Rose Marie Beebe (center) and Robert Senkewicz talked about the influential Vallejo family, in the first of a series on Alta California
Last Saturday, the CGS library hosted the first in a monthly series of presentations on genealogical research in Alta California, the Spanish province incorporating northern California and part of Nevada, during the Hispanic colonization period from 1769 to 1848. This joint effort of CGS and Los Californianos features expert speakers on the history of Spanish and Mexican colonization of Alta (“Upper”) California.
On May 11, Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz spoke on “A Californio Family in Transition: Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and Francisca Benicia Carrillo de Vallejo, 1846-1888.” They captivated the hybrid audience (attending both online and in person) with the story of this powerful and influential family and their role in the transition of California from the Republic of Mexico to U.S. statehood. CGS President Chris Pattillo commented, “I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of today’s program. The tag-team speakers were two of the best ever… and their enthusiasm for the subject matter was infectious.”
The next talk in the series will be on June 8, when Kent Long, president of the nonprofit Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe, speaks on “Jose Joaquin Moraga Family & the Rancho Laguna De Los Palos Colorados Grant.” To learn more about the series and to register for the presentations, visit our Eventbrite site.
Adelle Treakle is the guru and queen of our Eventbrite registration system and our calendar. This beast (the software) is not an easy one to tame, but Adelle has figured out how to make it work for a variety of scenarios and needs of the organization. She gathers multiple pieces of information gathered by other volunteers and creates pages that anyone can navigate to find speakers, times, costs, and directions. She makes sure the notices go out on time, including two reminders. On top of that Adelle creates access to the handouts and the recordings. Adelle draws on her experience in the programming and technical world.
Keith Montgomery is a stalwart proponent and supporter of hybrid meetings (where you can attend online or in-person) and of the Special Interest Groups. He has technical skills like no other. He juggles microphones, cameras, laptops, and display monitors like a member of Cirque du Soleil. Keith volunteers as the host that gets meetings started, monitors chat and works with those having trouble with access, sound and video. In addition, Keith serves on the Technical Committee, making sure the library computers are up to speed.
Tues., May 14, 11 am: “How-to Series: Using Linkpendium” with Denise Plaskett. What is 
Wednesday, May 15, 6:30 pm: “Sharing Family History with Children” with Marisa Louie Lee. Inspire an interest in family history with the children in your family! We’ll discuss the importance of rituals and storytelling to children and explore some practical family history activities for busy families. Marisa Louie Lee is a freelance researcher and workshop speaker who specializes in federal government records and Asian American history and genealogy. She previously worked for the National Archives at San Francisco and the Chinese Historical Society of America. Marisa is a proud alumna of the “Friends of Roots” program and enjoys sharing family history with her daughters, ages 5 and 8.