Annual Fall Beginning Genealogy Series Starts September 18, 2012

In celebration of October Family History Month, the Oakland FamilySearch Library will host the California Genealogical Society's fifth annual Fall Beginning Genealogy Research Series. 

Seven ninety-minute sessions will focus on gathering family records, organizing them, and beginning to use libraries and online resources to document research. The series includes a field trip to the California Genealogical Society Library.

Come and learn the basics!

Where:  Oakland FamilySearch Library, 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602.

When:   Tuesday mornings, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon.

Cost:     $40 for seven sessions, includes syllabus.

Please note: This is a technology-based class and knowledge of basic computer skills is required. Students will use a genealogical database program and do internet searches. Instructors and library volunteers will be available to help you put your knowledge into action. Students are are invited to bring lunch and work on class assignments in the afternoons.

Preregistration is necessary to ensure adequate handouts. Download the information flier for full course details, including class descriptions.

Register online.

Schedule of Classes 

September 18, 2012  Getting Started  Jane Knowles Lindsey

September 25, 2012  Using Census Records  Susan Goss Johnston

October 2, 2012  Documentation in the Digital Age  Susan Goss Johnston

October 9, 2012  Secondary Sources  Jane Knowles Lindsey

October 16, 2012  Vital Records, the SSDI and the Calendar Change of 1752   Janice M. Sellers

October 23 2012*  Field Trip to the CGS Library   Jane Knowles Lindsey

October 30, 2012  Where Do I Go from Here? 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Course includes mandatory weekly homework assignments.
• Class size limited to the first thirty who register.
• No walk-ins permitted.
• Free parking at the Oakland FamilySearch Library
• $10.00 off a $40 CGS membership if you join by October 30, 2012

*All classes meet at the OFSL except Field Trip to CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, on October 23, 2012.

QUESTIONS? 

Email the California Genealogical Society or phone 510-663-1358.

Email the Oakland FamilySearch Library or phone 510-531-3905.

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

Summer Best Genealogy Websites Series Starts Thursday, July 19, 2012

California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday evenings, beginning July 19, 2012
(See specific dates below.)

The California Genealogical Society will present our first summer series of evening classes – Best Genealogy Websites – Tips & Tricks – at the library.

Seven weekly 90-minute sessions will give you the skills you need to navigate your way to better and more efficient search results on the best sites for family history research.

The course costs $40 for seven weeks, including materials; $50 for non-members.

Week 1:  July 19, 2012 – Google.com I, Kim Cotton
Week 2:  July 26, 2012 – Google.com II, Kim Cotton
Week 3:  August 2, 2012 – FamilySearch.org, Jane Lindsey
Week 4:  August 9, 2012 – Ancestry.com, Jane Lindsey
Week 5:  August 16, 2012 – Fold3.com, Susan Goss Johnston
Week 6:  August 23, 2012 – Rootsweb, USGenWeb and Newspaper Sites, Susan Goss Johnston

PLEASE NOTE:

• Class size limited to the first twenty-five who register
• Walk-ins will not be permitted 
• Located just three blocks from BART 19th Street Station
• Free street parking after 6:00 p.m
• No refunds once the series begins
• $10.00 off new CGS membership if you join by August 30, 2012

Download the course flier.

Register online.   



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

Bounty Land and the War of 1812 Soldier

Saturday, May 19, 2012
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

Sociologists and historians make frequent use of the many records created by the War of 1812 soldiers' quest for bounty land. Genealogists should do the same, but few know how to make their way through these valuable records. What's the difference between an application and a warrant? Why does it matter if my soldier was in the Army or the militia? What on earth is scrip? Join Susan Goss Johnston and learn more about the treasures that can be found by courageous researchers.

Register online.

The class is limited to thirty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the day of the class.

Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Registration confirmations will be sent to the first thirty registrants. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

Susan Goss Johnston was a member of Yale University's first undergraduate class of women, earning a B.A. in physics. After graduation, she began working in medical research while studying voice at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. The natural outgrowth of this experience, mixed with two children, led to genealogy, research that didn't require grant writing! She has been involved in teaching and researching for thirty years. Sue currently teaches genealogy courses in the Community Education division of Las Positas College in Livermore, California, and is a member of the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society and co-presenter at the group's Tri-Valley TMG (The Master Genealogist) Users Group. She is a ProGen Study Group alumna, completing the program in 2011, and she is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research and the "Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis" at the Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. Her personal research focuses on families in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region, and she specializes in military records and federal land records.

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

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

Civil War Research: It's More than Compiled Service and Pension Records

Susan Goss Johnston

Saturday, June 25, 2011
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m

California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

It you haven't heard Susan Goss Johnston speak about military records, you are in for a treat! In honor of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, Johnston is presenting two talks: Recreating the Life of the Civil War Soldier and It Becomes My Painful Duty: Uncovering the Stories behind Letters of Condolence.

Recreating the Life of the Civil War Soldier
Pension records are wonderful presents waiting to be unwrapped and studied. They are rich in genealogical information, but they’re not the only records worth exploring. In fact, these records are only a fraction of the many records that were created during the Civil War. Case studies will be used to find and examine records – and record substitutes – created in the time between a soldier’s draft registration and his burial. What records exist? Where can they be found? What will they tell us?

It Becomes My Painful Duty”: Uncovering the Stories behind Letters of Condolence
We genealogists tend to read documents for the answers they provide, but these letters of condolence sent from the Civil War battlefields still evoke strong emotions one hundred fifty years after they were written. They may provide answers, but they also provoke strong questions. Who was the soldier and his heart-broken widow or grieving father? What were the circumstances behind his death? What does the letter say about the writer? The search for these answers will take the researcher into seldom-used records, and the stories uncovered bring history to life.

Register online

Susan Goss Johnston was a member of Yale University’s first undergraduate class of women, earning a B.A. in physics. After graduation, she began working in medical research while studying voice at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. The natural outgrowth of this experience, mixed with two children, led to genealogy – research that didn't require grant writing! She has been involved in teaching and researching for thirty years. Sue currently teaches basic and advanced genealogy courses in the Community Education division of Las Positas College in Livermore, California, and is a member of the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society and co-presenter at the group’s Tri-Valley TMG [The Master Genealogist] user group. She is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research, "Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis" at the Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, and the National Archives' course, "Going to the Source." On her first day of research at the National Archives, Sue found three Civil War pensions, and she has loved military records, especially those of the Civil War era, ever since.


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

The Best (Genealogy) Things in Life Are Free!

CGS member Kay Speaks sent word from the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society (L-AGS) about a last-minute change for their Thanksgiving weekend seminar. Their Ancestry.com speaker had to cancel and will be rescheduled for next year.

Susan Goss Johnston will present The Best Things Are Free: Using Free On-line Genealogy Resources For Your Family Research on Saturday, November 28, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The morning seminar and afternoon workshop are free and open to the public.

There is an amazing amount of material available on-line from resources that don't charge a fee to access their information. Some of this data is identical to that found on popular fee- based subscription web sites!

There will be a lunch break from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Attendees are invited to bring a bag lunch and attend two short presentations by Kay Speaks on Google Search Tips and Basic Techniques for Saving On-line Research Results.

Susan Goss Johnston graduated from Yale University with a degree in physics. While raising her family she discovered a passion for genealogy. For the next thirty years she would be a genealogist, teacher, and lecturer. Johnston is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research, the Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis course at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, and the National Archives' course, Going to the Source. She has traveled throughout the states giving a variety of genealogical lectures and has taught numerous classes and courses about genealogy research on both the east and west coasts. Johnston currently teaches genealogical research procedures and techniques for both the beginning and advanced student at Las Positas College. She is a popular Bay Area lecturer. 

Saturday, November 28, 2009
LDS Church, 950 Mocho Street, Livermore
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Best Things Are Free: Using Free On-line Genealogy Resources For Your Family Research
Sponsored by the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society and the Livermore Family History Center.

Download the registration flier.

Spring Intermediate Series Begins April 25, 2009

The California Genealogical Society and Library (CGS) and the Oakland Regional Family History Center (ORFHC) present a four-week Spring Intermediate Genealogy Series beginning April 25, 2009.

Eight intermediate topics will be presented in four sessions on Saturdays at the CGS Library and repeated on Tuesdays at the ORFHC. All sessions will be held 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. The fee is $15.00 to cover the cost of materials. Notebook and class handouts will be provided. Free parking at both locations.

Session I
Saturday, April 25 and Tuesday, April 28, 2009 – Marge Bell
Probate and Guardianship Records
Church and Cemetery records

Session II
Saturday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 5, 2009 – Jane Knowles Lindsey
Immigration, Passenger Lists
Naturalization, Passports
Using Newspapers for Genealogical Research

Session III
Saturday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 12, 2009
U.S. Military Records – Susan Goss Johnston
Land & Property, Maps, Gazetteers – Lavinia Schwarz

Session IV
Saturday, May 16 and Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Reading and Transcribing the Handwriting of Colonial America – Marge Bell
Other Resources, Solving your Biggest Genealogical Problems – Jane & Marge

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.

PLEASE NOTE:
• Class size is limited. Walk-ins allowed if space available.
• Nominal fee of $15 is charged for materials.
• Saturday classes: obtain a placard from lobby security for the lot behind the building.
• Visit the CGS website or the ORFHC website for complete class descriptions.
• $10.00 off a CGS membership if you join by May 19, 2009.

Download the registration flier and mail with a check for $15 to the ORFHC, Attn: Marge Bell, 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602.

Wordless Wednesday

Intermediate Genealogy Series

Class 1 - Military Records
Susan Goss Johnston

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

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.

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?

American Military Research Seminar - August 9, 2008

The Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society, in association with the Livermore Family History Center, is hosting Help! My great-great-great grandfather is missing! - a free American Military Research Seminar and Workshop, Saturday, August 9, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., 950 Mocho Street, Livermore, California.

The schedule for the day includes three presentations during the morning session, a noon break for lunch and Genealogy Jeopardy and an afternoon workshop of online interactive case studies.

L-AGS member and genealogy instructor, Susan Goss Johnston, will present a two-part lecture entitled "American Military Research Online: What’s There and What’s Not!" Johnston will create a timeline of American military history and show all the record types that were created. She will cover what is available online and what isn’t, using both non-subscription and subscription sites.



Trevor Hammond, Marketing Manager at Footnote.com will conclude the morning session with "An Introduction to Footnote.com"


To reinforce the information learned in the morning lectures, the afternoon session will be an interactive workshop " Going Beyond the Obvious: Problem-solving with Online Military Records."



Four online military research case studies will be presented. Attendees with wireless laptops will be able to follow along using the Internet. Footnote.com has given us access for all researchers who bring their laptops. The session will be displayed for those without laptops. The Livermore Family History Center, working through Salt Lake, is making wireless internet available for attendees.
Susan Goss Johnston is a graduate of Yale University with a degree in physics. She began working in medical research while studying voice at the Peabody Conservatory, then became interested in genealogy research. Johnston is also a graduate of the National Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research course, “Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis,” and the National Archives’ course, “Going to the Source.” She developed a workshop on source citations for her own advanced genealogy course while in Baltimore, a workshop subsequently presented to several Maryland genealogy societies. She teaches beginning through advanced genealogy classes at Las Positas College in Livermore, and is a co-teacher of the Tri-Valley TMG Users Group.

Trevor Hammond has been a marketing manager for Footnote.com for two years. Prior to joining Footnote.com, he worked four years for Ancestry.com in customer intelligence and customer support. A native of Utah, he has a B.A. from Utah Valley University in Business.

Attendees will be eligible for a $10.00 discount from the Footnote.com membership for first time subscribers. Although the seminar is free, everyone is encouraged to pre-register.Please register early, space is limited. (Registration at the door will be accepted on a space available basis starting at 8:30 a.m.)
The registration deadline is August 7, 2008. Download the seminar flier or go to the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society Web site for further information and for online registration.