California Genealogical Society
and Library eNews
September 2008, Vol. 2, No. 9


The Best of the Internet for Genealogical Research

Saturday, September 13, 2008, 1:00 p.m.
CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California

Ron Arons Ron Arons' Best Bet Web Internet Sites
at the September Membership Meeting

Genealogist and author Ron Arons will explore the many "best bet" Web sites that allow researchers to find materials online, including historical documents, newspapers and articles, living people, maps and photos, foreign language translators and aids and more. He will provide numerous examples of how the Internet has worked for him.

Ron will also slip in some tales from his recently released book, The Jews of Sing Sing, described as "the true story of Jewish gangsters and other shady characters who served time 'up the river' and the New York Jewish community's response." His interest in Jewish inmates started when he discovered that his great-grandfather served four years at the famous prison.

Be sure to read Dick Eastman's glowing review of Ron's book and watch Dick's interview with Ron for RootsTelevision.


Brainstorming Breakfast Bonanza!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland
Light Bulb Continental Breakfast 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Work session 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Please join CGS President Jane Lindsey, Events Chair Carolyn Steinberg and Marketing Chair Kathryn Doyle for a fun and fast-paced brainstorming session to gather ideas for 2009 and beyond. What are the topics, programs and projects that are important to you? Do you have ideas for fund raising or publicity? Can you help bring new technology like podcasting to the society? Have you always wanted to make a suggestion but you hesitated? Now is your chance to be heard!

Bring your best ideas and be prepared to contribute! All ideas are welcome!

A light continental breakfast will be served. Feel free to BYO lunch to stay and do some research or continue the conversation.

Please note that the parking garages in the area have one price if in by 8:30 a.m.  The nearest BART station is 19th Street. Directions are available at the CGS Web site.

Can't make the meeting? Please e-mail your suggestions by Monday, September 15, 2008, and we will present them at the meeting for you.
Celebrate Family History Month with CGS

CGS To Host Seminars and Lectures Throughout October
Family History Month For nearly a decade, October has been celebrated as Family History Month among genealogy enthusiasts.  The California Genealogical Society and Library will celebrate by hosting beginning to advanced genealogy seminars throughout the month. Topics range from organizing and performing basic genealogical research to utilizing technology and software to preserve your research.  All seminars will be open to the public and free of charge. (See the next article about the Beginner's Course sponsored with the Oakland Regional Family History Center.)

During the entire month of October, the society will also waive the usage fee and open its doors to non-members without charge.

CGS President Jane Lindsey and Events Chair Carolyn Steinberg are hard at work creating a menu of offerings. Marketing volunteer, Colleen Huntley, is creating a brochure with the full schedule of sessions. The brochure will be available on the CGS Web site by mid-September. The CGS calendar will be updated as details are finalized.
 
Beginning Genealogy Course Coming in October

A Joint Venture for Famiy History Month
Oakland Regional FHC art In celebration of October as Family History Month, the California Genealogical Society and the Oakland Regional Family History Center are combining resources and expertise to offer a four class Beginning Genealogy Course. Each of the four classes will be offered twice - on Saturday, at the CGS Library, from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. and on the following Tuesday, at the Family History Center, from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The same teachers and handouts will be used in both sessions and students can attend classes at either (or both) facilities.

Classes are free but there will be a $10 charge for a notebook containing a syllabus of the four classes. Those students wishing to join the California Genealogical Society will also receive $10 off their membership after attending all four classes. Free parking is available at both locations. The Oakland Regional Family History Center is located at 4766 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, California.

Preregistration is necessary to ensure adequate handouts. Drop-ins will be welcome on a space available basis.  Please register by telephone 510-531-3905 or E-mail oaklandfhc@yahoo.com.

The class outline and schedule are as follows:

Part 1 - Introduction to the Science of Genealogy
In this introductory class, Marge Bell, Assistant Director of the ORFHC, will teach the student how to get started and cover basic genealogical terminology, forms, computer programs, and organization of research files.
Saturday, October 4, 2008, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. at CGS
Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the FHC.

Part 2 - Secondary Survey
In the second class, Jane Lindsey, President of CGS, will introduce the student to the basic Internet research sites that feature compiled genealogies including, but not limited to, FamilySearch, Rootsweb, USGenWeb. It will also include using digital library catalogs to help plan research and locate resources.
Saturday, October 11, 2008: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at CGS
Tuesday, October 14, 2008: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the FHC.

There are no classes on Saturday, October 18 or on Tuesday, October 21.

Part 3 - Vital Records and the Calendar Change
This class, led by Marge Bell, will teach the student how to locate birth, marriage, and death records at the various governmental levels, what one can expect to find on them and how the new information can lead to other clues and records. The class will also include the 1752 change in the calendar.
Saturday, October 25, 2008: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at CGS
Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the FHC

Part 4 - Censuses, Including the State Census
Richard Rees, CGS member and research consultant, will provide a short history of the U.S. census, how to use it, and how to work around common problems. As time permits, there will be an overview of state census records: what's available and how to access the records.
Saturday, November 1, 2008: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at CGS
Tuesday, November 4, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the FHC

Illustration: "The Family Tree" by local artist Lyn White, from the cover of the Oakland Regional Family History Center brochure.
A New Look for the CGS Web Site

A Minor Change for Member Access

The CGS Web site has been updated and has a new look. While there are many improvements, it is still a work in progress. Over the next few weeks things will continue to be tweaked and improvements made. The url has not changed: http://www.calgensoc.org/.

One change that you may notice is that the new Web site requires five digits for members to sign in. Please add sufficient leading zeros to your number if is less than five.

For example, a 3-digit member number needs to have two zeros added to the beginning, 105 would be entered as 00105.

Remote Access Databases

A Message from CGS President Jane Lindsey
HeritageQuest™ announced two years ago that they were suspending remote access to their databases by genealogical societies. The California Genealogical Society was fortunate to have paid in advance, allowing our members access for an extra year. That extended our subscription to November 2007. This change was announced to our members and we were prepared to lose access late last year. We didn't. We don't know why but our members continued to enjoy remote access until recently.

Remote access to HeritageQuest is available through many public libraries, including Oakland and San Francisco. Please check with your local library for details. A library card is required for remote access.

CGS is actively seeking another remote access subscription. One possibility is NewspaperARCHIVE.com. The cost was prohibitive for our 2008 budget and we are trying to negotiate a better price. If you have other suggestions, please let us know.
 
In Memory

Ralph Emmit Harriman (1938-2008)
Ralph Harriman died Jan. 17, 2008, in Napa. During the last ten years of his life, Ralph researched the history of the Harriman family in the United States and accumulated a number of files with details of the Harriman genealogy. Ralph was a member of the California Genealogical Society and the Napa Valley Genealogical and Biographical Society. The Harriman family files were donated to the NVGBS Library in Napa. Ralph's full obituary appeared in the Napa Valley Register on March 5, 2008.


Karen M. Gardiner (1937-2008)

Karen Gardiner, age 70, died March 16, 2008, in the hospital near her home in Cotati, California. Born in Palo Alto, California, Karen worked for many years at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco as a Medical Technologist. She was an accomplished horsewoman and friend to many animals. Gardiner was a member of CGS since 1987. The San Jose Mercury News printed her obituary on March 19, 2008.

Mary Hawkins Hartford (1938-2008)

Mary Hawkins Hartford, known to family and friends as Mimi, died on March 17, 2008. A fifth generation Californian, Mimi had a great interest in family history and genealogy which she meticulously documented, presenting complete copies of her work to each member of the family. Her great-great grandparents, Arculus and Catherine Hawkins, brought their family by covered wagon to Vacaville in 1852. Mimi's obituary ran in the March 30, 2008 editions of the Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle.
Can You Help?
 
Did you know that CGS is a 100% volunteer organization?  A variety of opportunities exist for you to be involved in an ongoing position or just occasionally, when you have time. Let us know your areas of expertise or interest and we will find a job that you will love that fits into your busy schedule.

Do you have experience in writing or publishing? Our Publications Committee needs volunteers. Please contact CGS and join our volunteer team.
Suggested Links from the Blogosphere

Forgotten Patriots: A Review by Elizabeth at Little Bytes of Life

Today is Data Backup Day! by Thomas at Destination: Austin Family

Descendants of Irish Cobblers: Obama & Biden by Megans Roots World

Veterans of Future Wars: A Pre-Internet Hoax from Transylvanian Dutch

The Practical Archivist
Sally Jacobs is The Practical Archivist and her blog is full of tips on every aspect of photograph storage. Sally has strong opinions and she shares them freely in her uniquely humorous way. Whether your are Deciding What to Keep or looking for Safe Scanning Tips, Jacobs has the advice you are looking for. Just be sure you get rid of your magnetic photo album with the sticky pages, AKA the "chemical sandwich of doom."

CGS Ancestors

Photo Tributes to the CGS Family

This month's CGS Ancestor Photo was submitted by Laura Spurrier:
Jay Justus Herrick"This photograph is my grandfather, Jay Justus Herrick, at about age 18. He was born 1869 in North Ridgeville, Ohio, and died 1936 in Streator, Illinois, but spent most of his adult life in Michigan in the wholesale grocery business.  He and his wife, Laura Bailey, had seven children, of whom five survived. Perhaps the most interesting thing he did was to help his cousin Erwin run a grocery in Grand Rapids.  It had a bakery that was popular and became a small restaurant.  A while later they closed the grocery store, so the tail wagged the dog.  J.J. was a direct descendant of Henry Herrick, the 1629 immigrant to Salem.

The Herrick Family Association (HFA) is in the process of publishing the first update to the family history since 1885. I have a copy of the preliminary edition of Volume One, totaling 1174 pages in 2 parts.  The 1885 edition was complete in only 516 pages.  It's a mammoth undertaking, lead by Richard L. Herrick. The HFA found a printer who will print and bind on demand, something of an innovation. Anyone interested in information about the Herrick Family Association may contact me."  ljspurrier@gmail.com

If you would like to see your CGS Ancestor featured in a future edition of the CGS e-News, please email your image to CGSpublicity@gmail.com and include a brief description.
Did you miss these posts in the CGS blog?
California Genealogical Society and Library
A Northern California Genealogy Resource
Oakland, CA 94612-3031

Founded February 12, 1898 in San Francisco, CGS, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that seeks to aid, educate and encourage research in family history, is presently located in Oakland, California. The society maintains a library, gathers and preserves vital records and disseminates information through publications, meetings, seminars, workshops, its Web site, blog and online catalog.