The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Research Group met on Wednesday, 14 October at the South Chula Vista Library in the Conference Room. There were seven in attendance. We went around the table and attendees discussed their recent genealogy activities.
* Dick knows that several cousins have useful information, but he cannot get them to tell him over the phone or even write it down on forms he has sent them.
* Helen has cousins asking questions about their ancestry, and she is trying to help them out. Her mother's family is very secretive and Helen has been talking to her aunt about some of the family stories with some success.
* Shirley worked on her Pearsall line. She found that a Thomas Pearsall in Virginia adopted a boy in 1670, probably named John Beecher, who took the name of John Parshall. This line went to Long Island NY and then upstate NY. This may be provable with some DNA tests of the Pearsall and Parshall lines.
* Susi is searching for more information about her Susan Mattison (born ca1816 in MA?, died 1879 in IA) who married Noyes Jones in MA or NY. Some cousins say the birth date was 1812, other data says 1816 or 1818, perhaps in Hampshire County MA or Rensselaer County NY. The group suggested further research for probate, land and tax records in the suspected localities.
* John reported on his vacation to NM, AR, NE, CO and home. He visited the unkempt Hillcrest Cemetery in Gallup NM and found nothing helpful. He did have success in Butler County NE where he visited 5 cemeteries after receiving helpful information from a resident via email. He later met the resident at the library. John also went to Rising City looking for school yearbook records at the school, and found pictures of his great uncle with help from the friendly staff. He was referred to Hinkle's Pub where he met some old-timers who talked his ear off, and went to the library where he found probate records of his great-uncle.
* Gary and Wanda just returned from their vacation trip to the upper Midwest. Wanda flew to Duluth and joined a tour that included "Northfest" in Minot ND. Gary flew in later and they went family/friend visiting and leaf-peeping in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. They hit the leaf-peeping just right! They took pictures of the Montgomery Wards store in Ashland WI where Wanda's parents met.
* Randy talked about his vacation to the lower Midwest - Kansas City, Topeka, Springfield, Little Rock, Memphis and Branson. He passed around the FGS conference schedule and some of the presentation summaries for people to read.
The next CVGS Research Group meeting will be Wednesday, 11 November at whichever Chula Vista Library is still open.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Chula Vista Civic Center Library Closed
The Chula Vista Civic Center Library was closed over the weekend indefinitely in order to perform unscheduled maintenance. Some people have said that they found asbestos in the structure and must eliminate it.
There is no indication as to when this library branch will re-open. Hopefully, it will be soon.
This closure affects this month's CVGS meetings, including:
* Research Group meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, 14 October at 12 noon - this will meet at the South Chula Vista Library (389 Orange Avenue, corner of Fourth Avenue in Chula Vista)
* Computer Group meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, 21 October at 12 noon - meeting at South Chula Vista Library in Conference Room A
* CVGS Program Meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, 28 October at 12 noon with Randy Seaver speaking on "Genealogy Vacations" -- meeting at South Chula Vista Library in Conference Room B (capacity 50).
There is no indication as to when this library branch will re-open. Hopefully, it will be soon.
This closure affects this month's CVGS meetings, including:
* Research Group meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, 14 October at 12 noon - this will meet at the South Chula Vista Library (389 Orange Avenue, corner of Fourth Avenue in Chula Vista)
* Computer Group meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, 21 October at 12 noon - meeting at South Chula Vista Library in Conference Room A
* CVGS Program Meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, 28 October at 12 noon with Randy Seaver speaking on "Genealogy Vacations" -- meeting at South Chula Vista Library in Conference Room B (capacity 50).
Friday, October 2, 2009
Genealogy Days in Chula Vista - October 2009
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for October 2009 include:
** Wednesday, October 14, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room. We will review the latest genealogy news, share success stories and information, and discuss members research problems, and potential solutions, based on the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group.
** Wednesday, October 21, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab. 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, October 24, 10 a.m. to 2 pm, Fredericka Manor (183 Third Avenue, Chula Vista) -- CVGS Fall Seminar with Susan Walter presenting "Every Life Has a Story" followed by a free served luncheon in the Fredericka Manor dining room. Attendees will be offered the opportunity to make an appointment to record some of their life stories for posterity. Reservations are required - please contact Betsy Keller at 619-205-4116.
** Wednesday, October 28, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Program Meeting in the Auditorium. After a brief business meeting, the speaker will be Randy Seaver, CVGS member and former President, on "Genealogy Vacations."
** Monday afternoons (11 a.m. to 1 PM) - October 5, 12, 19, and 26 - Genealogy Table Talk with Dearl Glenn and John Finch in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library. They are ready and willing to help people with their research, discuss a problem or success, or just tell stories.
The Chula Vista Civic Center Library is located at 365 "F" Street in Chula Vista - between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, midway between I-5 and I-805 (take the "E" Street exit from the freeways).We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the greater San Diego area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves.
If you have questions, please email Randy at rjseaver@cox.net or phone 619-422-3397.
** Wednesday, October 14, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room. We will review the latest genealogy news, share success stories and information, and discuss members research problems, and potential solutions, based on the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group.
** Wednesday, October 21, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab. 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, October 24, 10 a.m. to 2 pm, Fredericka Manor (183 Third Avenue, Chula Vista) -- CVGS Fall Seminar with Susan Walter presenting "Every Life Has a Story" followed by a free served luncheon in the Fredericka Manor dining room. Attendees will be offered the opportunity to make an appointment to record some of their life stories for posterity. Reservations are required - please contact Betsy Keller at 619-205-4116.
** Wednesday, October 28, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Program Meeting in the Auditorium. After a brief business meeting, the speaker will be Randy Seaver, CVGS member and former President, on "Genealogy Vacations."
** Monday afternoons (11 a.m. to 1 PM) - October 5, 12, 19, and 26 - Genealogy Table Talk with Dearl Glenn and John Finch in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library. They are ready and willing to help people with their research, discuss a problem or success, or just tell stories.
The Chula Vista Civic Center Library is located at 365 "F" Street in Chula Vista - between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, midway between I-5 and I-805 (take the "E" Street exit from the freeways).We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the greater San Diego area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves.
If you have questions, please email Randy at rjseaver@cox.net or phone 619-422-3397.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
CVGS Program - "Lost and Forgotten Cemeteries of San Diego"
The September 30th program meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society featured Dr. Setrh Mallios of San Diego State University's Anthropology Department as the speaker. Dr. Mallios's topic was "The Lost and Forgotten Cemeteries of San Diego." His curriculum vitae was posted here.
This presentation was one of the "best ever" we've had at CVGS. Seth is an accomplished professor of anthropology, and has written two books (with David Caterino) on San Diego cemeteries - The Cemeteries of San Diego and The Cemeteries of San Diego County, both published by Arcadia Press and available online and in San Diego bookstores.
Seth described the San Diego Gravestone Project, which includes a study of San Diego's dead and how San Diego treats them, restoration and preservation of grave markers (which are a non-renewable cultural resource), and anthropological analysis of mortuary culture.
The goal of the San Diego Gravestone Project is to document all cemeteries and grave markers in San Diego County erected prior to 1960, to locate them using a Geographic Information System (GIS), to document them with digital photos, using archaeological rigor and standardized methodology. The project includes collecting data about gravestone physical properties (type of marker, type of material, condition) and literal properties (inscriptions, etc.).
There are 23 known cemeteries within San Diego city limits, and about 150 known cemeteries in the County. However, some of the known cemeteries are buried under parks, roads, parking lots and buildings. The most well-known example is Calvary Cemetery in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. There were over 3,000 burials in this cemetery when it was converted to a park (called Pioneer Park) in 1968. The gravestones were removed and dumped in a ravine at Mount Hope Cemetery several miles away. When the stones were found, the 142 "best looking" stones were salvaged and returned to Pioneer Park and placed in a corner of the park. These stones were not placed on the graves of their namesakes, just put in the corner. The graves are still in Calvary Cemetery under Pioneer Park.
A 1982 article in the Journal of San Diego History listed 38 known cemeteries in San Diego County. Mallios's team found another 110 cemeteries by searching old maps, old photographs, surveys and word of mouth.
Seth provided a chronology of San Diego cemeteries - breaking the known locations down into Prehistoric, Mission and Indian (1769-1847, with Indian, Spanish and Mexican remains), Pioneer (1848-1907, with early American and Victorian graves), and Mega (1908 to the present, with gardens and landscaped grounds). He noted the trends in types of markers and symbols over the years. The shift from above ground columns, tablets and markers to flush in-ground stones took place in the 1910-1920 time period, and was heavily influenced by World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic.
There was much more in the hour-long talk, of course! This presentation was an enjoyable, amusing and informative walk through San Diego's past. Seth is an excellent presenter and an expert in San Diego burial cultural history.
There are some interesting articles available online about Seth Mallios and the San Diego Gravestone Project:
* The San Diego Gravestone Project (with a list of pre-1960 burials at the Jewish Home of Peace Cemetery in San Diego)
* City of the forgotten dead (describes the Calvary Cemetery debacle)
* Cemeteries are the repository of centuries past
This presentation was one of the "best ever" we've had at CVGS. Seth is an accomplished professor of anthropology, and has written two books (with David Caterino) on San Diego cemeteries - The Cemeteries of San Diego and The Cemeteries of San Diego County, both published by Arcadia Press and available online and in San Diego bookstores.
Seth described the San Diego Gravestone Project, which includes a study of San Diego's dead and how San Diego treats them, restoration and preservation of grave markers (which are a non-renewable cultural resource), and anthropological analysis of mortuary culture.
The goal of the San Diego Gravestone Project is to document all cemeteries and grave markers in San Diego County erected prior to 1960, to locate them using a Geographic Information System (GIS), to document them with digital photos, using archaeological rigor and standardized methodology. The project includes collecting data about gravestone physical properties (type of marker, type of material, condition) and literal properties (inscriptions, etc.).
There are 23 known cemeteries within San Diego city limits, and about 150 known cemeteries in the County. However, some of the known cemeteries are buried under parks, roads, parking lots and buildings. The most well-known example is Calvary Cemetery in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego. There were over 3,000 burials in this cemetery when it was converted to a park (called Pioneer Park) in 1968. The gravestones were removed and dumped in a ravine at Mount Hope Cemetery several miles away. When the stones were found, the 142 "best looking" stones were salvaged and returned to Pioneer Park and placed in a corner of the park. These stones were not placed on the graves of their namesakes, just put in the corner. The graves are still in Calvary Cemetery under Pioneer Park.
A 1982 article in the Journal of San Diego History listed 38 known cemeteries in San Diego County. Mallios's team found another 110 cemeteries by searching old maps, old photographs, surveys and word of mouth.
Seth provided a chronology of San Diego cemeteries - breaking the known locations down into Prehistoric, Mission and Indian (1769-1847, with Indian, Spanish and Mexican remains), Pioneer (1848-1907, with early American and Victorian graves), and Mega (1908 to the present, with gardens and landscaped grounds). He noted the trends in types of markers and symbols over the years. The shift from above ground columns, tablets and markers to flush in-ground stones took place in the 1910-1920 time period, and was heavily influenced by World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic.
There was much more in the hour-long talk, of course! This presentation was an enjoyable, amusing and informative walk through San Diego's past. Seth is an excellent presenter and an expert in San Diego burial cultural history.
There are some interesting articles available online about Seth Mallios and the San Diego Gravestone Project:
* The San Diego Gravestone Project (with a list of pre-1960 burials at the Jewish Home of Peace Cemetery in San Diego)
* City of the forgotten dead (describes the Calvary Cemetery debacle)
* Cemeteries are the repository of centuries past
Sunday, September 27, 2009
CVGS Program on Wednesday - "Lost and Forgotten Cemeteries of San Diego"
The Wednesday, 30 September program for the Chula Vista Genealogical Society will start at 12 noon in the Chula Vista Civic Center Library auditorium (365 F Street in Chula Vista). After a brief business meeting, the program speaker will be:
Dr. Seth Mallios on "The Lost and Forgotten Cemeteries of San Diego."
Here is Dr. Mallios's curriculum vitae and program description:
"San Diego County has a rich and unique cultural history that can be effectively told through the commemoration of its dead. Local cemeteries throughout the region reflect San Diego's multi-ethnic cultural dynamism and pinpoint marked shifts in power from Native American to Spanish to Mexican to U. S. American governance. They also reveal the current struggle for space in a burgeoning metropolis. Many graveyards have disappeared entirely, erasing the last vestiges of too many of the region's formative pioneers.
"Dr. Mallios will discuss his ongoing San Diego Gravestone Project and its primary goals to preserve local history and reconnect present San Diegans with the past."
"Dr. Seth Mallios is currently Professor and Chair of the Anthropology department at San Diego State University. He is also Director of the South Coastal and South East Information Center. Mallios received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993 and a Master's Degree and Doctorate from the University of Virginia in 1998. An anthropologist and an historical archaeologist, Dr. Mallios was Site Supervisor at the Jamestown Rediscovery project, specializing in the excavation of and research on the original 1607 James Fort at Jamestown Island, Virginia, the oldest permanent English settlement in the Americas. He continues to serve as editor of the journal he founded there, the peer-reviewed Journal of the Jamestown Rediscovery Center. His first book, The Deadly Politics of Giving, published by the University of Alabama Press, came out in August of 2006.
"Since his move to San Diego seven years ago, he has created the San Diego Gravestone Project, an endeavor that has included two books (Cemeteries of San Diego [2007] Arcadia Press; and Cemeteries of San Diego County [2008] Arcadia Press) and multiple scholarly articles. He developed a Geographic Information System that integrated every archaeological site in the county. Dr. Mallios began excavating at the Nate Harrison Site atop Palomar Mountain in 2004 and continues to dig there every summer. He has just finished his first three archaeological field seasons at the historic Whaley House in Old Town San Diego, having successfully located and excavated the original well."
Please join us for this interesting talk about the cemeteries of San Diego. We request that you enter the auditorium through the conference room on the east hallway of the library in order to sign in, pick up handouts and have a snack before settling into the cushy seats in the auditorium. There will be refreshments after the program in the conference room.
For more information, please contact Barbara Ibaibarriaga at (619) 477-4140 or email at baribai@cos.net.
Dr. Seth Mallios on "The Lost and Forgotten Cemeteries of San Diego."
Here is Dr. Mallios's curriculum vitae and program description:
"San Diego County has a rich and unique cultural history that can be effectively told through the commemoration of its dead. Local cemeteries throughout the region reflect San Diego's multi-ethnic cultural dynamism and pinpoint marked shifts in power from Native American to Spanish to Mexican to U. S. American governance. They also reveal the current struggle for space in a burgeoning metropolis. Many graveyards have disappeared entirely, erasing the last vestiges of too many of the region's formative pioneers.
"Dr. Mallios will discuss his ongoing San Diego Gravestone Project and its primary goals to preserve local history and reconnect present San Diegans with the past."
"Dr. Seth Mallios is currently Professor and Chair of the Anthropology department at San Diego State University. He is also Director of the South Coastal and South East Information Center. Mallios received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993 and a Master's Degree and Doctorate from the University of Virginia in 1998. An anthropologist and an historical archaeologist, Dr. Mallios was Site Supervisor at the Jamestown Rediscovery project, specializing in the excavation of and research on the original 1607 James Fort at Jamestown Island, Virginia, the oldest permanent English settlement in the Americas. He continues to serve as editor of the journal he founded there, the peer-reviewed Journal of the Jamestown Rediscovery Center. His first book, The Deadly Politics of Giving, published by the University of Alabama Press, came out in August of 2006.
"Since his move to San Diego seven years ago, he has created the San Diego Gravestone Project, an endeavor that has included two books (Cemeteries of San Diego [2007] Arcadia Press; and Cemeteries of San Diego County [2008] Arcadia Press) and multiple scholarly articles. He developed a Geographic Information System that integrated every archaeological site in the county. Dr. Mallios began excavating at the Nate Harrison Site atop Palomar Mountain in 2004 and continues to dig there every summer. He has just finished his first three archaeological field seasons at the historic Whaley House in Old Town San Diego, having successfully located and excavated the original well."
Please join us for this interesting talk about the cemeteries of San Diego. We request that you enter the auditorium through the conference room on the east hallway of the library in order to sign in, pick up handouts and have a snack before settling into the cushy seats in the auditorium. There will be refreshments after the program in the conference room.
For more information, please contact Barbara Ibaibarriaga at (619) 477-4140 or email at baribai@cos.net.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
CVGS September 2009 Newsletter
The September 2009 issue of the Chula Vista Genelaogical Society newsletter is posted online at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacvgs2/Newsletters/09_09sep.pdf
It is in PDF format for your reading pleasure!
This issue includes President Gary Brock's article on "What's Up With Windows 7?" on page 8.
It is in PDF format for your reading pleasure!
This issue includes President Gary Brock's article on "What's Up With Windows 7?" on page 8.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Interesting Blog Articles -- August 2009
The genealogy blogosphere has many interesting and useful articles written each month, including these from August and early September:
* Sharon Tate Moody wrote an excellent tutorial on the organization of land records at U.S. county courthouses. It is published as her weekly genealogy column in the Tampa Tribune at http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/23/tr-learn-the-ropes-to-mine-courthouse-deed-records/life/.
* Don’t Expect the Genealogical Helper to Reemerge by Leland Meitzler on the GenealogyBlog.
* Genealogy: Similar to Cocaine, Amphetamines, and Other Drugs of Stimulation by Dick Eastman on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter.
* Digital Genealogist to Cease Publication by Dick Eastman on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter.
* Back to the Land - Again by Carolyn L. Barkley on the GenealogyAndFamilyHistory.com blog.
* 101 Ways to Research Your Family Tree for Free by Kimberly Powell on Kimberly’s Genealogy Blog.
* Hurdling the “Brick Wall” without Landing in a Pothole (The Real Value of Source Citation): by Erica on the GenealogyandFamilyHistory.com Blog.
* Shot Myself in the Foot by Thomas Fiske on Leland Meitzler's GenealogyBlog.
* Genealogy is more than just craft. by George Geder on the George Geder blog.
* Genealogy Rant (Pet Peeve) by Lorine Schulze on the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog.
* Genealogy Through A Wider Window by Leah on The Internet Genealogist blog.
* Case Studies: Learning by Example by Kimberly Powell on Kimberly’s Genealogy Blog.
* Ancestry.com in Arbitration over the Drouin Collection by Dick Eastman on Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.
* Electronic Publishing for Family Historians by Denise Olson on the Family Matters blog.
* Is There a Loyalist in Your Family Tree? by Carolyn L. Barkley on the GenealogyandFamilyHistory.com blog.
* The ProGen Study Group – An Online Genealogy Education Opportunity by Amy Coffin on the Geneabloggers blog.
* Finding daughters married names in census records by Randy Seaver on the Genea-Musings blog.
* Sharon Tate Moody wrote an excellent tutorial on the organization of land records at U.S. county courthouses. It is published as her weekly genealogy column in the Tampa Tribune at http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/23/tr-learn-the-ropes-to-mine-courthouse-deed-records/life/.
* Don’t Expect the Genealogical Helper to Reemerge by Leland Meitzler on the GenealogyBlog.
* Genealogy: Similar to Cocaine, Amphetamines, and Other Drugs of Stimulation by Dick Eastman on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter.
* Digital Genealogist to Cease Publication by Dick Eastman on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter.
* Back to the Land - Again by Carolyn L. Barkley on the GenealogyAndFamilyHistory.com blog.
* 101 Ways to Research Your Family Tree for Free by Kimberly Powell on Kimberly’s Genealogy Blog.
* Hurdling the “Brick Wall” without Landing in a Pothole (The Real Value of Source Citation): by Erica on the GenealogyandFamilyHistory.com Blog.
* Shot Myself in the Foot by Thomas Fiske on Leland Meitzler's GenealogyBlog.
* Genealogy is more than just craft. by George Geder on the George Geder blog.
* Genealogy Rant (Pet Peeve) by Lorine Schulze on the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog.
* Genealogy Through A Wider Window by Leah on The Internet Genealogist blog.
* Case Studies: Learning by Example by Kimberly Powell on Kimberly’s Genealogy Blog.
* Ancestry.com in Arbitration over the Drouin Collection by Dick Eastman on Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.
* Electronic Publishing for Family Historians by Denise Olson on the Family Matters blog.
* Is There a Loyalist in Your Family Tree? by Carolyn L. Barkley on the GenealogyandFamilyHistory.com blog.
* The ProGen Study Group – An Online Genealogy Education Opportunity by Amy Coffin on the Geneabloggers blog.
* Finding daughters married names in census records by Randy Seaver on the Genea-Musings blog.
Monday, September 14, 2009
New and Updated Genealogy Databases - September
The new and/or updated genealogy databases for late August and early September include:
1) New or Updated Databases at www.Ancestry.com ($$)
* Ontario Marriage Records by Clergy, 18968-1948 (W)
* UK Army Prisoners of War 1940-1947 (W)
* Books about German settlers in the USA (US)
* US Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880, NY (US)
* Selected US Naturalization Record Indexes, 1822-1855 and 1906-1966 (US)
* Many German record books (W)
* East India Register and Directory, 1844 (W)
* Thacker’s Indian Directory, 1895 (W)
2) New/Updated LDS www.FamilySearch.org IndexingProjects (Free). These databases are available for FREE at http://pilot.familysearch.org/ - the LDS site for volunteer indexed and browsable databases -- recently added or
completed projects:
* Cook County, Illinois Marriages, 1871-1920
* Wisconsin State Census, 1875, 1885, 1895
* Arkansas County Marriages, 1837-1957
* New York State Census, 1892
* British Columbia Birth Registrations, 1854-1903
* Chihuahua, Mexico Catholic Church Records, 1622-1958
* Opava, Czech Rep. Church Books, 1571-1905
* Pernambuco, Brazil Civil Registration 1889-2003
* Merida, Venezuela Parish Registers, 1654-1992
3) New or Updated Databases at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org ($$)
* The Virginia Genealogist, 1957-2006
* Massachusetts Vital Records, Marriages, 1912
* Early Maine Deeds and Wills, Volumes 6-10
* ACGS Index of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials
* The American Genealogist, Volumes 24-28
* The Connecticut Nutmegger, Volumes 32-36
4) New or Updated Databases at www.Footnote.com ($$):
* Washington DC City Directories
* Eastern NY Naturalizations
* Massachusetts Town Records, 1620-1915 (mainly Barnstable Co.)
* Massachusetts Vital Records Transcripts
1) New or Updated Databases at www.Ancestry.com ($$)
* Ontario Marriage Records by Clergy, 18968-1948 (W)
* UK Army Prisoners of War 1940-1947 (W)
* Books about German settlers in the USA (US)
* US Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880, NY (US)
* Selected US Naturalization Record Indexes, 1822-1855 and 1906-1966 (US)
* Many German record books (W)
* East India Register and Directory, 1844 (W)
* Thacker’s Indian Directory, 1895 (W)
2) New/Updated LDS www.FamilySearch.org IndexingProjects (Free). These databases are available for FREE at http://pilot.familysearch.org/ - the LDS site for volunteer indexed and browsable databases -- recently added or
completed projects:
* Cook County, Illinois Marriages, 1871-1920
* Wisconsin State Census, 1875, 1885, 1895
* Arkansas County Marriages, 1837-1957
* New York State Census, 1892
* British Columbia Birth Registrations, 1854-1903
* Chihuahua, Mexico Catholic Church Records, 1622-1958
* Opava, Czech Rep. Church Books, 1571-1905
* Pernambuco, Brazil Civil Registration 1889-2003
* Merida, Venezuela Parish Registers, 1654-1992
3) New or Updated Databases at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org ($$)
* The Virginia Genealogist, 1957-2006
* Massachusetts Vital Records, Marriages, 1912
* Early Maine Deeds and Wills, Volumes 6-10
* ACGS Index of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials
* The American Genealogist, Volumes 24-28
* The Connecticut Nutmegger, Volumes 32-36
4) New or Updated Databases at www.Footnote.com ($$):
* Washington DC City Directories
* Eastern NY Naturalizations
* Massachusetts Town Records, 1620-1915 (mainly Barnstable Co.)
* Massachusetts Vital Records Transcripts
Saturday, September 12, 2009
CVGS Research Group Summary
John Finch hosted the CVGS Research Group meeting on 9 September - here is his report:
Seven members and a newcomer, Kevin, came to the Research Group Meeting on 9 September and Kevin became a member before the meeting was brought to order. Welcome, Kevin!
John Finch facilitated the meeting in the absence of Randy Seaver. We began the meeting with introductions and John discussed the merits of Member Connect at www.Ancestry.com. Ancestry recently launched this feature that tracks others researching persons in your family tree and alerts you to that activity. For example, Ancestry will report if anyone has taken any information from your tree or added, to their tree, records pertaining to a person in your tree. The benefit of this is that you find out who has a mutual interest in your family and ancestry allows a means to contact that person, which could lead to collaboration. John pointed out that this is just one of many good reasons to have a public accessible family tree on line. Our own Ahnentafels, http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacvgs2/Ahnentafels/snindex.html, would be a good place to start.
No one had a specific problem to discuss, but Joan had a document showing research of a Civil War Union Veteran, that may be of interest to another of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Member and asked if we could pass the information along.
Dick talked about his trip in July to Wisconsin and Illinois for a reunion and family research. He had some good and some bad experiences in contact with various agencies in his search for records and documents. He had very good luck with www.FindaGrave.com and that brought on a discussion by nearly all of us as to the advantages of this site.
Shirley said that she is not making any progress now in her research and has encountered difficulty with her Pearsall, Miller and Sweet families. She is expecting to review a microfilm that may have information of the Pearsall’s that has not been previously published and is searching archive.org for church records for a New York State community.
Virginia has had contact with a person, a possible cousin, and is comparing family information.
Gary has been sorting through a box of old photographs and papers that had belonged to his mother. He has been trying to identify all the photographs, to make the task easier, he has been placing the pictures into eras and chronological order.
Dearl has been dealing with a family illness and unable to research just now.
Joan has been corresponding with a lady that she met on line and they have been sharing information. Joan suspects that this lady may have confused a great uncle as a grand nephew and asked how she might either prove or disprove the relationship. The group suggested census reports would reveal the correct family relationship.
Kevin had questions about use of internet sites and the protocol for placing family information online.
John is planning for a Fall vacation, driving across the Midwest, and the process to prepare for some genealogical research while on the trip.
Seven members and a newcomer, Kevin, came to the Research Group Meeting on 9 September and Kevin became a member before the meeting was brought to order. Welcome, Kevin!
John Finch facilitated the meeting in the absence of Randy Seaver. We began the meeting with introductions and John discussed the merits of Member Connect at www.Ancestry.com. Ancestry recently launched this feature that tracks others researching persons in your family tree and alerts you to that activity. For example, Ancestry will report if anyone has taken any information from your tree or added, to their tree, records pertaining to a person in your tree. The benefit of this is that you find out who has a mutual interest in your family and ancestry allows a means to contact that person, which could lead to collaboration. John pointed out that this is just one of many good reasons to have a public accessible family tree on line. Our own Ahnentafels, http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacvgs2/Ahnentafels/snindex.html, would be a good place to start.
No one had a specific problem to discuss, but Joan had a document showing research of a Civil War Union Veteran, that may be of interest to another of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Member and asked if we could pass the information along.
Dick talked about his trip in July to Wisconsin and Illinois for a reunion and family research. He had some good and some bad experiences in contact with various agencies in his search for records and documents. He had very good luck with www.FindaGrave.com and that brought on a discussion by nearly all of us as to the advantages of this site.
Shirley said that she is not making any progress now in her research and has encountered difficulty with her Pearsall, Miller and Sweet families. She is expecting to review a microfilm that may have information of the Pearsall’s that has not been previously published and is searching archive.org for church records for a New York State community.
Virginia has had contact with a person, a possible cousin, and is comparing family information.
Gary has been sorting through a box of old photographs and papers that had belonged to his mother. He has been trying to identify all the photographs, to make the task easier, he has been placing the pictures into eras and chronological order.
Dearl has been dealing with a family illness and unable to research just now.
Joan has been corresponding with a lady that she met on line and they have been sharing information. Joan suspects that this lady may have confused a great uncle as a grand nephew and asked how she might either prove or disprove the relationship. The group suggested census reports would reveal the correct family relationship.
Kevin had questions about use of internet sites and the protocol for placing family information online.
John is planning for a Fall vacation, driving across the Midwest, and the process to prepare for some genealogical research while on the trip.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Grandparents Day at Stein Farm on 9/12
Grandparents Day will be celebrated on Saturday, 12 September, at the Stein Family Farm Museum in National City, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The farm is located at the corner of F Avenue and 18th Street just across from the John Otis elementary school.
The public is invited to this FREE family event to experience life on a farm in a much earlier time.
Children can take part in sewing and laundry with a scrub board, and will meet the pig, the goose and the chickens that live at the farm. They will see antique farm machinery, view the butterfly garden, the herb beds, and the orchard. Many of the plantings are typical of the time when the farm was the home of the Steins, of German heritage.
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society will have a table at the Farm with family group sheets and pedigree charts to encourage people to write down their family history information.
For more information, call 1-619-477-4113. Visit the Stein Family Farm website at http://www.thesteinfamilyfarm.org/
The public is invited to this FREE family event to experience life on a farm in a much earlier time.
Children can take part in sewing and laundry with a scrub board, and will meet the pig, the goose and the chickens that live at the farm. They will see antique farm machinery, view the butterfly garden, the herb beds, and the orchard. Many of the plantings are typical of the time when the farm was the home of the Steins, of German heritage.
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society will have a table at the Farm with family group sheets and pedigree charts to encourage people to write down their family history information.
For more information, call 1-619-477-4113. Visit the Stein Family Farm website at http://www.thesteinfamilyfarm.org/
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Genealogy Days in Chula Vista -- September 2009
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for September 2009 include:
** Wednesday, September 9, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room. We will review the latest genealogy news, share success stories and information, and discuss members research problems, and potential solutions, based on the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group.
** Wednesday, September 16, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab. 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.
** Wednesday, September 30, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Program Meeting in the Auditorium. After a brief business meeting, the speaker will be Seth Mallios, PhD, an anthropology professor at San Diego State University, on "The Lost and Forgotten Cemeteries of San Diego."
** Monday afternoons (11 a.m. to 2 PM) - September 7, 14, 21 and 28 - Genealogy Table Talk with Dearl Glenn and John Finch in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library. They are ready and willing to help people with their research, discuss a problem or success, or just tell stories.
The Chula Vista Civic Center Library is located at 365 "F" Street in Chula Vista - between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, midway between I-5 and I-805 (take the "E" Street exit from the freeways).
We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the greater San Diego area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves. If you have questions, please email Randy at rjseaver@cox.net or phone 619-422-3397.
** Wednesday, September 9, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room. We will review the latest genealogy news, share success stories and information, and discuss members research problems, and potential solutions, based on the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group.
** Wednesday, September 16, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab. 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.
** Wednesday, September 30, 12 noon to 2 p.m., Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Program Meeting in the Auditorium. After a brief business meeting, the speaker will be Seth Mallios, PhD, an anthropology professor at San Diego State University, on "The Lost and Forgotten Cemeteries of San Diego."
** Monday afternoons (11 a.m. to 2 PM) - September 7, 14, 21 and 28 - Genealogy Table Talk with Dearl Glenn and John Finch in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library. They are ready and willing to help people with their research, discuss a problem or success, or just tell stories.
The Chula Vista Civic Center Library is located at 365 "F" Street in Chula Vista - between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, midway between I-5 and I-805 (take the "E" Street exit from the freeways).
We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the greater San Diego area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves. If you have questions, please email Randy at rjseaver@cox.net or phone 619-422-3397.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
CVGS Picnic - RAOGK Angels
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society annual picnic was today, and we had 25 members and guests in attendance. After a short business meeting, and eating lunch in the shade on an 85 degree day, we shared RAOGK stories - that stands for Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness The question to be discussed was "Who has helped us in our research selflessly, and who have we helped?"
* Joan shared family information on her grandfather's brother with that brother's grandchildren, and has received wonderful information back from the cousin, and has shared lunch with her too! She also took a suggestion from CVGS members to search for "Hans" instead of "Johannes" in the passenger lists and found her ancestor.
* Randy shared his search for the parents of Ben Kaber to help the man in Holland that cares for Ben's grave in a World War II cemetery in Belgium. He also told about finding the house of his wife's great-grandparents in San Francisco on Google Street View that matches the large picture on their family room wall which dates from 1906. A blog reader took pictures of the existing house, and two cousins contacted him, took more pictures, and even knocked on the door of the house in question.
* John discussed his North Carolina research of the William Patrick family. He found that Patrick had a will from the abstract in a book, then obtained, through a friend and the friend's friend, the will and some land records. He followed up and received more information from a county library and the Wake Forest archives.
* Ann was researching her husband's Garvin family, and found a great-grandmother that lived to be 106. From a message board, she found another person researching the same family, but the email address was wrong. A colleague found another email address online, and she was able to contact the man, determined that they were cousins and they are sharing family information.
* Susan was searching for her great-great-grandfather's grave in Richview, Illinois. She had searched the local cemetery with no luck, but asked the man mowing the grass if there were any records, and he knew of a lady who had the maps. She was called, she came over, and they found the grave of her Civil War ancestor.
* Myrna's Beach family lived in Huron County, Ohio, and her aunt knew everything about their live in that county, and showed Myrna around. But they wondered where the family had been before. One record hinted at Pompey, Onondaga County, NY, and Myrna found books on eBay for sale. She called the local Historical Society to contact the book author, who was 85 at the time. It turned out the author was related to Myrna, had access to the records, knew where they were buried in the cemetery, and had been placing flags on the graves of Myrna's Revolutionary War soldier for over 45 years.
* Bobbie had several tales to tell - from her first CVGS Research Group meeting that helped her find Titus family records online, which enabled her to find and contact a researcher in Lake County, Illinois, who provided many family records; the librarian in Lake county that took her into the "back room" to see birth records; and the speaker at the local German society that put her in contact with a distant cousin in Bavaria.
* Ruth brought her Aunt Helen, and two nieces, from Washington to the picnic - Helen has been the one providing Ruth with lots of family information.
* Helen's great-great-grandfather died in the Civil War in Mississippi. She found a book listing his death in Enterprise, MS, and wrote to the mayor for help. A researcher contacted her and sent pictures of houses were sick and wounded soldiers lived during the war, and sent pictures of tombstones in the local cemetery, including that of her Confederate soldier.
* Gary's mother died three years ago, and his 88-year-old step-father married again. The new wife encouraged him to sort out the barn filled with family history things, and Gary recently received a box chock full of photographs, mementos, and his mother's genealogy research papers.
* Ann has been helping her elderly neighbors answer family history questions by finding records online that provide information about family members and homes.
After the RAOGK talks, we had our "bring one, get one" white elephant gift exchange and everyone seemed pleased with their gift. Bernice had a book sale going, and gave away many sets of duplicate periodicals. Randy had received free copies of RootsMagic 4 and Family Tree Maker 2009 recently, and they were given to people that wanted them, for a donation to CVGS.
* Joan shared family information on her grandfather's brother with that brother's grandchildren, and has received wonderful information back from the cousin, and has shared lunch with her too! She also took a suggestion from CVGS members to search for "Hans" instead of "Johannes" in the passenger lists and found her ancestor.
* Randy shared his search for the parents of Ben Kaber to help the man in Holland that cares for Ben's grave in a World War II cemetery in Belgium. He also told about finding the house of his wife's great-grandparents in San Francisco on Google Street View that matches the large picture on their family room wall which dates from 1906. A blog reader took pictures of the existing house, and two cousins contacted him, took more pictures, and even knocked on the door of the house in question.
* John discussed his North Carolina research of the William Patrick family. He found that Patrick had a will from the abstract in a book, then obtained, through a friend and the friend's friend, the will and some land records. He followed up and received more information from a county library and the Wake Forest archives.
* Ann was researching her husband's Garvin family, and found a great-grandmother that lived to be 106. From a message board, she found another person researching the same family, but the email address was wrong. A colleague found another email address online, and she was able to contact the man, determined that they were cousins and they are sharing family information.
* Susan was searching for her great-great-grandfather's grave in Richview, Illinois. She had searched the local cemetery with no luck, but asked the man mowing the grass if there were any records, and he knew of a lady who had the maps. She was called, she came over, and they found the grave of her Civil War ancestor.
* Myrna's Beach family lived in Huron County, Ohio, and her aunt knew everything about their live in that county, and showed Myrna around. But they wondered where the family had been before. One record hinted at Pompey, Onondaga County, NY, and Myrna found books on eBay for sale. She called the local Historical Society to contact the book author, who was 85 at the time. It turned out the author was related to Myrna, had access to the records, knew where they were buried in the cemetery, and had been placing flags on the graves of Myrna's Revolutionary War soldier for over 45 years.
* Bobbie had several tales to tell - from her first CVGS Research Group meeting that helped her find Titus family records online, which enabled her to find and contact a researcher in Lake County, Illinois, who provided many family records; the librarian in Lake county that took her into the "back room" to see birth records; and the speaker at the local German society that put her in contact with a distant cousin in Bavaria.
* Ruth brought her Aunt Helen, and two nieces, from Washington to the picnic - Helen has been the one providing Ruth with lots of family information.
* Helen's great-great-grandfather died in the Civil War in Mississippi. She found a book listing his death in Enterprise, MS, and wrote to the mayor for help. A researcher contacted her and sent pictures of houses were sick and wounded soldiers lived during the war, and sent pictures of tombstones in the local cemetery, including that of her Confederate soldier.
* Gary's mother died three years ago, and his 88-year-old step-father married again. The new wife encouraged him to sort out the barn filled with family history things, and Gary recently received a box chock full of photographs, mementos, and his mother's genealogy research papers.
* Ann has been helping her elderly neighbors answer family history questions by finding records online that provide information about family members and homes.
After the RAOGK talks, we had our "bring one, get one" white elephant gift exchange and everyone seemed pleased with their gift. Bernice had a book sale going, and gave away many sets of duplicate periodicals. Randy had received free copies of RootsMagic 4 and Family Tree Maker 2009 recently, and they were given to people that wanted them, for a donation to CVGS.
Monday, August 24, 2009
CVGS Annual Picnic on 26 August
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Annual Picnic is this Wednesday, August 26th, 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 exchange via a raffle drawing.
The Program will be members sharing the “Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness” that have been helpful to their research.
The Picnic is always a fun time of sharing with our society colleagues.
Contact John Finch (phone 619-426-4906, or email jan27@cox.net) for more information.
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 exchange via a raffle drawing.
The Program will be members sharing the “Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness” that have been helpful to their research.
The Picnic is always a fun time of sharing with our society colleagues.
Contact John Finch (phone 619-426-4906, or email jan27@cox.net) for more information.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
19 August Computer Group Summary
We had 9 attendees at the CVGS Computer Group meeting on 19 August for hands-on computer genealogy work. When we arrived, we found that all but one of the library's lab computers had the Flash program installed - so now we can access more useful genealogy websites.
We demonstrated how to get to the FamilySearch Record Search site at http://pilot.familysearch.org - either through the home page of www.FamilySearch.org or by inputting it in the URL line. He recommended using the specific database menus rather than the main search menu to do searches, and noted that some databases have only indexes and some have only browsable images. The group reviewed the list of US databases available, and sampled the 1870 US census and the 1900 US census, plus the Texas death records and New Hampshire vital records.
We also went to the 1930 census on the www.Footnote.com site (which is free to access until the end of August) and we demonstrated the basic search sequences there, culminating in the record images and using the filmstrip to browse adjacent pages.
While others worked on their own problems, we tried to solve some research problems using these new tools. We found Rosa Darling in the 1920 census with her adoptive parents in Nebraska in the 1920 US Census on FamilySearch Record Search. We couldn't find her on Footnote in the 1930 census.
Gary found four Roff families in Tompkins County NY in the 1850 census on FamilySearch, which gives him more leads to connect to his Solomon Roff.
We found some 1860 and 1870 census records on ancestry.com for Clough and Sharp families in Ohio for Cynthia, and then found several newspaper articles and some book citations for her William Graves Sharp. Randy emailed these articles to himself and will email them to Cynthia.
It was a quick two hours.
The next CVGS Computer Group meeting will be Wednesday, September 16 at 12 noon in the Computer Lab at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street, Chula Vista).
We demonstrated how to get to the FamilySearch Record Search site at http://pilot.familysearch.org - either through the home page of www.FamilySearch.org or by inputting it in the URL line. He recommended using the specific database menus rather than the main search menu to do searches, and noted that some databases have only indexes and some have only browsable images. The group reviewed the list of US databases available, and sampled the 1870 US census and the 1900 US census, plus the Texas death records and New Hampshire vital records.
We also went to the 1930 census on the www.Footnote.com site (which is free to access until the end of August) and we demonstrated the basic search sequences there, culminating in the record images and using the filmstrip to browse adjacent pages.
While others worked on their own problems, we tried to solve some research problems using these new tools. We found Rosa Darling in the 1920 census with her adoptive parents in Nebraska in the 1920 US Census on FamilySearch Record Search. We couldn't find her on Footnote in the 1930 census.
Gary found four Roff families in Tompkins County NY in the 1850 census on FamilySearch, which gives him more leads to connect to his Solomon Roff.
We found some 1860 and 1870 census records on ancestry.com for Clough and Sharp families in Ohio for Cynthia, and then found several newspaper articles and some book citations for her William Graves Sharp. Randy emailed these articles to himself and will email them to Cynthia.
It was a quick two hours.
The next CVGS Computer Group meeting will be Wednesday, September 16 at 12 noon in the Computer Lab at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street, Chula Vista).
Friday, August 14, 2009
New or Updated Databases - August 2009
Here are some of the new or updated genealogy databases on several websites added during late July and early August:
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/ ($$, New England Historical and Genealogical Society):
* The Connecticut Nutmegger, Volumes 22-31
* The American Genealogist, Volumes 19-23
* New Netherlands Connections, Volume 12
* New England Historic Genealogical Register, 2008
* Massachusetts Vital Records – Marriages, 1911
http://www.footnote.com/ ($$)
* United States 1930 Census (97% complete) FREE through 31 August 2009. Go to http://go.footnote.com/1930census/
* Texas Death Certificates, 1890-1976 (Updated, now 52% complete)
http://www.ancestry.com/ ($$)
* England/Wales FreeBMD Indexes Updated (W)
* US Virgin Islands Records (US)
* Passenger and Immigration Lists Index 1500s-1900s Updated (US)
* Selected US Naturalization Records – Original Documents 1790-1974 Updated (US)
* Jewish Family History Collection expanded (US, W)
* Social Security Death Index Updated (US)
* Many Canadian, Australian and German books (W)
http://pilot.familysearch.org/ (free) Record Search
* 1920 U.S. Census (21 states, 34% complete) (indexed, no images)
* Minnesota State Census, 1895 (indexed, no images)
* New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900s (index and images)
* New York State Census, 1905 (browse images only)
* Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers 1621-1900 (browse images only)
* Mexico 1930 Census (8 states, 19% complete, browse images only)
* Spain Catholic Parish Registers – Avila and Gerona Dioceses (browse images only)
* England, Cheshire Non-Conformist Records, 1671-1900 (index only, no images)
* Argentina 1895 census (index and images)
* Argentina, Buenos Aires City census 1855 (browse images only)
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/ ($$, New England Historical and Genealogical Society):
* The Connecticut Nutmegger, Volumes 22-31
* The American Genealogist, Volumes 19-23
* New Netherlands Connections, Volume 12
* New England Historic Genealogical Register, 2008
* Massachusetts Vital Records – Marriages, 1911
http://www.footnote.com/ ($$)
* United States 1930 Census (97% complete) FREE through 31 August 2009. Go to http://go.footnote.com/1930census/
* Texas Death Certificates, 1890-1976 (Updated, now 52% complete)
http://www.ancestry.com/ ($$)
* England/Wales FreeBMD Indexes Updated (W)
* US Virgin Islands Records (US)
* Passenger and Immigration Lists Index 1500s-1900s Updated (US)
* Selected US Naturalization Records – Original Documents 1790-1974 Updated (US)
* Jewish Family History Collection expanded (US, W)
* Social Security Death Index Updated (US)
* Many Canadian, Australian and German books (W)
http://pilot.familysearch.org/ (free) Record Search
* 1920 U.S. Census (21 states, 34% complete) (indexed, no images)
* Minnesota State Census, 1895 (indexed, no images)
* New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900s (index and images)
* New York State Census, 1905 (browse images only)
* Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers 1621-1900 (browse images only)
* Mexico 1930 Census (8 states, 19% complete, browse images only)
* Spain Catholic Parish Registers – Avila and Gerona Dioceses (browse images only)
* England, Cheshire Non-Conformist Records, 1671-1900 (index only, no images)
* Argentina 1895 census (index and images)
* Argentina, Buenos Aires City census 1855 (browse images only)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
August 12 Research Group Summary
We had 12 members at our August 12th Research Group meeting, and there were many interesting stories and successes. Here's a synopsis:
* Nancy works at the Stein Family Farm, and is researching the family history of the Steins. She has Carl Stein's declaration of intention and naturalization certificate, but cannot figure out when he immigrated. The declaration does not list an immigration date or ship. The census records give different years - 1881, 1885 and 1884. The group suggested searching for a death certificate, an obituary or anniversary newspaper article to determine his birth date and birth place and perhaps the immigration date and ship.
* Phyllis has a problem with Family Tree Maker 16 - it won't print one family line on a pedigree chart even though the person has parents in the database. We suggested that she check to see if the person is identified as a "natural" child to the parents in the People > Other Parents screen.
* Gary received a box of family photos and papers from his father in Michigan. He passed photos around, and articles about an uncle's arrest for shooting melon thieves in the 1940s. He checked some older research and found that one source provided the parents of Solomon Roff and identified Yates County NY as their residence.
* John had some success at Carlsbad Library - he was able to eliminate one of the two William Patricks in NC in the 1760s.
* Randy showed the Dane county WI plat maps and Andrew County MO cemetery book pages he found at Carlsbad. He also discussed the Jefferson County NY Estate Papers for the Lanfear family, and passed the records around. Finally, he told about finding the McKnew house in San Francisco in Google Street Maps and being contacted by second cousins.
* Phyllis wants to distribute an ancestral book to her children and grandchildren. for each person, she is creating a page with their family data, pictures and an obituary. Two grandsons seem interested!
* Jean went to New York City in June and had great luck. She is adopted, and was able to find out the names of her birth parents from marriage records, her own adoption papers from the court, and contacted and met with her mother's sister in Philadelphia and a step-sister too.
* Helen S. said that she found some family records for one of her families in the next-door county.
* Cynthia found a book on Clough family while at Carlsbad Library. It said that one cousin married composer Stephen Foster, and she recalls meeting a Foster descendant who played the piano beautifully when she was a young girl.
* Ruth has traced both sides of her Hayley line back to Jamestown in Virginia. She's working on two family books or pamphlets to share with her family.
* Virginia passed around the Zionsville IN book she received, and is downloading the Demoss surname book from the BYU Family History Archive site.
* Bobbie had a wonderful research vacation in Lake county IL. Two sisters live on the Titus family farm in Fremont township, and she slept in the farmhouse. She made large plastic displays with nine family documents as gifts for her sisters. She came home with many pictures from the area, a plat map showing all of the family holdings in 1881, a picture of great-grandparents obtained from a local museum, and recent newspaper articles about selling one of the Titus farms and property. They are off to Nova Scotia next month for another trip.
This was a really good meeting with many good examples and research successes. It's fun to see our members applying lessons learned to advance their genealogy research.
* Nancy works at the Stein Family Farm, and is researching the family history of the Steins. She has Carl Stein's declaration of intention and naturalization certificate, but cannot figure out when he immigrated. The declaration does not list an immigration date or ship. The census records give different years - 1881, 1885 and 1884. The group suggested searching for a death certificate, an obituary or anniversary newspaper article to determine his birth date and birth place and perhaps the immigration date and ship.
* Phyllis has a problem with Family Tree Maker 16 - it won't print one family line on a pedigree chart even though the person has parents in the database. We suggested that she check to see if the person is identified as a "natural" child to the parents in the People > Other Parents screen.
* Gary received a box of family photos and papers from his father in Michigan. He passed photos around, and articles about an uncle's arrest for shooting melon thieves in the 1940s. He checked some older research and found that one source provided the parents of Solomon Roff and identified Yates County NY as their residence.
* John had some success at Carlsbad Library - he was able to eliminate one of the two William Patricks in NC in the 1760s.
* Randy showed the Dane county WI plat maps and Andrew County MO cemetery book pages he found at Carlsbad. He also discussed the Jefferson County NY Estate Papers for the Lanfear family, and passed the records around. Finally, he told about finding the McKnew house in San Francisco in Google Street Maps and being contacted by second cousins.
* Phyllis wants to distribute an ancestral book to her children and grandchildren. for each person, she is creating a page with their family data, pictures and an obituary. Two grandsons seem interested!
* Jean went to New York City in June and had great luck. She is adopted, and was able to find out the names of her birth parents from marriage records, her own adoption papers from the court, and contacted and met with her mother's sister in Philadelphia and a step-sister too.
* Helen S. said that she found some family records for one of her families in the next-door county.
* Cynthia found a book on Clough family while at Carlsbad Library. It said that one cousin married composer Stephen Foster, and she recalls meeting a Foster descendant who played the piano beautifully when she was a young girl.
* Ruth has traced both sides of her Hayley line back to Jamestown in Virginia. She's working on two family books or pamphlets to share with her family.
* Virginia passed around the Zionsville IN book she received, and is downloading the Demoss surname book from the BYU Family History Archive site.
* Bobbie had a wonderful research vacation in Lake county IL. Two sisters live on the Titus family farm in Fremont township, and she slept in the farmhouse. She made large plastic displays with nine family documents as gifts for her sisters. She came home with many pictures from the area, a plat map showing all of the family holdings in 1881, a picture of great-grandparents obtained from a local museum, and recent newspaper articles about selling one of the Titus farms and property. They are off to Nova Scotia next month for another trip.
This was a really good meeting with many good examples and research successes. It's fun to see our members applying lessons learned to advance their genealogy research.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
CVGS August Newsletter is online
The August 2009 issue of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society (CVGS) Newsletter is on the CVGS web page at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacvgs2/Newsletters/09_08aug.pdf
Enjoy!
Hey, San Diego South Bay genealogists - we would love to have you attend our meetings - please contact me for more information or look for the monthly flyer in the libraries.
Enjoy!
Hey, San Diego South Bay genealogists - we would love to have you attend our meetings - please contact me for more information or look for the monthly flyer in the libraries.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Interesting Genealogy Blog Articles
Here is a selection of genealogy blog articles gleaned from late July and early August, in case you missed them the first time around:
* It’s 2014! Do You Know Where Your Data Is? By Dick Eastman in Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter. (http://www.eogn.com/ )
* Why retracing our African roots is so difficult by Tony Burroughs on Anderson Cooper’s 360 blog (http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/17/)
* Why Cloud Computing Makes Sense for Genealogy by Dick Eastman in Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (http://www.eogn.com/)
* A Baby Boomer Remembers the Man Who Came to Dinner… Every Night by Craig Manson on the http://www.geneablogie.net/ blog.
* How To Get Kids Interested In Genealogy by Elyse Doerflinger on Elyse's Genealogy Blog.
* Microfilm Scanning at the FHL and FHC by Randy Seaver on the http://www.geneamusings.com/ blog.
* Starting Your Family Tree: Advice from the Pros on the Genoom blog (http://blog.genoom.com/)
* How Genealogists Use Social Networking by Gena Philibert Ortega on the WorldVitalRecords Blog.
* Genealogy Societies Need To Look Toward The Future and Genealogy Societies Need To Look Toward The Future (Follow-up Post) by Elyse Doerflinger on Elyse's Genealogy Blog.
* Where is my family's file? by Schelly Talalay Dardashti on the MyHeritage Genealogy Blog.
* Top Ten Rules of Genealogy by Michael Hait on the Genealogy Wise blog.
* 10 Truths About Genealogy by Tami Glatz on the Relatively Curious About Genealogy blog.
* More SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Audio/Video by Randy Seaver on the Genea-Musings blog.
* Taking on your Brickwalls by Gena Philibert Ortega on Gena's Genealogy blog.
* Online Digitized Collections for Genealogy by James Tanner on the Genealogy's Star blog.
* It’s 2014! Do You Know Where Your Data Is? By Dick Eastman in Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter. (http://www.eogn.com/ )
* Why retracing our African roots is so difficult by Tony Burroughs on Anderson Cooper’s 360 blog (http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/17/)
* Why Cloud Computing Makes Sense for Genealogy by Dick Eastman in Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (http://www.eogn.com/)
* A Baby Boomer Remembers the Man Who Came to Dinner… Every Night by Craig Manson on the http://www.geneablogie.net/ blog.
* How To Get Kids Interested In Genealogy by Elyse Doerflinger on Elyse's Genealogy Blog.
* Microfilm Scanning at the FHL and FHC by Randy Seaver on the http://www.geneamusings.com/ blog.
* Starting Your Family Tree: Advice from the Pros on the Genoom blog (http://blog.genoom.com/)
* How Genealogists Use Social Networking by Gena Philibert Ortega on the WorldVitalRecords Blog.
* Genealogy Societies Need To Look Toward The Future and Genealogy Societies Need To Look Toward The Future (Follow-up Post) by Elyse Doerflinger on Elyse's Genealogy Blog.
* Where is my family's file? by Schelly Talalay Dardashti on the MyHeritage Genealogy Blog.
* Top Ten Rules of Genealogy by Michael Hait on the Genealogy Wise blog.
* 10 Truths About Genealogy by Tami Glatz on the Relatively Curious About Genealogy blog.
* More SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Audio/Video by Randy Seaver on the Genea-Musings blog.
* Taking on your Brickwalls by Gena Philibert Ortega on Gena's Genealogy blog.
* Online Digitized Collections for Genealogy by James Tanner on the Genealogy's Star blog.
Genealogy Days in Chula Vista - August 2009
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society events for August 2009 include:
** Wednesday, August 12, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room. We will review the latest genealogy news, share success stories and information, and discuss members research problems, and potential solutions, based on the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group.
** Wednesday, August 19, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab. 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
** Wednesday, August 26, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Elks Lodge Picnic Area (901 Elks Lane in Chula Vista) - CVGS Annual Picnic. Bring your own food and beverage, a wrapped white elephant gift for the raffle exchange, and a story about Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. Contact John Finch (619-426-4906, or jan27@cox.net) for more information.
** Monday afternoons (11 a.m. to 2 PM) - August 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 - Genealogy Table Talk with Dearl Glenn and John Finch in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library. They are ready and willing to help people with their research, discuss a problem or success, or just tell stories.
The Chula Vista Civic Center Library is located at 365 "F" Street in Chula Vista - between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, midway between I-5 and I-805 (take the "E" Street exit from the freeways).
We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the greater San Diego area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves. If you have questions, please email Randy at rjseaver@cox.net or phone 619-422-3397.
** Wednesday, August 12, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Research Group meets in the Library Conference Room. We will review the latest genealogy news, share success stories and information, and discuss members research problems, and potential solutions, based on the collective knowledge and wisdom of the group.
** Wednesday, August 19, 12 noon to 2 pm, Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) -- CVGS Computer Group meets in the Library Computer Lab. 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
** Wednesday, August 26, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Elks Lodge Picnic Area (901 Elks Lane in Chula Vista) - CVGS Annual Picnic. Bring your own food and beverage, a wrapped white elephant gift for the raffle exchange, and a story about Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. Contact John Finch (619-426-4906, or jan27@cox.net) for more information.
** Monday afternoons (11 a.m. to 2 PM) - August 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 - Genealogy Table Talk with Dearl Glenn and John Finch in the Family Research section of the Chula Vista Civic Center Library. They are ready and willing to help people with their research, discuss a problem or success, or just tell stories.
The Chula Vista Civic Center Library is located at 365 "F" Street in Chula Vista - between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, midway between I-5 and I-805 (take the "E" Street exit from the freeways).
We welcome guests and visitors to our CVGS programs and events - if you are in the greater San Diego area and want to attend our events - please come and introduce yourselves. If you have questions, please email Randy at rjseaver@cox.net or phone 619-422-3397.
Monday, August 10, 2009
We're back online ...
On about 1 August 2009, Blogger decided that this blog was either a spam blog or had objectionable content and the blog disappeared until today.
Needless to say, we were a bit perturbed about this turn of events.
There is absolutely no way to send a nasty email, or make an angry phone call, to the "powers that be" at Blogger (which is owned by Google, of course).
Once I could log onto the Google Gmail account (and I couldn't do that for several days), I managed to post a note on the Blogger Help Forums about our specific problem. There were many other bloggers complaining about the same problem. Eventually, one at a time, the shut-down blogs were returned so I figured that it would be only a matter of time.
Fortunately, we don't rely on advertising revenue, or have a bunch of needy affiliates, so there was no financial loss for this event. But it did make us aware of the fragility of a blog on any free host - you are at their mercy if they go out of business or something happens that causes them to take your blog off of the Internet.
Thank you, Blogger, for restoring our little genealogy blog to its place in the southwest corner of the genealogy blog world.
I will resume posting CVGS news and activities tomorrow!
Needless to say, we were a bit perturbed about this turn of events.
There is absolutely no way to send a nasty email, or make an angry phone call, to the "powers that be" at Blogger (which is owned by Google, of course).
Once I could log onto the Google Gmail account (and I couldn't do that for several days), I managed to post a note on the Blogger Help Forums about our specific problem. There were many other bloggers complaining about the same problem. Eventually, one at a time, the shut-down blogs were returned so I figured that it would be only a matter of time.
Fortunately, we don't rely on advertising revenue, or have a bunch of needy affiliates, so there was no financial loss for this event. But it did make us aware of the fragility of a blog on any free host - you are at their mercy if they go out of business or something happens that causes them to take your blog off of the Internet.
Thank you, Blogger, for restoring our little genealogy blog to its place in the southwest corner of the genealogy blog world.
I will resume posting CVGS news and activities tomorrow!
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