Chula Vista Genealogical Society Meeting on Wednesday, 24 April Features Thomas MacEntee

  Wednesday, 24 April 2024, 12 noon PDT 

CVGS General Meeting (in a Zoom Video Conference) 

“The Mysterious Death of Anna McPhillips" 

by Thomas MacEntee

Can a mysterious family photo with a cryptic message on the back lead you to an amazing story of love and loss? Starting with a family photo, learn how you can plan your genealogy research to find out more information about the photo’s subject including vital record information, newspaper articles, and even circumstances that you might not expect! You’ll also learn how to track your research and use solid research methodology to evaluate records. 

 Thomas MacEntee is a professional genealogist specializing in the use of technology and social media to improve genealogical research and as a means of interacting with others in the family history community. 

 PLEASE REGISTER for this event through the event email that will be sent to all CVGS members or on the CVGS website (https://chulavistagenealogysociety.wildapricot.org/event5675915). 

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This program will be held online using the Zoom video conferencing platform for Meetings.

Please note that the meeting starts at 12 noon Pacific Time (3 p.m. Eastern time, 2 p.m. Central time, 1 p.m. Mountain time). The Zoom Meeting room will be open by 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time for visiting and helping attendees connect.

Members and non-members can register on the CVGS website for this meeting at   https://chulavistagenealogysociety.wildapricot.org/event-5675915)  and look for the email with the Zoom meeting reminder after registration, or on Tuesday, 23 April, with the link to JOIN the Zoom meeting. Contact randy.seaver@gmail.com if you have problems or register too late for the email.  

Attendance is free but only 100 Zoom seats are available, so please register soon.

NOTE: The Chula Vista Genealogical Society offers an annual membership of $30. Besides the monthly General Meeting with a program speaker on the last Wednesday of each month, there is a monthly Research Group meeting on second Wednesdays on Zoom, an in-person Education meeting on third Tuesdays, and a DNA Interest Group meeting on third Wednesdays on Zoom, all at 12 noon Pacific time.  There is also a monthly 10 page email newsletter chock full of program announcements, research tips, research articles, and program reviews.

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CVGS Annual Meeting and Sharing on Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Wednesday, 22 February 2017, 12 noon To 2 p.m.

General Meeting

CVGS ANNUAL MEETING AND SHARING

Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library 

(365 F Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910)

      The February general meeting on 22 February will be our Annual Meeting. At this time, the 2017 budget will be presented to the membership for a vote of approval. The membership will also receive a synopsis of the activities for the last year. 

     Gary Brock will present a slide show of many of our activities in 2016, courtesy of photos by Patricia Diane Godinez. Come and see yourself on the big screen.

     At the end of the formal meeting we will share our 5-generation pedigree charts with each other. See how many people you can find who share your surnames and had ancestors in the same areas as yours. The sharing will be while we enjoy refreshments.  I wonder how many new cousins we can find? 

     Be sure you bring a copy of your 5-generation pedigree chart so you can leave it with a board member to be included in a notebook which will be kept in the library for future reference.   There will be extra copies of the chart at the meeting (or email Randy Seaver for one at randy.seaver@gmail.com).  

This meeting is free for all persons to attend.  CVGS welcomes enquirers and is very happy to help persons interested in finding their ancestors and learning their family history.  

June 29th Program Review - Annie Moore of Ellis Island

The June 29th program meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society (CVGS) was supposed to have CVGS member Shirley Becker as the speaker on "New York Revisited", but she had a family emergency.  President Virginia Taylor asked Randy Seaver if he had any ideas, and he suggested watching a CDROM he obtained at the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree from a Legacy Family Tree webinar titled "Annie Moore of Ellis Island, A Case of Historical Identify Theft?" by renowned author and genealogist Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak.

The historical background is that Annie Moore (age 13?) was the first immigrant to step onto Ellis Island in New York harbor on 1 January 1892, accompanied by her two brothers, Anthony and Philip, from the ship Nevada.  Apparently, her parents Mathew and Mary were already in New York City.  She received a $10 gold piece and there were several articles about this plucky Irish girl coming to America.  She disappeared into the melting pot of America.

When Ellis Island was being restored in the 1980s and 1990s, a commemorative plate was being sold to raise funds, and a granddaughter of a woman named Annie Moore inquired and it was thought by the family that Annie Moore O'Connell of Texas was the Irish lass, but she had died and there were only memories and a photograph.  A newspaper article and a magazine article were written about her.

In 2006, Megan Smolenyak was writing a book titled "They Came to America," and she decided to track down the paper trail for Annie Moore in historical records.  She easily found the 1900 and 1910 U.S. census records for Annie (Moore) O'Connell, in Texas and New Mexico, respectively, but they indicated that she was born in Illinois.  After more searching, Megan concluded that the 1986 claim was wishful thinking on the part of the O'Connell family.

Megan started a new search for the real Annie Moore, and it was apparent that it would be a challenge because of the fairly common name and the lack of records in many localities.  She ran a crowd sourcing contest on her blog, offering a $1,000 for conclusive proof of the identity of the real 1892 Irish immigrant.  Bits and pieces of evidence was found by researchers, including a 1902 death record of Anthony Moore in New York City, son of Mathew and Julia (not Mary!) Moore; next, a 1900 U.S. census of Mathew, Julia and Annie in New York City, but was it the right family?  A 1915 New York State Census entry and the 1920 U.S. Census entries tied Philip Moore to Mathew and Julia;  Philip Moore's 1921 Declaration of Intention said he arrived on the ship Nevada in January 1892, which corroborated that this was the correct Philip, whose parents were Mathew and Julia Moore;  Philip had a daughter Anna in 1925, and from her Social Security Application information Megan found Anna's son, Michael Shulman.  She phoned Michael and he said immediately "you have the right family."

Gradually, the life of Annie Moore was pieced together.  She married Joseph Schayer in 1901 and lived on the lower east side of Manhattan near the Brooklyn Bridge.  They had a number of children, and Annie died at age 47 in December 1924.  A New York City resident obtained the death certificate which named her spouse and her parents.  Annie was buried in an unmarked grave in Woodside Cemetery in Queens.

After identifying Annie's life story, Megan started another project, to track down Annie's descendants and other Moore relatives, and they held a family reunion at the New York Biographical and Genealogical society building in 2007. In the process, they collected several family photographs of Annie.  Eight different ethnic groups were represented at the reunion.  A New York Times article in 2007 described the research.  A photograph was found of the three children in the photograph album of Mr. Weber, the Superintendent of Ellis Island.

A new memorial at the cemetery was erected with much fanfare (see http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16193022&ref=acom). A statue of Annie and her two brothers was installed at Ellis Island, and a plaque was put on the family home in Cork, Ireland.  A movie was made by students in Cork describing Annie's life (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxdwL92UDcs) and they found Annie's birth and baptism records in Cork records.  A play was written and performed about the Annie Moore story in Washington DC.

All in all, this was a historical genealogy mystery story in two parts, with the end result  that her descendants reclaimed their rightful place in history.  You can see several videos about this story at Megan's website -  http://www.honoringourancestors.com/annie-video.html.

CVGS Fall Seminar Photographs - Post 2

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

1)  Diane, Jean, Mary, John and Sam:

2)  Marie, Joanna, Marcia and ???:

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

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

5)  Shirley, Kathleen and Steve:

6)  Judith, Jane, Mary and Toni:

7)  Jo Ann, Carole and Joan:

8)  Fran and Gary:

CVGS Fall Seminar Photographs - Post 1

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

1)  Seminar Chair Susi Pentico and speaker Toni Perrone:

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

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

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

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

More to come!

February 25th Program Review - Barbara Zaragoza

CVGS member Barbara Zaragoza was the Program speaker at the 25 February 2015 program meeting at the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library Auditorium.  Her topic was "San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley."

Barbara recently wrote the book San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley for Arcadia Publishing, and it is chock full of photographs of the border region from the 1850s up to the present.  She published 90 of the 2,000 photos that were collected.

In the first part of her talk, Barbara discussed the pre-American history of the border region, from the Native-American tribes who had three vilalges in the region and left lots of artifacts, to the Spanish colonization starting in 1769 by Father Serra, then about Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821 and creation of the Santiago Arguello Melijo Rancho and Rancho Tiajuana that stretched from the ocean to Otay Mountain.  She had a picture of the Arguello home called "La Punta" which was obliterated by building I-5 in 1951 near the salt works.

After the U.S.-Mexico border was defined by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 51 border monuments were installed between the ocean and El Paso, Texas, with three strands of wire marking the border to prevent animals from straying across.   In the 1870's, a U.S. Customs House was built near the present San Ysidro border crossing.  Real estate development started on the U.S. side, some Japanese farmers settled in the Tijuana river Valley, and a schoolhouse was built at the end of Hollister Street.

Tiajuana City was started in 1887 on the U.S. side near the present border crossing, but it was wiped out by the 1891 Tijuana river flood, and the residents fled to the Mexico side of the border.

Another border commission installed new border monuments starting in El Paso and finishing with number 258 at the Pacific Ocean.  Marker 255 still stands in San Ysidro by the train station.

William E. Smythe, an East Coast journalist, laid out a utopian agricultural community in 1908 called "Little Landers" in San Ysidro on 1 acre plots, with a hotel, on the river floodplain.  He also named the area San Ysidro.  In the 1916 great flood, the community was washed away.

In 1911, the Industrial Workers of the World took over Tijuana on the Mexico side by force, and some Mexicans fled to San Ysidro.  Some Americans watched the battles from their side of the border.  Mexico eventually won the battle.

In 1915, the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego sponsored train trips to Tijuana for a Mexican Fair, sightseeing and other purposes.  When the U.S. passed Prohibition in 1919, Frank E. Beyer set up a "Vice City" in Tijuana with clubs, opium dens and a racetrack and many Americans visited.

By 1924, San Ysidro had a library, two churches, and many homes.  In the 1930s, dairy farmers were in the Tijuana River Valley.  Border Field was opened in 1929 and became a State Park in 1971.  In 1955, a chain link fence was built.  In 1957, San Ysidro was annexed into the city of San Diego.  By the 1960s, the population of San Ysidro was about 7,000, and 80% were of Mexican heritage.  The building of I-805 in the 1967-1975 time period displaced about 300 homes and businesses in San Ysidro.  The San Diego Trolley terminus was located in San Ysidro near the border crossing.  The border crossing has traffic of about 50 million persons a year, the highest land port of entry numbers in the world.

The far western portion of the Tijuana River Valley is still undeveloped and is protected as a California State Park, and is the largest coastal wetland on the West Coast Flyway.

This was an interesting discussion of local history and the events that led to the settlement of San Ysidro, Tijuana and the Tijuana River Valley.  Barbara's book can be purchased at  http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/ and at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.  She has a website at http://southbaycompass.com/ including a blog about local history and culture.

CVGS Spring Seminar Door Prize Winners

The CVGS Seminar Committee solicited door and opportunity drawing prizes from CVGS members, local businesses, and commercial genealogy companies.

The door prize winners were:

1)  National Institute for Genealogical Studies - one free course:  Marcia Mautner and Joann Bonner:

Marcia Mautner, CVGS President Virginia Taylor, Joann Bonner. 

(Photo courtesy of Karen Yarger)

2)  Mocavo Gold one-year subscription:  Jacquie Goodman

Note:  Two other Mocavo subscriptions were awarded to opportunity drawing winners.

3)  MyHeritage One-year Data and Tree Premium subscription:  Tim Williams

Note:  Two other MyHeritage subscriptions were awarded to opportunity drawing winners.

4)  Ancestry.com One-year World Explorer subscription:  Karen Smith

Karen Smith, CVGS President Virginia Taylor 

(Photo courtesy of Karen Yarger)

In addition, genealogical prizes were provided by:

*  FindMyPast one-year subscription and gift bag

*  GenealogyBank one year subscription

*  Geni.com one-year subscription

*  Legacy Family Tree Version 8 software from Millennium Corporation

*  RootsMagic family tree software and user guide from RootsMagic.

*  Family Tree Maker 2014 software provided by Ancestry.com

*   Family Tree Maker 2014 software provided by Randy Seaver

*  Tracing Your Colonial Ancestors magazine and InstaGuide

CVGS appreciates and thanks all of the prizes offered by all of the providers.  

"Postcard Collections and Genealogy" Program Review

Carol Davidson Baird provided an enthusiastic and informative presentation on "Postcard Collections and Genealogy" at the March 26th monthly program meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society to about 35 attendees.  See Carol's biography and talk summary in March 26th Program Meeting - Carol Baird on "Postcard Collections and Genealogy."

Carol started collecting postcards as an adult, and used postcards from her collection and experiences from her travels to illustrate hr presentation.

Topics covered included the purposes of postcards (communication, souvenirs, advertising, official notices); postcard subjects (e.g., buildings, famous art, ships, locations, advertisements, personal photos, etc.); history of postcards (from 1870s to the present); how to date postcards from postmarks, stamps, different paper types, card style, handwriting, images shown, printed legends, etc.

She also noted that you can learn about geography, history, customs, holidays, personal lives, and more from collecting postcards.  They are useful in genealogical research also (e.g., pictures of ancestral towns, ships on which your family emigrated, ancestral schools and places of worship) and perhaps have correspondence from family members and friends.

Carol used several postcards received by her family in Germany before and after World War II to illustrate some of the genealogical usefulness.  A researcher can add personal information to a biography from personal letters and information on postcards.  She provided a short genealogy case study derived from 13 postcards to a teenager in the 1908-1910 time frame that she found in a box of postcards at a collectors show.  Miss Mary B. Hyde was the recipient of romantic postcards from a number of young men.  Carol researched Mary Hyde, found her as a 17-year old in the 1910 U.S. Census in Los Angeles County with parents and siblings, and found an Ancestry Member Tree for her that showed she married a John Francis Delaney in about 1911, and had two daughters.  

She noted that sometimes serendipity happens - Carol found a card with a famous art painting of a nude woman sent from Spain in 1969 by her and her siblings to her uncle in Burbank.  She found it in a box of postcards for sale at an antiques store in the Los Angeles area. 

One of the audience questions was where a researcher might find postcards for their family or ancestral localities.  Carol said to look in home paper and photo collections, antique stores, stamp and coin shops, ephemera shows and county fairs, nursing homes, military bases and post exchanges, old friends, historical societies, and local libraries.

This was an interesting presentation for many of the attendees.  Some expressed dismay that they did not have any postcards from their parents or grandparents, and some lamented that they knew many postcards had been lost when their elders died and the heirs cleaned out the ancestral homes.

September 25th Program Review - Claire Santos-Daigle and "Photograph Dating by Fashions" by Karen Yarger

Do you have some old family photos and can only guess at their dates? This month’s topic was designed for you. Our speaker for the September 25^th CVGS General Meeting was Claire Santos-Daigle, who has been professionally digitally restoring old photos for 12 years (see her website at http://www.photosmadeperfect.com/). In addition to bringing new life to damaged photo heirlooms, she can help you identify the approximate date of your picture – or teach you to do it yourself. For her presentation, Claire came attired in an 1888 taffeta gown complete with bustle and charming feathered hat. In fact, all of her accoutrements were authentic, down to her jewelry, chemise and pantaloons.

(Photo courtesy of Karen Yarger)

Claire began with tips on identifying our photos ourselves: create a fashion dating file and worksheet, record what you know about the item, analyze and note the details and compare them to other photographs, research objects in the photo (hairstyles, jewelry and props), and find and record a minimum of 3 sources agreeing on the same fashion era. Maintain this file for future research. On the right side of her website, Claire has a “Genealogy Corner” with additional information.

Drawing on her extensive private collection of vintage photographs, Claire presented a fascinating talk on how to identify the dates of your family photos by knowing what styles were popular in which decades. Beginning with the different types of photographs – daguerreotype, ambrotype and tintype – she explained the differences and time periods for each. Then, she showed examples of period dress: the shape of the bodice and sleeves, the width of the pleats, lace mitts, hoop skirts, and the evolution from bonnets to hats. She also showed various hairstyles and foreign influences on fashion. She didn’t omit men’s fashions, either: the width and notching of the lapels, the narrowing gap of collars, and the evolution of hats from melon to bowler to top hats.

Claire was so engaging and her presentation so informative and interesting, everyone convinced her to continue well past the usual allotted time. Fashion, after all, is an important indicator of how we want to be perceived, as our ancestors knew.

CVGS Program on 25 September: "Photo Dating by Fashions" with Claire Santos-Daigle

 WEDNESDAY, September 25th 

 PROGRAM MEETING from 12 noon to 2 p.m. 

At Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library Auditorium (365 F Street) 

Claire Santos-Daigle on “Photo Dating By Fashions”

 In the field of genealogy some people inherit beautifully preserved collection of photographs while others have only Xerox copies or low quality photos found on the internet. Those genealogists with photos in good condition can arrive at an approximate date taken by the physical properties. Some photographs don't provide the physical property clues and what remains are the clothes and objects in the image. Claire Santos-Daigle has presented the topic of “Photo Dating” by photographic processes in the past. This month, she will be speaking on the topic of “Photo Dating by Fashions.” 

This talk will briefly cover the physical properties, then on to how to research fashions by covering fashion eras, fashion terms and available resources. She has been digitally restoring photographs for 12 years and realized through those years she developed a talent for determining the date of a photograph by repeated exposure and began to seriously research how to date a photo and uses her collection of photos to illustrate and provide this information, free of charge and accessible to genealogist on her website. 

Claire Santos-Daigle is the sole proprietor of "Photos Made Perfect, " licensed in the state of California, in Chula Vista. She and her husband Michael became involved with digital photo restoration when Michael started his genealogy in 1992, and in 1996 they began restoring family photos with photo imagery software. Family and friends kept saying "you should start a business" and in 1999 they did, with Michael's technical skills and support, and Claire's art skills, life experiences and marketing background. 

The primary customer groups are genealogists and historical societies, who remain loyal clients to this day. Claire is a guest speaker on the topics of "Digital Image Editing" and a natural byproduct of her years of experience with photos, she began speaking on the topic of "Photo Dating". As she participates in genealogy conventions, she encourage genealogists to bring their photos to be scanned on site at these events and she will contact them in a few days with a free quote. Many genealogists would rather not leave their photos with any photo lab or trust mailing them anywhere. No other restoration service brings their services to you.

All CVGS Events, except for the Spring Seminar, are free for any person to attend.  More information about CVGS at www.CVGenealogy.org. 

March 27th CVGS Program Features Claire Santos-Daigle

 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27th GENERAL MEETING

from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

At Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) Auditorium

Claire Santos-Daigle – “Photo Dating by Fashions”

 In the field of genealogy some people inherit beautifully preserved collection of photographs while others have only Xerox copies or low quality photos found on the internet.  Those genealogist with photos in good condition can arrive at an approximate date taken by the physical properties. Then there are the photographs where the clues of the physical  properties are not present and what remains are the clothes and objects in the image.  

 Claire Santos-Daigle has presented the topic of Photo Dating by photographic processes in the past in her presentation, "Photo Dating 101".  Back by popular demand, she will be speaking on the topic of Photo Dating with emphasis on fashions. This topic will briefly cover the physical properties, then how to research fashions by covering fashion eras, fashion terms and resources.  

Claire has been digitally restoring photographs for 12 years.  She realized through those years that she had developed a talent for determining the date of a photograph by repeated exposure, and began to seriously research how to date a photo, and uses her collection of photos to illustrate and provide this information, free of charge and accessible to genealogists on her website.

Claire Santos-Daigle is the sole proprietor of "Photos Made Perfect," licensed in the state of California, in Chula Vista. With her husband Michael, she became involved with digital photo restoration when Michael started his genealogy in 1992 through 1996, when they began restoring family photos with free unknown software Michael found on the internet. Family and friends kept saying "you should start a business" and in 1999 she did, with her husbands' technical skills and support, and her art skills, life experiences and marketing background.

2012 Holiday Luncheon Highlights

The Chula Vista Genealogical Society celebrated another successful year of serving the Chula Vista area genealogical community with the annual Holiday Luncheon on Tuesday, 11 December, at the Chula Vista South Branch Library.

After a moment of silence for the CVGS members who passed away in 2012, and for our armed forces everywhere, the assembled crowd of 30 hungry members and guests dug into the feast prepared and organized by the Hospitality Committee.  The society provided ham, turkey and beverages, and the attendees brought everything else as potluck.  There was plenty of great food and wonderful conversation at the tables as we enjoyed the meal.

President Gary Brock narrated "Steps in Time," a slide show presentation of CVGS historical highlights - mainly involving food and holiday parties, it seemed, from 1986 to 2003.  Many of the persons shown were identified on the slides, and most others were named by attendees at the luncheon during the show.

Gary next introduced the two new Honorary Life Members of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society - cited for their long membership and service to the society.  Dottie Johnson and Helen Thompson were introduced through short photo presentations, then introduced and honored.

Above:  Dottie Johnson and Gary Brock

Above:  Gary Brock and Helen Thompson

The outgoing Board officers present were honored with certificates, applause and gratitude - Bobbie Lane, Mary Lou Montez, and Virginia Taylor.

Above:  Virginia Taylor, Bobbie Lane, Gary Brock and Mary Lou Montez

The outgoing Committee Chairs present were also honored with certificates.

Above (left to right):  JoAnn Bonner, Dorothy Alvord, Kevin Brown, Gary Brock, Olive Lenane and Janice Nevills receive certificates of appreciation.

Gary then introduced and swore in the 2013/2014 Officers - Diane DeVincenzo (Treasurer), Karen Yarger (Secretary), Barbara Ibaibarriaga (Second VP), Ralph Munoz (First VP) and Virginia Taylor (President).  A notebook containing the Bylaws, Standing Rules, and Officer Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) were presented to each Officer.

Above:  The 2013/2014 Officers (left to right): Barbara Ibaibarriaga, Diane DeVincenzo, Karen Yarger, Ralph Munoz and Virginia Taylor.

There were a number of door prizes, including a Father Christmas, a Nutcracker, and a Christmas Angel.  The table decorations were won in the opportunity drawings.  Lastly, the bring one-get one gift exchange was held.

The attendees donated a large amount of canned food and children's toys for the Salvation Army.  All in all, this was an excellent, and filling, holiday luncheon.

Holiday Luncheon Photos

The 15 December Holiday Luncheon featured President Gary Brock thanking the outgoing 2009-2010 Board of Directors.  He called each member of the Board to the front, including:

From left:  Shirley Becker, Virginia Taylor, Barbara Ibaibarriaga, Gary Brock, Bernice Heiter, Ruth Himan, Susan Zimmer and Randy Seaver.

After the 2011-2012 Officers were sworn in, they posed for a picture:

The new Officers are, from left, Virginia Taylor (First VP - Programs), Mary Lou Montez (Secretary), Gary Brock (President), Bobbie Lane (Second VP - Membership), and Jaye Wright (Treasurer, not pictured).

More Pictures from the CVGS Holiday Luncheon

I took a few pictures of people seated at the tables before the CVGS Holiday Luncheon began. Unfortunately, not everyone was looking at the camera when I snapped the shots - it's like herding cats, only more fun!

This is a fairly small room - maximum occupancy is 40, and we came close! But it works for us - we are able to chat and share across the table, and we can stand up and share our stories and everyone can hear us.

I know that Ruth has more pictures (and probably better ones) - maybe she'll let me post some of them on our blog.

CVGS Holiday Luncheon Pictures

I posted last week about the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon in CVGS Holiday Luncheon Highlights and promised some pictures.

We took pictures of the CVGS Board of Directors - here are the officers attending the luncheon - from the left:

* Ann S., the Secretary
* Barbara I, the First Vice-President - Programs
* Gary B, the President
* Virginia T., the Second Vice-President - Membership



Unfortunately, Treasurer Paul P. couldn't attend.

The appointed members of the CVGS Board include - from the left, front row:

* Barbara I. - Programs
* Susan Z., Historian and Cemetery Projects
* Bernice H., Librarian
* Ruth H., Member Services
* Shirley B., Computer Group

The back row, from the left:

* Bob P., Ways and Means
* John F., Public Relations
* Randy S., Newsletter Editor and Research/Queries
* Gary B., President, Webmaster, Estate Papers




Our Hospitality Chair, Susi P., attended the luncheon (in fact planned and executed it!) but wasn't available for the picture. Our Library Liaison person, Dearl G., couldn't attend the Luncheon.

After all the food, drink and good stories, here are three of our genea-blogging members - from the left:

* Gary B., co-writer of the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe and webmaster for CVGS
* Ruth H., who writes the Genealogy is Ruthless Without Me blog.
* Randy Seaver, who co-writes the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe, and writes Genea-Musings, The Geneaholic and the South San Diego County Graveyard Rabbit blogs.

In addition, Susi P. writes the Susi's Chatty Performances on Genealogy blog.

More pictures coming!

Some Heirloom Photos from Georgie Stillman program

The CVGS "Heirloom Discovery Day" program on 25 November was successful and interesting - see the summary at "Heirloom Discovery Day" Program Highlights - 11/25.

Here are some photographs from the program, with CVGS members showing off their heirlooms.

First up is Gary B. with his Grandma's cookie jar:


John F. and his robin's egg blue hand-blown glass vase:



Virginia T. with her precious mother's doll:

Susan Z. proudly displays her aunt's plastic purse:

Susan W. and her Dutch or German doll from the early 1800s:

CVGS October 2009 Newsletter is Online

The 10-page Chula Vista Genealogical Society Newsletter for October 2009 is available on the CVGS web site here.

You can read past issues of the CVGS Newsletter here.

Each issue has articles about upcoming programs, past program reviews, research and computer group news summaries, two pages of computer-related information, a feature article, and news of San Diego area genealogy events.

If you would like to contribute an article to the CVGS Newsletter, please contact the editor, Randy Seaver, via email at rjseaver@cox.net.

CVGS Holiday Luncheon Photos - Post 3

At the 10 December CVGS Holiday Luncheon, outgoing President Randy Seaver present certificates of appreciation to the outgoing Board members, including:

1) Randy and Opportunity Drawing Chairman, Bob Page:


2) Randy and Public Relations Chairman, John Finch:



3) Randy and Library Liaison, Dearl Glenn:

4) Randy and Hospitality Chairperson, Susi Pentico

5) Randy and Historian/Cemetery Project Chairperson, Susan Zimmer.

6) The 2007-2008 Board members present at the luncheon. From the left,
Wanda Brock, Gary Brock, Dearl Glenn, Ann Stevens (behind Dearl), Connie Ottinger, Randy Seaver (behind Connie), Bob Page (back row), Susan Zimmer (in front), Shirley Becker, Susi Pentico and John Finch.

CVGS Holiday Luncheon Photos - Post 2

At the CVGS Holiday Luncheon on 10 December 2008, 2007-8 President Randy
Seaver gave certificates of appreciation to the outgoing Board members. Here are some of thep ictures.

1) Randy and Treasurer Wanda Brock:

2) Randy and Newsletter Editor, Shirley Becker:

3) Randy and Program Chairperson Connie Ottinger:

4) Randy and Secretary Ann Stevens:

5) Randy and Webmaster/Estate Papers Chair Gary Brock