Hey everyone!
The Wednesday, March 20th mini-meeting will focus on our recent research successes.
Also, we will try to help others with different ideas to help break down our fellow genealogists’ brick walls!
What is a Mini-Meeting?
A mini meeting a miniature meeting between general meetings. It’s a time for members to gather and talk, share, listen, learn, discuss, vent, and get to know one another better. We can accomplish all of this and get our genealogy fix, too!
Every GSSCC member is welcome.
All levels of experience wanted!
The mini meetings, of course, are not obligatory. Come and go as you please.
There is no single leader of this club. This is a club for everyone.
What do you want to learn about? What can you share? Do you know someone outside the club who is a genealogy aficionado? Do you want to know more about Ancestry.com or another genealogy program? Do you want to learn how to find helpful genealogy websites? These are all possible meeting topics!
- Mini meetings are held on the second floor of Bruno’s Barbecue Restaurant in Scotts Valley, next to the movie theater, behind Nob Hill.
- The address is 230 Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley; (831) 438-2227. Bruno’s is about a mile or two from the Mt. Hermon exit off Hwy 17.
- The Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month.
- Time: 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. (The time and location may change if we decide to take a field trip.)
- A fixed-priced lunch menu is offered (Delicious!) The price is $10.00. Your meal also includes water, iced tea, soda, coffee, or hot tea, and tip. (vegetarian options available). You can even open a personal bar tab if a glass of wine sounds like it’d hit the spot!
- There is an elevator to the upper level, a patio, restroom, and a great view.
- No idea is a silly one. Please, email me with any ideas you’d like to discuss in a small, informal group. The sky’s the limit! Let’s help each other become better genealogists and researchers. Let’s break down those stubborn brick walls!
~ Jennifer Bovitz Cobas, Vice President and Programs & Publicity Coordinator
The GSSCC is planning a repository tour of the Sutro Library!
On April 17, 2013, a comfortable bus (which includes a bathroom!) will pick up interested members and take them in style to the Sutro Library in San Francisco.
Testimonial:
No doubt about it, this is a genealogist paradise. Now, I love to research on the Internet, and can spend hours doing so, but sometimes things have to be done the old-fashioned way. The Sutro has been called the best genealogy library in the Western United States. The intensive collection covers all the U.S. and several other countries. The Sutro is the ideal place to do traditional research; there are rows and rows of books, microfiche readers, maps, and a card catalog to find everything.
It is a wonderful experience to open a fragile 19th century book and see some tidbit of information about a long-departed ancestor.-Terry T., Hercules, CA
Tentative Schedule:
- 7:30 AM pick up in Aptos
- 8:00 AM pick up in Santa Cruz
- 10:00 AM arrival at Sutro (approximate)
- 4:00 PM departure from the library
- 5:30 PM arrival in Santa Cruz
- 6:00 PM arrival in Aptos
More information about the resources at Sutro Library
Highlights of the collection include:
- California federal census population schedules for 1850-1930.
- Using federal census resources in the California History Room
- How to use the 1930 federal census in the California History Room
- 1852 state census, including indexes prepared by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
- Using the 1852 California state census in the California History Room
- Great registers of voters, arranged by county, for 1866-1898 and 1900-1944.
- A statewide index to the 1890 great register helps to fill the gap created by the loss of the 1890 census.
- City and county directories from as early as 1850.
- Telephone directories starting in 1899.
- Historical newspapers from around the state.
- Publications of county genealogical and historical societies.
- Compilations by California chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
- Specialized indexes and files created by the California State Library.
- A California death index covering July 1, 1905-1995 and a California marriage index covering 1949-1986.
The California State Library DOES NOT have birth, death, or marriage certificates. To obtain these certificates, contact the California Office of Vital Records or the appropriate county recorder’s office.
Unfortunately, the California History Section lacks the staff resources to provide family research services. Anyone is welcome to visit and use the resources. As an alternative, we can provide a list of private researchers who are familiar with our collection.
Note: Sutro Library materials can be accessed through the California State Library Main Catalog, and Sutro staff is available to assist in-house customers with the resources. Sutro items may be borrowed by requesting an interlibrary loan through your local public library.
More details to come!
With Special Pre-Conference Events on May 7, 2013.
The NGS 2013 Family History Conference will be held at The LVH-Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mark your calendars for 8–11 May 2013.
The hotel and conference center are under one roof.
The LVH is adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, ten minutes from McCarran International Airport, and convenient to I-15 and I-515. Self-parking is free. Valet parking is free but tip is expected. The Las Vegas Monorail begins at The LVH and carries passengers to six major Strip resorts.
Click Here to Learn All About This Fantastic Opportunity!
(Photos: Jennifer Cobas, gensocblog@me.com)
June Lecture
Thursday, June 6, 2013
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Santa Cruz Public Library, Central Location
(2nd floor meeting room)
224 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
For more information, please call (831) 427-7707, ext. 5794; Email: IVCLB@comcast.net
Speaker:
Pamela Erickson
Lecture Topic:
Planning a Successful Research Trip
When you discover that your family moved to a location you have never seen, do you want to visit the area and learn what resources are available? Or, have you wanted to go to Salt Lake City and use the vast collection available at the Family History Library? Remember, too, that the tips we cover also apply to visiting your local library.
With the cost of airline tickets or gas for our vehicles, we need to make sure we’re prepared before setting off. We’ll spend time together to determine what you should do before you leave, what you should pack, and what arrangements you should make. Each visit will require slightly different preparation, so we will go over what’s necessary and what’s optional according to where you go, how long you will be gone, and what places you plan to visit.
Carolyn Barkely said in an article last February,
“First, remember that research is a cycle of work with several important steps: planning, collection, organization, analysis, reporting, and then planning once again. Each research trip builds upon the work accomplished in previous trips and sets the stage for work to be accomplished in future ones.” Bring your ideas to share, too. Let’s work together to plan a successful research trip.
Pamela Erickson teaches genealogy and creative/memoir writing to adults in San Jose, California and surrounding cities and has done so for over 20 years. She has helped her students research their families in the United States and around the world and leads a group of interested people to Salt Lake City, Utah every spring for a week of genealogy research at the LDS Family History Library.
Her personal family research started as a child and has taken her to the Southern states, Canada, and across the pond to Great Britain, Sweden, France, and the Czech Republic. Pamela has researched and written over 250 articles for newspapers, magazines, and educational books and has been employed as a journalist, technical writer, and editor. She has taught at genealogy conferences around California and at writing conferences in California and Florida.