Saturday, September 29, 2012

Society Saturday - Activity News

  • Writing Contest
  • Family History Day
  • Thomas MacEntee 
  • The Preserves

The Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society activity calendar is quite full.  Below is a reminder about the events Society members are working on for you:
  • Writing Contest:  The deadline for submitting your story for the 2nd Annual Family History Writing Contest is October 1, 2012.  Submission instructions, cool prizes and contact information are on the Root Cellar website.  Time for you to finalize and submit!  Good luck!
  • Family History Day at the California State Archives: Helpful FAQs for this 14th annual genealogy extravaganza are now on the blog with more to come.  Family History Day is Saturday, October 13, 2012 at the California State Archives, 1020 "O" Street, Sacramento.  Admission is free but the Class Syllabus is $5.00, exact cash please, payment at the door.  Reserve your copy by sending an email to fhdmailbox@gmail.com.  Limited quantities will be printed.  See you there!
  • Spring Seminar:  Root Cellar is very excited to host Thomas MacEntee at the seminar on Saturday, March 16, 2013.  Thomas is an expert in using social media and technology for genealogical research.  Read more about his connection to Root Cellar.  Follow this blog and the Root Cellar website for an announcement of the topics he will be presenting.  Save the date!
  • The Preserves:  The next issue of Root Cellar's periodical, The Preserves, will be released in February 2013.  This issue will be the inaugural edition released electronically. Be part of this historic change!  The Editor needs your stories, heritage recipes, queries (form on website), and book or website reviews.  Contact Ron Setzer at PreservesEditor@macnexus.org for more details.   
 We look forward to your participation in each of these fun events!  Questions?  Drop us a line at rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.  

Posted by Denise H. Richmond

Friday, September 28, 2012

Follow Friday – Mocavo Blog

Here is a blog you might wish to follow. "The Mocavo Genealogy Blog is a collection of articles to inform and educate you about the genealogy industry, company announcements, and research tips." The blog is written by Michael J. Leclerc, the database's Chief Genealogist. You will find a wide variety of articles on the blog that are of interest to the genealogist. Recently some of the subjects are: RootTech 2013, "An Amazing British Resource: GENUKI" (a website dedicated to research in the British Isles), the "Myth of Ellis Island," the use of acid-free containers for your documents, photographs, and other materials. Michael also periodically reviews genealogical blogs that might be of interest to all of us. Go to http://blog.mocavo.com to read more from Mocavo.
Posted by Ron Setzer

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Registration for RootsTech 2013 is open

MARCH 21-23, 2013 SALT LAKE CITY
FAMILY HISTORY & TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

Full 3-Day Pass (March 21-23) Limited Time Early Bird
Access to everything RootsTech has to offer (250+ classes). $ 149
Thursday-Only Pass (March 21)
Full admission for just one day. $ 89
Friday-Only Pass (March 22) $ 89
Saturday-Only Pass (March 23) $ 89
Student Pass (March 21-23) Student ID required. $ 39

NEW! Getting Started 3-Day Pass Early Bird (March 21-23)
Beginner track with access to over 30 classes. $ 39
Getting Started Thursday-Only Pass (March 21)
A selection of fundamental classes to help you get started. $ 19
Getting Started Friday-Only Pass (March 22) $ 19
Getting Started Saturday-Only Pass (March 23) $ 19
Developer Day Pass (March 22)
A full-day technology program just for developers. $ 89

To register for RootsTech.

Posted by Ron Setzer

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday – Maria Louisa Archer Rosser

Maria Louisa Archer Rosser
b. 5 December 1820
Virginia
d. 5 November 1904
Old Town, Dallas, Alabama


Maria Louisa was my GG Grandmother. She married Thomas Henry Rosser on 3 October 1839 in Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Virginia. They had seven children: Elizabeth, Henry Nollner, Allen Thomas, Joseph F., William C., Walter Erwin, and George D.

Photo posted on FindAGrave.com by jdc
Posted by Ron Setzer

Monday, September 24, 2012

Chasing the Mystery Woman – Elizabeth Cecilia Knecht

Lately I have become interested in my Great Grandaunt Elizabeth Cecilia Knecht. Louisiana birth records indicate that she was born on 14 January 1855 to Vincent Knecht and Therese Seiler Knecht in New Orleans, LA. She is listed as a 5 year old child in the 1860 census of her parents in New Orleans and then again in the 1870 census. Her father died in 1861 and her mother, along with children Vincent (age 17), Cecelia (age 15) and George (age 13), was living with her daughter Louisa and her husband Vendeline Figenschue in New Orleans in 1870. There exists a Louisiana marriage record of a Henry Jacobs marrying Celia Knecht in 1897 in Jefferson Parrish. The trail ran cold until I found a 1900 census of the House of the Good Shepherd in Chicago, Illinois. There is a Cecelia Knecht listed with the correct birthdate and correct birthplaces of her and her parents. And then the last piece of possible information is the Illinois death index entry in 1937 for Sister Magdalen of Therresa Knecht. The birth year is five years off, but the date, place, and father's name are correct. This is enough to keep me searching for her story. If anyone has any information about Cecilia, it would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by Ron Setzer

Sunday, September 23, 2012

SGGS Meeting: Dear Helpdesk: I have German Ancestors – what next?

Here we have an SGGS member Michael Mayer-Kielmann, a native German, and a regular helper at the Elk Grove Family History Center, who, week in and week out, guides family historians along the way toward answers to their research problems. He will share with us his expertise in German research.
Meeting time & location: Tuesday, Sept. 25, beginning at 1 p.m. at St. Marks Methodist Church on Lusk Drive at St. Marks Way, east of the Country Club Plaza Shopping Center (2391 Saint Marks Way, Sacramento). Meetings are held in MacMurdo Hall, on the basement level. An elevator is available. Guests are welcome.
We advise attendees to arrive early, perhaps at 12:30 or even a little earlier, in order to have opportunities 1) to look over the books for sale, 2) to discuss a problem with a “Quick Questions” expert, or 3) to become acquainted with other services that SGGS offers. Admission is free.
You are also welcome to attend the “Study Group,” a small group that meets from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the church's Education Building (second floor, usually in room E-22). People who attend the Study Group discuss ideas and make suggestions for researching specific German ancestors. Admission is free.

We look forward to seeing you!

NOTE: The SGGS website is temporarily down because the server it resided on has permanently given up the ghost. We are in the process of posting the website on a new server. It should be back up very soon.

Submitted by Sacramento German Genealogy Society
Posted by Ron Setzer

Saturday, September 22, 2012

National Archives- Southeast Region FREE Webinar


Isn't it wonderful that someone can now offer a service on the east coast and we on the west coast can take advantage of the service just like we were there. The webinar is catching on and most are FREE. All you need is to register and listen and watch online from your own home. Can't get much better than that?
 
Free Webinar - Monday, October 8th, 2012

The Friends of the National Archives-Southeast Region, Inc., are please to present Doing the Dawes with Kathy Huber.

Kathy Huber, MLS , is the head of the genealogy collection for the Tulsa City-County Library and has a great deal of experience working with records of the Five Civilized Tribes. During this presentation, Kathy, will discuss locating ancestors on the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribe.


Monday, October 8th, 2012

Time: 7:00 pm Eastern

Register now at:  


Note: There is no limit to the number registering for this webinar, but attendance is limited to 100 attendees (the first 100 to sign in to the event will be able to view the live webinar). The webinar will be recorded (if all goes well) and will be placed on the "Members Only" pages of the Friends website

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Upcoming Webinars to be Presented by Illinois State Genealogical Society

Three upcoming webinars were announced today on the Illinois State Genealogical Society blog.  The live version of the webinars are free and open to anyone who registers.  Archived editions of the webinars are open to members only.
For the complete list of upcoming webinars, visit http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=234.
 
Please direct any questions to the ISGS Education Committee at isgseducation@ilgensoc.org.
 
posted by Denise H. Richmond

The WPA: Sources for Your Genealogy presented by Gena Philibert-Ortega

Here's another opportunity to attend a presentation by Gena Philibert Ortega during the coming week!

You are invited to attend this free genealogy program at the Sacramento Central Library, at 828 I Street in Sacramento, this coming Sunday:

The WPA: Sources for Your Genealogy
Speaker: Gena Philibert Ortega
Sunday, September 23, 2012
1:30 - 3:00 pm, in the West Meeting Room, Central Library

Program Description:
As part of the Historical Records Survey, staff of the Works Progress Administration created indexes of historical records across the United States.  Between 1936 and 1943, unemployed teachers, writers, librarians, archivists and clerks earned on average $73 a month with HRS. They visited courthouses, archives, historical societies and libraries to analyze and compile inventories of state and county records, manuscript collections, newspapers and church archives. They got dirty in cemeteries, talked to older citizens and met with archivists and librarians.  Their mission? To conduct a national records survey consisting of guides to every state's manuscript collections and various federal records, plus a coast-to-coast master index of the collections. The project was never completed, and only about 2,000 of the inventories were even published. But much of the work - both published and unpublished - is preserved in a variety of local, state and federal repositories.  Learn more about these records and how they can help you with your research by attending this presentation.

About the Speaker
Gena Philibert Ortega holds a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology and Women's Studies) and a Master's degree in Religion. Presenting on various subjects involving genealogy, Gena has spoken to groups throughout California and in Utah as well as virtually to audiences in the United States and Europe. Gena is the author of over 100 articles published in genealogy newsletters and magazines. Her writings can also be found on her blogs, Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. She is also the author of the books, "Putting the Pieces Together" and the "Cemeteries of the Eastern Sierra" (Arcadia Publishing, 2007). Gena serves as Vice-President for the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Registration for this event is preferred, but if you're not able to register - please come anyway!  You can register by sending an e-mail message to bdaugherty@saclibrary.org<mailto:bdaugherty@saclibrary.org>, by calling the library at 916-264-2920 - or by going to the library's website (www.saclibrary.org<http://www.saclibrary.org>) and clicking on the "Events" link. 

Street parking near Central Library is free on Sundays.

Hope to see you there!

Submitted by Beth Daugherty
Genealogy Services Librarian
Sacramento Public Library - Central
Ph: (916) 264-2979
bdaugherty@saclibrary.org 

posted by Denise H. Richmond

Sacramento Family Search Library Announces November Seminar

The Sacramento Family Search Library (aka Sacramento Family History Center) presents Family: Eternal Keepsakes, a Family History Seminar on November 3, 2012 at the LDS Church, 2745 Eastern Avenue, Sacramento, CA from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm.

This year a free electronic version of the syllabus will be offered.  You will receive the download version approximately two weeks before the seminar.  You can print all of it (or select classes) at home if you like.  If you still want a complete paper syllabus, you may order it during the pre-registration process.

More details are on the website.

Submitted by Linda Lucky and Linda Todd
Posted by Denise H. Richmond

Davis Genealogy Club Program: Remember the Ladies: Researching Female

The Davis Genealogy Club is proud to host well-known genealogist,  author, blogger, and speaker from Southern California, Gena Philibert- Ortega to discuss, "Remember the Ladies: Researching Female Ancestors", on Monday, Sept. 24th. The meeting starts at 1 p.m. at the  Davis Senior Center, 646 A Street in  Davis.  All are welcome. For more, visit: www.davisgenealogy.org.

About the Program
Tracing the women in a family tree can be a challenge, since historically, most women didn't leave the same type of paper trail that men typically did. This presentation covers several little-known methods for seeking these elusive ancestors. Understanding a woman’s community and her historical era become important tools in the search for documents. Sources to be explored in this lecture go beyond sparse government papers, and into the realm of libraries, archives, manuscript collections and some female-specific resources.

About the Speaker
Gena Philibert-Ortega holds a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Master's degree in Religion. She has spoken to groups throughout the U.S. and to virtual audiences worldwide. The author of hundreds of articles in genealogy magazines, newsletters, and her own blogs, Philibert-Ortega has also written  several books including the recently published, "From the Family Kitchen: Discover Your Food Heritage and Preserve Family Recipes". Philibert-Ortega has written and taught several courses for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies; she currently serves as vice-president of the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and as a director of the California State Genealogical Alliance. Gena's current research interests include social history, community cookbooks, signature quilts, and researching women's lives, and she specializes in the nineteenth century and the Civil War.

Submitted by Lisa Henderson
Posted by Denise H. Richmond

Monday, September 17, 2012

"Uncle Sam"

September 7, 1813, the United States gets its nickname, Uncle Sam. The name is linked to Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812. Wilson (1766-1854) stamped the barrels with "U.S." for United States, but soldiers began referring to the grub as "Uncle Sam's." The local newspaper picked up on the story and Uncle Sam eventually gained widespread acceptance as the nickname for the U.S. federal government.

.......... from History.com

posted by Sandra Gardner Benward

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Writer Wanted for Der Blumenbaum

Der Blumenbaum is interested in hearing from people who like the kind of work we do in our Sacramento German Genealogy Society – and who would be eager to present, in writing, useful and interesting articles to be read by amateur, as well as practiced, German family historians.

We are looking for –
  • A writing style, the success of which is measured by readers’ eagerness to read the content
  • Some knowledge of (and some passion for) German family history and culture
  • An understanding of the needs, questions, confusions, and expectations of a membership that is highly diverse in its knowledge of and familiarity with German genealogy
  • A firm understanding that potential readers, many of whom might prefer to be watching TV or lying on the beach, need to be courted, sometimes strenuously, before they will read a specialized quarterly journal
  • The writer’s ability to use a computer
We are not looking for –
  • A journalistically fine presentation of material that is out of step with the interests and needs of our members
  • Case studies“Folksy” stories
  • Writers who yearn to be published more than they yearn to be read
What is the compensation?
  • The pay is negotiable. It would increase to the degree that readers respect and admire the product
  • We would hope for an eventual outcome whereby the writer would enter into a contract, the compensation for which would be determined for a specific time period
  • Well-read material earns higher dollars.
Those interested may contact: SGGS, P.O. Box 660061, Sacramento, CA 95866-0061, or email: sggsinfo@gmail.com.

Submitted by the Sacramento German Genealogical Society
Posted by Denise H. Richmond

2nd Annual Sacramento Archives Crawl

In a press release dated September 4, 2012, details were provided about "Rarely-Seen Historic Treasures on Special Display for [the] 2nd Annual “Sacramento Archives Crawl” on October 6".

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (September 4, 2012) – In celebration of National Archives Month this October, archives and special collections libraries from throughout the region will showcase their rarely-seen holdings during the 2nd Annual “Sacramento Archives Crawl” on Saturday, October 6. Free and open to the public, the theme for the event this year is Building Sacramento, Building Communities and crawl participants can expect to see a wide range of historic materials documenting the growth of the region. Showcasing historic treasures from twenty-two Northern California institutions, special artifacts will be on display at four host locations including the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Center for Sacramento History, and the Sacramento Public Library. Due to the popularity of the first-year effort in 2011, “Sacramento Archives Crawl” event hours are expanded this year to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Read entire press release for more details.

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society will once again participate as an exhibitor at the Sacramento Archives Crawl.  Sammie Hudgens, Library Chairperson, will lead a delegation of members staffing the exhibit and orienting "crawlers" to the Root Cellar Genealogical Library located at the California State Archives, 4th floor.   The Library contains over 5,000 volumes from nearly every state and many countries.  There are more than 150 books on California alone, including the 1890 Great Registers for the whole state, gold rush history and northern California county histories. Also available for reading and purchase are several publications containing data that Root Cellar members have extracted from local records held at the Center for Sacramento History on subjects including coroner's records, state militia, state prison convicts and cemeteries.

Press release submitted by Pat Johnson
posted by Denise H. Richmond

Annual Erntedankfest ?


Annual Erntedankfest will be held on Sunday, September 23, 3 to 6 p.m.

 

What's an Erntedankfest? It's a very old German celebration of a successful harvest, a celebration that continues even today in Germany.
 
Do you have German ancestry? You may be interested in attending, finding out a little more about the German people and customs. 

Our guests will enjoy not only the truly German-style meal, but will also come away with reminders of the lives of our German-ancestor farmers, who had every reason to celebrate their assurance of another year's food supply, based on the fruits of the year's harvest.

 

DETAILS:

What: An Erntedankfest (harvest celebration), including a German full-course dinner

When: Sunday, September 23, 3 to 6 p.m. (no entry after 3:30 p.m)

Where: In the Banquet Hall of the Sacramento Turn Verein, 3349 J Street, Sacramento (95816)

The dinner: German Harvest Dinner, includes dessert and coffee/tea (other beverages extra)

Cost: $20 per person, paid at the door. (Children 10 and under:  $10)

Also: Please bring canned goods or a monetary donation for the Sacramento Food Bank

....... submitted by Shirley Reimer

posted by Sandra Gardner Benward

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Roseville Genealogical Society Meeting

Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Maidu Senior Center, 1550 Maidu Dr., Roseville, CA
Meeting 1-3 pm
Program: USCIS Genealogy vs NARA Records
(US Citizenship & Immigration Srvc va Nat'l Archives & Records Administration
Speaker: Lynn G. Brown

Lynn has been a Family Historian for over 35 years and offers an extensive background in both Computer Skills and Genealogy Research.
She has a Masters Degree in Recreation Administration specializing in Non-Profit Organizations and Alternative Education with an extended Degrees in Electronics and Telecommunications.
She retired from the Administrative branch of the Girl Scouting in 1980, and then embarked into the careers with AT&T, and US Army Reserves, retiring from both in 2001. Lynn made a new career helping others with their genealogy research projects. Currently she is a volunteer with the Sacramento Family History Center as a librarian, supervisor, and recently has retired from the Folsom-Cordova and San Juan School districts teaching Computerized Genealogy.
Lynn has been lecturing to Genealogy groups throughout the Central Valley and Bay Area communities since 2004, covering a large variety of genealogical topics promoting researching and publishing Family History in the computer age.
Please sign in at the senior desk and also at our table.
Everyone welcome. Hope to see you there.

Submitted by Helen Astill
Posted by Ron Setzer

Friday, September 7, 2012

Saturday September 8 we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Sylvan Cemetery. There will be walking tours of that historical portion of the cemetery, cake, cookies and drinks plus a raffle. We will also be asking for donation for the new bell tower that will be constructed next year. Please come and join us. The board of trustees will all be dressed in 1860's period clothing. If you would like to dress up as well, please do. The fun starts at 11:00 am and runs until 3:00. We have a great city with a great history - be part of this event. Invite your friends and neighbors.

Submitted by Jim Monteton
Sylvan Cemetery Board of Trustees

Posted by Ron Setzer

Thursday, September 6, 2012

14th Annual Family History Day (FHD) at the California State Archives on Saturday, October 13, 2012

Family History Day is a FREE day for the public to learn the basics of genealogical research from the experts. The event will have the following seminars and activities. 

  • “Insider” Tours of the State Archives.
  • Keynote: Genealogy Basics – the Constant Companion of the Family Historian by Lisa B. Lee. Armories & Ordinaries: Coats of Arms for Genealogists by Sebastian Nelson.
  • Beginning Genealogy - The trip of a Lifetime! by Glenda G. Lloyd.
  • Carved in Stone: Cemetery Research by Pamela Dallas.
  • Census Records - The Backbone of American Genealogy by Glenda G. Lloyd.
  • Conducting Original Research by Barbara Leak.
  • Eastern European Research Parts 1 & 2 by Lynn Brown.
  • Family History Center – Your Local Genealogy Resource by Ed Lucky.
  • Family History Software Comparison by Marian Kile, Linda Lucky & Linda Todd.
  • Finding Gold(stein) - Jewish Genealogy 101 by Victoria Fisch & Jeremy Frankel.
  • Finding Your Black Ancestors, an Introduction by Lisa B. Lee.
  • Genealogy Research - as Close as Your Genealogical Society by Gwen Myers & Cat Nielsen.
  • Introduction to FamilySearch.org by Dan Peay.
  • Introduction to German Research by Shirley Riemer.
  • Introduction to the USGenWeb.org Project by Joy Fisher.
  • Introduction to Using Maps for Genealogical Research by Melinda Kashuba.
  • Meet Ancestors in your Mailbox: Correspondence in your Mailbox by Pamela Dallas.
  • Panels – “Libraries & Archives” & “Online Resources”.
  • State Archives Preservation Lab Tours by Juan Ramos & Kevin Turner.
  • Unclutter! By Cath Madden Trindle.
  • Using Genealogical Forms, or keeping your genealogy out of the Dumpster by Melinda Kashuba.
  • Using Google in your Genealogical Research by Linda Todd.

Family History Day
California State Archives
1020 “O” Street, Sacramento
Saturday, October 13, 2012
8:30am - 4:30pm
Posted by Ron Setzer

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Living History Celebration of News of California Statehood


The Elk Grove Historical Society with the Elk Grove Native Sons of the Golden West Parlor #41 invite you to the First Annual Living History Celebration of the News of Statehood. Of course you all remember that September 9th 1850 the United States Congress passed the resolution of Statehood for California, but did you know that it took until October for the residence of California to find this out.(California was given official statehood by Congress on September 9, 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850. Thirty eight days later the Pacific Mail Steamship SS Oregon brought word to San Francisco on October 18, 1850 that California was now the 31st state—there was a bang up celebration that lasted for weeks.)

Join us at 9941 East Stockton Blvd.(the Elk Grove Regional Park) and see the 1950 Elk Grove Stage Stop, the Jail that formerly was on a barge in the Sacramento river in 1850 and lots more history in the museum. FREE ADMISSION to our event, but the Giant Pumpkin Festival is also occurring at the same time and they charge to get into the park. Our parking lot is free to visitors of the celebration, so bring the kids, grand children and enjoy a historical time with the family and take part in History with a fun day at the festival too.

Submitted by Jim Entrican
Posted by Ron Setzer

Monday, September 3, 2012

Support the Sacramento History Foundation for the Center for Sacramento History



UNTAPPED 

SACRAMENTO HISTORY

The Sacramento History Foundation Presents
A Behind the Scenes Look at
Sacramento's Brewing Heritage
Inside the Vault of the Center for Sacramento History
Featuring Ed Carroll
Author of "Sacramento Breweries"
Featured Breweries
Ruhstaller * Track 7 * Two Rivers Cider
Tickets $35
Includes 2 pints in a complimentary pint glass
Additional pints may be purchased for $5
Posted by Ron Setzer

Follow The Ancestry Insider


As mentioned in previous blogs, The Ancestry Insider is a blog you should follow if you are interested in the latest news from Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. It is billed as "the unofficial, unauthorized view" of these genealogical websites, and it "reports on, defends, and constructively criticizes these two websites and associated topics."

In The Ancestry Insider's August 29 blog, it was announced that FamilySearch has started a new Post-1940 Community Project.

Quoting from the blog–
FamilySearch recently issued this announcement:
North American Indexing Volunteers Invited to Join New US Immigration & Naturalization Community Project
More than 160,000 volunteer indexers made the 1940 U.S. Census available for searching in just five months. The project was an unprecedented success that dramatically illustrated what the genealogical community can accomplish when united in a common cause.
Now many volunteers are turning their attention to the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Community Project, an indexing effort to make passenger lists, naturalization records, and other immigration related records freely searchable online. Hundreds of thousands of North American volunteers are expected to contribute over the next 18-24 months, focusing initially on passenger lists from the major US ports.
Individuals, societies and other groups that want to participate should visit familysearch.org/immigration to learn more.

If the news from Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org appeals to you, you should subscribe to the Ancestry Insider. And if you are interested in helping index immigration records, sign up at FamilySearch.org to be a volunteer indexer. It is one of those great "give-back" experiences.

Posted by Ron Setzer

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Southern California Genealogical Society Announces Upcoming Webinars

Register today for the upcoming FREE webinars sponsored by the Southern California Genealogical Society. The webinars are open to the public and the original webcast is free to all.
If you can't make one of the scheduled sessions, remember that members of the Southern California Genealogical Society can view archived sessions at any time, day or night, from the convenience of home. A one-year single membership in SCGS is only $35, which gives you access to the webinar archive. In addition, SCGS members enjoy at-home use of AccessNewspaperARCHIVE.com. Add in the quarterly Searcher, discounts for research assistance, products and Jamboree, and you have already taken full advantage of your membership dues. What a great deal!
For membership information to go http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/benefit-memb.htm

Upcoming webinars: Click the link or copy and paste it into your browser to register.
Saturday, September 1, 2012 - 10am to 11:30am Pacific Time https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/919094528 "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker. Researching Your Ancestors' Occupations" Denise Spurlock Labor Day Special: It's likely not all your ancestors were farmers. This session will explore strategies for researching how your ancestors made a living: what they did, where, why, and for whom.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - 6pm to 7:30pm Pacific Time https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/131676584 "Playground Rules for Genealogy on the Internet" Janet Hovorka The internet creates an exciting gathering place where we can find distant cousins and fast friends to help us research our family tree. It's never too late to play by the rules and have fun. Be sure to follow these three basic safety rules and you'll have a great time.

Saturday, October 6, 2012 - 10am to 11:30am Pacific Time https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/619490537 "Hark! That Tombstone is Talking to Me!" Linda Woodward Geiger, CG You CAN get blood from a stone. Learn about wringing the tombstone dry and learning more about your ancestors.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - 6pm to 7:30pm Pacific Time (NOTICE: DATE CHANGE) https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/203104769 "Online Resources for Colonial America" D. Joshua Taylor Discover web sites, online databases, university projects, online archives, and other resources for researching your Colonial American ancestors online. Learn how to use Early American Imprints, JSTOR, and other resources.

Submitted by Paula Hinkel
Posted by Ron Setzer

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Final Day of the FGS Conference in Birmingham Alabama

Final day has come and gone. You could feel the urgency in the air. Attendees were making their choices for sessions trying to fit in lunch and the exhibit hall. Attendees wanted to make those last minute purchases, some going to the Birmmingham Library  (but ooops it is raining today), some wanted to take advantage of the many exhibitors programs that are free to use on the exhibit floor. The last day of the conference.... wow it was Tuesday and a travel day to Birmingham but now the conference is over and I have my boarding pass in hand, packing my bags and waiting for the morning and another travel day back home....... I really have to say I am on overload and tired, but anxious to do some of my own research too.

While down in the hotel lobby mid afternoon getting my boarding pass, I thought there were dozens of folks checking out or so I thought OH NO at least 50 + people were checking in ...... something about a football game tonight. Turns out it was Alabama vs Michigan. boy they were all really fired up and ready to go.

First session: Overlooked Research Sources: A Gold Mine to be Discovered with Christine Ann Staley.... well alot of the resources are ones that we hear about alot of the time but how many of us are using them or even browsing... Library of Congress catalog and the American Memory Progect,  Digital Collections for just a couple of things. Daughtersof the American Revcolution's,  resources, Check with local Univerisity Library's. Look through Google Books, City Directories and look at all sections. US GenWeb, Linkpendium and much more.

Second session: Timelining Your Ancestor with our good friend George Morgan.........  I love timelines and anything I can do to improve and make it more useful I will do. Organizing information into a chronological biographical profile can help to begin to recognize character trails and patterns...... What a great session, with really helpfull information. Lots of questions , comments and sharing of informaiton. So when you get your timelines of each ancestor done, you will see where you need to do more research, where source citations are missing.  AND now you can travel with this updated useful file whether it is on a thumb drive or it is in paper form.

Next session: Thinking Outside the Index: Internet Search Techniques with Elissa Scalise Powell....... well Elissa really nailed it..... you really need to think outside the index boxx .. some people do not have alot of paper trail because there just isn't any or very few ... so looking at other family members and neighbors. A name is spelled 47 differenct ways, now this seems to be a very familar problem.... do some searches using boolean search, or use the  * in place of up to 6 characters,  and there are others.  But don't close your mind to so many variations, be open to all spellings - widen your search to FAN (family, associates, and neighbors), search on first name only, search on last name only,  reverse the first and last names in your search. Try something new. Have you tried searching with Mocavo.com.

LUNCH: one my own today... a simple hot dog or two, NO chips available, water and shop through the Exhibit Hall.  A little personal researrch time  on the computers from FamilySearch, Fold3, and Ancestry. Polished off a couple of batches on indexing at the Family Search indexing stations.  Updated my brothers DNA swatch with FamilyTreeDNA from 37 markers to 67.  I am ready for lots of hits. Upgraded my  DH also. Left my sons DNA at 37for now since he is not getting any hits yet.

Next session: Speaking from the Grave: Exploring Probate Records with Sharon Tate Moody........... this was real fast paced and cover alot with so much more that could not be covered. Statutory Law to Common Law , Probate files, testate to intesate, executors, quick claim deeds, maybe no probate because there was no land/property or they may have deeded  property and/or land before passing away.  You really have to understand the terminlogy and the process before you can really feel comfortable going to the court house or whereever it is that probate records are kept.

Next session: Doing Scottish Research in a Computer World with Dean J. Hunter........... this was the second session I was really looking forward too. My dad's line comes out of Glasglow Scotland but I have not had any luck in my research yet. I was not too excited about the presentation but thee was good information. The  National Archivess of Scotland (NAS) and the General Register of Scotland (GROS) have combined together to form the National Records of Scotland (NRS). Each website is still separate but will be combined soon. Their records or alot of them and more each day are available on a website called ScotlandsPeople maintained by brightsolid company. It is a paid site, you pay so much for so maany credits and then you can view and download documents. The site does keep track of what you have done, what documents you have paid for and those are always avaialaable to you at no further cost. Hunter said that your credits are good for a year, and then they go away, but if you come back and buy more credits the old unsued ones come back to you also. I am not totally clear about what you pay for and waht is free but I am sure I will learn very quickly. I have heard alot about this website and it was all good. Looking forward to doing the research for my Scottish line.

and LAST session of the day and the conference: Facebook for Genealogists with Thomas MacEntee (who else??) .....what a kick Thomas is!! Facebook is a webbased social media website. While he was showing us his place on Facebook, he sent out a message to his followers to come and say hi to his class. AND come they did, message came in from all over the world. There is the power off one. Thomas showed how to set up a facebood account and set up a simple page, security settings, groups, friends, unfriending, what not to do, and adding more pages....  very cool.
Did you know if you follow your favorite stores and companies on Facebook and LIKE them they offer special discounts for Facebook followers only.

It is now after 6pm and I am in my room  on the 16th floor just long enough to catch my breathe, freshen up abit and off to dinner with Dick Eastman and 40 or so of his closest and dearest friends.  What a great dinner.... catfish, fried chicken and bbq ribs with all the trimmings, plus salad and dessert. Excellent. Dick gave away a number of great gifts .... fllip pal, a couple of gift certificates to JustaJoy.com family heirloom exchange(I need to check this outm, sounds like a great placeand a great idea), a ipod touch- none coming home with me but that is ok.  

It is now over but now I am looking forward to putting all this new and renewed knowledge to work when I get home...... I hope you enjoyed these days with me at the Federation of Genealogical Society's 2012 Conference (FGS) all straight from Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center in Birmingham Alabama.Sorry no pictures this time around.

posted for your pleasure by Sandra Gardner Benward