The next Chula Vista Genealogical Society RootsMagic 6 workshop is Saturday, 3 May 2014 at 12 noon until 3 p.m. at Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road) in the Community Room.
Randy Seaver will lead the discussion of RootsMagic 6, including:
* Summary of program capabilities and navigation
* Demonstration of how to start a new family tree file, including entering basic data, events, notes, sources and media.
* Answer attendee questions about specific functions and capabilities
* Where to find help and answers to your questions.
Attendees should bring their laptops with RootsMagic 6 installed. The latest version of RootsMagic is 6.3.1.0 which was recently provided, and users should have the latest version if possible. Many features in RootsMagic are the same for earlier versions, but some new features are unique to the latest version.
If you are going to attend this workshop, and have a specific question, please email it to Randy at rjseaver@cox.net.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
April 30th Program Meeting Features Paul Erickson on "The Orphan Trains"
WEDNESDAY, April 30th
PROGRAM MEETING
from 12 noon to 2 p.m.
At Chula Vista Civic Center Library Auditorium (365 F Street)
Speaker: Paul Erickson: Subject: “The Orphan Trains”
From 1859 to 1929, the emigration of an estimated 200,000 children took place in the USA----one of the largest movements of people in our history. Yet, many people in this country know nothing of the Orphan Train Era. In 1852, police estimated 10,000 homeless children lived on the streets in New York City. One thousand or more emigrants from Europe arrived daily in the city. Poverty, disease and alcoholism were common.
What to do with the homeless children? The Orphan Trains heading for the developing Mid-West were one answer.....for the next 75 years. Two organizations were closely identified with the Orphan Trains. The Children's Aid Society, founded in 1853 in New York City by the Rev. Charles Loring Brace, and the New York Foundling Hospital established by the Catholic Order of Sisters of Charity in 1869. Each sent thousands of orphans West.
Paul will tell the story of these two organizations and their placements of orphans, the story of one of the riders, my Mother, and the story of the Orphan Train Heritage Society which has preserved the stories of thousands of Orphan Train Riders.
Dr. Paul Erickson is a retired professor, San Diego State University. He grew up in Independence, MO and served as an Army Sergeant in the final months of World War II. He has a B.A. ( History) Arizona State University, an M.A. ( History) Stanford University, and an Ed.D. ( in Counseling Psychology ) University of Southern California. He is married, and has two sons. He and his wife, Marilyn, currently live at Fredericka Manor in Chula Vista. Dr. Erickson and his sister, Norma Poling, have been active members of the Orphan Train Heritage Society since it's founding in 1986.
This meeting is FREE to attend. There will be a short CVGS business meeting before the presentation. Refreshments are served by CVGS members before and after the program.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
CVGS Research Trip to San Diego Public Library on 23 April 2014
While we can’t exactly call it our “New” Downtown San Diego Library any longer, it is still new to some of us. If you haven’t been, now’s your chance! We are planning a field trip on Wednesday, April 23rd and will go as a group on the Trolley, meeting at the Chula Vista E Street station at about 11:20 a.m.
We’ll take the Blue Line (to America Plaza), disembarking at the Park and Market stop, then walk less than two blocks south to the Library. We plan to meet for our tour at the Library’s main entrance shortly after it opens at noon. If you choose to drive, please remember that parking is free for only two hours (with a library card), and after that it is $1.25 for every 20 minutes (!).
John Finch is arranging a tour for us of the ninth floor genealogy collection, and we may also have a tour of the rest of the Library as well – there is so much to see!
To sign up, please contact Karen Yarger (khy13@hotmail.com ) or John Finch (jan27@cox.net). We will send you further instructions and some tips on what to bring, etc., a few days before departure. Here’s your first tip: The Trolley’s senior fare is only $1.25 – do not buy your return ticket at the same time, since the tickets are only valid for two hours.
We will probably leave the library about 5 p.m., so there will be plenty of time for some genealogy research. On Wednesdays, the Library closes at 8 p.m., so you may stay as late as you like. For more information on the Library, see http://www.sandiegolibrary.org, or call them at 619-236-5800.
We’ll take the Blue Line (to America Plaza), disembarking at the Park and Market stop, then walk less than two blocks south to the Library. We plan to meet for our tour at the Library’s main entrance shortly after it opens at noon. If you choose to drive, please remember that parking is free for only two hours (with a library card), and after that it is $1.25 for every 20 minutes (!).
John Finch is arranging a tour for us of the ninth floor genealogy collection, and we may also have a tour of the rest of the Library as well – there is so much to see!
To sign up, please contact Karen Yarger (khy13@hotmail.com ) or John Finch (jan27@cox.net). We will send you further instructions and some tips on what to bring, etc., a few days before departure. Here’s your first tip: The Trolley’s senior fare is only $1.25 – do not buy your return ticket at the same time, since the tickets are only valid for two hours.
We will probably leave the library about 5 p.m., so there will be plenty of time for some genealogy research. On Wednesdays, the Library closes at 8 p.m., so you may stay as late as you like. For more information on the Library, see http://www.sandiegolibrary.org, or call them at 619-236-5800.
Karen Yarger wrote this article.
Monday, April 14, 2014
CVGS Newsletter - April 2014
The April 2014 issue of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society (CVGS) Newsletter was published last week. You can read it online, in a PDF format - use the Newsletter link at www.CVGenealogy.org.
page 1 - April 30th Program Meeting
page 2 - President’s Message
page 2 - Library Committee Report
page 3 - Spring Seminar Program Review
page 4 - Spring Seminar Wrap-Up
page 5 - "The Orphan Trains" Article
page 5 - Southern California Genealogy Jamboreepage 6 - Next Computer Group Meeting
page 6 - Next Research Group Meetingpage 6 - April 23rd Genealogy Research Trip
page 6 - Lemon Grove Research Group News
page 7 - May 3rd Workshop
page 7 - March Program Review
page 8 - "Shaking the Family Tree" Family History Fair
page 9 - CVGS Society Information
page 9 - San Diego Genealogy Events
page 10 - Genealogy Days in Chula Vista
The Table of Contents lists:
page 1 - April 30th Program Meeting
page 2 - President’s Message
page 2 - Library Committee Report
page 3 - Spring Seminar Program Review
page 4 - Spring Seminar Wrap-Up
page 5 - "The Orphan Trains" Article
page 5 - Southern California Genealogy Jamboreepage 6 - Next Computer Group Meeting
page 6 - Next Research Group Meetingpage 6 - April 23rd Genealogy Research Trip
page 6 - Lemon Grove Research Group News
page 7 - May 3rd Workshop
page 7 - March Program Review
page 8 - "Shaking the Family Tree" Family History Fair
page 9 - CVGS Society Information
page 9 - San Diego Genealogy Events
page 10 - Genealogy Days in Chula Vista
Sunday, April 13, 2014
CVGS Computer Group Meeting is 16 April 2014
The next Chula Vista Genealogical Society Computer Group Meeting is on Wednesday, 16 April 2014, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street in Chula Vista) in the Library Conference Room, led by Shirley Becker.
Bring your laptops for hands-on use of the library's wifi system. For more information, please contact Shirley Becker (clanroots@cox.net).
Bring your laptops for hands-on use of the library's wifi system. For more information, please contact Shirley Becker (clanroots@cox.net).
Friday, April 11, 2014
April 9th Research Group Meeting Review
The April Research Group Meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society had 21 in attendance at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library.
In the first hour, Karen Yarger and Diane Godinez made several announcements, and then Randy Seaver discussed how to access and use the FamilySearch record collections, since only some of them are indexed, and some are not indexed. The latter must be browsed, and there are many "genealogy gems" hiding in those unindexed collections, including probate and land records for several states. He used New York Probate Records as an example, and demonstrated finding the "waypoints" and locating a specific record in a digitized book of Estate papers for one of his ancestors. He also highlighted the www.CreateFan.com website to create a number of colorful and useful family tree charts based on information from the FamilySearch Family Tree.
In the second hour, research questions and problems were posed and addressed by group members. For instance:
* Laura asked how she should try to find her ancestor, James Craft (1810-1880), who moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania to Illinois to Iowa during his lifetime. She has only census records for 1850 to 1870, and cannot find his parents. The group suggested identifying the places that he lived and looking for military, land, church, cemetery, tax and probate records on microfilm or on FamilySearch.
* Sally is just starting her research, and a family story is that James Russell was a Revolutionary War soldier, and she wanted to know how to prove that. The group recommended that she confirm her ancestral line back to him by working backwards, using vital, census, military and other records, family by family. For Revolutionary War soldiers, the DAR has a useful database, there should be a Compiled Military Service Record for the soldier, and there may be a pension file for him.
* Jane is also starting her research, and has been working on FamilySearch. She wondered if she should invest in subscriptions for Ancestry.com and Archives.com. The group suggested that she should use the free sites, including Rootsweb.com, USGenWeb.org, FindaGrave.com and the Rootsweb WorldConnect family tree database, to find more leads before investing in a subscription site. She also asked about immigration sites, and the group suggested EllisIsland.org, CastleGarden.org and FamilySearch, and that Ancestry.com had passenger lists for all ports in their collection.
* Shirley bought some of the Rhode Island Roots periodicals at the book sale at the CVGS seminar and has found some helpful items for her ancestor, Samuel Tillinghast.
* Helen asked if some one with the first names of "Ayres Marie" could be an "Iris Marie" in other records. The group thought so. She said that autosomal DNA tests show a possible cousin has an "Iris" in their tree.
* Hazel wondered how accurate FamilySearch Family Tree data is. The group thought that form any families in the 19th and 20th century, the information was accurate since it was based on family papers and genealogical research. When you get back into the 18th century and before, the information may not be as accurate because of the lack of records and duplicate entries for persons and events.
* Bobbie displayed the 150th Anniversary book for her local church in Lake County, Illinois, which has articles submitted by descendants and members, including her own. This is an example of what you might find at local libraries and historical societies when you visit an ancestral location.
The next meeting of the CVGS Research Group will be on Wednesday, 14 May 2014 at 12 noon in the Conference Room at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library.
In the first hour, Karen Yarger and Diane Godinez made several announcements, and then Randy Seaver discussed how to access and use the FamilySearch record collections, since only some of them are indexed, and some are not indexed. The latter must be browsed, and there are many "genealogy gems" hiding in those unindexed collections, including probate and land records for several states. He used New York Probate Records as an example, and demonstrated finding the "waypoints" and locating a specific record in a digitized book of Estate papers for one of his ancestors. He also highlighted the www.CreateFan.com website to create a number of colorful and useful family tree charts based on information from the FamilySearch Family Tree.
In the second hour, research questions and problems were posed and addressed by group members. For instance:
* Laura asked how she should try to find her ancestor, James Craft (1810-1880), who moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania to Illinois to Iowa during his lifetime. She has only census records for 1850 to 1870, and cannot find his parents. The group suggested identifying the places that he lived and looking for military, land, church, cemetery, tax and probate records on microfilm or on FamilySearch.
* Sally is just starting her research, and a family story is that James Russell was a Revolutionary War soldier, and she wanted to know how to prove that. The group recommended that she confirm her ancestral line back to him by working backwards, using vital, census, military and other records, family by family. For Revolutionary War soldiers, the DAR has a useful database, there should be a Compiled Military Service Record for the soldier, and there may be a pension file for him.
* Jane is also starting her research, and has been working on FamilySearch. She wondered if she should invest in subscriptions for Ancestry.com and Archives.com. The group suggested that she should use the free sites, including Rootsweb.com, USGenWeb.org, FindaGrave.com and the Rootsweb WorldConnect family tree database, to find more leads before investing in a subscription site. She also asked about immigration sites, and the group suggested EllisIsland.org, CastleGarden.org and FamilySearch, and that Ancestry.com had passenger lists for all ports in their collection.
* Shirley bought some of the Rhode Island Roots periodicals at the book sale at the CVGS seminar and has found some helpful items for her ancestor, Samuel Tillinghast.
* Helen asked if some one with the first names of "Ayres Marie" could be an "Iris Marie" in other records. The group thought so. She said that autosomal DNA tests show a possible cousin has an "Iris" in their tree.
* Hazel wondered how accurate FamilySearch Family Tree data is. The group thought that form any families in the 19th and 20th century, the information was accurate since it was based on family papers and genealogical research. When you get back into the 18th century and before, the information may not be as accurate because of the lack of records and duplicate entries for persons and events.
* Bobbie displayed the 150th Anniversary book for her local church in Lake County, Illinois, which has articles submitted by descendants and members, including her own. This is an example of what you might find at local libraries and historical societies when you visit an ancestral location.
The next meeting of the CVGS Research Group will be on Wednesday, 14 May 2014 at 12 noon in the Conference Room at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library.
Monday, April 7, 2014
April 5th Saturday Workshop Review =- New York Research
The April 5th Saturday Workshop meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society at the Bonita-Sunnyside Library featured two discussions about "New York Research."
In the first hour, CVGS Member Shirley Becker provided a historical overview of New York, along with a discussion of county formation and record jurisdictions during the colonial and early statehood periods. She was born in New York and has worked on her family history for over twenty years, and has done extensive research at the local, county and state level.
Perhaps the most important concept is record jurisdiction - the state, county and towns or cities have unique records, and it is important to understand where to find specific records. Then there are villages and hamlets. In their early history, counties often divided into several smaller counties, and original towns often divided into several more smaller towns, so knowing when counties and towns were formed is critical. Each town has a town historian who should know what town records are available, and where they can be accessed.
In the second hour, CVGS Member Randy Seaver provided a quick look at online resources for New York genealogical research. He visited and demonstrated use of these websites (and his handout had many more links to online resources):
* New York Wikipedia article for basic history and demographic information
* Cyndi's List page for New York for links to New York resources
* FamilySearch Research Wiki for New York State for information about New York genealogy
* FamilySearch List of Online New York Resources with links for New York online databases
* Family History Library Catalog to search for place names
* Ancestry.com Family History Wiki for New York
* Ancestry.com Card Catalog - put "new york" in the Title or Keyword fields
* Steve Morse's One-Step Web Pages has N.Y. immigration and vital records
* New York Land Records, 1630-1975 collection on FamilySearch - need to browse this collection.
* New York Probate Records, 1629-1971 collection on FamilySearch - need to browse this collection.
* U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1660-1926 collection on Ancestry.com has some church records.
Randy spent quite a bit of time explaining how to get to the actual records for the land and probate collections, since the collections are not indexed and must be browsed, using "waypoints" to find records for a specific person. In general, the waypoints are the County and then a number of "books" in each county. Index books can be used to find book volumes and page numbers for deeds or probate records, and then the specific volume needs to be searched to find the digital image with the specific page.
In the first hour, CVGS Member Shirley Becker provided a historical overview of New York, along with a discussion of county formation and record jurisdictions during the colonial and early statehood periods. She was born in New York and has worked on her family history for over twenty years, and has done extensive research at the local, county and state level.
Perhaps the most important concept is record jurisdiction - the state, county and towns or cities have unique records, and it is important to understand where to find specific records. Then there are villages and hamlets. In their early history, counties often divided into several smaller counties, and original towns often divided into several more smaller towns, so knowing when counties and towns were formed is critical. Each town has a town historian who should know what town records are available, and where they can be accessed.
In the second hour, CVGS Member Randy Seaver provided a quick look at online resources for New York genealogical research. He visited and demonstrated use of these websites (and his handout had many more links to online resources):
* New York Wikipedia article for basic history and demographic information
* Cyndi's List page for New York for links to New York resources
* FamilySearch Research Wiki for New York State for information about New York genealogy
* FamilySearch List of Online New York Resources with links for New York online databases
* Family History Library Catalog to search for place names
* Ancestry.com Family History Wiki for New York
* Ancestry.com Card Catalog - put "new york" in the Title or Keyword fields
* Steve Morse's One-Step Web Pages has N.Y. immigration and vital records
* New York Land Records, 1630-1975 collection on FamilySearch - need to browse this collection.
* New York Probate Records, 1629-1971 collection on FamilySearch - need to browse this collection.
* U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1660-1926 collection on Ancestry.com has some church records.
Randy spent quite a bit of time explaining how to get to the actual records for the land and probate collections, since the collections are not indexed and must be browsed, using "waypoints" to find records for a specific person. In general, the waypoints are the County and then a number of "books" in each county. Index books can be used to find book volumes and page numbers for deeds or probate records, and then the specific volume needs to be searched to find the digital image with the specific page.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
CVGS Spring Seminar Door Prize Winners
The CVGS Seminar Committee solicited door and opportunity drawing prizes from CVGS members, local businesses, and commercial genealogy companies.
The door prize winners were:
1) National Institute for Genealogical Studies - one free course: Marcia Mautner and Joann Bonner:
2) Mocavo Gold one-year subscription: Jacquie Goodman
Note: Two other Mocavo subscriptions were awarded to opportunity drawing winners.
3) MyHeritage One-year Data and Tree Premium subscription: Tim Williams
Note: Two other MyHeritage subscriptions were awarded to opportunity drawing winners.
4) Ancestry.com One-year World Explorer subscription: Karen Smith
The door prize winners were:
1) National Institute for Genealogical Studies - one free course: Marcia Mautner and Joann Bonner:
Marcia Mautner, CVGS President Virginia Taylor, Joann Bonner.
(Photo courtesy of Karen Yarger)
2) Mocavo Gold one-year subscription: Jacquie Goodman
Note: Two other Mocavo subscriptions were awarded to opportunity drawing winners.
3) MyHeritage One-year Data and Tree Premium subscription: Tim Williams
Note: Two other MyHeritage subscriptions were awarded to opportunity drawing winners.
4) Ancestry.com One-year World Explorer subscription: Karen Smith
Karen Smith, CVGS President Virginia Taylor
(Photo courtesy of Karen Yarger)
In addition, genealogical prizes were provided by:
* FindMyPast one-year subscription and gift bag
* GenealogyBank one year subscription
* Geni.com one-year subscription
* Legacy Family Tree Version 8 software from Millennium Corporation
* RootsMagic family tree software and user guide from RootsMagic.
* Family Tree Maker 2014 software provided by Ancestry.com
* Family Tree Maker 2014 software provided by Randy Seaver
* Tracing Your Colonial Ancestors magazine and InstaGuide
CVGS appreciates and thanks all of the prizes offered by all of the providers.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
CVGS Spring Seminar Review - Jean and Butch Hibben
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Spring Seminar was Saturday, 29 March 2014 at the Chula Vista Golf Course in Bonita, California. The featured speakers, Jean Wilcox Hibben and her husband, Butch Hibben, provided the genealogy education and entertainment to 49 attendees.
Jean made four presentations during the day, including:
1) "This is not Your Grandma's Genealogy: Making the Transition from Paper to Electronic Record-Keeping." Jean noted that most researchers are putting their genealogical information on a computer in family trees, word-processing documents or spreadsheets. Library card catalogs are online, and there is so much to learn. She discussed why researchers should put their information on the computer, with pros and cons of using a computer to add and revise data, different storage devices, providing information to other researchers, using digital images, computer costs, different equipment (desktop computer, laptop, netbook, tablet, printers, scanners, cameras, smart phones, storage media, etc.). Computer backup, cloud storage and retrieval sites were briefly covered.
Jean recommended that genealogists should learn how to use their computers and devices to make their research efforts more efficient, using the programs and websites that you feel comfortable using and to advance at your own speed.
Butch Hibben provided information about smart phone apps for genealogy available on iOS and Android devices, highlighting family tree apps (RootsMagic, GEDCOMGTG, Ancestry), Evernote (for notes, photos, audio), CamScanner (photos of documents), and Cloud Storage/Retrieval (Dropbox, SurDoc and Google Drive).
2) "Elisabeth: The Story of a German Immigrant." In this talk, Jean was in the character of her ancestor, Elisabetha Huberta Thenee Mueller Wolbert (1828-1895), and showed images of records and places from Germany and America. Elisabetha was born in Rath, Germany, married to Thomas Mueller and had five children by him. She was abused by her husband, and decided to migrate to America, without her children who were raised by her sister, before the Civil War, with a family friend named Philip Wolbert, and resided in New York, New Jersey and Illinois. He served in the Civil War, and married Elisabetha after he returned. Elisabetha was reunited with one of her children and died in the home of a daughter in Illinois. This is an example of how a skillful genealogist and story-teller can weave facts and family stories, along with social and world history, into a narrative that describes one person's life. The entire story of Elisabeth is available as an e-reader book at www.lulu.com/spotlight/circlemending.
Jean's handout included an extensive list of helpful reference books and websites that were used to learn about German research, and to find the records she displayed from Germany and America.
3) "Reality Television: A New Perspective." Jean was the lead researcher for the PBS television series Genealogy Roadshow, which aired 23 September, 30 September, 7 October and 14 October 2013. Each hour-long episode had about ten segments where the subject was brought into the set, and was showed documents to connect them to an event or famous person. There were three on-air hosts - D. Joshua Taylor, Kenyatta Berry, and Emmett Miller.
She hired four other researchers to help her during the 12 weeks of research before shooting the four shows in Austin, Nashville, Detroit and San Francisco. Three of the researchers worked 10 to 12 hours a day for three months on this project. They researched the ancestry of about 150 different persons chosen in or near the four cities, and had to find the persons that had the "best" stories from a genealogy perspective. As lead researcher, Jean had to deal with the show producers and staff, who knew virtually nothing about the genealogy research process. The organization chart for the production changed frequently and they all needed some education about genealogy in order to make the show work for genealogy.
Jean shared many conclusions drawn from this experience. The most interesting, to me, was that they didn't plan on having to consider document image copyright protection, and used many Library of Congress photographs which are in the public domain. The research staff had no control over editing the segments and several inconsistencies appeared on the show. They used the Association of Professional Genealogists mailing list to solicit help retrieving documents and research help in distant places. For some reason, the production staff did not find "farming" to be an interesting occupation.
4) "Up Close and Personal Doing On-Site Research." In this presentation, Jean highlighted effective ways to use the time available to conduct research in a distant location. She broke the talk up into three segments:
* Before the trip, the planning (dates, places, transportation), people and places to contact (genealogists, librarians, archivists, cemetery sextons, church offices, vital record offices, courthouses, Family History Centers, possible relatives or neighbors), and the things to pack (research papers and records, technology equipment, graveyard equipment, etc.). She noted that some courthouses and archives don't allow cameras on site, that researchers should contact repositories and determine open days/hours, make appointments, and that they should visit cemeteries at the end of a day.
* During the On-Site visits to historical and genealogical societies, vital records offices, courthouses, and churches, be sure to mind the establishment rules and be considerate of staff and patrons. If visiting ancestral homes or cemeteries, be sure to have permission to be on private property. Visit tourist attractions to learn local history, take photographs of the area, meet residents, buy some postcards.
* After the trip, organize and transcribe your notes, file your findings, name and catalog photographs and transfer them to your computer, send notes or reports to contacts, and make a list of what to do next time you visit each location.
The entertainment portion of the program was after the served lunch, when Jean played her guitar and sang folk songs, and Butch accompanied her on the saw. The audience was intrigued by the sounds created with the saw, and how Butch changed notes by bending the saw and running the bow in just the right place.
This was a very successful seminar for CVGS and the attendees learned a lot.
Jean and Butch Hibben (photo courtesy of Karen Yarger)
Jean made four presentations during the day, including:
1) "This is not Your Grandma's Genealogy: Making the Transition from Paper to Electronic Record-Keeping." Jean noted that most researchers are putting their genealogical information on a computer in family trees, word-processing documents or spreadsheets. Library card catalogs are online, and there is so much to learn. She discussed why researchers should put their information on the computer, with pros and cons of using a computer to add and revise data, different storage devices, providing information to other researchers, using digital images, computer costs, different equipment (desktop computer, laptop, netbook, tablet, printers, scanners, cameras, smart phones, storage media, etc.). Computer backup, cloud storage and retrieval sites were briefly covered.
Jean recommended that genealogists should learn how to use their computers and devices to make their research efforts more efficient, using the programs and websites that you feel comfortable using and to advance at your own speed.
Butch Hibben provided information about smart phone apps for genealogy available on iOS and Android devices, highlighting family tree apps (RootsMagic, GEDCOMGTG, Ancestry), Evernote (for notes, photos, audio), CamScanner (photos of documents), and Cloud Storage/Retrieval (Dropbox, SurDoc and Google Drive).
2) "Elisabeth: The Story of a German Immigrant." In this talk, Jean was in the character of her ancestor, Elisabetha Huberta Thenee Mueller Wolbert (1828-1895), and showed images of records and places from Germany and America. Elisabetha was born in Rath, Germany, married to Thomas Mueller and had five children by him. She was abused by her husband, and decided to migrate to America, without her children who were raised by her sister, before the Civil War, with a family friend named Philip Wolbert, and resided in New York, New Jersey and Illinois. He served in the Civil War, and married Elisabetha after he returned. Elisabetha was reunited with one of her children and died in the home of a daughter in Illinois. This is an example of how a skillful genealogist and story-teller can weave facts and family stories, along with social and world history, into a narrative that describes one person's life. The entire story of Elisabeth is available as an e-reader book at www.lulu.com/spotlight/circlemending.
Jean's handout included an extensive list of helpful reference books and websites that were used to learn about German research, and to find the records she displayed from Germany and America.
3) "Reality Television: A New Perspective." Jean was the lead researcher for the PBS television series Genealogy Roadshow, which aired 23 September, 30 September, 7 October and 14 October 2013. Each hour-long episode had about ten segments where the subject was brought into the set, and was showed documents to connect them to an event or famous person. There were three on-air hosts - D. Joshua Taylor, Kenyatta Berry, and Emmett Miller.
She hired four other researchers to help her during the 12 weeks of research before shooting the four shows in Austin, Nashville, Detroit and San Francisco. Three of the researchers worked 10 to 12 hours a day for three months on this project. They researched the ancestry of about 150 different persons chosen in or near the four cities, and had to find the persons that had the "best" stories from a genealogy perspective. As lead researcher, Jean had to deal with the show producers and staff, who knew virtually nothing about the genealogy research process. The organization chart for the production changed frequently and they all needed some education about genealogy in order to make the show work for genealogy.
Jean shared many conclusions drawn from this experience. The most interesting, to me, was that they didn't plan on having to consider document image copyright protection, and used many Library of Congress photographs which are in the public domain. The research staff had no control over editing the segments and several inconsistencies appeared on the show. They used the Association of Professional Genealogists mailing list to solicit help retrieving documents and research help in distant places. For some reason, the production staff did not find "farming" to be an interesting occupation.
4) "Up Close and Personal Doing On-Site Research." In this presentation, Jean highlighted effective ways to use the time available to conduct research in a distant location. She broke the talk up into three segments:
* Before the trip, the planning (dates, places, transportation), people and places to contact (genealogists, librarians, archivists, cemetery sextons, church offices, vital record offices, courthouses, Family History Centers, possible relatives or neighbors), and the things to pack (research papers and records, technology equipment, graveyard equipment, etc.). She noted that some courthouses and archives don't allow cameras on site, that researchers should contact repositories and determine open days/hours, make appointments, and that they should visit cemeteries at the end of a day.
* During the On-Site visits to historical and genealogical societies, vital records offices, courthouses, and churches, be sure to mind the establishment rules and be considerate of staff and patrons. If visiting ancestral homes or cemeteries, be sure to have permission to be on private property. Visit tourist attractions to learn local history, take photographs of the area, meet residents, buy some postcards.
* After the trip, organize and transcribe your notes, file your findings, name and catalog photographs and transfer them to your computer, send notes or reports to contacts, and make a list of what to do next time you visit each location.
The entertainment portion of the program was after the served lunch, when Jean played her guitar and sang folk songs, and Butch accompanied her on the saw. The audience was intrigued by the sounds created with the saw, and how Butch changed notes by bending the saw and running the bow in just the right place.
This was a very successful seminar for CVGS and the attendees learned a lot.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
CVGS Saturday Workshop on "New York Research" on 5 April at Bonita
The Saturday, April 5th Workshop of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society is from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road, turn north at Billy Casper Way) in the Community Room.
The discussion topic this month is "New York Research." CVGS member Shirley Becker will briefly describe the colonial and state history of New York, and explain the different jurisdictions where genealogical records may be found. CVGS member Randy Seaver will demonstrate finding New York genealogical resources online in the Family History Library Catalog, the FamilySearch Research Wiki, the FamilySearch Record collections, CyndisList, Ancestry Databases, and more.
This workshop is free to attend. The Bonita-Sunnyside Library has free wi-fi computer access, so bring your laptop or tablet to search for New York ancestors.
The discussion topic this month is "New York Research." CVGS member Shirley Becker will briefly describe the colonial and state history of New York, and explain the different jurisdictions where genealogical records may be found. CVGS member Randy Seaver will demonstrate finding New York genealogical resources online in the Family History Library Catalog, the FamilySearch Research Wiki, the FamilySearch Record collections, CyndisList, Ancestry Databases, and more.
This workshop is free to attend. The Bonita-Sunnyside Library has free wi-fi computer access, so bring your laptop or tablet to search for New York ancestors.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Genealogy Days in Chula Vista - April 2014
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for April 2014 include:
** Saturday, 5 April, 12 noon to 3 p.m., Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road) -- Saturday Workshop: Shirley Becker and Randy Seaver will lead a discussion on "New York Research."
** Wednesday 9 April, 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.
** Wednesday, 16 April, 12 noon 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. Bring your laptops to sharpen your computer skills and investigate online genealogy resources.
** Wednesday, 23 April, 11 a.m. to afternoon, Research Trip to the San Diego Central Library. Take the San Diego Trolley from E Street station to downtown San Diego ($1.25 each way for seniors). The library opens at 12 noon. The genealogy collection is on the 9th floor.
** Wednesday, 30 April, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Program Meeting in the Auditorium. Paul Erickson will present "The Orphan Train." Refreshments before and after the meeting.
** Wednesdays, 2, 9, 16 and 30 April, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- Research Assistance in the Family Research area. John Finch will help you with your research problems. Bring your laptop if you want to do online research.
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-Sunnyside (County) Library is located at 4375 Bonita Road in Bonita - turn north on Billy Casper Way, just west of the Otay Lakes Road 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. All CVGS events are FREE to attend, except for some seminars and picnics.
** Saturday, 5 April, 12 noon to 3 p.m., Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road) -- Saturday Workshop: Shirley Becker and Randy Seaver will lead a discussion on "New York Research."
** Wednesday 9 April, 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.
** Wednesday, 16 April, 12 noon 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. Bring your laptops to sharpen your computer skills and investigate online genealogy resources.
** Wednesday, 23 April, 11 a.m. to afternoon, Research Trip to the San Diego Central Library. Take the San Diego Trolley from E Street station to downtown San Diego ($1.25 each way for seniors). The library opens at 12 noon. The genealogy collection is on the 9th floor.
** Wednesday, 30 April, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Program Meeting in the Auditorium. Paul Erickson will present "The Orphan Train." Refreshments before and after the meeting.
** Wednesdays, 2, 9, 16 and 30 April, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- Research Assistance in the Family Research area. John Finch will help you with your research problems. Bring your laptop if you want to do online research.
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-Sunnyside (County) Library is located at 4375 Bonita Road in Bonita - turn north on Billy Casper Way, just west of the Otay Lakes Road 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. All CVGS events are FREE to attend, except for some seminars and picnics.
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