Blog

We’re delighted to announce that the latest issue of our biannual journal, The California Nugget, has been published. CGS members will soon see it in their mailboxes, or they can access the electronic version on our website.

This issue’s contents span several eras of California history, from 18th-century Alta California to life in early 20th-century San Francisco. Monterey resident Gary Carlsen has contributed a sketch of French immigrant Pierre Artellan, as well as a list of members of the 1774 Spanish expedition to Monterey. Pamela Brett shares the story of her ancestor Selucius Garfielde, a colorful and controversial character. His “checkered” career included traveling to California during the Gold Rush and serving as a state assembly representative in the 1850s. Julie Walker’s article “Finding Uncle Charles” demonstrates the use of genealogical proof methods to establish the facts about a relative thought to have died in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

In her “21st-Century Genealogy” column, Lisa Gorrell writes about how to use timelines to tackle difficult genealogy puzzles.

And … don’t miss the announcement about the Society’s 125th anniversary, coming up next year! We’re inviting reader contributions for a planned special anniversary issue.

Table of Contents

• “Selucius Garfielde: A Checkered Life” by Pamela Brett
• “Finding Uncle Charles: Investigating the Truth of a Family Legend” by Julie Walker
• “Pierre Artellan (1815-1891): A French Immigrant to Monterey” by Gary Carlsen
• “The Settlers of the 1774 Spanish Expedition to Monterey in Alta California” by Gary Carlsen
• “Making Use of Timelines” by Lisa Gorrell

Written by: Maureen Hanlon, Chair
One in a series of blog posts about CGS committees and their work

Serving as the public face of the CGS Library, members of the Desk Duty Committee welcome visitors, manage the library, and help patrons with everything they need. The last time there was a write-up about the Desk Duty Committee was fourteen years ago–October 2008–and three of those stalwart volunteers continue on our roster today: Dick Rees, Pat Smith, and Lorna Wallace. We treasure their commitment and depth of knowledge. As you can see by comparing the photo below with more current ones, they haven’t changed a bit!  Clearly, it’s a stress-free job (hah).

Desk Duty Committee

There are eight other members of the group who take on the job of “Director of First Impressions” of the CGS Library. They are: Felicia Addison, Kate Black, Glenda Castain, Linda Edwards, Karen Halfon, Ron Madson, Kristi Wessenberg and chair, Maureen Hanlon. The committee also includes Kathleen Beitiks, Keith Montgomery, and “emeritus” member Sally Houston.

Our group has a wide range of experience and most members hold dual or triple CGS roles. Pat is chair of the Research team; Linda, Kristi and Karen are library volunteers, Ron and Karen lead the FTM-SIG. Ron is also on the Board and has documented CGS events with his photography skills. Many of the photos of the team are from Ron’s albums.

We’ve had some discussions about our name, because “duty” sounds so onerous and not like the job we do. It allows us to use many skills and know lots of practical and detailed information.  We are trusted with cash for visit and copying fees, we help patrons with the machines, we know when to call the technical gurus for help.  We find and re-shelve books.  But most importantly, we make our visitors feel welcome and supported.  Each member currently serves a four-hour stint on one of the Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays the library is open.  We are looking forward to expanded hours and the plans to have hybrid classes on Saturdays. If you are interested in joining the team, please email Maureen Hanlon.

2008 Desk Duty crew included (L-R) Pat Smith, Kathy Watson, Lorna Wallace, Diana Wild, Judy Bodycote and Dick Rees

Lois Elling and Judy Zelver

One in a series of blog posts about CGS committees and their work
*This committee currently has openings for volunteers

Lois Elling has chaired our membership committee since 2018. She is well-organized and easy to talk to. Lois enjoys her role as Membership chair because she enjoys connecting with CGS members, is able to do most of the committee work from home and has flexibility as to when she is in the library.

Membership Committee

Currently, there are two members of the membership committee. Judy Zelver helps Lois with various tasks. They both process membership renewals and keep the membership database current. Judy does most of the supply orders and has primary responsibility for mailing out renewal notices.

Lois and Judy regularly send out updates to her committee chairs and the board, as well as complete roster updates once a month. They share responsibility with the treasurer for picking up the CGS mail and distributing it. Lois responds to inquiries related to membership, renewals, and and website access, and coordinates with our technology team to ensure that new members have access to the members-only portion of our website.

Membership is looking for at least one additional volunteer to check and respond to emails on a regular basis and when Lois is out of town. Communication skills are important for this position when responding to questions about the status of one’s membership either by phone or email. If you are interested in helping the Membership Committee, please email [email protected].