San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, Exhibitor at Family History Day

Please welcome the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society as an exhibitor at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

The San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which has been in existence for over twenty-five years.

The Society holds some sixteen meetings throughout the year in three Bay Area locations serving its 200+ membership. Speakers range from local to international and cover all topics related to genealogical research. A magazine "ZichronNote" (meaning memories) is sent by email to all members.  A library committee reviews and purchases books for placement in three dedicated Jewish libraries around the Bay Area.

A number of members are well-known at the national level for their specific expertise.  These include Steve Morse (One Step web site); Ron Arons (criminal research); and Janice Sellers (newspaper research).  The Society also has experienced members who assist with monthly "break through those brick walls" in consort with the Jewish Community Library in San Francisco on the first Sunday of most months. These members include Steve Harris (current President of the California Genealogical Society). The meetings are moderated by Society member Judy Baston, who is a director of Jewish Record Indexing-Poland.

We look forward to meeting Family History Day attendees and helping them with any enquiries they may have about their family history research.

For further information on the Society and upcoming meetings, please visit our website.

Lisa B. Lee, Speaker at Family History Day

Please welcome Lisa B. Lee as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

A professional genealogist, Lisa B. Lee is the owner of GotGenealogy.com, where she publishes a monthly newsletter, the Got Genealogy Gazette.  The newsletter provides timely and useful information to help genealogists make the most of their online genealogical searches.

Ms. Lee is a graduate of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (University of Toronto), where she obtained her Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS) with certificates in U.S., Canadian and Irish genealogy and methodology.  Since the inception of ExpertConnect, by Ancestry.com in 2009, Ms. Lee was one of the original Experts, and conducted professional research for clients in the U.S. and Europe, until the demise of ExpertConnect in early 2011. In addition to the Got Genealogy Gazette, dozens of her articles have been published in numerous genealogical journals and newsletters in North America.

Ms. Lee speaks and conducts workshops at genealogical societies and conferences in the U.S. and Canada where her animated style, infinite knowledge of everything internet, wit and perverted humor ensure that attendees will not only learn a lot but will have fun doing so. All of her workshops feature a free raffle where attendees can win valuable prizes, and if you ask her a genealogical question she can't answer, you'll win an awesome reward.  Mind you, your question has to be pretty hard to stump her, especially since she's memorized the internet by heart.  If genealogy isn't fun, then why do it?

She invites you to join her on Facebook or contact her at Lisa@GotGenealogy.com.

Lisa B. Lee will be presenting two classes:

Introduction to Using Land Records: Whether your ancestor lived in a metes & bounds state or in one covered by the Public Land Survey System, there's more information in land records than you might realize.  Predating many vital records, you can use land records to determine family relationships, when and where someone was born, women's maiden names and much, much more.  We'll explore what's available in the U.S. and other countries, what you can find online and offline, and important information you won't find anywhere else and why land records need to be a part of every genealogical research project.

Introduction to Using Census Records: Censuses date back to as early as the 15th century in some countries, and with more and more databases coming online, we'll examine why census records are so important, how to decipher them and the best places to find them online.  Census records can provide links to military, land, immigration, manumission and other records and are some of the most important records available to genealogists.

Family History Day on Display Now at the Arden-Dimick Library

Now through the end of September patrons of the Arden-Dimick Public Library can view the Family History Day display in the foyer.  The Family History Day publicity committee is pleased to have the opportunity to introduce the joy of genealogy to all visitors to the library.

 

The display case has photos, a list of the resources available locally, resource books, examples of records where our ancestors names are recorded, and more.

The library is located at 891 Watt Avenue at Northrop in Sacramento. The pesky glare could not be avoided in these photos.  You simply must come to the library for a closer look.  Click on photos to enlarge.

 

Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Exhibitor at Family History Day

Please welcome the International Society of Daughters of Utah Pioneers (ISDUP or just DUP) as an exhibitor at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

The DUP is an association devoted to preserving the legacy of those pioneers who came to the State of Deseret before the railroad in May 1869.  More than 60,000 pioneers traveled in more than 300 companies to find their place in the west.  The objective of DUP is to perpetuate the names and achievements of those men, women and children by preserving old landmarks, marking historical places and collecting artifacts and histories.  Our headquarters is located at the Pioneer Memorial Museum, 300 North Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah.  The website address is www.dupinternational.org. 

The State of Deseret covered much more than the present-day state of Utah and, in fact, covered much of southern California. Some of these Mormon pioneers first settled in California before relocating to Utah.  Locally, the Slough House Pioneer Cemetery is the burial spot for many of the Sacramento pioneers with tombstones dating from the 1850‘s.  It is owned by the ISDUP and maintained by the many companies and camps in the Sacramento area.  Members meet monthly in camps to learn more about and share pioneer histories and artifacts.  Camps and Companies are organized in geographical areas. 

Visit our exhibit at the Family History Day to see pictures and newspaper articles about the Slough House Cemetery and other local DUP historical markers.  We plan to have internet access available for visitors to search the indexes listed below.  (The actual photos and histories are not available for viewing online, only the indexes.)  We will also have a book display of other DUP publications that can be purchased online.

• Photo index - The photo department houses, maintains and preserves a collection of over 25,000 images of pioneers, their homes, communities, organizations and artifacts.  Copies of photo prints or CD images can be ordered and purchased online.
• History Card Index - The history department presently has over 100,000 pioneer histories on file of pioneers who came to the geographic area covered by the Utah Territory/ State of Deseret.  It also includes those who died crossing the plains and those born in the Utah Territory before May 10, 1869 and some locality histories.
• Pioneer Pathways Index - Volumes 1 through 11 consolidated index - Each year DUP sponsors the publication of historical material which has been used as lesson material in the camps.  At the present time, there have been 5 multi-volume sets of books published.  Pioneer Pathways is the latest of them.

We look forward to meeting others interested in pioneer legacy at this great event.

John K. Jay, Speaker at Family History Day

Please welcome John K. Jay as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

John K. Jay has been a member of Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society for the past decade.  He has been actively involved in genealogy for about 12 years.  He is a retired banker having served 40 years with Crocker Bank/Wells Fargo Bank.

Currently, John is the facilitator of the monthly workshops sponsored by Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society.  These workshops provide an interactive forum for members to help each other with "brick walls" and other research questions and challenges.

John K. Jay will be presenting VERY Basic DNA.  The class is an introduction to DNA presented at a very fundamental level and hopefully will help you begin to understand how DNA might become an important part of your genealogy tool bag.  Attend this class if you know very little about DNA and how it applies to genealogy. 

Jessica M. Herrick, Speaker at Family History Day



Please welcome Jessica M. Herrick as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives, fruit optional.

Jessica M. Herrick is an archivist at the California State Archives.  She joined this repository in 2006 after spending more than five years as a historian for a private historical consulting firm.  While working in the private sector, Jessica traveled throughout California researching in a wide variety of archives, libraries, historical societies, county and city offices, and state facilities.  This extensive experience has served Jessica well as an archivist, giving her a unique perspective while assisting the public with their research needs.  Jessica’s love of history was instilled in her first by parents fascinated with the American West, and subsequently during her schooling at California State University, Chico, where she received her B.A. and M.A. in History.

Wells Fargo Reward Photo (1876),
courtesy of the California State Archives

Jessica will be presenting The Wonderful World of Archives: A Primer.  Getting started with historical research can often seem daunting and overwhelming.  Drawing upon her years as a professional researcher, Jessica will give valuable tips and tricks to make visits to any archival facility easier and more efficient.  How to get started, what to expect in general at an archive, and how to best use your time are topics that can benefit budding family historians and seasoned genealogists alike.  Your future research at the California State Archives will be very "rewarding" after this class!

California State Genealogical Alliance, Exhibitor at Family History Day

Please welcome the California State Genealogical Alliance as an exhibitor at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

The California State Genealogical Alliance (CSGA) was founded in 1982 as a non-profit organization and serves as a statewide alliance of independent genealogical and historical societies, archives, libraries, individuals and organizations. The Alliance was formed to address the need for statewide coordination of efforts to accomplish goals of benefit to all genealogists.

Alliance projects are designed to strengthen local societies, increase record preservation and access and foster quality genealogical research. The Alliance respects the autonomy of each local society and functions as a link between societies for exchange of ideas and information.

Like other all-volunteer organizations, the Alliance depends on strong individual members who are active participants in local societies around the state and who extend their enthusiastic support so that major statewide projects can move forward. Members have access to information and resources to aid in their research, and Alliance membership is open to all interested genealogical and historical societies, libraries archives and researchers.