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Since 1898
| June 2015, Vol. 9, No. 6 |
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Editor's Note
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June is busting out all over!
And June is a time to commemorate both our Caribbean ancestors and our LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) ancestors.
 Since 2005 the United States has recognized June as the official month of Caribbean American Heritage. The Caribbean holds rich history for Europeans and Africans whose descendents now populate the Americas.
"Through the commemoration of this month, we hope to ensure that America is reminded that its greatness lies in its diversity, with Caribbean immigrants from founding father Alexander Hamilton, to journalist Malcolm Gladwell, who have shaped the American dream."
 "Many of us have "hidden" ancestors; those whose true stories are not easily revealed in the records. June is celebrated internationally as Pride Month for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. ... We all have GLBT ancestors in our family history. But because of persecution by the majority, in times past they have had to completely hide who they are. This can make them more difficult to find. But for those that look, there is evidence to be found." - Michael LeClerc, Movaco Blog
The CGS is looking for a Blog Editor. Intrigued? Curious? Interested? Contact Kathleen Beitiks for details. Finally, the CGS library will be open later on Thursday for Summer Hours. Between June 4 - August 27 the library will be open from 10 A.M. to 8 P.M. Stewart
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National Conferences
| Lots is happening this June with 3 large national conferences.
Other conferences scheduled for 2015 should be "penciled" into your electronic calendars. More information will be presented here as the dates approach.
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Classes
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California Genealogical Society & Library  2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland
As usual we have an outstanding line-up of classes to offer over the next two months. But there are two special classes that we would like highlight here.
 Gena Philibert-Ortega will be teaching Her Name Wasn't Unknown: Researching Your Female Ancestor's Life on July 18. Follow the link to get details about Gena's noteworthy career. In short, Gena is a nationally recognized and widely published expert on the topic of researching female ancestors. Her current research interests include women's social history and researching women's lives using material artifacts.
I hope the you will not miss this special opportunity.
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 Also Susan Goss Johnston is back! with her excellent series Advancing Your Skills. The first of five classes starts on July 30th. Susan is a frequent speaker in the Bay Area and has been involved in teaching and researching for more than thirty years.
I personally took Susan's class last year and it expanded my world of genealogy. Susan taught me about the Genealogy Proof Standard and how to keep excellent notes for each of my searches. Adopting her methods has made me a better genealogist. I highly recommend this class.
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| Saturday, June 6
| Intro to Genealogy
with Diana Wild, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m
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| Creating Graphic Family Trees with Photoshop Elements
with Ron Madson, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
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| Creating Graphic Family Trees with Photoshop
with Ron Madson, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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Saturday, June 27
| Creating Graphic Family Trees with Irfanview
with Ron Madson, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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| Saturday, July 18
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| Saturday, July 25
| Using Ancestry Family Tree Maker Genealogy Software
with Ron Madson, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m
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| Thursday, July 30
| Advancing Your Skills: Research Methodology & the Genealogical Proof Standard
This is session 1 of 5
with Susan Goss-Johnston, 6:00 - 8:30
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For additional events check out the San Francisco Bay Genealogy Calendar.
Also visit our Eventbrite profile page to see the latest class additions and descriptions.
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The President's Corner
| | by Linda Harms Okazaki | 
As you may know, the California Genealogical Society and Library is a 100% volunteer run organization. There are no paid staff and all proceeds from classes and events go to expenses for keeping the organization running. This is an institution that has existed since 1898!
Now I'd like to ask you, our readers, to tell me what you'd like to see, and more importantly, how you want to contribute.
What classes spark your interest? What types of field trips sound appealing? What classes are you prepared to teach?
We have a very active San Francisco Special Interest Group led by Sandra Britt-Huber that meets monthly. Are you interested in hosting a French Canadian group? A Family Tree Maker Group? Something else? Group meetings can be held in the evenings or on weekends, monthly or quarterly. Would you like to meet with others in the community that share your passion for a certain facet of genealogy?
Have you seen our new collection of City Directories? Perhaps your group would like a tour of the library?
And finally, we like to hear from you about your experiences at the CGS Library or Events. Did you make any great discoveries or breakthroughs? Did you learn something amazing at one of our classes? Do you have a book to review and recommend? Write your story and share it with the community through the CGS blog.
I hope to see you in the library,
Linda
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Genealogy for Caribbean Heritage
| by Stewart Bland�n Traiman
Last year I read a most fascinating books called "Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean" by Edward Kritzler. Obviously that's a play on words off the Disney franchise but the book documents how expelled Spanish Jews fled the to the Caribbean and how some of them took up piracy to subvert the Spanish Main and the Office of the Inquisition. I recommend this excellent historical read that also gives background information on the earliest European influences in the Caribbean.
Other Caribbean resources include:
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Meetings and More
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California Genealogical Society & Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland
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Saturday, July 18: CGS Board of Directors, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Sherman Room, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
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CGS Blog
| | Highlights from the California Genealogical Society Blog (and Others) | |
 The CGS blog has a temporary new editor and guest writers are encouraged to submit
material and photos to Linda Okazaki.
Remember we in need of a new Blog Editor. Intrigued? Curious? Interested? Contact Kathleen Beitiks for details.
There are many other blogs with fascinating stories for genealogists. Following are links for blog postings by Thomas MacEntee and Michael J Leclerc about researching our ancestors that did not live "traditional"
lives. 
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| New Membership Perk! | |
California Genealogical Society & Library
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 FindMyPast offers more than 1.7 billion international family history records from around the globe, including more than 1,000 exclusive collections that you won't find online anywhere else. We are excited to announce FindMyPast is now offering a flat 50% off the annual World subscription (over $99 off) for all CGS members! You can find the code on our Welcome page once you log in as a member. Look for the blue "FindMyPast" in the middle of that page. If you've forgotten your CGS number please contact the CGS Membership team. |
Ancestor Tribute
| by Kathleen O'Donnell Beitiks
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My grandmother, Zillah Geraldine Forbes (right), was born in San Francisco in 1893. Her sister, Miriam Janet Forbes (left) was also born in "The City" in 1896. Their father was George Walker Forbes, a seaman/carpenter who was born "at sea" off the North Atlantic coast.
Their mother was Johanna Ahern, born in Grass
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Valley, California. Johanna was one of five daughters born to James and Johanna (Ahearn) Ahern, Irish immigrants who were married in Grass Valley in 1858. They ran a boarding house for miners seeking their fortune in the gold country.
Grandmother Zillah followed her mother into the teaching profession in the San Luis Obispo area. She married William C. O'Donnell, a Texas native, in 1922. They had four children. Grandpa was the U.S. Postmaster of San Luis Obispo for more than 30 years.
Aunt Miriam never married, but was a world traveler, working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), predecessor of today's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She worked in Asia for many years during WWII and was rumored to be a top decoder. She eventually retired to Lisbon, Portugal.
Many years ago, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for Aunt Miriam's files during her time with the OSS was less than satisfactory. It resulted in a stack of papers - many of which were left blank for "classified" reasons, but enough to ignite our family's collective imagination. Today, speculations of espionage, dark alleys and glamorous spies are part of our family's legends.
Zillah and Miriam both died in San Luis Obispo in the 1960s.
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We enjoy honoring members' ancestors. Please email a photo to Lorna Wallace, along with a short summary about why the ancestor featured is important or interesting to you. Photos should be in .jpg format with a file size over 100 kb; photos and text may be edited for space.
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CGS Received the 2014 ALL STAR AWARD from Constant Contact for exemplary engagement with our readers.
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| | Stewart Bland�n Traiman
eNews Editor email me |  |
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