CVGS Research Group Meeting Summary on 14 October

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.