Blog

 

The Wednesday “Tips & Talk” series continues tomorrow, May 31, at 11 a.m. at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. Our speaker is Lynda McDowell on the topic: “Paleography: How to Read Old English Handwriting.”

Lynda is a graduate of BYU Idaho with certificates in Advanced Family History Research.  She has been doing family History Research for 20 years and has assisted her family with transcribing documents.  She is a volunteer at the Oakland Family History Center and will be offering tips on how to decipher old English handwriting.  She will also offer websites to go to for help.

We hope to see you there! Feel free to bring a lunch and stay after to learn about the OFSC’s many genealogical tools and offerings.

For more information or to register, click the hyperlinks for any event.
All times are Pacific Daylight Time.

June is busting out! – with special events, our regular group meetings, and our annual potluck honoring volunteers. See what’s coming up:

Wednesdays, 11 a.m.: “Tips & Talk“ at the Oakland FamilySearch Library. Join library volunteers for a discussion about different genealogy topics. This month:

June 7: “Got Questions?” Bring your genealogical questions to this discussion group for expert help. Also learn how to use the Center’s photo and video digitizing equipment.

June 14: “FamilySearch Wiki”

June 21: “Using FindMyPast”

June 28: “Breaking Down Your Brick Walls”

The following recording is available online through June 13:
Stewart Traiman’s “Excel for Genealogy” workshop demonstrates how to use spreadsheets to organize your research.

Special Interest Groups and Monthly Events

1st Saturday, June 3: Intro to Genealogy – 1st Saturday Free! Overview and Focused Topics. This month: “Using the Census.”
2nd Saturday, June 10:  CGS Board Meeting and Annual Genie Awards
2nd Wednesday, June 14: CGS Member Roundtable. Contact Lisa Gorrell [email protected] or Jacqueline Henderson [email protected].
3rd Saturday, June 17: Family Tree Maker SIG
4th Monday, June 26: DNA Skills SIG. Contact Mark McLaren, [email protected]
4th Wednesday, June 28: Roots Magic SIG

And don’t forget:
Registration is open for our Salt Lake City Research Trip, October 9-14!
If you missed the virtual meetup and discussion, you can see the recording on our YouTube channel.

Library hours: We are open by appointment Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please email [email protected] no later than 7 p.m. the night before to let us know you’re coming!

Helpful Links
Events: https://www.californiaancestors.org/events-and-education/
SIGs: https://www.californiaancestors.org/special-interest-groups-for-members/
Calendar: Google calendar

Potluck * Presentation * Awards

It’s “Back to the Library” for the 2023 CGS Genie Awards! After three years of celebrating the Genie Awards “virtually” (due to the Covid pandemic), the time has come to honor our outstanding volunteers in person. CGS members are invited to help us honor this year’s recipients: the CGS Volunteers for the 2022 National Genealogical Society (NGS) Conference.

Recipients will be honored on Saturday, June 10, for their outstanding work during the 2022 NGS Conference, held last May in Sacramento. As the “Local Host” society for the NGS Conference, CGS recruited more than 80 members to help with the week-long event. Our volunteers will be recognized following the monthly CGS Board Meeting, (10 a.m.–11 a.m.) A potluck lunch (bring a favorite dish!) begins at 11:15 a.m., followed by a short presentation about 1898 Spanish American war records by Maureen Hanlon.

The festivities will take place at the CGS Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL1, Oakland. Parking is available behind the Bruener Building, and the 19th Street BART station is close by. Please join us to “meet and greet” old and new genealogy friends, as well as honoring our exceptional volunteers. Be sure to register (attendance is in person or online) on the CGS website. Questions? Contact Kathleen Beitiks.

2023 Genie Award Recipients: