FREE Genealogy 101 and 102 Classes on July 21 and 28

     The FREE Genealogy 101 and 102 classes will be on Thursdays, 21 July and 28 July from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Community Room of Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road, Bonita CA 91902).  

The instructors will be Susi Pentico, Shirley Becker and Randy Seaver.  Please reserve your spot by registering on the CVGS website (www.cvgenealogy.org) and by contacting Susi Pentico (619-623-5250).

     You will learn about:  What is genealogy; Collecting family records; Organizing your information; Where to search.  What to search for.  

     You will need:  pencils (#2 preferred), paper (yellow note pad, 8 1/2” by 11” tablet), eraser, and a 3 ring binder type notebook.  Bring all the information you can gather on your families.

     We will furnish: 2 Pedigree Charts (1 to use in class); 2 Family Group sheets (1 to use in class), Research Log, and a Resource List.  You will use the Yellow Tablet to start your Correspondence Log.

September 6th Workshop at Bonita-Sunnyside Library - "Basic Genealogical Research Information"

The September 6th CVGS Workshop will be from 12 noon to 3 p.m. in the Community Room at the Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road).

Susi Pentico will lead this workshop of "Basic Genealogical Research Information."

This workshop is intended for beginning genealogists who want to understand the basics of genealogical research.  The topics covered will include:

*  A 5-generation pedigree chart
*  A Family Group Sheet
*  A Census record form
*  A Research log
*  A Research checklist

The forms will be provided to the attendees.

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.  

Beginners Workshop in March at Norman Park Center

Norman Park Center in Chula Vista is offering a Beginners Workshop to those who register at the Center, for a fee ($22 CV residents, $28 otherwise), starting  on Monday, March 4, from 9 am to Noon. The class runs four Mondays - March 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th.  

CVGS Member Susi Pentico will be the instructor for the first two classes and CVGS Staff will finish the course.  The 25th is a review of what was taught on the first three Mondays. 

Come learn how much fun doing Genealogy is and how you learn about yourself and family.

For more information, drop by Norman Park Center (270 F Street, Chula Vista) or call 619-691-5086.  Sue Wright is the workshop coordinator.

CVGS Fall Seminar Summary - "Show Me Your Roots"

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Fall Seminar was held on Saturday, 22 September 2012, at the bonita-Sunnyside Library.  The title of this event was "Show Me Your Roots."  There were two sessions with essentially the same planned events - one in the morning (10 AM to 12 noon) and one in the afternoon (1 PM to 3 PM).

The morning session had about 20 CVGS members and 12 non-members in attendance.  The non-members ranged from beginners with a pedigree chart to intermediate researchers with some research background.  

After CVGS President Gary Brock welcomed the attendees, CVGS member Sam Seat made a 30 minute presentation about how to begin and progress in your genealogical and family history research.  His points included:

• Buy a computer program for your family tree – Family Tree Maker (Win and Mac), RootsMagic (Win), Legacy Family Tree (Win), Reunion (Mac), MyHeritage (Win).
• There are many online video courses for Beginners and others – check out the FamilySearch courses/videos
• Fill out your pedigree chart – a skeleton of 5 generations of ancestors – with names, dates, and places
• Fill in the blanks on the chart – find records, family, local, repositories, online search
• Use free online searches and record collections such as Google, FamilySearch, USGenWeb, Rootsweb, Find-A-Grave
• Use online commercial subscription sites with record collections such as Ancestry, Archives, Fold3, GenealogyBank, etc.
• Be careful – don't believe everything you see, use “official” records to make sure data indexes and online trees are correct.
• What can you find – birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, census records, city directories, wills/probate records, land records, military records, immigration records, SSDI, cemetery records, etc.

Sam provided some examples from his own research - images of vital record certificates, census records, wills, city directory pages, gravestones, draft registration, website story, etc.

Bonita-Sunnyside Librarian Hielde Kraus provided a short overview of the library genealogy holdings, including Ancestry Library Edition on the Catalog computers, access to local university libraries with a library card, and the use of Inter-Library Loan to obtain books from other libraries.

At this point, the CVGS Mentors were introduced - Bernice (French-Canada), Shirley (New York, Reunion), Sam, Randy (New England, RootsMagic), Susi (Mid-Atlantic, New England), Karen (Norway, Maryland), Bobbie (French Canada, Bavaria), Ken (Family Tree Maker), and Kevin (MyHeritage).

The plan was to have the mentors help the attendees to fill out their pedigree chart, but all of them had one already started, so the session quickly moved to helping the attendees with their software briefings and research questions.  

Shirley, Randy and Ken discussed and demonstrated the programs to several persons.  Other attendees had questions concerning genealogical resources and how to attack their research problems, and the CVGS members provided advice and went online using their laptops and mobile devices to find records that might help the attendee.

After lunch, the afternoon session had the same CVGS attendees, and five more C VGS members came to ask questions, see software demonstrations, and for help with their research problems.

Drawings were held after both sessions, with CVGS memberships and donations from local restaurants and attractions as door prizes.

FREE "Show Me My Roots" Seminar on Saturday, 22 September

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Fall Seminar will be held Saturday, September 22 at Bonita-Sunnyside Library (4375 Bonita Road; take Billy Casper Way turnoff). 

The seminar theme is "Show Me My Roots." This seminar will be geared to beginners but we will be glad to help anyone who feels they need it. There will be two sessions. The morning session is 10 a.m. to 12 noon and the afternoon session will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring whatever information they have on their parents, grandparents, etc. The attendees will be able to receive help filling out their pedigree chart.

The attendees will then be introduced to the three most popular genealogy programs to give them some idea which one they would like to use. We will be demonstrating Family Tree Maker, RootsMagic, and Reunion. We will also have two computers dedicated to going online to show the attendees how to do research on line, concentrating on the free websites they can use. 

Between the charts and the computers the attendees can have a short tour of the library to show them where they can find genealogy information and to let them know that they can order books through inter-library loan from any of the county libraries and have them delivered to Bonita.

This is a free seminar. Please contact Virginia Taylor (irishdoll@cox.net, 619-425-7922) to register so that we can plan refreshments, handouts and volunteers. Attendees should provide their own lunch.

For this seminar to be a success, we need members of our society to volunteer to help either with the charts or demonstrating the programs. You can work either session or all day. Contact Virginia Taylor to volunteer. 

The program, “Who is in Your Family Tree?” was presented by four Chula Vista Genealogical Society members at Norman Park Center on April 26, 2012. The program was intended to introduce attendees to genealogy, and to the Beginners Class taught by Susi Pentico. It was well received by 22 attendees. 

Susi Pentico spoke about the upcoming Beginning Genealogy classes she will be teaching at the Norman Park Center on May 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2012. Randy Seaver’s presentation topic was “Genealogy - Be An Ancestor Detective,” John Finch’s topic was “Your Family Tree, Heroes and Horse Thieves,” and Janice Nevills rounded out the program by sharing the story of her infamous great aunt and giving details about Chula Vista Genealogical Society and the many programs and workshops available. 

This program for beginning researchers and CVGS inquirers was organized by CVGS Public Relations co-chairs Olive Lenane and Janice Nevills as part of the CVGS Outreach program to the Chula Vista community.

Genealogy 101 - A Beginning Genealogy Workshop

A “Genealogy 101” workshop for beginning genealogists will be held at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street in Chula Vista) in the Conference Room on Tuesday evenings in April – April 5, 12, 19 and 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Students should attend all sessions.  Randy Seaver will be the presenter.

The class will cover getting started in genealogy research, basic principles, charts and reports, file organization, different record types, library and online resources, genealogy software, and more.

There will be a $10 fee for class materials (payable at the first class).

Seats in the Conference Room are limited. Reserve your place by contacting Randy Seaver (email rjseaver@cox.net, phone 619-422-3397) as soon as possible.

Genealogy 101 Beginner's Workshop a Success!

...
After the PBS television show, Faces of America, and the NBC television show, Who Do You Think You Are?, in the first four months of 2010, many genealogical societies were surprised by a sudden upsurge in interest by people who had not pursued their ancestry or family history before.

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society had planned ahead, and was ready to offer a Genealogy 101 -- A Beginner's Workshop during the month of May 2010. There were four two-hour sessions on Tuesday evenings, with former CVGS President, Randy Seaver, as the instructor.

The curriculum included segments on:

Class 1:
* What is Genealogy?
* Step 1 - The Treasure Hunt
* Step 2 - Organize Your Information
* Step 3 - Find Records and Resources
* Step 4 - Share Your Information
* Step 5 - Join Genealogical Societies

Class 2:
* Genealogy Education
* Vital Records
* Census Records
* Effective Online Searches

Class 3:
* Genealogy Software
* Book Resources
* Military Records
* Immigration and Citizenship Records
* Demonstrating Websites in Computer Lab

Class 4:
* The Genealogical Proof Standard
* Online Family Trees
* Newspaper and Directory Records
* Land and Property Records
* Probate and Court Records
* Parting Thoughts

We had 19 attendees in this class - nine were beginning genealogists, five were new CVGS members with little research experience, and five were longer term CVGS members with some research experience. All were enthusiastic to learn about how to pursue genealogical and family history research. Seven of the nine beginners joined CVGS in the past two months. Randy prepared a class syllabus that totalled almost 70 pages to cover the subjects listed above, and used Powerpoint to teach the class, including many examples from his own research.

At the end of the fourth class, we had a graduation ceremony with each attendee receiving a certificate of completion and a name tag with a golden G affixed to mark their course completion. We also had a class photograph taken:

Back row, from the left: Carol Thomas, Janice Nevills, Karyn Slade, Jane Dale, Pauline Johnstone, Anita Harman, Kris Harman, Mary Patterson and Jean Moss (with Kevin Brown in back of Anita and Kris, and instructor Randy Seaver behind Mary).

Front row, from the left: Billie Cosby, Marta Brown, Marian Wertz, Olive Lenane, Neva Bridwell and Nancy Yates.

Unfortunately, Ruth Himan, Kirk Rodriguez and Cheryl Van Cleave were absent when the picture was taken.

CVGS President Gary Brock introduced the classes, helped with the projector, and led the graduation ceremonies. CVGS Member Services Director Ruth Himan helped Randy with class attendance, handing out syllabus materials, setting up the computer lab, and bringing in refreshments (cookies, cupcakes, coffee and water) for each class. Thank you, Gary and Ruth!

We've started a waiting list for the next Genealogy 101 - A Beginner's workshop classes - if you want to be on the list, please contact Randy at rjseaver@cox.net.

CVGS "Getting Started" Seminar Summary

...
We had 25 attendees at the Saturday Seminar on 24 April - including 11 who were not members. Several of them joined CVGS after the seminar. The purpose of this seminar was to provide some basic information to interested persons who might be curious about genealogy research after the Who Do You Think You Are? television series.

CVGS President Gary Brock welcomed the crowd at 2 p.m., and briefly described the contents of the welcome packet (which included the April flyer, the May Genealogy 101 class, the newsletter front page, and the membership application).

After a short refreshment break, Ruth Himan introduced the speaker, CVGS member Susi Pentico, to talk on "Getting Started - Finding Who You Are."

Susi introduced the "Family Laundry Basket" concept of finding those family history items we all have in our homes - the pictures, artifacts, crafts, tools, etc. - and noted that we can start our genealogy research by not going outside of our homes - fill up your laundry basket with those items and understand their significance to your family history. She noted that genealogy is fun and educational, often needs to be done for medical history reasons, and is a way to tie family generations together because they have a common bond.

We were encouraged to listen to our head and our heart about the past - what do I have in my family laundry basket, when and where did I obtain it, and what stories are attached to it? For example, Susi passed around two family cookbooks that she has used for years. Several pieces of furniture - a bookcase with books and pictures on it, a spinning wheel, and a rocking chair -- along with homemade quilts, blankets and clothes, were also brought from homes as examples.

Susi showed many of her family photographs during the talk, talked about family legends and memories, and advised us to start with ourselves on a pedigree chart - then fill in parents, grandparents, etc. as best we can. She showed several helpful charts that can be used in research, and mentioned the importance of maps, vital records, newspapers and cemetery records. We were encouraged to share our research challenges and successes, and to help each other in our research efforts.

Susi's presentation handout included Family History Research Tips, Seven Commandments of correspondence, FREE Websites to Search, Oral History Interview Record, a Research Checklist, and a blank USA Map.

Following Susi's talk, the attendees were encouraged to enjoy the refreshments and to pick up more handouts from the forms table, the library table and the research table where CVGS members could provide assistance and advice. Most of the non-members stayed and talked to the CVGS members about their families and their genealogy, and expressed an interest in starting their family research.

In summary, this was an entertaining and informative presentation that helped CVGS attract community people who might attend the Genealogy 101 Beginners Workshop and become members.

Interested in Genealogy Research? CVGS Wants You!

The popularity of the PBS television program "Faces of America" and NBC's television program "Who Do You Think You Are?" has spurred interest in genealogy research here in Chula Vista and all over the United States.

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society has created a number of educational opportunities for new genealogy searchers, including:

1) A "Getting Started - Finding WHO You Are" Seminar featuring CVGS member Susi Pentico. This seminar will be presented on Saturday, 24 April, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at the South Chula Vista Library (389 Orange Avenue, at Fourth Avenue in Chula Vista). Please reserve your spot by contacting Virginia (email irishdoll@cox.net, phone 610-425-7922).

2) A "Genealogy 101" Education Series for beginning genealogists featuring CVGS member Randy Seaver. This series will be presented on Tuesday nights in May (May 4, 11, 18 and 25) from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) in the Library Conference Room. Please reserve your spot by contacting Randy (email rjseaver@cox.net, phone 619-422-3397).

3) "Genealogy Table Talk" on Mondays (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Wednesdays (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.) and Sundays (2 to 4 p.m.) with CVGS members at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) in the Family Research area of the library stacks (ask at Information Desk for directions). CVGS docents will be happy to discuss getting started in genealogy research, help you fill out pedigree and family group forms, advise you on solving research problems, or just share family stories. No reservations are needed - just come with your information and enjoy the fellowship.

Don't wait - the best time to start your journey into genealogy and family history research is NOW, and the Chula Vista Genealogical Society is ready to help!

Book Review: Who Do You Think You Are? by Megan Smolenyak

....
Who Do You Think You Are? The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and published by Viking/Penguin Group, was released recently to the public, and is available on Amazon Books in hard-cover or Kindle format, and in major bookstores.

The book is a companion guide to the NBC Television series Who Do You Think You Are? that starts on March 5 and runs through 23 April (8 p.m. EST/PST, 7 PM CST/MST) in seven episodes. The episodes feature celebrities Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Susan Sarandon, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith.

For genealogists, the profiles of the celebrities are interesting and fine examples of genealogy research. However, the celebrities are (continued in right column) Not the major focus of this book. Each celebrity has only two or three pages that summarizes their heritage and their ancestral search.

The real purpose of this book is to provide a basic introduction to genealogy research for readers/viewers who are interested enough in their own ancestry to buy or borrow the book.

The book contents include:

* Preparing for your ancestral hunt - start with what you know, go on a treasure hunt, talk to the folks, organize and chart your findings, don't believe everything you hear, and all about names.

* What resources are online? - a brief review of Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, CyndisList.com, USGenWeb and Rootsweb.com, Footnote.com, GenealogyBank.com, EllisIsland.org and CastleGarden.org, government records, Google, libraries, archives, societies, ethnic, magazines, RootsTelevision.com, ISOGG.org, SteveMorse.org, FindAGrave.com, DeathIndexes.com, DeadFred.com, RAOGK.org, genealogy bloggers and several social networks.

* Chapters about the Census Records, Military Records, Vital Records, Military Records, Immigration and Naturalization Records, other records (brief summaries for church, newspapers, court, cemetery records), and DNA testing.

* The "Sleuthing in Action" chapter describes Megan's research on President Obama's Irish roots and finding the "real Annie Moore" as success stories.

* The last chapter is "Passing it On" - advice to ancestry-seekers on how to protect, preserve and share the results of their sleuthing.

Throughout the chapters, Megan uses illustrations of records for famous people (arts, politics, and her own family) to demonstrate the record types and their value. These are really interesting, and made the book intriguing for me - I could hardly wait for the next illustration! Online resources are mentioned in every chapter, but the reader is advised that many records are not yet online.

In summary, this is a very readable genealogy tutorial book which beginning genealogists can use to get them started in their research. Intermediate genealogists will find it useful for the up-to-date treatment of repository and online records. Advanced and experienced researchers will not find anything to help them with specific research problems or new methodologies. The book is intended to be a "getting started" or "get going again" tutorial and succeeds. It would be excellent as the first genealogy book on the shelf of a new researcher trying to learn the methodology and record types involved in genealogy research.

This book should be on every library's genealogy book shelf and on their circulation shelf too! It would be very helpful as a guide book for a beginning genealogy class sponsored by a library or a genealogy society.

CVGS Visit to Fredericka Manor

....
About 20 CVGS members and family attended a very nice program meeting, luncheon and guided facility tour at Fredericka Manor in Chula Vista on Tuesday, 12 May from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event was hosted by Betsy Keller, Marketing Manager of Fredericka Manor, which is a senior retirement community in downtown Chula Vista.

The idea was for CVGS to introduce Fredericka residents to starting genewalogy and fmaily history research and the genealogy society, and for Fredericka Manor to introduce their facility and services to CVGS members. It may be the start of a symbiosis relationship! About 25 CVGS members and family attended, and about 40 Fredericka Manor residents attended the program.

The program meeting started with a sign-in, a snack and drink. Betsy Keller welcomed everybody and held the first 15 door prize drawings. Gary Brock, President of CVGS, summarized the CVGS activities and introduced some of the members in attendance. Pam Journey of the San Diego Genealogical Society gave a wonderful lecture on Beginning Genealogy Research, with a six page handout that included a pedigree chart and family group sheet. Besides talking about the "how-to-start-your-genealogy," she addressed why people do family history research and the family, educational and social benefits of it. After the talk, there were more door prize drawings.

Then it was off to lunch in the Fredericka Manor dining room, hosted by staff people who answered questions and made sure that everyone at their table was well fed. The menu was a salad, spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and bread pudding and/or ice cream. After lunch, we were shown six different living accommodations in the facility from a one room studio to a 1,500 square foot two-bedroom detached house. Some of the units are detached on the property, and some are in the seven-story tower building. The tour lasted about 30 minutes and was very well done.

We were quite pleased with the event, and hope that some of the Fredericka attendees will come to our society meetings. We already have several residents in our society.

This event pointed out to me that meetings with community groups and businesses can have mutual benefits. CVGS can provide speakers at social, church and service clubs and businesses, like Fredericka Manor, could partner with CVGS to the mutual benefit of both.