Thursday, August 26, 2010

CVGS Annual Picnic - "Wheel of Fortune Surname Game"

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society (CVGS) Annual Picnic on August 25th featured an audience participation game called the "Wheel of Fortune Surname Game." CVGS President Gary Brock devised this game featuring information taken from surnames and information taken from the participant's five generation pedigree chart.

Gary created a 16 segment "Surname Wheel of Fortune" with randomly distributed numbers corresponding to randomly distributed numbers on a large map of the USA and the World. The Wheel was spun, and the first audience member, who had an ancestral family on their chart that resided in the selected geographical area, that stood up was selected to be the contestant.

The contestant then explained information about their selected surname, the research performed, and answered questions about the surname and their research. Points were awarded for 11 criteria, including:

* the number of times the selected surname appeared on their pedigree chart (up to a 7 generation chart);
* the number of generations with the surname that the contestant has photos for;
* the number of generations with the surname that the contestant has newspaper clippings for;
* the number of audience members with the same surname on their chart;
* the number of audience members with names on their chart with the same region as the contestant.
* number of centuries in which the selected surname appears on the chart
* number of lines on the chart with the selected surname
* possession of primary information on the selected surname
* selected surname appears in a published book or journal article
* completion of five-generation chart with at least a name and date or place.
* Pedigree Chart has been submitted to CVGS collection.

Points were awarded for each response and added, using a spreadsheet, to provide each contestant's score. Mary P won with 78 points for her Hatch surname in the New England region. Randy S. was second with 76 points for his Smith surname in the New England region. Myrna G was third with 73 points for her Beach surname in the Midwest region. The lowest scores were 28 for surnames in the Pacific Island region and the Eastern European region. 18 attendees participated in the game and a good time was had by all.

The Annual Picnic also featured a very short business meeting, a duplicates book sale, and a white elephant gift exchange in addition to the bring-your-own lunch.

Surnames used for the game were L'Magdalen (UK/Canada), Erdman (Mid-Atlantic), Beach (Midwest), Whittle (Pacific), Quintero (South America), Page (Pacific), Smith (New England), Self (South), Bellwood (West), Hoffman (Mid-Atlantic), Bricvan (Eastern Europe); Hildreth (UK), Weber (West), Busing (Western Europe), McCall (Mid-Atlantic), Hatch (New England), Tway (West) and Inbody (Midwest).

The origin and meaning of these surnames will be discussed by Gary in his Weekenders presentation at the Chula Vista Civic Center Library at 1 p.m. on Sunday, 29 August.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

CVGS Weekender Program on "Surnames" - Sunday, 29 August

The August Weekender Program for the Chula Vista Genealogical Society (CVGS) will be on Sunday, 29 August, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street in Chula Vista).

The program speaker will be CVGS President Gary Brock on the subject of "Surnames: Origins and Meanings.”

In this talk, Gary will discuss the origins of some of the different languages, their different migration patterns and how naming conventions in these different languages have influenced many of the surnames and given names we see today. Then he will analyze each of the surnames collected at our annual picnic and see if we can discover what language it most likely originated in, how it may have evolved and why it takes on the form we see today.


Gary grew up in Michigan and was relocated to Miramar Naval Air Station by the Navy in 1957. After discharge in June of 1960 he returned to Michigan for six months during which time he met and became engaged to his wife of 49 years, Wanda. When January arrived in Michigan, he convinced Wanda to accompany him back to California where they settled in Santa Monica. He attended Santa Monica City College and later was employed at the UCLA Physics Department engaged in Nuclear Physics research. After five years at UCLA he transferred to UCSD and continued research in Nuclear Medicine for another five years.

He left the University in 1973 to start his own data processing business, San Dieguito Data Services, based in Carlsbad, CA. In 1979, he and Wanda moved to the Bay Area where he started another data processing consulting business, Brock & Associates, which he still operates on a reduced basis after retiring in 2002.

Gary is an ex-president of San Dieguito Little League in Encinitas, CA., ex-member of the Town Council, Encinitas, CA., an ex-commissioner, Boys Scouts of America, San Diego and current president of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society, Chula Vista, CA. He is an avid gardener and a Life Member of the Handyman Club of America.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

CVGS Annual Picnic on Wednesday, 25 August

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Annual Picnic is this Wednesday, August 25th, at 11 a.m. at the Elks Lodge Picnic area (901 Elks Lane, just off Telegraph Canyon Road opposite Paseo del Rey).

From Telegraph Canyon Road, turn south on Elks Lane, go up the hill, turn left into the parking lot, and then turn right around the building to the picnic area and the upper parking lot.



Please bring your own food and beverage, plate, cup, napkins, utensils, etc.

Bring a wrapped “white elephant” gift for the gift exchange (bring one, get one).

The Program will be a “Wheel of Fortune Surname Game” devised by Gary Brock. Your “Five Generation Pedigree Chart” is needed to play the game. A spinning wheel will be divided up into regions of the United States and areas of the world. Then someone who is working on a surname which they think may have originated in the region selected will tell us about that work and any facts they may have found.

There will probably be a book and periodical sale of duplicates donated to CVGS.

The Annual Picnic is always a fun time of sharing with our society colleagues.

Contact Barbara I (phone 619-477-4140, or email baribai@cox.net) for more information.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

New or Updated Genealogy Databases - August 2010

Some of the new or updated genealogy databases available on free or subscription websites include:

1) www.Ancestry.com ($$):

o Ohio Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1958-2007
o Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007
o Ohio Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007
o Perth, Scotland Register of Deeds, 1566-1811
o Perth, Scotland Survey of Inhabitants, 1766, 1773
o Ingleby, Greenhow Parish Register, 1638-1800
o Scotland registers and history books
o France – Upper Brittany and Ille–et-Vilanie records
o Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922
o Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1949
o Australia Death Index, 1787-1985
o Gothenburg, Sweden Passenger Lists, 1869-1951
o Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, (Marr.), 1538-1812
o Nottingham County Pedigrees, 1700-1800, Vol. 1
o See New and Updated Ancestry databases at http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/recent.aspx

2) http://pilot.familysearch.org (free):

o New Brunswick, Provincial Return of Deaths, 1815-1919 (browse images only)
o New Brunswick Death Certificates, 1920-1934 - images
o New Brunswick Death Certificates, 1935-1938 - images
o Newfoundland Vital Statistics, 1753-1893 - images
o 1910 U.S. Census (52% complete, 28 states) - index
o England Cornwall Parish Registers, 1538-1900 images
o Netherlands, Civil Registration, 1792-1952 – images
o Argentina, Catholic Church Records
o Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-1969
o See all Volunteer-indexed databases on the Pilot Record Search site at http://pilot.familysearch.org/

3) www.WorldVitalRecords.com ($$):

o Over 2,000 High School and College Yearbooks
o Many U.S. Naval Ship Cruise BooksSee list of all document sets on World Vital Records at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/contentsearch.aspx

4) www.GenealogyBank.com ($$):

o New Content for 67 Newspapers in 28 States
o See list of all available newspaper titles at http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/newspapers/sourcelist/

5) www.Footnote.com ($$):

o 2% all of Civil War Widow’s Pension Files are available
o Updated City Directories from Kansas City, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Denver, Brooklyn, Toledo,
o See list of all document sets on Footnote.com at http://www.footnote.com/documents/

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Class: Making and Updating Your Five-Generation Charts

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On Saturday, 21 August 2010, at 12 noon in the Conference Room at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library, Ruth Himan will be sharing her knowledge to help you to fill out several of the charts and forms used by genealogists in their research.

This is part of the Saturday series of Classes to help attendees become better and more knowledgeable genealogy researchers.

This is a beginning self-paced tutorial class to put into practical use the basics of genealogy. The emphasis will be on the individual family surnames and locations of the ancestors. This class will be part demonstration and part workshop with lots of individual help.

The goal of the class is to assist all new and old members to provide a 5 generation chart as part of their membership requirement to CVGS and a surname/locale summary for a special game to be played at our Annual Picnic on 8/25.

At the end of the class, each participant will have a five generation chart filled in to the best of their knowledge, some basic record keeping logs, beginning organization skills, and exposure to some family group and census recording charts.

If your 5-generation pedigree chart is in the CVGS book, but is out-of-date, why don't you update it and submit it for the book, or come to Ruth's class and submit it, or just bring it to the Annual Picnic on Wednesday, 25 August (more on this next week).

Friday, August 13, 2010

CVGS Research Group Summary - 11 August 2010

We had eleven enthusiastic genealogists at the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Research Group on Wednesday, 11 August. Some highlights:

* Ann took a family history trip to Clark County, Wisconsin to research her Garvin family and attend a niece's wedding. While there, she met some cousins and visited the newspaper office where she heard "my friend is a Garvin." She visited the friend, who was a cousin with a lot of family pictures. Ann has two family photo albums which have few photo labels, so she wants to know how to track down family members. The group suggested photo websites like www.DeadFred.com, surname and locality message boards, letters to newspapers, etc.

* Dearl found that his great-uncle, a Confederate soldier captured in Tennessee, was shipped to a prison in Chicago in February 1863, and is buried there.

* Gary passed seven of the surname and locality books from the Branson collection - many attendees had families in those books!

* Mary Lou's great-grandfather Harnett came from Ireland before 1861. He served in the Union Army and lived in Ohio, Illinois and Kansas. She has a death certificate and Union Pension papers. She wants to find more information about his life and ancestry. The group suggested county history books, an obituary, birth records of his children, passenger lists, and www.OliveTreeGenealogy.com.

* Virginia thinks she has found cousins who share her Robert Dunlap through Ancestral File and Pedigree Resource File entries on old FamilySearch. Letters are out to the contacts!

* Jaye has many family photos and wants to put them on the Internet. The group suggested writing a blog, creating a static website, or putting them on a photo site with captions.

* Jane's mother-in-law had a photo album with many persons identified. She also found a large 1915 San Diego scene of Thearle's Music Store in an antique store and bought it.

* Dick's Facebook cousin in WI knew about an Ibenthal family bible and sent a four-page family history.

* Sylvia's 2nd great-grandfather worked for Frederick Wilhelm of Prussia, but escaped after 1858 and came to the USA and changed his surname to Kraske, and probably died in the Bay area. She has naturalization papers. The group suggested finding an obituary or distant cousins to see if they have more information.

* Ruth had a great week with four grandkids in San Jose, and visiting her siblings. She spent time in the San Jose library collecting newspaper articles about her father's ("Wild Bill" Haley) auto-racing career. The grandkids helped her find material.

* Randy discussed coming CVGS events, using the WeRelate family tree database, and his database problems and solutions.

The next meeting of the CVGS Research Group will be on Wednesday, 8 September, at 12 noon in the Conference Room at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library. For more information, please contact Randy at rjseaver@cox.net.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

August 2010 Edition of CVGS Newsletter is available

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The August 2010 issue of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Newsletter is available online here in PDF format.


The Table of Contents includes:

page 1 -- August 25th Annual Summer Picnic
page 2 -- President’s Message
page 2 -- July 28th Program Review
page 3 -- Weekender Program Meeting, August 29th
page 3 -- Sunshine Corner
page 3 -- Five Generation Pedigree Chart Classes
page 4 -- Research Group News
page 4 -- Lemon Grove Research Group News
page 4 -- CVGS Fall Seminar Announcement
page 5 -- General Meeting Minutes – July 28
page 5 -- Board Meeting Minutes – August 4
page 6 -- Board Meeting Committee Reports
page 6 -- Web Site of the Month
page 6 -- CVGS Nominating Committee
page 6 -- CVGS By-Laws Revisions
page 6 -- Computer Group News
page 7 -- Computer-Related Genealogy News
page 8 -- July 25th Weekender Program Review
page 9 -- CVGS Board Information
page 9 -- San Diego Genealogy Events
page 10 -- Genealogy Days in Chula Vista

The CVGS Newsletter is edited by Randy Seaver. If you would like to use some of the articles in this newsletter for your own newsletter, please contact Randy for permission at rjseaver@cox.net.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Class on Five Generation Pedigree Charts

One of the requirements for membership in the Chula Vista Genealogical Society is the submission of a Five-Generation Pedigree Chart for the society's records. A database of the names and locations is in work so that members can find cousins within the society.

Since many current members have not submitted a chart, a Class was created in order to help out members do so. This class will be offered twice:

* Saturday, August 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bonita Library (4375 Bonita Road, in Bonita) in the Conference Room.

* Saturday, August 21, 12 noon to 2 pm. at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street in downtown Chula Vista) in the Conference Room.

This is a beginning self-paced tutorial class to put into practical use the basics of genealogy. The emphasis will be on the individual family surnames and locations of the ancestors. This class will be part demonstration and part workshop with lots of individual help.

The goal of the class is to assist all new and old members to provide a 5 generation chart as part of their membership requirement to CVGS and a surname/locale summary for a special game to be played at our Annual Picnic on 8/25.

At the end of the class, each participant will have a five generation chart filled in to the best of their knowledge, some basic record keeping logs, beginning organization skills, and exposure to some family group and census recording charts.

If your 5-generation pedigree chart is in the CVGS book, but is out-of-date, why don't you update it and submit it for the book, or come to Ruth's class and submit it, or just bring it to the Annual Picnic on Wednesday, 25 August.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Genealogy Days in Chula Vista - August 2010

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for August 2010 include:

** Wednesday 11 August, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room, led by Randy Seaver. 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.

** Saturday, 21 August, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Bonita Library (4375 Bonita Road) -- CVGS Genealogy Workshop meets in the Conference Room to work on your Pedigree Charts. This is NEW!

** Wednesday, 18 August, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab, led by Shirley Becker. We will visit some helpful genealogy web sites. This is an opportunity for those members who haven't used computers for genealogy research to practice with a mentor to guide them.

** Saturday, 21 August, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Genealogy Workshop meets in the Library Conference Room to work on your Pedigree Charts. This is NEW!

** Wednesday, 25 August, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Annual Picnic at Elks Lodge (901 Elks Lane, Chula Vista). Bring your own lunch; bring a white elephant gift to share; take part in the used book and magazine sale; take part in a genealogy game devised by Gary Brock.

** Sunday, 29 August, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Special Program Meeting in the Auditorium. The speaker will be CVGS President Gary Brock on "Surnames and Their Origins."

** Monday mornings (11 a.m. to 1 PM) - August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 - Genealogy Table Talk with John Finch in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library. He is ready and willing to help people with their research, discuss a research problem or success, or just tell stories.

** Wednesday evenings (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) - August 4, 11, 18, 25 - Genealogy Help with CVGS members in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library. They are ready and willing to help people just starting on their genealogy research, discuss a research problem or a success.

** Sunday afternoons (2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) - August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 - Genealogy Help with CVGS members in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library. They are ready and willing to help people just starting on their genealogy research, discuss a research problem or a success.

The Chula Vista Civic Center Branch 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). The Bonita Library is located at 4375 Bonita Road in Bonita - just west of the Otay Lakes intersection with Bonita Road, on the north side of Bonita Road.

We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the greater San Diego area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves.

Please contact Barbara (email baribai@cox.net, phone 619-477-4140) for more information.