This week: Lois Elling talks about "Making Your Book Look Good: Page Layout and Software."

September 19: The "Exploring Military Records" series with Deborah Goss Johnston kicks off with a look at "Pension and Bounty Land Applications."

Conferences: [fee]

• September 14-17: Family Tree Academy Conference hosted by Family Tree UK
• September 16-18: Northern Great Plains History Conference hosted by University of Wisconsin 
• September 19: FREE Fall 2020 Seminar with Tom Jones by San Diego Genealogical Society German Interest Group
• September 19: Paths to Freedom: Essential Steps for African American Genealogy by Dallas Genealogical Society
  

Classes:

 
Numerous associations offer online genealogy events every week. Most are free. To register for one of the events below, click on the name of the host organization. See our post "Genealogy Learning in the Time of Coronavirus" for links to classes archived online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsTech, and more.

American Ancestors

September 16-30: "Checking for Vitals: U.S. Vital Records Substitutes" (series: fee)

September 17: "Northern New England Resources at American Ancestors" by David Allen Lambert and Melanie McComb

 

BYU Family History Library

September 16: "Using German Periodicals and Periodical Indexes" with Larry Jensen

Family Search

September 19: Nordic Genealogy Research Seminar

Legacy Family Tree

September 15 & 16: "Reconstructing the Murphy Family Using DNA & Documentary Evidence" by Melissa Johnson

September 16: "Finding Genealogical Evidence in the Chinese Exclusion Act Files" by Trish Hackett Nicola

September 18: "Your DNA Questions Answered Live" by Diahan Southard

 

Southern California Genealogical Society 
September 16: "Putting America to Work: Records of the WPA and the CCC" by Peggy Lauritzen

Conference Keeper has a large calendar of events (too many to list) hosted by various genealogical organizations. New events are added often, so check back frequently. Here are some of the coming week's highlights:

September 14: "Scrivener for Professional Genealogists" by Kimberly Powell (Association for Professional Genealogists)

September 15: "Using Mortality Schedules in Your Research" (Allen County Public Library)

September 15: "Insider's Guide to Genealogical Cousin Bait" by Marian Burk Wood

September 15: "Swedes in Wisconsin and Beyond: Unlocking Your Swedish Family History" by Deanna E. Korte

September 15: "Getting Started in Genealogy Research" (New York Public Library)

September 16: "Civil War Pensions: A Closer Look" with Laura Congleton (Connetquot NY Public Library)

September 16: "Introduction to African American Genealogy" (New York Public Library)

September 16: "Researching Your House History" (Appleton WI Public Library)

September 17: "Family History for Health" by Diane Stepro (Jeffersonville IN Public Library)

September 17: "Hidden Gems: Materials in Digital Libraries for Family Research" by D. Joshua Taylor

September 18: "Seafaring Ancestors: Early 19th Century Port Records" by Diane Richard

September 18: "Virginia Genealogy to ca. 1850" (Library of Virginia)

September 19: "Explorations in Mexican Genealogy" by John Schmal

September 19: "Trails West: Crossing the Continent, 1840-1869" by Mary Kircher Roddy 

September 20: "Spinning Gold: Shaping Your Family Research into Compelling Stories" by author Christine Halvorson

 

Be well, stay safe, and happy learning!

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Online genealogy, March 8-14

Our weekly roundup of upcoming genealogy events. Numerous associations offer online genealogy classes every week. Most are free. To register for one of the events below, click on the name of the host organization.

CGS Events:

March 13: Monthly Board Meeting. All welcome.
March 14: "The Story Behind Shanghai Angel (Love, Detention, Lies)" by Heather and Jeff Klein

Conferences & Workshops:   

March 11: DNA Bootcamp (Family Tree Academy UK)

March 12-13: 2021 Winter Virtual Genealogy Conference (Family Tree Magazine University)

March 13: 15th Annual Family History Seminar featuring Nicka Smith (Greater Sacramento African American Genealogy Society)

March 13: Swiss and German Research: 2021 Virtual Spring Seminar with Daniel Jones (Ohio Chapter of the Palatines to America German Genealogical Society) 

American Ancestors

March 11: "Kitchen Explorations: Favorite Passover Recipes" by Michael Leviton

March 12: "Old House Do's and Don'ts" by Carissa Demore

BYU Family History Library

March 10: "The Following Feature in FamilySearch Family Tree" by Kathryn Grant

Legacy Family Tree

March 9: "Using different family tree views for your research" by Uri Gonen
March 10 & 11: "Researching Ancestral Locations in Prussian Genealogy Records" by Nancy E. Loe

Other Listings

Sutro Library's Bay Area Genealogy Calendar lists a wealth of Bay Area events and exhibits, including regular genealogical group meetings. This week's highlights:

March 8: "The Records Behind the WWI Draft Registrations" by Susan Goss Johnston (Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society)

March 10: "Nuestra America: My Family in the Vertigo of Translation" by Claudio Lomnitz (San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society)

March 13: "Three Coins: A True Story about Kidnappings, Slavery, and Romance in San Francisco's Chinatown" by Russell Low (Oakland Asian Cultural Center)

March 13: "The Sonoma County Archives: One of the Most Important and Endangered Repositories of Local History" by Katherine Rinehart

March 14: "Street Names and Numbers: Grid Changes, Renaming, and More" by Thomas MacEntee (San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society)

Conference Keeper has a large calendar of classes (too many to list) hosted by genealogical organizations around the country and abroad. Lots to explore, and new events are added often, so be sure to browse the entire calendar. Here's a sampling of the coming week's offerings:

March 8: "Family Tree DNA Family Matching Tool" (North of Ireland Family History Society)

March 9: "The fate of Holocaust victims in Yad Vashem's documentation and projects" (JewishGen)

March 9: "Using Your DNA to Connect to Your Irish Roots" (New York Genealogical and Biographical Society)

March 10: "The Queer History of the Suffrage Movement" (Connecticut Historical Society)

March 11: "We're Related to George Washington? Proving (or Disproving) Family Stories" by Gena Philibert-Ortega (Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society)

March 13: "Melancholia or Mania: Researching the Mental Health of Our Ancestors" (Victoria Genealogical Society, British Columbia)

March 13: "Irish Famines and Emigration - Before, During and After the Great Hunger" (Irish Genealogical Society International)

March 14: "Research Jewish Genealogical Resources on the Internet" (Santa Cruz Jewish Genealogy Society)

See our post "Genealogy Learning in the Time of Coronavirus" for links to classes archived online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsTech, and more. Be well, stay safe, and happy learning!

Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society

Intermediate Classes in Genealogy

GENEALOGY: INTERMEDIATE SERIES coming in January!

The class schedule has been finalized for the Intermediate Course in Genealogy following the success of the recent beginners' classes held during Family History Month. A total of fifty students took advantage of the classes offered jointly by the California Genealogical Society and the Oakland Regional Family History Center.

The Intermediate Course will consist of eight sessions – each class offered twice – on Saturday at the CGS Library and on the following Tuesday at the Family History Center. All classes are from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The same instructors and handouts will be at both sessions and students can attend classes at either (or both) facilities.

Classes begin on Saturday, January 17, 2009 at the CGS Library with Military Records taught by genealogy instructor and military records specialist Susan Goss Johnston.

The full schedule includes the following topics:
January 17 & 20: Military Records
January 24 & 27: Probate and Guardianship Records
January 31 & February 3: Land and Property Maps, and Gazetteer
February 7 & 10: Church and Cemetery Records
February 14 & 17: No classes
February 21 & 24: Newspaper Research
February 28 & March 3: Reading and Transcribing the Handwriting of Colonial America
March 7 & 10 - No classes
March 14 & 17: Immigration, Passenger Lists, Naturalizations and Passports
March 21 & 24: Other People Finders, Continuing Education and Giving Back

Parking is free in the lot behind the Breuner Building at 2201 Broadway on Saturdays and there is adequate parking at the FHC on Tuesdays. Preregistration is necessary to insure adequate handouts. The course fee is $15 to cover the cost of materials. Individual sessions cost $2 each. Register by telephone 510-531-3905 or E-mail.

Illustration: "The Family Tree" by local artist Lyn White, from the cover of the Oakland Regional Family History Center brochure.

What You Missed: Ancestry Day - San Francisco

By any measure, Ancestry Day – San Francisco was a huge success! More than 900 family historians attended the full-day conference at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on Saturday, November 5, 2011. The event, co-sponsored by the California Genealogical Society and Ancestry.com, featured four tracks of four classes each, consultations, an Ancestry.com computer area with experts to answer questions, and California Genealogical Society tables with books and membership displays.

The sixteen classes were presented by fifteen speakers, half of whom were CGS members. A special “thank you” to: 

• Ron Arons 
• Susan Goss Johnston 
• Melinda Kashuba, Ph.D
• Lisa B. Lee, PLCGS
• Craig Manson
• Lavinia Schwarz 
• Janice Sellers
• Cath Madden Trindle, CG 

Ancestry.com set up video cameras and "live-streamed" four of their lectures. Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings reported on the Videos from Ancestry Day at San Francisco 2011 which were also posted by Nick Cifuentes on the Ancestry.com Blog in Ancestry Day in San Francisco 2011.

Here are the links to the four talks now available on YouTube:

Five Quick Tips for Digging UP Answers at Ancestry.com with Jeanie Croasmun

How to Find Civil War Roots on Ancestry.com with Anne Mitchell “Ancestry Anne”

Emigration & Immigration Records Online with Crista Cowan “Barefoot Genealogist”

Find them Fast: Secrets to Searching Your Family History on Ancestry.com with Laura Dansbury


Raking the Ashes author Nancy Peterson was on hand to sign and sell books. We sold out of sixty copies in just two hours! Ancestry Day was also the launch of the society's newest publication – Insider's Guide to California Genealogy.

First sale of our new Insider's Guide to California Genealogy.

More than 300 attendees signed up for 15-minute consultations. Linda Okazaki did an outstanding job of matching questions to member volunteers with the right expertise. She and her staff kept things running smoothly and efficiently.

Thirty-eight genealogists provided more than 300 consultations.

CGS member and blogger, Jennifer Regan of the Rainy Day Genealogy Readings blog, spent the entire day providing consultations. She reflects on the experience in Defining Research, Part Two: The Internet vs. Research Skill.

Several members of the African-American Genealogical Society of Northern California who are also CGS members served as volunteer consultants. Nicka Smith reported on both Black Family History Day and Ancestry Day and included some great photos in her article, AAGSNC Teams Up With Local Societies for Fall Genealogy Events. 

One of our member speakers, Janice M. Sellers, blogs at Ancestral Discoveries. She wore several hats at Ancestry Day San Francisco.


Denise Richmond and Sandra Gardner Benward are CGS members and officers at the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society where they are both contributors to their blog. Sandi wrote Ancestry Day Comes to San Francisco.

Ruth Hinman of Genealogy is Ruthless without Me blog wrote three reports!

San Francisco Ancestry Day November 5, 2011

Ancestry Day in San Francisco Blog 2 Gordon Atkinson

Another Reason to Attend Genealogy Conferences and Seminars...SWAG and Prizes

Thank you to Karen Ober and the Ancestry.com staff – it was a pleasure co-sponsoring the event with you.

The Ancestry Day planning committee (Jane Lindsey, Tim Cox, Linda Okazaki and Kathryn Doyle) thanks all the volunteers who made our event a huge success. The professionalism of our speakers, consultants, and hard-working staff volunteers was truly appreciated. 


Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

CGS September Classes and Events

The California Genealogical Society has adapted during the pandemic, moving many of our classes online. To judge from the response we've been getting, this is very popular with many of our members. As we move into our fall classes, you'll see some old favorites as well as exciting new offerings. We hope you'll check them out and consider joining us online!

September 5: 1st Saturday FREE "Intro to Genealogy," our popular monthly series. This month: Genealogy Basics.

September 1, 8, 15, 22: Our "Writing Your Family History" series continues on Tuesdays through September. Join us for tips on citation, graphics, layout, and indexing!

Two special multipart courses launch this month:

September 19: "Exploring Military Records" with Susan Goss Johnson, a 4-part course on alternate Saturdays.

September 29: "Introduction to DNA and Genetic Genealogy" with Mark McLaren, a 6-part course held Tuesday evenings.

National Hispanic Heritage Month spans September 15-October 15. We have two special presentations on the theme:

September 26: "An Introduction to Researching Your Mexican Ancestors" by Colleen Robledo Greene.

October 1: "Researching Mexican Land Grants in Alta California" by Susan Skilton.

All our Events can be found listed on our website
Or at the CGS Facebook page
Or at EventBrite.com (search for "California Genealogical Society")

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Happy Holidays & 2016 Preview!

As we end 2015, the California Genealogical Society & Library would like to extend a warm "thank you" to our members, volunteers and visitors this year.

Thanks to you, our members and volunteers, we've been able to continue growing.   You're willingness to embrace technology helps us continually strive to be the best.

 

What's ahead in 2016?

Research trips to Boston, Salt Lake City and Washington, DC with a group of experienced researchers and team leaders.

In addition to the research trips, we have an outstanding line-up of classes & speakers---over 29 so far--- for you, including Gina Philibert Ortega, Susan Goss Johnston, Janice Sellers and Cyndi Ingle from Cyndi's List fame.  These trail-blazing women have set the bar high in genealogy as they continually push to uncover what's next.  Look for our 2016 calendar of classes  on our website this January!

If you haven't done so in a while, please visit us at the library and take advantage of our newly acquired city directories collection. 

Journey with us in 2016 as we discover what's next in genealogy.

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society

Wordless Wednesday

Intermediate Genealogy Series

Class 1 - Military Records
Susan Goss Johnston

Photograph courtesy of Jane Knowles Lindsey, Oakland, California, 1/20/2009

Extending your genealogical knowledge: thinking about interpretation

Where are you in terms of your genealogy and family history? What's your next step in better understanding the documents you've collected? Do you have a specific goal? 

Searching for clues in other resources. Lisa Gorrell at the SF Maritime Museum Library. Photo: Ellen Fernandez-Sacco

For many people, defining the answers to these questions can take several routes, from hiring our Research team, consulting the CGS Library or attending classes in person. There are many virtual options, a tendency that has increased with the changes in technology. Determining an area of focus for skill set or geographic area can lead you to new resources for taking your work further. 

While documents are central to genealogical practice, understanding the context for how those documents were created and used is also important.  I asked CGS member, lecturer and instructor Susan Goss Johnston, what should people keep in mind about how this context relates to their own family history? 

Susan agreed that while documents are central to genealogical research, she stressed that
"understanding the historic, legal and inherent context of those documents is not just important, it's essential. If a researcher doesn't understand the history behind a document's creation, he or she might not understand important events in an ancestor's life. If a researcher doesn't understand a document's legal context, they might misinterpret the true meaning of that document. If a researcher doesn't study that document in the context of other similar documents, they will miss important patterns and inferences not explicitly stated anywhere."

So, it's simply not enough to just have the documentation, but to also learn about these different facets, which can add so much more to your family history. Look at history written at different scales, the larger picture of events in the past, down to legal and social histories, or even material culture studies that can tell you more about life at that time. 

Some excellent approaches can include using the lists at H-Net (Humanities and Social Sciences Online) a nonprofit organization housed at the Wisconsin State University.  H-Net sponsors over 100 interactive newsletters (discussion boards) in order to advance teaching and research.  Its H-Net Reviews section is devoted to in depth reviews of publications that can be searched for specific topics relevant to doing genealogical research. For example, you can find recent reviews of books and exhibitions that you might have missed otherwise. 

Explore archival websites once you've charted a portion of your tree- you'll probably come away with some insights into the era your people were living in. DNA offers other routes to connect with relatives, now that testing has dramatically changed over the last five years. 

Consider a small study group, that meets in person or virtually, such as reading groups such as the NSGQ Study Groups [National Genealogical Society Quarterly] that meet online, or webinars. Tour local historical sites of interest with your genealogy society.  At CGS, we have SIGs (Special Interest Groups), so that people can systematically explore a topic together. Visit our Facebook page, blog and homepage and check for events of interest. 

Do you have an area of interest in genealogy or family history that you'd like to attend a discussion on? Contact us-- we're always looking for members and volunteers to delve into new areas of interest!

Copyright © 2014 by Ellen Fernandez-Sacco, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Rare opportunity to buy complete set of Civil War-themed books

Here's an idea for a unique gift for the holidays or other special event:

A very generous longtime CGS member has made a large donation of the complete American Civil War collector's series published by Time-Life in the 1980s. We have added a lot of the genealogical titles to our collection. We hope to raise funds for the society by selling the duplicate titles and the books that fall outside of our collection criteria. Usually we put such books for sale on our eBay account, but today, in the hope of inspiring some holiday shopping among our historically inclined members, we would like to make this incredible collection of Civil War books available for purchase direct from the library.

We have a complete set of twenty-nine books–twenty-eight titles, one in two volumes–of the Time-Life Books Collector's Library edition. These are leather-bound reprints of books published during or shortly after the Civil War (see below for titles). The richly illustrated books have gilded page edges, red ribbon bookmarks, and embossed images on the cover.  In excellent condition, they would be a treasure for any Civil War historian, young or old. We would like to sell the set locally to avoid expensive shipping charges. We are asking $160 for the complete set; a bargain at less than $6 a volume!

Interested? Contact our library volunteer Kristi Wessenberg for further information.

Books in the series:

Reminiscences of the Civil War by John B. Gordon

Daring and Suffering by William Pittenger

Campaigning With Grant by Horace Porter

Army Life in a Black Regiment by Thomas Wentworth Higginson

A Rebel War Clerks’ Diary, Volumes 1 & 2 by John B. Jones

Memories, by Fannie A. Beers

Army Memoirs By Lucius W. Barber

Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life by Carlton McCarthy

Richmond during the War by Sallie B. Putnam

Hard Tack and Coffee by John D. Billings

One of Jackson’s Foot Cavalry by John H. Worsham

Mosby’s Rangers by James J. Williamson

Recollections of a Private by Warren Lee Goss

The Citizen-Soldier by John Beatty

Destruction and Reconstruction by Richard Taylor

Three Years in the Sixth Corps by George T. Stevens

The Narrative of a Blockade-runner by John Wilkinson

The Story of a Common Soldier by Leander Stillwell

War from the Inside by Frederick L. Hitchcock

Battle-fields of the South by An English Combatant

Three Months in the Southern States by Arthur J. L. Fremantle

Confederate Operations in Canada and New York by John W. Headley

Campaigns of a Non-Combatant by George Alfred Townsend

A Soldier’s Recollections by Randolph H. McKim

In and Out of Rebel Prisons by Alonzo Cooper

Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman by James Harvey Kidd

Four Years in Rebel Capitals by T. C. DeLeon

Life in the Confederate Army by William Watson

Copyright © 2019 by California Genealogical Society

This and That: Bits of News and Information

If you were thinking about attending the workshop this weekend but hadn't made a reservation yet, don't bother calling. The Hints on Publishing Your Family History workshop is sold out. Maybe we can convince Shirley, Matt and Jane to do a repeat performance next year. Or better yet, is there someone out there who could help the society get set up to do podcasts?

***

Speaking of podcasts, Susan Goss Johnston, one of the speakers at the upcoming L-AGS American Military Research Seminar was a guest on Dear Myrtle's Family History Hour August 5, 2008 podcast. Ol' Myrt wanted the interview when she learned that Susan will be discussing known surviving military record groups -- what is online and what is not. DearMyrtle's detailed show notes includes links to the sites discussed and this:

Susan has advised students to print out and bring with them, An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating to Military Service by Trevor K. Plante (Prologue Fall 20002, Vol. 34, No. 3). Susan feels this article is an excellent starting point for researchers.

***

As predicted by Rose Pierson of FamilySearch Indexing, the first portion of the San Francisco Mortuary Records project is complete. Rose reports that they are working hard to get the second set of images from twenty-nine rolls of microfilmed registers ready to be indexed. These are a bit more complicated to set up but they include the eagerly anticipated early ledgers from the 1860s.

***

The San Luis Obispo Tribune ran an article last Saturday about Camp Roberts, named for San Francisco native and Medal of Honor winner, Corporal Harold Roberts. The California Genealogical Society and Library got a mention in the paper's August 2, 2008 article, Camp Roberts Mystery: Who's the Man Behind Post's Name?

Winter Intermediate Genealogy Series Starts January 29, 2013

For the fifth consecutive year, the California Genealogical Society (CGS) is pleased to present a winter series of genealogy classes. The 2013 Intermediate Genealogy Series is designed for the researcher who wants to go beyond the basics.

Be resolute! Class size is limited and expected to fill quickly so reserve your space now.

Ten classes will be held on Tuesday mornings from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Oakland FamilySearch Library, 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, California. Classes begin on January 29, 2013 and run through April 2, 2013.

SCHEDULE:

01/29 Probate and Guardianship Records – Susan Goss Johnston 

02/05 Cemetery Records – Jane Knowles Lindsey
02/12 Church Records – Lindsey
02/19 Newspaper Research – Janice Sellers
02/26 Military Records – Johnston
03/05 Finding Country Cousins in Land and Property Records – Johnston
03/12 Seeking City Slickers in Lesser-Known Records – Johnston
03/19 Reading and Transcribing Old Handwriting – Lindsey
03/26 Immigration and Naturalization – Lindsey
04/02 Solving Your Toughest Genealogy Problems – Johnston and Lindsey


PLEASE NOTE:

• Class size is limited to thirty participants. No walk-ins.
• Fee is $50 for ten classes, including syllabus.
• Pre-registration is required. Participants are encouraged to utilize information received in the beginning classes BEFORE enrolling in the intermediate series.
• Free parking at the Oakland FamilySearch Library

Download the series flier for full class descriptions.

Register online.

Copyright © 2012 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library