Monday, November 30, 2015

Chula Vista Genealogy Days in December 2015

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for December 2015 include:

 ** Saturday, 5 December, 1 p.m to 3 p.m., Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road) -- 
CVGS Workshop in Ciommunity Room.  Shirley Becker and Randy Seaver will lead a discussion of MyHeritage.


** Wednesday, 9 December, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the 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.  

**  
Thursday, 10 December, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Chula Vista South Branch Library (389 Orange Avenue) -- CVGS Holiday Luncheon in Conference Rooms A and B.  Potluck Luncheon (CVGS provides meat and beverages) with member appreciation highlights.


** Wednesday, 16 December, 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.

**  Wednesdays, 2, 9 and 16 December, 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, November 21, 2015

November Program is "Heirloom Discovery Day" with Georgie Stillman

 WEDNESDAY, November 25th PROGRAM MEETING
from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

At Bonita Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road)
in the Community Room

Georgie Stillman, ASA – “Heirloom Discovery Day”

      Our November 25th program will feature Georgie Stillman, ASA, presenting an “Heirloom Discovery Day.” Georgie will evaluate, provide some historical background and estimate a value of family heirlooms brought in by CVGS members. Her expertise is in evaluating and appraising silver, china, glass ware, furniture, artworks, quilts and samplers.



     Georgie Stillman (http://georgiestillman.com/bio.htm) has worked as a professional appraiser in London, England, Phoenix, and San Diego since 1971. She has served as president of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), vice president of the San Diego chapter, and was founding director of the International Society of Appraisers. Georgie has received numerous awards for her outstanding service, including Appraiser of the Year. Besides being a professional instructor at various colleges, she has made many radio/TV guest appearances and written articles for many publications, teaching audiences about antiques and art.

     If you would like your heirloom to be evaluated by Georgie, please contact Jane Strawn to get on the evaluation list -- there are a limited number of spaces on the list. Jane has a form for you to complete and return by November 18th.



Thursday, November 19, 2015

CVGS November Newsletter is Published

The November 2015 issue of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society (CVGS) Newsletter was published last week.  

Society Members can read it online, in a PDF format - use the "Members" link (roll over "Members," and click on "Newsletters") at www.CVGenealogy.org.  

Non-members can read CVGS Newsletters two months after publication, per Board of Directors direction (on www.CVgenealogy.org, roll over "News" and click on "Newsletters").

The Table of Contents lists:

page 1 -- November 25th  General Meeting   
page 2 -- President’s Message  
page 2 -- Who's Due to Pay Dues? 
page 3 -- Getting Lloyd Home  


page 4 -- Next Computer Group Meeting
page 4 -- Lemon Grove Research Group News

page 4 -- CVGS at Genealogy Day
page 4 -- RootsTech 2016 Conference


page 5 -- Holiday Luncheon is 10 December
page 5 -- Finding Your Roots on PBS
page 5 -- Legacy Family Tree Webinars
page 6 -- October 14th Research Group Review 

page 7 -- October 28th Program Review 

page 7 -- Genealogy News for October and November
page 8 -- Recent Genealogy Blog Posts of Interest

page 9 -- CVGS Society Information 

page 9 -- San Diego Genealogy Events 
page 10 -- Genealogy Days in Chula Vista 



Tuesday, November 17, 2015

November 2015 Research Group Review

The November meeting of the CVGS Research Group was on Thursday, 12 November with 10 attendees.

In the first hour, Randy discussed:

*  AncestryDNA Circles and shared DNA estimates.  
*  GEDMatch.com, a third-party DNA analysis tool that reads the raw data provided by AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe, and provides more analytical information, including a chromosome browser.
*  The FamilySearch Research Wiki (https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page) which has information about countries, states and counties, plus many record types.

In the second hour, the attendees discussed their research problems and successes:

*  Jane reviewed her trip to New York and Massachusetts to search for DelVecchio records.  She joined CVGS in March 2014 and has made significant progress with her Italian research.  Before her trip, she had found Jack via email, whose ancestor had married into Jane's family.  In Troy, New York, Jane visited St. Mary's Catholic Church Cemetery and found the DelVecchio gravestone, and a plot map with names of those buried there.  She also searched Albany diocesan records.  She determined that the house where her great-grandparents lived was destroyed to build a bridge over the Hudson.  Jane obtained death certificates for some of the family members, but the birthplace is listed only as "Italy."  She also met cousins Jack and Albert and got to know them better.

*  Jean said that some of her ancestors remains were "removed" for a road.  She wondered where the remains are at present.

*  Helen found an article on her Winkel family who traveled by wagon train to California in 1854.  The father was lost in a Utah river.

*  Shirley's ancestor, Lucius Plue, was found in the 1865 New York state census residing with the Goff family - he was age 12 and adopted.  That was a surprise for Shirley.

The next CVGS Research Group will be on Wednesday, 9 December, at 12 noon in the Conference Room in the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street).


Saturday, November 14, 2015

CVGS Fall Seminar Photographs - Post 2

Here are more photographs from the CVGS Fall Seminar on 7 November 2015 at Bonita Golf Course (courtesy of CVGS member Patricia Diane Godinez):

1)  Diane, Jean, Mary, John and Sam:


2)  Marie, Joanna, Marcia and ???:


3)  Ceasar, Hazel, Ralph, Tamara and Ana:


4)  Chuck, Ken, Sharon, Randy and Karen:


5)  Shirley, Kathleen and Steve:


6)  Judith, Jane, Mary and Toni:


7)  Jo Ann, Carole and Joan:


8)  Fran and Gary:




Thursday, November 12, 2015

CVGS Fall Seminar Photographs - Post 1

Here are some of the photographs from the November 7th CVGS Fall Seminar (all courtesy of CVGS member Patricia Diane Godinez):

1)  Seminar Chair Susi Pentico and speaker Toni Perrone:


2)  Speaker Judith Brooks, CVGS President Virginia Taylor, and Seminar Chair Susi Pentico:


3)  The Door Prizes selected with the one-per-person door prize tickets:


4)  One of the Opportunity Drawing prize tables, managed by member Bethel Williams:


5)  Bethel Williams and Susan Hakala at the ticket selection table:


More to come!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

CVGS Research Group is Thursday, 12 November

The Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library will be closed on Wednesday, 11 November, so we have moved the CVGS Research Group to Thursday, 12 November at 12 noon in the Conference Room at the library (365 F Street, Chula Vista).

In the first hour, Randy will discuss the FamilySearch Research Wiki and the FamilySearch Family Tree.  In the second hour, the attendees will describe their research challenges and successes.

Monday, November 9, 2015

CVGS Fall Seminar Review - 7 November 2015

The CVGS all-day Fall Seminar, titled "Over the Pond," was held on Saturday, 7 November 2015 at the Bonita Golf Course, with about 42 persons in attendance.  

There were four presentations by two speakers - Judith Brooks and Toni Perrone.  The talks and a brief description of them were:

1)  "High Road or Low Road -- How and Why the Scots Migrated" by Judith Brooks.  This talk was an historical overview of the Scots - the topography and history of Scotland, from early settlement to present day, with information about religious strike, mercenaries, Treaty of Union, period of enlightenment, and migration from Scotland to Ireland, England, South Africa, North America, and other countries.  Reasons for migrating included civil strife, famine, adventurous spirit, religious turmoil, exiled as felons, prisoners or undesirables, trade prospects, and governments asking for colonists.

2)  "Italian Genealogical Research" by Toni Perrone.  Toni reviewed the different resources available to pursue Italian family history - oral histories, civil records, passenger lists, naturalization records, newspapers, census records, city directories, occupational records, vital records, cemeteries, etc. Local and national Italian genealogical and historical societies were mentioned.  Many Italian immigrants to the U.S. were from the south of Italy because they were poorer and more crowded than the North, where more people owned land.  The main ports of emigration were Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Messina and Marseilles.  From 1880 to 1886, migration was mainly from the North, and from 1887 to 1915 they were mainly from the South.  Chain migration was common - one person migrated initially, then family members and friends came.  They usually lived in Italian communities in large cities.

3)  "Marriage and Inheritance Customs in Germany" by Toni Perrone.  This talk covered marriage customs and records - minimum ages, soldiers, bonds, dispensations, permission to marry, marriage inventory, marriage contracts, and more.  It also covered Inheritance customs - types of impartible inheritance and partible inheritance, She also covered land terms and measurements.

4)  "Using Ancestral Religious Migratory Patterns to Find Church Records to Further Your Research" by Judith Brooks.  Topics included identifying where your ancestor lived, determining their religious denomination, factors affecting where they have gone to church, and then a review of many of the denominations and their records.  Information about Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Reformed, Huguenot, Congregational, Unitarians, Quakers, Baptsis, Moravians, Mennonites, Amish, Brethren, Greek Orthodox, 7th Day Adventists, Mormons, and Jewish beliefs and practices were provided.

In the 15 to 30 minutes between each talk, the attendees checked the prize board - there were over 50 different door prizes and opportunity drawing prizes - including Ancestry, Newspapers, Fold3, MyHeritage, Findmypast, Mocavo, and GenealogyBank subscriptions; there were also RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree, Family Tree Maker, and Family Tree Builder genealogy software also; plus many local business and attraction prizes.  

The sit-down plated luncheon was satisfactory with chicken and beef, potatoes, broccoli and salad, with cookies for dessert.

Diane Godinez took many photographs of attendees and the setting, and I will post some photographs as time permits.

Friday, November 6, 2015

CVGS Fall Seminar is Saturday, 7 November 2015: "Over the Pond"

The CVGS Fall Seminar will be on Saturday, 7 November at the Bonita Golf Course (5540 Sweetwater Road in Bonita)  from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., including a catered lunch, door prizes, etc.  Please keep this date open. 

The seminar theme is “Over the Pond.”   Our ancestors came ACROSS the pond to come here, we are going OVER the pond to research their history.  The two speakers will be:

1) Judith Brooks:



*  High Road or Low Road - How and Why the Scots Migrated – This talk is basically a "big picture" history of the Scots and why they left Scotland starting in the 13th century through 19th and 20th centuries.  They migrated all around the world and this talk will present how and why they landed in fifteen or more countries by country. 

*  Using Ancestral Religious Migratory Patterns to find Church Records to Further Your Research – This presentation covers the major Christian Religions in the early years, their history, where the majority migrated to in America and why.  It recommends steps to locating potential churches based on these patterns.

Judith Brooks is a retired registered nurse and quality management professional. In the fifteen years since retirement, she has done extensive research on her husband's and her families.  She thoroughly researches to prove or disprove other researchers input and likes to focus on locating and reporting the history of the area in which these ancestors lived including society memberships as well as local stories. Her focus has been the colonial era, revolutionary war and the early settlement of the Ohio River Valley, as well as finding how and when these ancestors crossed the ocean. Judith is a long time researcher and member of the APG. 

2)   Toni Perrone:



*  Italian Research, Traditions, and Customs –  Call it culture, call it tradition.  How much do you really know about your family? This lecture will assist you in finding the resources to complete a genealogy report on your Italian family.

*  Marriage and Inheritance Customs in Germany--Archive Records –  The value of heritage and inheritance was very strong, marriage contracts were negotiated, and were usually based on Partible Inheritance --This will be discussed in depth. 

Toni Perrone is a founding member of the Immigrant Genealogical Society, the Immigrant Library in Los Angeles, CA, and the Temecula Valley Genealogical Society.  She is the present day Chair of the German Interest Group in Temecula. Toni serves as President of the Pommern Interest Group at the Immigrant Library and on the Board of Directors of the Immigrant Genealogical Society.  She volunteers at the Family History Center in Murrietta and has for many years. She has been a speaker to various genealogical societies since 1981. 

Toni has a background of 33 years of research in  German and Italian ancestry, has received numerous awards from genealogical groups, has published articles in genealogical publications, two books on family lines and is currently working on a third.

The fee for the seminar for CVGS Members is $45, and for nonmembers is $50; this includes a catered lunch and door prizes.  Note that this is the main fundraising event for the CVGS Scholarship program. 

Please register for this event on the CVGS website – https://chulavistagenealogysociety.wildapricot.org/event-1814401

Contact CVGS Education Chair Susi Pentico (susicp@cox.net) or CVGS President Virginia Taylor (irishdoll@cox.net) for more information.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

October Program Review - "Tea With Mrs. Roosevelt"

About 40 attendees enjoyed the dramatic presentation by Annette Hubbell, as Eleanor Roosevelt, and Elaine Litton as reporter Lorena Hickok, in the program "Tea With Mrs. Roosevelt" on 28 October 2015 at Bonita-Sunnyside Library.


While sipping tea, Lorena Hickok interviewed Eleanor Roosevelt while seated at a small round table.  Lorena was Eleanor's best friend for years, the first woman with Associated Press.  Eleanor Roosevelt was born a Roosevelt, but her parents and siblings died while she was young, and she was Franklin D. Roosevelt's distant cousin.   The interview took Eleanor through her youth attending boarding school and studying abroad, learning three languages German, French and Italian, and into adulthood, describing her marriage, her children, Franklin's siblings, and Franklin's career.

Franklin proposed to her in 1902, and married her in 1905.  Her uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt gave Eleanor away.  They had a three month honeymoon, and when they returned to the States they lived with Franklin's mother, Sarah Roosevelt.  During their lives, they lived at Hyde Park in New York, the summer home in Campobello, Maine, a place in New York City, the Governor's mansion in Albany, in Washington D.C. when Franklin was Secretary of the Navy, and in the White House.  They bought property in Warm Springs, Georgia near a polio treatment center.

Eleanor took an active role in politics, volunteered for many social enterprises, including political reform, workers rights and childrens issues.  She wanted to help Franklin and become his partner in the government.  Franklin contracted polio in 1921, and learned to appreciate life more as he adapted and recovered.  They moved to New York City away from his mother's influence.  Lewis Howe became an advisor to Franklin.

When they entered the White House in 1933, Eleanor became active in the social circles, and eventually integrated the White House, and did fundraising for Negro schools.  After Franklin died in early 1945 before Germany surrendered, Eleanor became a delegate to the United Nations, and was the chair of the committee that wrote the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  She considered that to be her greatest accomplishment.  She also resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution when they would not accept singer Marian Anderson.

For more information about the Roosevelts, Annette and Lorena recommended the book No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and the Ken Burns PBS Series "The Roosevelts."


The meeting featured a classic afternoon tea with breads and cookies and fruit, along with tea, of course.   Refreshments were provided by Ana Castro, Jane Strawn, Caole Sobke and Jo Ann Bonner.  Several attendees wore hats and early 20th century dresses.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Genealogy Days in Chula Vista - November 2015

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for November 2015 include:

 ** Saturday, 7 November, 9 a.m to 3 p.m., Bonita Golf Course (5540 Sweetwater Road) -- 
CVGS Fall Seminar.  Judith Brooks and Toni Perrone are speakers.  $45 CVGS members, $50 Non-members,  catered lunch, door and drawing prizes.  

** Thursday, 12 November, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the 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, 18 November, 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, 25 November, 12:30 p.m.  to 2:30 p.m., at Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road).  CVGS Program Meeting meets in the Community Room.  The program speaker will be Georgie Stillman with a "Heirloom Discovery Day" appraising members heirlooms.  Refreshments before and after the meeting.

**  Wednesdays, 4, 18, and 25 November, 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.