This week at CGS (March 11-17, 2024)

by California Genealogical Society (3/10/2024)

To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time. All classes free unless otherwise noted.

There are two classes in the “Tips & Talk” series at the Oakland FamilySearch Library this week. And you can attend them either in person or via Zoom!

Man and woman side by sideTuesday, March 12, 11 AM: “Snipping, Clipping, and Irfanview.” Robert and Portia NeVille demonstrate how to capture images online. This “How-to” session will teach you how to use the computer’s Snipping Tool and IrfanView to highlight, capture, and save parts of records and photos. We will practice with online records. Robert and Portia NeVille are one of three full-time missionary couples assigned as FamilySearch specialists. This is their fourth full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. They’ve previously served in Peru, Argentina, and Spain. Robert is fluent in Spanish and Portia “holds her own.”

Wednesday, March 13, 6:30 PM: “German Research Part 1” with Robert Jackson. First in a three-part series examining what motivated Germans to emigrate to America in the 19th century, as well as how to find the village of origin of your German ancestor. Once found, it is quite possible, and even fun, to easily extract at least a few generations of ancestors from German church records, which are increasingly available online. Robert will also show how much one can learn about one’s forebears from these records, not just names and dates. Robert, a Harvard history PhD, has engaged in German research for decades and looks forward to discussing your questions, ideas, and theories. Series continues on March 20 and March 27.

The following Special Interest Groups are meeting this week:

Friday, March 15, 10:30 AM: Mayflower Descendants SIG. Led by Robert Trapp. Focus on Mayflower ancestry and how to join The Society of California Mayflower Descendants. Discussion of ongoing research.

Sat., March 16, 10 AM: San Francisco SIG. Sandra Huber leads this group for those interested in finding San Francisco ancestors, with discussion of where to look for records both pre and post the 1906 earthquake.

Sat., March 16, 1 PM: Family Tree Maker SIG. Presentation, discussion, and troubleshooting for users of the popular genealogy software. Led by Ron Madson and Karen Halfon. Hybrid (held in person and on Zoom). 

And don’t forget:

Recording available through March 24:

How to Leave Your Genealogy: Don’t Let It Get Thrown Away! Lisa Gorrell’s presentation on tasks you can do now to leave your genealogy in good shape for your heirs.

Coming up March 30:

“You Can Do This: Photo Organizing and Preservation.” Thomas MacEntee, creator of “Genealogy Bargains,” discusses the best ways to organize and preserve family photos.

Library hours: Thursday and Friday 10 AM-2 PM and Saturday 10 AM-4 PM

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

“Game Changer”: FamilySearch’s new full-text search function

by California Genealogical Society (3/7/2024)

cartoon hand holding megaphone with text bubble reading "Game Change" RootsTech, the world’s biggest genealogy conference, has just wrapped up its 2024 session, and one thing that’s got the genealogy world buzzing is the unveiling of a new experimental search function on FamilySearch.org that can search every word of text in handwritten documents that haven’t yet been indexed. The program operates using AI, and the word everyone seems to be using is “game changer” (or game-changer or gamechanger, depending on your preference). What’s got people most excited is that you can type in a name and instantly get the return of numerous documents–they might include wills, deeds, or more. You can filter by state or county, or search using other keywords.

Right now the technology only applies to two collections: US Land and Probate Records and Mexico Notary Records. But what an abundance is to be found in these two collections! Genealogist Lisa Hork Gorrell, CGⓒ, a longtime CGS member, tried it out and reported her experience in her blog, Mam-ma’s Southern Family. A search for the surname “Coor” quickly turned up a document she’d never seen before that pertained to her fourth-great-grandfather John Coor (1785-1838), documenting his plan to build a sawmill with his neighbor Joel Hoggatt. She has since followed up on that with a post at her other blog, showing how to copy the information and cite it.

In the words of “The Legal Genealogist,” Judy G. Russell, “This is what we’ve all been hoping artificial intelligence could do for us.”

To learn more details of Lisa Gorrell’s search, see her blog posts here and here.

To try out the search function for yourself, log in to your FamilySearch account, or create an account (it’s free). Then go to https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/, where you’ll find a link to the new Full Text Search, as well as links to several other experimental programs you can try out. Have fun!

This week at CGS (March 4-10, 2024)

by California Genealogical Society (3/3/2024)

To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time.

We’ve got two stellar presentations coming up this week as part of the “Tips & Talk” series at the Oakland FamilySearch Library. And you can attend them either in person or via Zoom!

Smiling woman in patterned shirtWed., March 6, 11:00 AM –  “Overview of Irish Records and Research” with Maureen Hanlon. Maureen’s class focuses on finding the homeland of your immigrant ancestor using Irish records of the 19th century. Maureen, is a CGS member and a volunteer at OFSC . She became interested in her Irish families after discovering her GG grandfather was from Cork not Northern Ireland. Maureen is generous with her time helping others find their Irish Heritage. She has created a Facebook page and a SIG group to help others with their Irish roots.

 

Wed., March 6, 6:30 PM – “On the Road Again: Tips for Planning On-site Research” by Pam Brett. A research trip to one’s ancestral home can be extremely rewarding, but also may present many challenges. Pam will share practical tips on how to plan an on-site research trip to achieve your research goals and to bring home a new understanding of the lives of your ancestors. Pam is a long time member of the California Genealogical Society . She has taught many classes at CGS and takes annual research trips to find unique information for her ancestors.

Ship image inside white circle on blue background Sat., March 9, 10 AM-noon: CGS Monthly Board Meeting. Hybrid (in person and via Zoom). On the agenda: Focus 2025, 10 Million Names Project, Board Nominations, update on the Ancestry Digitization Project. Also: Grouper affiliation, shared calendar, Life Member report, and “CGS as a Digital Archiving Hub.”

 

 

And don’t forget: Recording available through March 24: How to Leave Your Genealogy: Don’t Let It Get Thrown Away!   Lisa Gorrell’s presentation will discuss tasks you can do now so you will leave your genealogy in good shape for your heirs.

Library hours: Thursday and Friday 10 AM-2 PM and Saturday 10 AM-4 PM

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