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April 2013, Vol. 7, No. 4
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month
Thank You to Our Volunteers!
Thank You from the Board This year National Volunteer Week will be celebrated April 21-27, 2013. We think one week just isn't enough time to honor the volunteers at the California Genealogical Society and Library so we will be celebrating throughout the month of April.

Be sure to come to the membership meeting on Saturday, April 13, 2013, and celebrate the spirit of volunteerism within our society. We will be honoring our longest serving volunteers. Read the "thank you" message from President Jeff Vaillant.

 

2012 All-Star Award
Thank You to Our Readers!
2013 All Star Award The California Genealogical Society uses Constant Contact® software for online event registration and to create and deliver the monthly eNews. For the fourth consecutive year we have received their All-Star Award for meeting best-practice standards. Only 10% of their customers receive this distinction. Thank you for reading!
 

 

Race, Religion, and Reading Records Right
Saturday, April 6, 2013, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA 94107

Lavinia Schwarz After last year's successful program, Lavinia Schwarz has been asked to do a second lecture at The Society of California Pioneers. Vinnie will present a basic genealogy lesson using a fascinating story from her own family research. Her spell-binding talk will help you look at your own research with new openness, strategies and historical insight. The lecture is free and open to members of both the California Genealogical Society and the Society of California Pioneers. Seating is limited. Preregistration is required.

Learn more. Register online

 

 

April Membership Meeting: Preserving Your Genealogical Work Through Publishing
Saturday, April 13, 2013, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA 94612

Volunteer Coordinator Linda Okazaki and Membership Coordinator Diana Edwards will be launching a new format at the April membership meeting. Members are invited to bring a bag lunch to the Sherman Room, at noon, Saturday, April 13, 2013, for a social hour and chance to catch up with friends and get to know new members. Beverages and desserts will be provided.

The theme of the April meeting is "Preserving Your Genealogical Work Through Publishing." Members who have published genealogical books, articles, and other materials are invited to bring them to the meeting. You will not be required to give a presentation. Please email Diana Edwards if you have a work to share.

 

Advanced Genealogy Series - Registration Ends April 15, 2013
Thursday Evenings, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., April 18, 2013 - May 16, 2013
CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA 94612

Advanced Genealogy Are you ready to take your genealogy research to the next level? The California Genealogical Society is pleased to announce our first Advanced Genealogy Research series, created by Susan Goss Johnston. The five-week course will give you an opportunity to advance your skills in research methodology and practice the Genealogical Proof Standard. Learn more. Download the series flier.
Register online.

 

Using DNA to Solve Your Genealogical Mysteries - Early Bird Price Through April 7
Saturday, April 27, 2013, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Nile Hall, Preservation Park, 668 Thirteenth Street, Oakland, CA 94612  
DNA Do you have more questions than answers about how DNA can help with your genealogy research? Are you eager to let DNA help you overcome a brick wall?
Join us for a day of DNA with Katherine Borges, Tony Hoskins, Ken Haughton and Pam Miller. Download the information flier.

The "Early Bird" discount ends Sunday, April 7, 2013, so register online today!

 

Field Trip to Sacramento - California State Library and State Archives
Wednesday, May 8, 2013, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
California State Library, 900 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

For members only! Join us for a day of research in the California History Room at the State Library in Sacramento, and for a tour of the California State Archives, a few blocks away. Members are responsible for handling their own commute arrangements but are invited to travel together by train on the Amtrak Capitol Corridor, train No. 524. Members who live in the greater Sacramento area may meet us at the library. Learn more.

 

Register online.


National Genealogical Society 2013 Conference - "Building New Bridges"
Wednesday - Saturday, May 8-11, 2013
Las Vegas Hotel, 3000 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109

NGS 2013 Conference Will you be attending this year's NGS Family History Conference? It's relatively rare for the national societies to host their annual meetings in the western states so you may want to take this opportunity to attend. It's become a tradition for California Genealogical Society members to meet at conferences for a group photo, so if you are planning to go please email Kathryn Doyle.


 

Encore! Two Popular Workshops Return
Saturday, May 25, 2013, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA 94612

Both workshops will be held at the same time in different rooms in the library - choose only one. Don't delay! These are popular offerings with limited seating.

Tim Cox
Hard Drive Organization: Making Use of Your Computer File Folders
After collecting digital images from online sources and manually scanning paper documents and photos for more than twenty years, Tim Cox found a management method that works for his digital files. Tim is back with this popular workshop to demonstrate his system. Register online.


Plat Workshop

Platting and Locating Lands from Metes and Bounds Deeds
Using deeds and other land records to assist with researching family history can help us gain a better understanding of the family, the land, and the community. Pam Miller is back to help you navigate this rich record set. She will simplify the "metes and bounds" terminology seen in early deeds. Register online.

 

 

Coming in June
Save These Dates!
Mark Your Calendar
   6/1:   First Saturday Free; Intro Class, Lavinia Schwarz

   6/8:   Using Online Library Catalogs, Library Committee
        
   6/11:  Book Repair Committee
                  
   6/15:  San Francisco Special Interest Group
                                
                                 6/18:  RootsMagic Special Interest Group

                                 6/22:  Demystifying Lineage Society Applications, Linda Longley
        
                       

Visit our website, CaliforniaAncestors.org, for up-to-date information on classes and events.

 

 

The Volunteer Corner
Volunteer Appreciation Reception and Information Sessions
by Linda Harms Okazaki
Please join Volunteer Coordinator, Linda Okazaki, at one of our open house sessions on Saturday, April 6, 2013, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. or Thursday, April 11, 2013, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Come learn about volunteer opportunities, meet other volunteers, or just come to socialize. RSVP by email to Linda Okazaki .

And don't forget to come to the membership meeting on April 13. Bring a bag lunch at noon. Dessert and beverages will be provided. All volunteers will be honored and long-term volunteers will be recognized. The business meeting will begin promptly at 1:00.


Editor's Picks
Suggested Links from the Blogosphere

 The Passing Of Time by Jeannie

 

 Chasing That Pension File by Judy G. Russell

 

California Historical Society Field Trip by Debbie Mascot

 

16 Top Web Sites for Researching Irish Ancestors by Kimberly Powell

 

Family History Through the Alphabet - Join a Society by Julie Cahill Tarr

 

Women's History Month 2013: Gold Star Mothers by Gena Philibert-Ortega

 

Engage a Professional to Propel Your Genealogy Research by Michael J. Leclerc

 

The Genealogist's Favorite Question: Does Anyone Know What It Is? by Madaleine J. Laird  

 

California Ancestors: They Came from Everywhere

Photo Tributes to the CGS Family

Edited by Lorna Wallace  

 

As we commemorate the 107th anniversary of the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, we pay tribute to the parents of member Jean White.

    

1906 Earthquake Ruins
Grace Alice Penaluna, Clinton Hollis Stanbridge, and Mary Hitchcock, 1906.

This is a photograph of my Mom and Dad in the ruins of the fire and earthquake of April 18, 1906, in San Francisco, just a few months before they married on August 8, 1906. My mother was Grace Alice Penaluna, daughter of William Penaluna, a native of Cornwall, England, and a former miner in Virginia City, Nevada - "The Comstock." Their San Francisco home, at 20th and Capp Street, burned to the ground the night after the earthquake - yet they are smiling!

  

Dad was Clinton Hollis Stanbridge, an insurance broker in San Francisco and a descendent of the Peabody family. His father served in the Civil War and his uncle fought at Gettysburg.  

    

The other woman in the photo (holding her hat) was Mary Hitchcock, later House, who was my mother's maid of honor. We kids called her "Aunty Mary."  


I was the last born of their six children and I am the only one left. I'm proud of being a third generation San Franciscan.
   
-Jean L. White


Call for Submissions  - Are you a member with a great family photo to share? Please email Lorna Wallace and send your image with a brief narrative.

 

 

Did You Miss These Posts in the California Genealogical Society & Library Blog?
 

Wordless Wednesday 

 

Appreciating Our Volunteers

 

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Kathryn Doyle, eNews Editor  email me