Wednesday, April 30, 2008

"Organizing Your Files" Program by Audrey Potterton

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society program today was "Organizing Your Files" by Audrey Potterton, whose biography and talk summary were given here. As you can see, Audrey has a lot of experience in doing genealogy research, and has lived through both the "paper era" and the "computer era."

Audrey brought some of her research notebooks as examples. She is a believer in taking your pedigree charts and the family group sheet books for the families that you are presently researching to the repository. She once had 45 notebooks that contained the Family Group Sheets for each family, with the supporting documents with annotated sources. She condensed these notebooks to 4 notebooks with narrative reports (typed in a word processor) with sources noted for all ancestral families, but she kept the documents only for the research in her four grandparent's surnames. She has created CD-ROMs with the narrative reports and supporting data for each family branch for her children and grandchildren.

Audrey had many suggestions for organizing your genealogy files based on her own experience, including:

* Fill out Family Group Sheets for every family that you are researching. Use the landscape FGS form so that the dates are in columns down the page.

* Use 5-generation Pedigree Charts to identify ancestors, and keep them in numerical order (i.e., charts #2 through 17 are pedigree charts for the persons numbered #1 through #16 on the first pedigree chart, and so on).

* On the Pedigree Charts and Family Group Sheets, highlight in non-photo color the names, dates and places that you have proved. That way, you know what you need to prove.

* Cross-reference the people on the Pedigree Charts on the Family Group Sheets so that you can find them quickly in your files.

* Collect your documents by surname. If a document covers more than one surname, make a copy of the document for each surname.

* Label on the back of each document the source citation including the page number, the repository where it was found, and the surnames it applies to.

* Put the records found or searched for on the back of the Family Group Sheets - include positive and negative results.

* Put all documents in the notebook or file folder for each surname along with the Family Group Sheets.

* Take correspondence out of the envelopes, lay them flat, and put contact information on the back of the correspondence pages.

* Make all notes on 8.5 x 11 paper. Don't use small papers that can be easily lost.

* Make lists of the research items that you need, and where you might find them.

* Create indexes for items of interest for specific surnames - especially for deeds, probates, tax lists, etc.

* Make lists of things to read - books, periodicals, how-to articles, etc.

* Find resources in the Family History Library Catalog and note the resource, the film or fiche number, the library call number, etc. Order microfilms and microfiches to read and copy at the FHC.

* When you are researching, use all of your resources to establish what you know and have proved, and work from there to find additional resources.

* The Internet does not have every record available online. For instance, land deeds, probate records, tax lists church records, cemetery surveys, etc. are not well covered in online databases.

* You cannot trust family tree data submitted by other researchers to Internet databases.

* The Family History Library in Salt Lake City will not take paper collections any longer - they will take only bound books, works on CDROM, and family tree databases in GEDCOM format.

There is a lot of wisdom in those observations and opinions, and they generated a lot of questions from the audience.

This was a helpful presentation, especially for the many researchers just starting out in their lifetime work. For experienced researchers, it was an encouragement that the massive files can be managed and even pared down judiciously, but you really need to document all of the records found for each family and put them in a narrative format for each family so that your research can be passed to your posterity and other researchers.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Book: Images of America Chula Vista

A book of historical photographs of Chula Vista was recently written by Frank M. Roseman and Peter J. Watry, Jr. titled Images of America: Chula Vista, published by Arcadia Publishing, March 2008. The photographs were obtained from the Chula Vista Public Library and Chula Vista Historical Museum collections.

The book is absolutely beautiful! It sells for $19.99 retail at the Historical Museum, or on Arcadia's web site. I saw it on http://www.amazon.com/ for less than $16. Here's the front cover:



The back cover description reads:
"CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA
"In 1868, Frank Kimball and his brothers purchased a 26,000-acre Mexican land grant rancho in the San Diego area. The area comprised the present-day communities of National City, Bonita, and the western half of Chula Vista. Kimball developed National City first and secured a branch of the Santa Fe Railway. The railroad company financed the building of nearby Sweetwater Dam, thus allowing the development of Chula Vista in 1888 as a planned agricultural community. Chula Vista remained as planned until World War II when the arrival of Rohr Aircraft Corporation caused a population boom that would continue even after the war, creating the desirable 'bedroom community' that Chula Vista is today."

I attended the book selling and book signing at the Library tonight. Frank Roseman and Peter Watry gave short talks on their involvement with the book which were interesting. I hope that CVGS will have a Chula Vista History program one of these months.

Friday, April 25, 2008

CVGS Program on Wednesday, 30 April

Our next CVGS general society meeting is on Wednesday, 30 April at 12 noon in the Auditorium of the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library. After a short business meeting, the speaker will be Audrey Potterton on "Organizing Your Files."

The program announcement:

You cannot do a complete job of research if you are not organized! Audrey started with a simple system that has followed her through all these years of research. If you feel "buried" in facts and don't know where to put it all, Audrey will try to help!

Audrey Potterton was raised in Chula Vista and attended CV High School. She has been married 54 years, has two sons and 4 grandchildren. Experiencing "empty nest syndrome" when her sons were grown, she went to the 10th St. LDS library with only her grandparents names, read some census records and got "hooked" on genealogy! After a year, she volunteered at the library and now has been there every Tuesday for 25 years cataloging film and fiche. She taught beginners classes for 20 years, and after completing her genealogy research, turned professional!

When you come to the meeting, please enter through the Conference Room door to sign in, pick up the handouts, buy an opportunity drawing ticket and have a snack. At 12:15 p.m., we'll move into the Auditorium to start the program.

Chula Vista History meeting on 28 April

I received this via email from the Chula Vista Library --

On Monday night, April 28 at 6:30 p.m., the Chula Vista Public Library is pleased to present an evening of local history. Please join us in the library's auditorium for a panel presentation of local authors, historians and community leaders for an informative discussion on:

* the upcoming Historic Home Tour (May 10)
* the founding of Chula Vista History Museum, and its current exhibit
* the creation of the library's historic photo mural
* two oral history projects, capturing local stories from the folks who lived them
* author signing of the new Chula Vista History book!

Books will be available for purchase, along with calendars, historic photos, and more. Proceeds benefit the Library, the Museum, and CV historic preservation projects.

The book referred to is by Frank Roseman and Peter J. Watry titled "Images of America: Chula Vista." It is published by Arcadia Publishing, and costs $19.99.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Social Security Death Index - getting an SS5 application

Did you know that you could write to the Social Security Administration and request the application that your family member submitted to Social Security Administration in order to receive a Social Security card?

All you need is your family member's Social Security number. If s/he is listed in the Social Security Death Index on Rootsweb - at http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ - you can click on a link to have a letter written for you with all of the correct information.

For instance, I put my grandfather's name, Lyle Carringer, into the SSDI blanks on Rootsweb, and under the Tools heading is a link called "SS-5 Letter." I clicked on that and the following letter was generated by the site:

--------------------------------
Date of request: 19 Apr 2008

Social Security Administration
OEO FOIA Workgroup
300 N. Green Street
P.O. Box 33022
Baltimore, Maryland 21290-3022

Please send me a photocopy of the actual application for a Social Security card (Form SS-5--Social Security Number Record Third Party Request for Photocopy) filed by the person listed below.

I obtained this information from the Social Security Death Master file at RootsWeb.com, Inc. who obtained it from the Social Security Death Master file, originally compiled by the Social Security Administration.

My understanding is that the fee is $27, when the Social Security number is provided or $29 if the Social Security number is unknown or incorrect. Enclosed is a check or money order for $___________, made payable to the Social Security Administration.

Thank you for your assistance.

CARRINGER, LYLE
553-10-9373
Birth: 02 Nov 1891
Death: Nov 1976

Sincerely,

Name:
Address:
Daytime Phone Number:

---------------------------------------

You could print this letter off from the web site and hand write in the information, or copy and paste it into a word processing file and fill in the blanks, save it and print it off, sign it, write a check and put it in the mail.

Even if your person is not in the SSDI, you can copy the letter above, or create the letter on your word processor, and substitute what you know about your person in the letter - if you know their SS number.

It's really very easy to do. I'm amazed by how few people do it.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Genealogy News for April

Here is the genealogy news for April that I passed to my CVGS colleagues by email today. I usually present this at the monthly Research Group meeting, but I wasn't present last week for the meeting.

1. INTERESTING GENEALOGY WEB SITES

* The FamilySearch Record Search web site has completed imaging and indexing of more databases. You can find these at http://labs.familysearch.org. One only needs to sign in using a valid email address, and then you have always free access to FamilySearch’s. DearMYRTLE has a list of the databases at http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2008/04/new-records-search-interface-at-labs.html

* Chronicling America (http://www.loc.gov/chroniclingamerica/), is enhancing access to America's historic newspapers. This site allows you to search and view newspaper pages from 1897-1910 for California, District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Utah, and Virginia, and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.

* www.germanoriginality.com, a Web site for German American heritage, is brought to you by the German National Tourist Office and the German Information Center USA. www.germanoriginality.com extends an invitation to Americans from all walks of life to come visit and learn about the contribution Americans of German ancestry have made to the social fabric, culture and economy of the United States – and to discover Germany "as it was… and is today."

* UK National Archives has Research Guides at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/gettingstarted/in_depth_guides.htm for Family History, Local History, Latin and Palaeography.

* http://alexanderstreet.com/resources/civilwar.access.htm has free access to some of the most popular Alexander Street Collections. Through April 30, 2008 you can explore three of our Civil War databases with no restrictions. As a bonus, we are also offering free access to two streaming music collections, which contain songs from the Civil War era.

2. NEW GENEALOGY DATABASES

a) at www.Ancestry.com - subscription site (US = $155.40, World = $299.40) - now available for FREE at San Diego FHC (Institution with World databases) or Chula Vista Public Library (Ancestry Library Edition). See new content at http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/recent.aspx. New databases include:

* www.Ancestry.ca, Canada’s leading family history website, today announced the online launch of the fully searchable indexes for the historic Drouin Collection, which contains Quebec records spanning 346 years from 1621 to 1967. Starting with 29 million names for the years 1850 to 1967, the indexes will include 37 million names in baptism, marriage and burial records, and also a compilation of church records from Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and various New England states, when complete in mid-2008.

* Ancestry.co.uk has posted 3 million names of slaves held across the British Empire in the early 19th century, putting hundreds of thousands of pages of searchable information online to help slaves' descendants research their past. The project uses registers that the British government created between 1813 and 1834 in an effort to stamp out the slave trade by ensuring plantation owners did not buy new slaves. Information from about 700 registers from 23 British territories and dependencies include Information available on these records includes: name of owner, parish of residence, name, gender, age, and nationality of slave.

* The U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918, are now available.

* Many South Carolina databases (Charleston County Wills, 1671-1868; SC Naturalization Records, 1783-1850; Will Indexes for SC counties)

* Persons naturalized at the Port of Philadelphia PA, 1800-1819.


* Pennsylvania German passenger arrivals at the port of Philadelphia, 1727-1808.

b) at www.WorldVitalRecords.com - subscription site (US = $49.95 for 2 years, World = $149.95) -- now available for FREE at the San Diego FHC. Over 6,500 databases, 1 billion names. Recent content at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/recentcontentlisting.aspx. New items FREE at WVR for 10 days. New databases include:

* 1.7 million records from three key partners: British Origins, Eneclann Ltd. New Publications, and the Ryerson Death Index.

* 80 databases from the Godfrey Memorial Library collection and contains family histories, pedigrees and memoirs.


* 87 databases provided by the Genealogical Publishing Company. These databases are excellent resources for people researching immigrants who came to America during its early colonial days and its infancy as a nation. There are also a number of resources for Ireland, Canada, Barbados, Germany and England.

* www.FindMyPast.com , a family history and genealogy website based in London, England, containing over 550 million family history records recently announced its partnership with FamilyLink.com, Inc. to bring UK Censuses online at WorldVitalRecords.com


* Many Family history books added

c) at www.Footnote.com - subscription site ($59.96 annual retail, $7.95 monthly) - now available for FREE at San Diego FHC, they offer 7-day FREE trial. 322 Titles, over 31 million images, 1 million free. Content list at http://www.footnote.com/documents.php. Information added this month includes:.


* Passport applications 1795-1905 from NARA. This series consists of letters and form applications for passports. Included with the typical application are supporting letters and affidavits from friends and relatives concerning the applicant's citizenship, residence, and character. The letter or application also contains information regarding the applicant's immediate family, date and place of birth and (if foreign) of naturalization, occupation or business, and physical characteristics. Images are alphabetical by surname.

* A partnership with SmallTownPapers, Inc. adds millions of pages of historical newspapers to the site. The SmallTownPapers Collection details the lives and histories of people and events across the United States.


* An online interactive photo of the Vietnam War Memorial. In addition to releasing this unique version of the Wall, it enables visitors to search the Wall for people they know and pay tribute by adding photos, comments and stories of those who lost their lives during the Vietnam conflict. The Interactive Viet Nam Veterans Memorial is now visible to everyone at no charge.

d) at www.GenealogyBank.com - subscription site (trial $9.95 for one month, $69.95 for 12 months). It has archives for 2,400 U.S. newspapers in all 50 states, from the 1600s to the present day, with over 224 million family history records, 27 million obituaries, more than 115 million historical newspaper articles, and more than 11,000 historical books. Each article is a single digital image that can be printed and preserved for family scrapbooks.

e) at www.FindMyPast.com - a UK subscription site (30 days 14.95 pounds, 12 months 89.95 pounds, also pay-per-view options) offers England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland databases.


* Completed its project to scan and index the complete set of outbound passenger lists for long-distance voyages from all British ports between 1890 and 1960. Working in association with The National Archives of the United Kingdom, the project scanned 1.1 million full color individual pages In total 24 million passengers are recorded travelling between these dates.

3. GENEALOGY EDUCATION


* The NGS Conference in the States and Family History Fair is being held in Kansas City, Missouri from 14-17 May 2008. To download a full PDF of the conference brochure go to: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/2008NGSRegistrationbrochure.pdf. Preregistration discounts end March 31.

* The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is June 27-29, 2008 in Burbank. See www.scgsgenealogy.com for more information.

* Wholly Genes, Inc., of Columbia, Maryland, the creator of The Master Genealogist software program, announced the lecture series for the 4th annual Genealogy Conference and Cruise, October 26-November 2, 2008, the largest genealogy conference on the seas. See http://www.whollygenes.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?screen=CRUISE


* The RootsMagic cruise is September 28 - October 5, 2008 on the Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas. The $50 per person early-bird discount on this year's RootsMagic Cruise was extended to the end of April. For more information on this year's RootsMagic Cruise, visit: http://www.RootsMagicCruise.com.

* Jana Sloan Broglin CG has published two books, entitled "Hookers, Crooks, and Kooks," Parts 1 and 2. One of her specialties is focusing on those "other people" in the family tree. You know the ones: those who were not fine, upstanding pillars of the community. We all have such people in our family trees although perhaps our older relatives didn't mention them when we were growing up.


* Roots Television announced Roots Central, a free advertising outlet for genealogical societies and organizations. See http://www.rootstelevision.com/submit-roots-central.php. Through Roots Central, non-profit genealogical organizations can advertise upcoming events, speaking schedules, new projects, and anything else of genealogical interest. Simply submit your information, and any accompanying graphics, to rootscentral@rootstelevision.com.

* ProGenealogists has posted a list of the Top 50 most popular Genealogy related web sites at www.progenealogists.com/top50genealogy2008.htm.


* Family Tree Magazine, Kids Edition. This online magazine (http://kids.familytreemagazine.com/?cpn=wvrnewsletter) children in genealogically-based activities, teaching at a younger age how to start. The basics are the same as for beginning adults, but written for a level that older children can understand.

* The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is currently digitizing selected books from their print collection of over 11 million volumes. See http://illinoisharvest.grainger.uiuc.edu/digitized_books.asp.


4. ANNOUNCEMENTS

* www.Rootsweb.com web pages will be moved into the Ancestry domain. The Generations Network has hosted and funded the RootsWeb online community since June 2000, thereby maintaining RootsWeb as the world’s oldest and largest free genealogy website. This move will not change the RootsWeb experience or alter the ease of navigation to or within RootsWeb. RootsWeb will remain a free online experience. What will be different is that the Web address for all RootsWeb pages will change from www.rootsweb.com to www.rootsweb.ancestry.com. The stated reason was to increase Ancestry domain traffic statistics and thereby increase advertising rates. The RootsWeb experience is not changing. However, many USGenWeb pages have migrated away from the Rootsweb/Ancestry domain.

* www.Ancestry.com recently became aware of three websites purporting to allow family history research: SearchYourGenealogy.com, Ancestry-search.com and Australian-Ancestry.com. The sites claim to have “the largest online genealogical search tool” and promote themselves as the foremost resources for genealogy, but from what we can tell, these sites are nothing more than a series of web pages with links to other services. These sites, in Ancestry's opinion, are clearly fraudulent.


* The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) (http://apgen.org) has written a position paper (http://apgen.org/publications/press/APG-KGROW.pdf) that makes the case for open vital records, the paper contends that there is no proof that open records significantly contribute to ID theft or terrorism. It also asserts that open records are rarely used by identification thieves and maintains that the benefit of open access to records far outweighs any potential abuse. APG has joined forces with other genealogical organizations in calling on legislators to keep records open.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

CVGS Research Group Meeting on 9 April

The Research Group met at noon on 9 April. John Finch conducted the meeting in the absence of Randy Seaver. In attendance were 9 CVGS members. The meeting began with around the table introductions and everyone describing their respective level and focus of family history research. A range of experience from just a month to that of many years was present.

John displayed a 15 generation chart to illustrate, that even the seasoned researcher has numerous gaps family lines. A 15 generation chart my be obtained at: http://www.sgenealogy.com/

A review of recent data added or updated at ancestry.com reveals a significant increase in vital statistics for the state of Pennsylvania, to include the Colonial Period and a free index England and Wales, FreeBMD, 1837-1983. This site was recommended by June Hanson, our March guest speaker. Another site new at Ancestry is the U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918. These lists include property taxes and business taxes. If your ancestor owned a small business, he or she may show up on these tax lists. Not all states have been included as yet.

Myrna presented her research problem. She has had difficulty finding Elizabeth Root before her marriage. Elizabeth was born 26 July 1784 in Westfield or Westford, Connecticut and died 26 November 1877 in Sandusky County, Ohio. She was married twice, to David Camp with an issue of eleven children. After David’s death she married Francis Holton. During her lifetime she resided in Vermont, New York and Ohio

Suggestions included looking to Vermont, New York and Ohio records; checking with local genealogical and/or historical societies in these areas; check for any community publications contemporary to her time and to Google the name for other posted data.

This final piece of advice seemed to be the best. Myrna reported later that day that she was able to discover a book, History of the Western Reserve, by Harriet Taylor Upton, H.G. Cutler, that includes an article about Elizabeth and her husband David Camp. From this book, Myrna learned that Elizabeth was actually born in Connecticut and removed to Vermont after her marriage. The next step, now, will be to follow up on her premarital years in Connecticut.

We can’t always promise this success to your research problems, but sharing experiences and suggestions just may give you that edge.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

CVGS Seminar on April 5 A Success - Part II

The CVGS "Finding Your Elusive Ancestors" seminar was held on 5 April at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library. There were two major parts to this seminar which was attended by 51 people, including 6 non-members.

The second part of the seminar was a panel discussion of "Solving Your Brickwall Problems" with Shirley Becker, Susi Pentico and John Finch as the panelists, and Randy Seaver as moderator. This portion of the seminar lasted from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Nine CVGS members presented their research problems to the panel and to the audience. The problems were submitted ahead of time and passed to the panelists for their review and thoughts. Forms with the problem statements, known information and records found, and the sources previously consulted were shown on the screen so the audience could follow along.

Here are brief summaries of the problems presented, in hopes that other researchers may find this post in a search engine and be able to help our members (or commiserate with them).

1) Art's problem: Aida (or Ada) --?-- (born ca 1860 in NY) married Joseph N. Roy (born ca 1842 in Canada, his second wife) and had a son Louis Roy (born ca 1883, Cohoes, Albany County, NY). Family is in the 1880 census in Cohoes NY. Art wants to know her maiden surname and any records after the 1880 census. He thinks that the family moved back to Canada.

2) Dixie's problem: Virginia Elizabeth Kilby (born ca 1845 in MO/IL/TN/KY/MS/?, died 1916 in Madison County IL). She wants to know her parents names, her birth date and birth place. She married (1) Isaac Jim Padrick (died before 1867) and (2) George Edward Franklin in 1867 in Coulterville IL. 1 Padrick child, 5 Franklin children.

3) Sonja's problem: Clarance Larson (born ca 1900 in Norway, died 1958 in San Diego County CA) said he jumped ship when he was 12, and finally settled in Los Angeles and San Diego CA. She wants more information about his life before 1937 when he filed an SS5 which lists his parents as Ludvik Larson and Elise Askedal.

4) Jane's problem: Samuel Hallman (born 1822-1828 in GA, died after 1900 probably in AL) married Matilda Smith in 1850, had 4 children. Census records and Civil War Pension application have been located. Jane wants to identify his parents, birthplace and birthdate.

5) Charlotte's problem: James Dodsworth (born ca 1821 Sheffield, England, died 1876 in Sheffield), married (1) Harriet --?-- and (2) Emma (Rowland?) Spence. Had son James Russell Dodsworth by Emma in 1870 in Sheffield. She has searched census, newspapers and family trees. Charlotte wants to know his parents and his marriage records.

6) Kevin's problem: John McGill (born ca 1800 in Ireland, died before 1866, and perhaps before 1850 in Ireland). Kevin wants to know his parents names, birth, marriage and death dates and places, siblings, children, etc. He married Ellen Kelleher (born 1806 in Ireland, died 1866 in Boston). He has some leads from the "Missing Friends" database and MA VRs. The name is known only from death and marriage records of his son, Michael McGill.

7) Judy's problem: Leroy Douglas Hoffman (born 1859 in Germany or Champaign county IL, died 1922 in Sherman County KS), married Minnie Leota rogers in 1883 in Anderson County KS, 9 children. Judy wants to find Leroy in a family before 1883. Some family stories say he was son of William HH and Ruth (Bloomfield) Hoffman, but he does not appear in any records with them.

8) Manuel's problem: Manuela (Arana) Coppel (born 1852 in Mulege BCS, died 1910 in Berkeley CA), married Isidore Coppel (who died 1895), resided in Guaymas, Sonora, Pima County, AZ and Oakland CA. He has found her in the 1880, 1900 and 1910 census and in a FamilySearch group record. Manuel wants to know her parents names and siblings names.

9) Virginia's problem: Robert Dunlap (born Ireland, died 1841 in Westmoreland County PA), married Elizabeth Schultz (or Patterson?), 5 children. Census, probate, and immigration records have been searched. She wants to know his birth date and birth place, and when he came to the USA.

Each of these problems was discussed in some detail, and suggestions for further research were offered based on the panel's experience and knowledge. In some cases, the panel members did some research to try to find new information, but without much luck.

The audience stayed involved throughout this session, and occasionally offered suggestions.

Everyone present understands better now that difficult research problems are in everybody's pedigree chart, and there are many problems that are not solvable due to a lack of records.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

CVGS Seminar on 5 April a Success - Part I

The CVGS "Finding Your Elusive Ancestors" seminar was held on 5 April at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library. There were two major parts to this seminar which was attended by 51 people, including 6 non-members.

The first 75 minutes were a presentation titled "Finding Your Elusive Ancestors" by Randy Seaver, CVGS President, was made in a PowerPoint format. Randy's outline included:

* The Genealogical Proof Standard - Information, Data, Sources, Evidence, Proof, the Standard:

** Reasonably Exhaustive Search for all Pertinent Information
** Complete and Accurate Citation of the Source of each piece of information
** Analysis of the Collected Information's Quality as Evidence
** Resolution of any Conflicting or Contradictory Evidence
** Arrive at a Soundly Reasoned, Coherently Written Conclusion.

* Records to Find in a "Reasonably Exhaustive" Search -

** home,
** vital,
** burial,
** land,
** probate,
** tax,
** immigration,
** naturalization,
** census,
** voter,
** directories,
** military,
** newspapers,
** published books,
** periodicals.

* Where to Perform a "Reasonably Exhaustive" Search -

** local, regional and national libraries,
** historical and genealogy societies,
** court houses and town halls,
** cemeteries and mortuaries,
** LDS FHL and FHCs, at home on the Internet.

* Online Searches Summary -

** subscription databases,
** free databases,
** user-submitted data,
** free search engines,
** message boards and mailing lists.

* Search Strategies and Procedures -

** Work from Known to Unknown data,
** Work Backwards in Time,
** Use Derivative Sources and Secondary Information to Find Original Sources and Primary Information,
** Keep a "To-Do" List,
** Use group sheets, pedigree charts, timelines,
** Document findings, cite sources,
** Organize data files, etc.

* Meet the SMITH Family - Randy's current research project in progress, with examples of vital records, Bible records, county and surname books, deeds, probate records, etc.

* Use Cluster Genealogy Research Techniques -

** consider the communities involved,
** learn migration paths to and from,
** identify associates of ancestors (witnesses, grantors/grantees, heirs, neighbors, business, church, fraternal groups, etc.)
** Study this group of related and associated people
** Review NGSQ and NEHGR articles for good examples.

* Specific Search Strategies for

** After 1931
** Between 1850 and 1930
** Colonial to 1849
** Special Groups - ethnic, religious, adoptees.

After this presentation, the group had a "make your own sandwich" lunch, with fruit, cold vegetables, salads and cookies in the conference room and in the park.

The second part of this seminar will be described in Part 2.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

CVGS Seminar "Finding Your Elusive ancestors" on Saturday, 5 April

"FINDING YOUR ELUSIVE ANCESTORS"
Seminar on Saturday, April 5th in Chula Vista

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society will host a free seminar on Saturday, April 5th in the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library auditorium (365 F Street in Chula Vista) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

* After registration and program introduction, Randy Seaver will present the methods and resources for "Finding Your Elusive Ancestors."

* At noon time, refreshments (sandwiches, veggies, fruit, drinks) will be served in the Conference Room.

* At 1 p.m., there will be a panel discussion on "Solving Your Brickwall Problems" with Shirley Becker, John Finch and Susi Pentico on the panel and Randy Seaver as the moderator. CVGS Members will be asked to submit their difficult research problems and the panel will suggest research opportunities to solve the problems.

* Lastly, there will be time for questions from the audience on genealogy research topics and problems - and the panel will try to answer them.

You need to make a reservation for this seminar so that we can plan the food - please contact Virginia Taylor at 619-425-7922 or email irishdoll@cox.net for information and reservations.

Genealogy Days in Chula Vista for April 2008

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for April 2008 include:

** Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. "Finding Your Elusive Ancestors" Seminar. Free to all, with syllabus. Call Virginia at (619) 425-7922 or email irishdoll@cox.net for reservations (needed for refreshment planning). The program:

* 10:30 a.m. "Finding your Elusive Ancestors" presentation by Randy Seaver;
* 12 noon: refreshments provided by CVGS (donation accepted)
* 1:00 p.m. "Solving Your Brickwall Problems" panel discussion - Members' research problems with panelists Shirley Becker, John Finch and Susi Pentico, moderated by Randy Seaver
* 2:30 pm. Questions and answers by the panel.

** Wednesday, April 9, 12 noon, Chula Vista Civic Center Library -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room. We will review the latest genealogy news, share success stories and information, and discuss members research problems, and potential solutions, based on the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group.

** Wednesday, April 16, 12 noon, Chula Vista Civic Center Library -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab. We will visit some new genealogy web sites and/or Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) databases. This is an opportunity for those members who haven't used computers for genealogy research to practice with a mentor to guide them. It is also an opportunity for members who don't have an Ancestry subscription to dig into the ALE databases.

** Wednesday, April 30, 12 noon, Chula Vista Civic Center Library -- the monthly Society Meeting is held in the Auditorium. This meeting has a short business meeting with announcements of meetings and activities, followed by a presentation on a topic of genealogy and family history interest. At this meeting, Audrey Potterton will present "Organizing Your Files."

On Monday afternoons (12 noon to 2 PM) - April 7, 14, 21, and 28 - Dearl Glenn and John Finch will be at the table in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library, ready to help people with their research, discuss a problem or success, or just tell stories.

The Chula Vista Civic Center Library is located at 365 "F" Street in Chula vista - between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, midway between I-5 and I-805 (take the "E" Street exit from the freeways.

We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the Chula Vista area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves. If you have questions, please email Randy at rjseaver@cox.net or phone 619-422-3397.