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30 April 2010
Salt Lake City Successes: 2010 Edition
28 April 2010
Wordless Wednesday
April 21 – 28, 2010
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
26 April 2010
Jacob Workman Gesner of New Brunswick and Massachusetts
For Tom Gesner, the decision was helped along by some of his colleagues at the California Genealogical Society. Tom attended Hints On Publishing Your Family History, presented almost two years ago by Shirley Thomson, Jane Lindsey and Matt Berry. Tom concluded then that writing a book was something he could "really do."
The tangible result is Jacob Workman Gesner of New Brunswick and Massachusetts: His Ancestry and Descendants Through Three Generations. Jacob (1835-1920) was Tom's great-great grandfather. Tom estimates Jacob has hundreds of descendants.
A donated copy of the book sits on the shelves of the library and in it Tom has written, "In appreciation of the many helpful suggestions by CGS members, Tom Gesner, 15 Oct 2009." Tom told me that he also found Matt Berry's Microsoft Word Skills for Genealogists workshops extremely useful and he acknowledges Verne Deubler's support and helpful information.
The CGS Library holds one other GESNER title: The Gesner Family of New York and Nova Scotia: Together with Some Notes Concerning the Families of Bogardus, Brower, Ferdon, and Pineo by Anthon Temple Gesner. Written in 1912, Tom notes that the book details the story of the "progenitor of the North American Gesners" Johann Heinrich Gesner, who arrived at New Amsterdam in 1710. Tom's book is a continuation of one branch of the family.
Jacob Workman Gesner of New Brunswick and Massachusetts: His Ancestry and Descendants Through Three Generations, Thomas G. Gesner, Emeryville, California : Brookside Publishing, 2009.
ix, 112 p. : ill., ports., maps ; 23 cm. An account of the migration of Jacob Gesner and his children from New Brunswick to Fall River, Mass. $25. Available from Tom Gesner, P.O. Box 99281, Emeryville, CA 94662.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
23 April 2010
Field Trip to Sutro California State Library
480 Winston Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132
The California State Library, San Francisco, known as the Sutro Library, bills itself as one of the largest genealogical collections west of Salt Lake City – and it is. With over 150,000 books and resources for all fifty states, it is a must-visit place for Bay Area genealogists.
Jack Leibman has written a fascinating history of Adolph Sutro's library: The Saga of Sutro Library which includes this description:
Today the Sutro is a major resource for genealogy research. It continues to gather a remarkable list of historical and genealogical publications from the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. The surviving original collections of Sutro include a wide variety of pre-1900 British scientific papers, a unique collection of Mexican works, and many rare ancient Hebrew texts. A treasure trove of Sutro's voluminous correspondence is expected to provide some fascinating new insights into the history of this brilliant, inventive, and bold avatar of San Francisco.Ron and Pam Filion of sfgenealogy.com have posted a comprehensive review of Bay Area research facilities, including Sutro.
Dick Rees will lead a group to Sutro on public transportation using BART and Muni leaving from the 19th Street Station in Oakland. Members may also car pool and meet at the library. Library staff will give us a tour. The library's hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Bag lunch recommended.
Register online.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
21 April 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Photographs by Tim Cox and Kathryn Doyle, Oakland, California.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
16 April 2010
Nancy Peterson at The Society of Mayflower Descendants in California San Francisco Peninsula Colony Luncheon
The Society of Mayflower Descendants in California
San Francisco Peninsula Colony Luncheon
Delancey Street Restaurant
The Embarcadero at Brannan Street
San Francisco, California
Nancy Simons Peterson will be the guest speaker at The Society of Mayflower Descendants in California San Francisco Peninsula Colony luncheon on Saturday, May 15, 2010.
Nancy is Research Director of the California Genealogical Society and the author of Raking the Ashes: Genealogical Strategies for Pre-1906 San Francisco Research, published by the society in 2006 to coincide with the centennial of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Nancy and the entire research team have been burning the midnight oil to complete The Judge Project – which will result in another publication by the society later this year.
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants was formed in Boston in 1896. The California Society, chartered October 17, 1907, was established in San Francisco as the first Western State society by pioneers drawn to the new land of opportunity created by the California Gold Rush. The San Francisco Penisula Colony meets five times a year to remember heritage, for social time, lunch and a program related to personalities, events or items of Pilgrim or California historical interest. They hold joint meetings with other colonies within the Bay Area, including their important Compact Day each November.
Any person able to document their descent from one of the Mayflower Pilgrims is eligible to apply for membership.
14 April 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Photograph by Kathryn Doyle, Oakland, California.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
13 April 2010
Featured on RootsTelevision!
We're so honored and pleased that our YouTube video has been added to RootsTelevision and has been selected as one of this week's New Roots Tuesday picks.
Pub/Mark Committee chair Cathy Paris created Who Do You Think We Are? from blog photos and added captions to describe all aspects of the society and our members. RootsTelevision thinks it's "a great example of how a society can showcase themselves online." We agree! And we thank Roots Television for helping us to spread our message.

Roots Television offers free genealogy and family history videos. Topics include Conferences, How-to, DNA, African Roots, British research, Irish family history, Hispanic roots, Libraries, Archives, Reunions, Photo Restoration and more.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
12 April 2010
Some Nice Press From A Surprising Source
I mentioned last month that advertising our First Saturdays Free "Intro to Genealogy" classes on internet events sites like Yelp, Yahoo Upcoming and Facebook seems to be reaching a new and younger audience. This month's April 3 class, taught by Mary Beth Frederick, included a student who found us on Yelp and who was interested in more than just learning some genealogy.
Brianna Headsten let us know in advance that she was coming and that she would be writing an article about the class for her school newspaper. A communications student at California State University East Bay, Brianna is on the staff of The Pioneer. I was thrilled to receive a copy of her article, All Branches Have Common Roots, published on April 8, 2010, and assurances that she will be back to do more research on her family history.
Thanks so much, Brianna!
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
09 April 2010
Hard Drive Organization - Making Use of Your Computer File Folders
Saturday, May 15, 2010
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612
After collecting digital images from online sources and manually scanning paper documents and photos for over twenty years, Tim Cox found a management method that works for his digital files. He will demonstrate how to name files for easy identification, how to organize folders that make it easy to find them, and how to properly identify scanned photographs.
This class is a free benefit for members only. Class size is limited to twenty participants. Walk-ins will not be admitted.
Register online.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
07 April 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Photograph by Kathryn M. Doyle, 2/16/2010, Oakland, California
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
05 April 2010
May Membership Meeting (and a Bonus!) with Jo Ann Rowley-Minhoto
California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, California
Member Jo Ann Rowley-Minhoto will present two talks on our second Saturday May Membership Meeting day. Please plan to come in the morning for her first presentation, break for a brown bag lunch (or pick something up nearby), attend a short membership meeting at 1:00 p.m., then hear Jo Ann's second talk.
Rootsweb Overview
11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Membership Meeting
Social Networking: What's Available at RootsWeb
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
After a career as system analyst of computer business applications, Jo Ann Rowley-Minhoto turned her attention to genealogy in 1996 and parlayed both into her business, Computer Ancestors. She loves giving presentations, hoping to give someone value in their research. Jo Ann completed the National Genealogical Society's (NGS) "American Genealogy: A Basic Course" in 2004, received a certificate from Dallas Genealogical Society's (DGS) Land Institute in 1999, is a member of Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and takes clients, both for computer related assistance and assistance in researching one's family history.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library
02 April 2010
Mapping Madness with Ron Arons - Sunday, April 18, 2010
1:00 p.m. (Doors open at 12:30 p.m.)
Oakland Regional Family History Center
4766 Lincoln Avenue
Oakland 94602
San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society Lecture and Meeting: Mapping Madness with Ron Arons
Member and author Ron Arons will be the featured speaker at an upcoming SFBAJGS meeting. Ron will discuss numerous websites where one can find historical maps and he will review the online mapping facilities provided by the two Goliaths in the field: Microsoft and Google. He will also introduce the audience to several other online mapping facilities, including: Microsoft’s MapCruncher, IBM’s Many Eyes, and Muckety.com
Born and raised in New York, Ron Arons has traced his roots to England, Poland, Romania, the Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. In researching his book, The Jews of Sing Sing, Ron took a genealogical approach, collecting a variety of original source documents. The book includes biographies of more than a dozen famous gangsters and lesser-known criminals and paints a broad canvas of Jewish criminality in New York City. Ron's newest book is the recently released Wanted! U.S. Criminal Records: Sources and Research Methodology.
Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.
01 April 2010
eNews April 2010, volume 4, number 4
The April 2010 issue of the eNews, volume 4, number 4, has been published and emailed to members and friends. As always, the eNews features timely information about the California Genealogical Society and our upcoming events. Each edition also includes Suggested Links From the Blogosphere and a photo feature: CGS Ancestors.
This month we have a mystery man. Can you help member Susan Smith-Bromiley and her cousin, Vicky Whitney Landau, discover what happened to their great-uncle, Joseph B. Mendizábal?
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Joseph B. Mendizábal |