Beginning Genealogy Class

In keeping with the focus of Family History Day, beginning genealogy, we will occasionally write about opportunities for beginner or novice researchers.

On Saturday, April 7, 2012, the Sacramento Public Library will offer the following class:

Beginning Genealogy: How to Trace Your Family History, with Karen Burney
The class will be held from 1:00 – 2:30 pm in the West Meeting Room at Central Library. Registration is preferred by calling 916-264-2920, but walk-ins are welcome! The only free parking nearby is at the Sacramento County Jury Parking Lot between 8th and 9th and F and G Streets. The entry is off of 8th Street.

Also, the Book a Genealogist service at Central Library is available on most Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call the library at 916-264-2920 to set up a 45-minute appointment to have a genealogy volunteer help you with your research.

Sacramento Public Library – Central
828 I Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: (916) 264-2979
bdaugherty@saclibrary.org

Submitted by Beth Daugherty, Genealogy Services Librarian, Sacramento Public Library – Central


Readers, submit  an announcement of a beginning genealogical event to fhdmailbox@gmail.com and we will share it on this blog.

Genealogy for Beginners and More

It's been awhile since some 400+ attendees came to Family History Day 2011 at the California State Archives.  Hopefully, many of you have had an opportunity to start (or jump-start) your family history research based on what you learned in the 20 some classes.

In keeping with the theme of Family History Day - focus on beginners - I thought the following classes may be of interest to you, especially if you live in or near Sacramento, California.

Location: All of these offerings will be held at the Sacramento Public Library Central, 828 I Street, Sacramento, 916-264-2920.

January 2012

Sunday, January 8
Common Surname Search Strategies with Lisa Louise Cooke
1:30 - 3pm West Meeting Room
Discover tips and tricks to find your ancestors with common surnames. Lisa is a nationally known author and host of the Genealogy Gems Podcast. Her books and CDs will be available for purchase at the program. Registration not required

Sunday, January 15
Getting Ready for the 1940 Census with Stephen Morse
1:30 - 3pm West Meeting Room
The 1940 census will be released online on April 2, 2012. Find out what you need to know in this presentation by genealogist and One-Step Website creator Stephen Morse. Registration not required

Sunday, January 22
Naturalization: Rules & Records with Barbara Leak
1:30 - 3pm West Meeting Room
Learn about naturalization laws and see examples of the documents that were created by those who became Americans. Presented by genealogist and lecturer Barbara Leak. Registration not required

"Book a Genealogist"
The Sacramento Public Library Central has changed the times for this service. Starting in January 2012, the genealogy volunteers will be available to help you with your research on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday afternoons. These are 45-minute appointments. Appointment times on Tuesdays are 1:00, 1:45, 2:30 and 3:15 pm. Appointment times on Thursdays are 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 pm. To meet with one of the genealogy volunteers, please make an appointment by calling the library at 916-264-2920, visiting one of the library branches in person, or by going to the library's website at www.saclibrary.org and clicking on the "Events" link. Please note that the Book a Genealogist service is only available at the Central Library - not at any other branch of the Sacramento Public Library system.

February 2012

Saturday, February 4, 2012
Beginning Genealogy - Using Records to Tell Your Ancestors' Stories with Karen Burney
1:00 - 2:30 pm, West Meeting Room
Registration required

Saturday, February 18, 2012
Introduction to Online Genealogy (Computer Class)
10:15 -11:45 am, 3rd floor Technology Lab
Registration required

Sunday, February 26, 2012
Beginning Genealogy with Janice Sellers
1:30 - 3:00 pm, West Meeting Room
Registration required

These are wonderful, free services of the Sacramento Public Library.  I hope you're able to take advantage of them.

Genealogical Association of Sacramento, Exhibitor at Family History Day

Please welcome the Genealogical Association of Sacramento as an exhibitor at Family History Day 2011 at the California State Archives.

The Genealogical Association of Sacramento (GAS) was founded in 1976, our Nation’s 200th birthday, with a nucleus of 13 dedicated members. Its objectives are to encourage the research, publication, and preservation of genealogical and historical material; and to instruct and lend assistance to the membership and the public in modern methods of research.  These objectives are accomplished at regular meetings and association-sponsored workshops, lectures, field trips and other educational activities.

The Association offers many educational opportunities to attend seminars and classes in genealogy-related subjects.  There is usually something for everyone at our meetings, from the beginner to the more experienced genealogist.

JUST SCHEDULED

The Sutro Bus trip sponsord by GAS is set for Wednesday, January 25, 2012. The Sutro Branch of the California State Library will be transferring their collection to a new building on the San Francisco State University campus sometime in the Spring 2012 so they could not have us visit in March, the usual month for this field trip. For reservations, contact Melanie Howard, President, at melnesia@comcast.net.

Highlights of our activities include:

• Meetings held on the third Wednesday of each month except July, August and December at 1:00 pm in the Belle Cooledge Library located at 5600 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento
• A monthly newsletter, The Lamplighter, which is available on our website to members
• Maintaining a genealogical book collection at the Sacramento Public Library Central Branch, 4th Floor, located at 828 "I" Street.  See the library catalog for the collection holdings.

We look forward to talking with you at Family History Day.

Family History On Display Now At The Sacramento Public Library - Downtown Branch

The Family History Day publicity committee is pleased to have the opportunity to introduce the joy of genealogy to the patrons of the Sacramento Public Library - Central Branch.

Now until September 17th, the display case in the lobby is all about family history, the resources available locally, resource books and examples of records where our ancestors names are recorded.

The library is located at 828 I Street between 8th and 9th Streets.  If you are in the neighborhood, please come in to take a close-up look.  In the meantime, enjoy some photos of the exhibit. Click on photos to enlarge.

The committee wishes to thank Beth Daugherty, Genealogy Services Librarian at the Sacramento Public Library - Central Branch for her participation in and support of Family History Day and its community outreach efforts.

Explore History: Sacramento Archives Crawl

Crawling in Sacramento?  What's going on here?

On October 1, 2011, come enjoy Sacramento's first annual “Explore History: Sacramento Archives Crawl”. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., nineteen archives and special collections libraries from the Sacramento area and beyond will be celebrating National Archives Month by exhibiting rarely-seen historic treasures from their collections at four host locations in the downtown area. 

Start off at any of the host locations --

• California State Archives (1020 O Street)
• California State Library (900 N Street)
• Center for Sacramento History (551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.)
• Sacramento Public Library (828 I Street)

-- then "crawl" to the others using the map provided in your Archives Crawl passport. At each location, you can view archival collections on display and take behind-the-scenes tours. Representatives from other archives and special collections libraries will be on hand to discuss their archival collections - historic photographs, rare books, historic artifacts - and answer your questions about how to connect with local history resources. Those who have their passports stamped by at least three of the host locations will receive a set of limited-edition collectible coasters with images from Sacramento's former Buffalo Brewing Company.

 

Self-promotion: Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society, a sponsor of Family History Day, will have an exhibit at the California State Archives location.  Our Librarian, Sammie Hudgens, will be available to describe the extensive reference collections in our genealogical library housed at the State Archives.

 

Hope to see you there!  Knee-pads optional!

 

Sacramento Public Library, Exhibitor at Family History Day 2011

It is a pleasure to welcome the Sacramento Public Library Central Branch as an exhibitor at Family History Day 2011 at the California State Archives.

The Central Library, located at 828 I Street in downtown Sacramento, is the main branch of the Sacramento Public Library system. Central library offers a variety of free programs for the public, including  many that are of interest to genealogists. In addition, the various branches of the library system periodically offer genealogy programs. Central Library offers these services to the public:

• Presentations by Genealogy Specialists: Three series of presentations are offered annually, during the months of January, May and September. Each series includes three lectures. Special classes on beginning genealogy are also offered throughout the year. All lectures are held at the Central Library in the West Meeting Room.  The September 2011 presentations, on Sundays, 1:30-3:00 pm, include Civil War Research (Sept. 11th), Ancestry.com’s Border Crossing Database (Sept. 18th) and Using Google for your Genealogy (Sept. 25th). The class Beginning Genealogy - How to Trace Your Family History will be held on October 22, 2011, 1:00-2:30 pm.
• The Book a Genealogist program: Central Library is fortunate to have the assistance of a volunteer genealogist, who meets individually with people needing help with their research.  The volunteer is available at the library on Tuesday afternoons. Registration is required for these 45-minute appointments by calling 916-264-2920, or by visiting the library’s website at http://www.saclibrary.org/.
• Genealogy Reference Books:  A large collection of non-circulating genealogy books and periodicals is available for use by the public during library open hours. The majority of these books belong to the Genealogical Association of Sacramento. The collection is located on the 4th floor of Central Library. 
• Genealogy Databases:  The library subscribes to two genealogy databases for the public’s use: Ancestry Library Edition and American Ancestors.org. Both of these databases can be used at any branch of the Sacramento Public Library system.
• Genealogy computer classes:  These free classes are taught at Central Library by library staff. Currently, classes being taught include Introduction to Online Genealogy, Social Networking for Genealogists and Introduction to Ancestry Library Edition.

For more information on any of these programs, come by our exhibit table at Family History Day.  You may also call the library at 916-264-2920 or visit the website at http://www.saclibrary.org/. We hope that you’ll take advantage of all the genealogy services offered by the library!