Blog | California Genealogical Society

Profiles of the Signers of the 1849 California Constitution

by Chris Pattillo (10/6/2020)

Chris Pattillo writes:


Cover design: Lois Elling

We are excited to announce the publication of a new resource for California history research: Profiles of the Signers of the 1849 California Constitution. This new work, available on our website, includes biographical sketches of the forty-eight men who signed the California Constitution, plus five other convention participants. While we know that some of the information contained in the 500-page document is outdated, we also know that these profiles include much useful information never before published. Each profile includes a family history, a photograph of the individual, and in most cases his signature.

The newly completed book is based on research done by George R. Dorman (1901-1983), who was a member of CGS for 47 years. Sometime probably in the late 1990s, CGS member Wayne Shepard used Dorman’s research to compile and edit the book, which includes a 16-page bibliography and a 63-page index. CGS originally had planned to publish the book in hard copy for sale but for various reasons the project was abandoned in 2002. The individual profiles were originally published in our newsletter and later in The California Nugget.

Henry Halleck, delegate from the Monterey District

This spring, the manuscript was revived by the Website Content Committee. After some consideration, the Publication Committee decided to move forward with the project. CGS Member Barbara Kridl, who has a professional background in publishing, took the lead and has done an outstanding job of preparing the book for publication on our website. Barbara cleaned up the formatting of the entire book and reworked the format of the bibliography. She added a preface that explains the origins of the project and worked with member Evan R. Wilson to write a history of the 1849 California Constitution Convention. Other Publication Committee members who assisted with the review and editing are Lois Elling, Stacy Hoover Haines, Arlene Miles, Chris Pattillo, Marie Treleaven and Jennifer Dix. Lois Elling also designed the book cover.

This is a wonderful resource that we are excited to make available to researchers. Over the years CGS members have undertaken several monumental projects – the Judge and Sherman books come to mind. This is the first time I have been personally involved with an effort of this type. It was a wonder and pleasure to see everyone offer to take on pieces of the project and complete them at a high standard. Our members are superheroes and a pleasure to work with. Please say thanks next time you see one of them in a Zoom meeting, and enjoy the book!

To start exploring, click HERE.

Annual Genie Awards – Saturday, October 10

by Jennifer Dix (10/5/2020)

Tune in for the presentation of the golden
Genie Awards to our outstanding volunteers

All members are cordially invited to attend our virtual Board Meeting this Saturday, October 10, where we will present the annual “Genie Awards” to several volunteers who have gone “above and beyond” with their time and talents to keep our organization thriving. We normally honor all volunteers in the month of April (National Volunteers Month), but as we all know, nothing is normal in 2020. Since the pandemic forced the closing of the CGS Library in March this year’s Genie Awards were postponed. However, in the spirit of “we can do it!” we have decided to have a short online presentation during the October CGS Board Meeting.

Home page of our new website

This year we recognize several volunteers who have been instrumental in revamping the CGS website to bring it into the modern era. It’s been a monumental task and involved many hours of discussion, research, preparation and content. We now have a fabulous, robust website that offers a wealth of information to our members and the public. Congratulations and a “tip of the hat” go to: Stewart Blandon, Rich Kehoe, Arlene Miles, Theresa Murphy, Chris Pattillo, John Ralls and Shannon Reese. The event takes place Saturday, October 10, at 10 a.m. To attend, simply register on Eventbrite.

Online genealogy, week of October 5-11

by Jennifer Dix (10/3/2020)

Our Events:
October 10: Monthly Board Meeting and Genie Awards: all welcome.

Conferences:
October 8-10: North Star Genealogy Conference (Minnesota Genealogical Society)
October 9 & 10: “GENEALOGY 2020: Research – Retool – Reconnect” (The Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago)
October 10: Scottish Indexes Conference VI (free)
October 10: Virtual Fall Conference (Greater Omaha Genealogical Society)

Classes:
Numerous associations offer online genealogy events every week. Most are free. To register for one of the events below, click on the name of the host organization.

American Ancestors

October 8: “What’s New at American Ancestors?” with Don LeClair

October 8: “Eleanor” author David Michaelis discusses his biography of Eleanor Roosevelt

BYU Family History Library

October 7: “Going Further with Scottish Genealogy” by Hannah Bell

Family History Library

October 5: “Using the FamilySearch Catalog”

October 6: “Preserving Family Memories in Family Tree”

Legacy Family Tree
October 6 & 7: “Advanced DNA Techniques: Deductive Chromosome Mapping” by Blaine Bettinger

October 7: “Wringing Every Drop out of Y DNA” by Roberta Estes

October 8: Reisinger Memorial Lecture Series:

“From Generation to Generation: An Updated Look at Kinship Determination” by Judy Russell
“Geo-Genealogy as a Problem-Solving Tool: The Case of a 19th-Century Female Teenage Immigrant” by J. H. (Jay) Fonkert
“Spanning 150 Years of Record Loss: A Methodological Approach to Identifying Parents in Sweden” by Jill Morelli, CG

Southern California Genealogical Society
October 6-27: “Beginning Genealogy Class” by Beverly Truesdale

October 10: “From Babel to Benefit-Translation Tips for Foreign-Language Documents” by Jane Neff Rollins

Conference Keeper has a large calendar of events (too many to list) hosted by various genealogical organizations. New events are added often, so check back frequently.
Here are some of the coming week’s highlights:

October 5: “House History 101” (Chicago Public Library)

October 6: “Genealogy Workshop Series: Intro to Ancestry” (Chicago Public Library)
October 10: “What’s Your American Story? Part 1” by D. Joshua Taylor (Contra Costa Genealogical Society)

October 11: “The Lost Family: How DNA is Upending Who We Are” by Libby Taylor (Omaha Public Library)

See our post “Genealogy Learning in the Time of Coronavirus” for links to classes archived online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsTech, and more.

Be well, stay safe, and happy learning!