“The Six,” documentary about Chinese Titanic survivors, debuts this month

by Jennifer Dix (10/5/2021)

Movie poster

The Six,” a documentary that tells the stories of six Chinese survivors out of the eight who sailed on the Titanic‘s final voyage, will have its U.S. premiere on October 16 at the Immigration Film Festival in Washington, D.C. It’s part of a program called “Reckoning With History: Stop Asian Hate.” This is a hybrid event, so if you don’t live in the D.C. area, you can watch the film online.

CGS Board member Grant Din was a researcher for the film. He says, “I was lucky to be part of a team of researchers from China, Canada, New York, London, the Midwest, and here in the SF Bay Area searching for the stories of the six Chinese survivors of the wreck of the Titanic... They were seamen, on their way to work on other White Star Line ships in the boiler rooms. We found information on ship manifests, in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and other archives, and many other places to help learn what happened to them. It’s a powerful film with parallels to the present.”

Directed by Arthur Jones, “The Six” includes among its executive producers James Cameron (yes, the director of that other “Titanic” film) and boasts “exceptionally high production values,” in the words of reviewer Charlie Smith. Writing at the film’s North American premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival last month, Smith noted, “This is not only about a supposedly unsinkable ship colliding with a giant iceberg; it’s an inspiring tale of the resilience and strength of Chinese pioneers who faced untold discrimination on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in the first half of the 20th century.”

The October 16 event runs from 2:45 – 5:30 Eastern time (11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. PDT). To register (in person or online), visit https://lnkd.in/gNkutCQP and scroll down to the October 16 listing.

The film will also be streamed October 17-24 through the Friday Harbor Film Festival : https://www.fhff.org/film-guide.

CGS Library Is Now A FamilySearch Affiliate Library

by Jennifer Dix (10/4/2021)

 

The California Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that our Library is now a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. Affiliate libraries (whether public, special, or university) can access FamilySearch’s digital genealogical collections that are otherwise accessible only through a FamilySearch family history center. Local patrons now have another option if they wish to access these records.

There are only a few hundred affiliate libraries in the country. The designation means our library patrons will now have greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources available through FamilySearch. The popular web service has over 6 billion searchable names and 2 billion images of historical genealogical records—and you get the helpful assistance of library staff.

FamilySearch adds over 300 million free genealogical records and images online yearly from all over the world and manages the famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It has amassed billions of birth, marriage, death, census, land and court records from more than 130 countries to help you discover and make family connections.

We are happy to be able to provide this additional service to our visitors.

CGS Members’ Roundtable: A New Group for Members to Share and Learn

by Chris Pattillo (10/1/2021)

Beginning October 13, CGS will be offering a new group for members to share and learn about their genealogical pursuits. This new group, the CGS Members’ Roundtable, will be a venue where attendees can share things they’ve learned or found. Often this sparks ideas for others for their own research. It is also a great way to brainstorm ideas for new avenues of research when you get stumped.

The Roundtable was a joint conception. Our Development & Member Services Committee has been hoping to provide an online venue where members can continue to enjoy the camaraderie that we used to enjoy when we were able to meet in person. At the same time, CGS members Lisa Gorrell and Jacqueline Henderson were planning to start a Roundtable for members of all skill levels. It’s modeled on a similar group that Lisa facilitates for the Contra Costa Genealogical Society.

The group will convene via Google Meet on the second Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8:00 PM Pacific Time. To join the session members will need to login to our website. Under the “Members” tab on the home page, find Special Interest Groups (SIG), and click on “Join A SIG.” Scroll down until you find the description of the CGS Members Roundtable. We will soon post a link that members can use to participate in discussions. In the interim, please contact Lisa Gorrell or Jacqueline Henderson to sign up for the Roundtable. They will send you an email with the link before the meeting.

Contact Emails: [email protected] or [email protected]