October 15 L-AGS Study Group will meet at LDS Church, 950 Mocho Street, Livermore 7:30 pm.

October 15 Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society General meeting, Central Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, from 7-9 p.m.

October 20 San Mateo County Genealogical Society General meeting at Central School, 525 Middle Road, Belmont.

October 22 L-AGS Computer Interest Group meets at Sonoma School, 543 Sonoma Avenue, Livermore, 7:30 pm.

October 27 Hayward Area Genealogical Society Membership meeting 6:30 - 8:00pm. Meeting Room, San Lorenzo Library, 395 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo

November 10 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society (L-AGS) Regular meeting 7:30 pm. Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Avenue & South M Street, Livermore.

November 11 San Mateo County Genealogical Society General meeting at Central School, 525 Middle Road, Belmont.

November 11 East Bay Genealogical Society Regular meeting 10 am at Dimond Branch, Oakland Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue.

November 12 Contra Costa County Genealogical Society Membership meeting, 7:30 pm, Community Meeting Room, Concord Police Station, 1350 Galindo Street, Concord.

November 19 L-AGS Study Group will meet at LDS Church, 950 Mocho Street, Livermore 7:30 pm.

November 19 Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society General meeting, Central Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, from 7-9 p.m.

November 19 Mt. Diablo Genealogocal Society General Meeting, 1-3 pm, Friendship Room, Civic Bank of Commerce, Rossmoor Center, Walnut Creek.

November 24 German Genealogical Society of America Lectures by Carl Boyer III and Gary Shumway, Ph.D. Claremont, CA. For information: GGSA, E. Weber, 1827 Legion Lane, Los Angeles, CA 90039

November 26 L-AGS Computer Interest Group No meeting this month

December 8 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society (L-AGS) Regular meeting 7:30 pm. Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Avenue & South M Street, Livermore.

December 9 East Bay Genealogical Society Regular meeting 10 am at Dimond Branch, Oakland Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue.

December 10 Contra Costa County Genealogical Society Membership meeting, 7:30 pm, Community Meeting Room, Concord Police Station, 1350 Galindo Street, Concord

December 17 L-AGS Study Group will meet at LDS Church, 950 Mocho Street, Livermore 7:30 pm.

December 24 L-AGS Computer Interest Group No meeting this month

January 12 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society (L-AGS) Regular meeting 7:30 pm. Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Avenue & South M Street, Livermore.

January 13 East Bay Genealogical Society Regular meeting 10 am at Dimond Branch, Oakland Library, 3565 Fruitvale Avenue.

January 13 San Mateo County Genealogical Society General meeting at Central School, 525 Middle Road, Belmont.

January 24 Gold Discovery Day Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma. This is part of California’s Sesquicentennial celebration.

October 17 Solano County Genealogical Society 9 am to 3:20 pm, 480 Wrentham Drive, Vacaville.

October 17 Tuolumne County Genealogical Society 19481 Hillsdale Drive, Sonora.

November 7 San Mateo County Genealogical Society All Day Seminar Rose Mary Kennedy on the San Bruno National Archives. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 2^nd floor Auditorium, SamTrans Building, 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos.

November 14 Monterey County Genealogical Society "Diggin’ a Little Deeper" (California Early Days) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

January 18-22 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in the hotel adjacent to the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. For application & program, write to Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, P.O Box 1144 Salt Lake City, UT 84110-1144 or call 888-INFOUGA.

March 20 San Mateo County Genealogical Society Seminar Sandra Leubking, Sequoia High School, Redwood City. Dinner session on March 19. Topic: "Ladies of the Night." More details later.

April 10 Silicon Valley PAF Users Group Speaker: Cyndi Howells of Cyndi's List.

April 17 Sacramento County Genealogical Society Speaker: Cyndi Howells of Cyndi’s List.

May 12 NGS 1999 Conference in the States & Virginia Genealogical Society Richmond Centre for Conventions / Richmond Marriott, 500 Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. For information: See the web site.

August 3 BYU Annual Genealogy & Family History Center Conference For information: See the web site.

August 11-14 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference "Meet Me In St. Louis", St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission & Regal Riverfront Hotel, 200 South Fourth Street, St. Louis, MO 60102-1804

Hi Everyone:

To start, I want to thank the Seminar Committee members whose hard work resulted in another great Seminar. The excellent speakers, friendly helpers and tasty lunch (especially the cookies…my favorite!) was enjoyed by all.

Next, elections are fast approaching! Please consider serving on the Board next year. New faces and new ideas are always welcome and help our club to grow. You can find out more about the descriptions for each Board position on the next page. There's no technical knowledge required to be a board member, just the desire to be involved! If you have any questions about any of the jobs, don't hesitate to contact the Board member currently holding that position or give me a call. Most of the current positions have already been held by the same person for two years; per our bylaws, they may not serve in the same position for a third year (the only exception is the Business Manager position).

President: (Currently Lori Codey)
Facilitate the General membership meetings and the Board Meetings, work with a group of dedicated people, appoint standing and special committee members, and have a great time leading our exceptional organization! (See, not as hard as you thought!)

First Vice-President: (Currently shared by Pat Moore & Clarice Sisemore)
Preside at meetings in the absence of the President. As the Membership Chairperson, receive all applications for membership and encourage people to join the Society. At the monthly general meeting you greet new members, introduce them to the membership and welcome them into the Society. Attend the monthly board meeting and present them with a current membership roster. Keep the L-AGS handbook current and see that each new member receives it.

Second Vice President: (Currently Garth Ludwig)
Preside at meetings in the absence of the President and 1^st Vice President(s). This one is easy. The main job is to scramble around and get speakers for the monthly meetings. If you are well organized you can do this two or three months ahead. Ideas come in from the members who have specific interests, members who have attended other seminars and have heard interesting speakers, or, worst case, your own imagination.

Business Manager: (Currently Hal Norris)
Collect all monies owed to the Society and deposit them in the Society's bank account.
Disperse Society funds in satisfaction of its financial obligations.
Maintain a current and accurate accounting of the Society's financial condition.
Report on the financial condition monthly, at both the Board and General meetings.
Prepare an annual financial plan satisfactory to the Board.
Recommend appropriate financial action to the Board, as warranted.

Corresponding Secretary: (Currently Vicki Renz)
Get the mail 2 to 3 times each week from the Livermore Post Office, logging each item in on a spreadsheet, and distributing it to appropriate people in L-AGS. Attend monthly Board meeting and give Board members a copy of the spreadsheet. I e-mail some information to the Membership Chair and the Business Manager.
I skim the newsletters we receive, noting seminars held by nearby genealogy societies and some national conferences. I post this information on the bulletin board at the General meetings. When I was asked to fill this office, I had no idea that it would be so interesting and that I would look forward to picking up the mail. It is a great opportunity to read the various newsletters first!

Recording Secretary: (Currently Karen Banta)
Take minutes of General meetings and post them on the bulletin board at the next meeting. Take minutes of Board meetings and provide copies for Board members at next meeting.

Our long-time Newsletter Editor, Jolene Abrahams, has resigned. Following is her letter of resignation:

It is time for me to take "Retirement" seriously! A couple of years ago I asked Mildred to join me with the duties of publishing The Roots Tracer. We have worked together as a good team. At the same time, I took on the duties of facilitating the Study Group, a monthly group. A BIG "Thank You" to all who supported me. But a bigger thank you goes to my husband, David. He has always been there to take my drafts and turn them in to professional papers. Thank you, "Magic Fingers." So when I say it is time to take "Retirement" seriously, it is not just for me but for David, too.

Both of us will continue to teach the Beginning Genealogy Classes we have in our home. This is something we have been doing for three years now. In these past three years we have brought to L-AGS a total of 45 new members as a result of our classes.

Best Regards, Jolene

David and Jolene Abrahams have worked well above and beyond the call of duty for several years to make L-AGS the success that it is today. We owe them both a debt of gratitude and wish them well in their retirement. Of course, we also hope they will continue to contribute to L-AGS as their time permits.

I have asked Vicki Renz to be Co-Editor of The Roots Tracer with me, and she has agreed to do so. Vicki has been doing all the work of putting the Tracer on our Web page for almost 2 years. Now, she will have input into the content and quality of the newsletter, too. I think Vicki will do a good job and bring new ideas to our publication.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Doug Mumma for all of the work he has put into the Computer Interest Group. There is no question that Doug has been a major factor in the success of the group. We also thank him for his continued support. Another person who deserves recognition is J’Nell Thompson who has been leading our Family Tree Maker (FTM) Focus Group. They both can now take a deserved rest (short, I trust) from leadership duties in L-AGS.

During the school year, the CIG will meet at 7:30 PM on the 4th Thursday of each month in Rooms 7 and 8 of Sonoma Adult Education Facility. The FTM group will meet at 7:30 on the 1st Thursday of each month in Room 1, also at the Sonoma Adult Education Facility. Watch for program information in the local papers and in L-AGS special announcements, L-AGS meeting reminders, L-AGS CIG reminders, etc., that George Anderson so ably e-mails out for our group.

The World Wide Web continues to amaze me. It was only a few months ago that there were only eleven Kitchingham names known to any of us living here in California who descend from great grandmother Caroline Phoebe Kitchingham Finn. A cousin of my father had spent about forty years collecting information on the family. He and my parents had met Kitchinghams in England – but still we only knew of a few and only back to the father and mother of Caroline. Then things changed! I had put a query on the Kent, England, page for the surnames Finn and Kitchingham. I had a few replies concerning Finn, but nothing on Kitchingham. Then things changed big time. A Charles Kitchingham from Louisiana e-mailed me. A week or so later Nora and Frank Martin did the same. They also are from Louisiana. It is my understanding they had not known of each other. To make a long story short: Charles went and gave a talk to the Kitchingham family reunion this past July. This effort gave rise to new family interest on the part of several Kitchinghams. We are now about to launch a family newsletter and a Kitchingham web site.

In the last couple of months I have been in contact with Kitchinghams in Northern Ireland and England as well as here in the U.S. With the help of my fellow Kitchinghams we now have my ancestors back seven generations to about 1600. The number of Kitchinghams in my file has jumped from eleven to over 560, not counting any of the related surnames. I have learned so much about my ancestors these last couple of months: where they lived, their occupations, some "black sheep stuff", etc. When we are in the London area in mid-October we will stop by the towns of Hartlip and Rainham and visit the cemeteries where so many of my ancestors are buried as well as sites where they lived. We also hope to meet Kitchinghams still living in the area. Hurrah for the WWW and RootsWeb!

The seven most recent issues of the Roots Tracer are now permanently available on our Web site, thanks to Doug Mumma and Vicki Renz. Look for the link to the Roots Tracer on our home page. If you are willing to forgo receiving a paper copy of the Tracer and read it (in color!) on the Web site instead, you can save L-AGS some money for printing and mailing, and save a tree too! Contact the editors at rootstracer@l-ags.org if you want to get your Tracer from the web site. If you want to continue receiving a paper copy of the Roots Tracer, you do not need to contact anyone.

If you ever have trouble accessing the L-AGS web site, or find any faulty links on it, let the webmasters know at webmaster@l-ags.org.

Heritage Books, "Histories and Genealogies of Cumberland County, Maine," $60.00. On this CD you will find the ten volumes which include: History of Cumberland County, Maine by William Goold (1880); Portland in the Past With Historical Notes of Old Falmouth by William Goold (1886); Centennial History of Harrison, Maine, compiled and edited by Alphonso Moulton, Howard L. Sampson and Granville Fernald (1909). The CD contains a master index to all volumes on the CD with links to the appropriate pages. The CD uses Folio Bound VIEWS so that you click on SEARCH, enter the word(s) to search for in the Query Box, click on OK. You go from one entry of the word(s) to the next by clicking on the NEXT button.

Search and Research, "Vital Records of Essex County, Massachusetts to about 1850," $99.95. This CD contains the vital records for the towns of Amesbury, Andover, Beverly, Boxford, Bradford, Danvers, Essex, Georgetown, Gloucester, Groveland, Hamilton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lawrence, Lynn, Lynnfield, Manchester, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, Nahant, Newbury, Newburyport, N. Andover, Peabody, Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, W. Newbury and Wenham. You will find name indexes and page illustrations of the "Official Series" Vital Records of Massachusetts published in the early 1900s. Early Essex County probate records 1635-1682 and the Historical Manual of the Andover South Church - August 1859 (images only) are also included. This CD also uses Folio Bound VIEWS as noted above.

Broderbund Software, "Social Security Death Index: United States 1937-1997, CD 110," $39.99. Now includes the almost 56 million names that were recorded through December 1997. You will find the individual's first and last name, social security number, the state of issuance, birth date, death date (month and year prior to 1988), zip code of the last known residence and the primary location associated with that zip code (about 3/4ths of the entries), zip code where the death benefit was sent and the primary location associated with that zip code (about 15% of the time) and finally, the soundex code. For unknown reasons, everyone is not listed, primarily because the name was never entered in the index. This CD requires the use of Family Tree Maker software for Windows/Macintosh or the Family Archive Viewer.

We are starting an experimental program to share the costs of buying new CDs for the Genealogy Compact Disk Center at the Pleasanton Library.

Here’s how it will work in general, with specific details to be decided later: You and the Library Committee jointly decide on a genealogy CD that would be useful to you as well as to the Library. Then L-AGS orders the CD. You pay some agreed-upon part of the cost and you get to use it at home for some agreed-upon length of time, before turning it over to the CD Center permanently. It’s a win-win offer! If you are interested, contact the library chairperson at library@l-ags.org. Currently available CDs are listed on our L-AGS web site, with a link from the "Libraries" page.

BIG NEWS! We now have World Family Tree CDs 1-22, which brings us completely up-to-date with all the WFT disks that Broderbund has issued so far. By unfortunate coincidence, WFT CDs 1-7, which have been at the library for several months, were in cataloging at Fremont when the new disks arrived. We have requested that the new CDs not go to cataloging for several months, to make sure everyone who has been waiting has a chance at them.

Conditions of use for the compact disks are those required by the Pleasanton Library. In particular, users are asked to be considerate of the reference librarians, who do not have time for lengthy tutoring. There are how-to instructions and help files on each CD, and two printed manuals have been provided to allow users to learn by self-study and practice. Use of the CD computer is on a first-come basis, with a one-hour time limit if others are waiting. If you have a laptop computer with a CD drive, you can bring it to the library and have unlimited-time access to the CD collection.

A L-AGS docent is on duty at the library on Wednesdays from 10 am to 1 pm.

The Pleasanton Library hours are:

We have launched into our major book-buying for the year, and titles are beginning to arrive. Between trips to the Family Tree Maker CDs, here are some new titles for you. I could write lots more about them, but I trust you’ll take advantage of them!

929.3016 Circulating Library Catalog, volumes 1 and 2 from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. New Edition! Lots of New England resources for a very reasonable price. May also serve as a guide to what’s available elsewhere on a name or place.

929.1082 A Genealogist’s Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors, by Sharon Carmack. Full of practical tips for this vexing problem.

929.10893 Germanic Genealogy: A guide to worldwide sources and migration patterns. From the Germanic Genealogy Society in Minnesota. Looking this over, I suspect they’ve been there, done that, and shared their hard-earned knowledge very generously.

929.10893 The German Research Companion, by Shirley Riemer. Many tips and addresses, definitions, all kinds of helps.

929.10898 Tracing Your Greek Ancestry, with references to Cyprus, by Antonia S. Mattheou. We may have almost as many Greek descendants as Danish in this valley, who will find much practical advice here.

No call number yet: A Student Guide to ___________ Genealogy. These are from Oryx Press in Arizona, whose main business seems to be books for schools, but these are SUPER on their area, even for non-beginners. They were bought by the Pleasanton Library League for the collection. Next time you go to a book sale, you might thank your helpers for all they’ve done for us. The countries/areas covered are:

And a nice thing is, we happened on a sale and got a bargain price for this set.

929.1072 Missouri Genealogical Research, by George Schweitzer, PhD, ScD. Many of us have enjoyed lectures by Dr. Schweitzer on his various topics, often presented in costume, but besides being a bit of a ham, he is quite a researcher, and this book adds to his others on GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MA, NY, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, the Civil War, Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Here, by county, he lists all the resources and where they may be found, including the Family History Library at Salt Lake.

929.016 Mennonite Family History Ten-Year Index, 1982-1991. We have some members with Mennonite, Amish and Brethren folks, and this guide to the journal includes where to get reprints of the articles. There are at least 19 Moomaws, etc., here, but doubtless Doug has already checked. We'll send for the later five-year index which is now available.

929.37473 7,000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley (NY) Vital Records, 1808-1850. This continues the series on NY, a major stop on Westward Movement.

917.3003 American Place Names of Long Ago. This is very comprehensive. Look here for those impossible places; if they were findable in 1890, they’re probably listed. My Holler in East TN, -Hatmaker community is here!

929.1072 The Great War: A guide to service records of all the worlds fighting men and volunteers. Lists by country where to find WWI records, and includes a directory to the Internet.

325.243 Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration. 12,000 names of mostly Rhineland Germans to America in 1708-1715.

929.1072 Researching Masonic Records: a guide for genealogists. A short guide by John S. Yates, a Mason and genealogist.

929.1072 Wisconsin Genealogical Research.

929.1072 Delaware Genealogical Research Guide.

929.1072 American Genealogical Research at the DAR, Washington, D.C.

929.3778 Kentuckians in Missouri. Over 4,000 names. Gift from Livermore Library.

929.411 Scottish-American Heirs, 1683-1883. 2600 links between Scots and their heirs overseas. Gift from Livermore Library.

929.3752 To Maryland from Overseas. Jacobite loyalists sold into white slavery in MD, and background of approximately 1400 MD settlers from 1634 to early Federal period. Gift from Livermore Library.

929.3747 New York Alien Residents, 1825-1848. 4260 resident aliens had to file real estate papers in NY state, and these are the records, some of which have a lot of information. Gift of Livermore Library.

929.3769 Kentucky Obituaries 1787-1854. More than 6000 entries, originally published in KY newspapers. Gift of Livermore Library.

929.341 British Origins of American Colonists, 1629-1775. Fascinating look at places and cultures and how to find the home place of early colonists.

026.28273 U.S. Catholic Sources. A diocesan research guide. Detailed information on who has what.

929.1072 Touchstones: A Guide to Records, Rights and Resources for Families of American World War II Casualties. Meant as a guide to families to gain information on military people they may never have known well, a moving addition to more modern military genealogy research.

016.92937 Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records. This is a hugely important book for any researcher, and expensive of course, but fortunately we have it in your library where you can use it. Just as The Source has all the information on primary sources like courthouse and tribal records, this has book, chapter, verse and dates of thousands of compiled records, indexes, histories, and where to find them. It actually reviews a number of sources so you can pick out the most helpful ones to find first. Be sure to look at this one for an hour or two.

From the National Archives: (thanks to George Anderson for suggesting)

016.973 Microfilm Resources for Research, a comprehensive catalog. Fully indexed.

016.973 Black Studies, a select catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications.

929.373 Military Service Records, a select catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications.

016.32773 Diplomatic Records.

016.9291 GLENN. - A list of some American genealogies which have been printed in book form.

01639292 BESTERMAN. - Family history.

016.92934 SMELSER. - Preliminary Survey of the German Collection by Ronald Smelser, with Thomas Dullien and Heribert Hinrichs.

027.573 U.S. - Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives.

363.2336 TILLMAN. - How to Find Almost Anyone, Anywhere by Norma Mott Tillman.

616.042 NELSON-ANDERSON. - Genetic Connections: A Guide to Documenting Your Individual and Family Health History by Danette L. Nelson-Anderson, Cynthia V. Waters.

808.6692 HATCHER. - Producing a Quality Family History by Patricia Law Hatcher.

911.73 SALE. - American Expansion: A Book of Maps by Randall D. Sale and Edwin D. Karn.

929.1072 CORY. - Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry by Kathleen B. Cory.

929.1072 SPERRY. - Genealogical Research in Ohio by Kip Sperry.

929.10895 CARMACK. - Italian-American Family History: A Guide to Researching and Writing About Your Heritage by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.

929.2 TORREY. - Torrey Bibliography: [key to reference abbreviations in the original manuscript, New England Marriages prior to 1700, by Clarence Almon Torrey] compiled by Alicia Williams for NEHGS.

929.342 BANKS. - Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650 by Charles Edward Banks; edited and indexed by Elijah Ellsworth Brownell.

929.373 SCHAEFER. - Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States by Christina K. Schaefer.

929.37474 JACKSON. - Death Notices from Washington County, New York, Newspapers, 1799-1880 by Mary S. Jackson and Edward F. Jackson.

929.37474 JACKSON. - Marriage Notices from Washington County, New York, Newspapers, 1799-1880 by Mary S. Jackson and Edward F. Jackson.

929.3755 MEADE.- Old Churches, Ministers, and Families of Virginia by Bishop William Meade; reprinted with digested index and genealogical guide compiled by Jennings Cropper Wise.

929.3769 CLIFT. - "Second census" of Kentucky 1800 by G. Glenn Clift.

929.3769 HEINEMANN. - "First census" of Kentucky 1790 compiled by Charles B.Heinemann.

929.3771 POWELL. - Early Ohio Tax Records compiled by Esther Weygandt Powell.

973.31 ABERCROMBIE. - Virginia Revolutionary Public Claims compiled and transcribed by Janice L. Abercrombie and Richard Slatten.

This is a listing of the census index holdings of the National Archives in San Bruno, the Sutro Library and the Oakland Family History Center. This represents an update of a listing put out in the spring of 1992 and available at Sutro and the National Archives. The entries for the National Archives were taken from a handout available from them and the Northern Cal Web page. The entries for Sutro were taken from the Melvyl online catalog. Oakland FHC shelf holdings were checked, except for 1992, entries were used for years prior to 1850 and after Maine in the listing. Microfiche indexes for 1850 and earlier covering the entire country are available at any Family History Center. Except for California at Sutro, Soundex films for 1880, which includes only households with children ten and under, are available at all three locations. The complete 1900 and 1920 Soundexes are available at the National Archives and Sutro. Oakland is increasing their holding of these. At last look they had about a third (donations are appreciated). The column under 1910 lists the available National Archive Soundex indexes - they are available at Sutro and the National Archives - but not Oakland FHC. Any paper indexes for 1880 and later censuses are shown at the start of a row. Any of the NARA census films can be rented through a local Family History Center or from companies like AGLL.

Any corrections will be appreciated. Jim Scofield.

Notes:
N = National Archives in San Bruno, S = Sutro Library, O = Oakland Family History Center
c after a symbol for a location indicates there is no paper copy of the census index, but one on compact disk.
f indicates instead there is a fiche copy.
p indicates only a part of a state. See below.
For ** see below.

Notes on Sutro Holdings:

Alaska 1870 - 1870-1907
California **Sutro does not list the 1880 Soundex, for 1870 South San Francisco, Solano, San Mateo and Shasta Counties. 1870 and 1880 Sacramento County census in book form.
Georgia 1800 - Lincoln and Oglethorpe Counties only; 1860 " " has printed census to approximately 20 of Georgia’s over 70 counties.
Illinois 1870 - Cook, Pope, and Moultrie Counties.
Indiana 1870 - Pike, Spencer, and Boone Counties.
Maine 1870 - Cumberland County with Portland only.
Missouri 1870 St. Louis and South Section.
New York 1870 - New York City on CD and Long Island.
Tennessee 1880 - has East Tennessee and a number of separate counties.
Ohio 1860 - Southwest section, Monroe and Hancock Counties; 1870  - Hancock and Lucas Counties.
Virginia 1800 - Accomack County only.

Notes on National Archives in San Bruno:

California 1870 - does not include San Francisco.
Illinois 1870 - Chicago/Cook County only.
Kentucky 1860 - West Kentucky only.
Missouri 1870 - St. Louis only.
New York 1870 - Western and Brooklyn parts only.
Pennsylvania 1870 - Philadelphia only.
Tennessee 1880 - East Tennessee only.

N=National Archives in San Bruno, S=Sutro Library, O=Oakland Family History Center

Last month while in Virginia, I clipped an article from a newspaper --"VIRGINIAN REVIEW - Sat 15 Aug 1998." It had the heading "VA MAN TRYING TO FIND FAMILY TO RETURN BIBLE."

The article reads "YORK, Pa. - A Virginia man is trying to return a 100 year old Bible to the descendants of a York County, PA, family. But finding them has not been an easy matter. Julian Gordon of Newport News, VA, came into possession of the Bible last year, when his father-in-law died. His father-in-law had purchased the Bible in 1973 at an auction in Delta. But trying to find the family, Gordon doesn't have much to go on -- just a few names written inside and eight photographs. The name that occurs frequently is Stough. The York County telephone lists about 145 numbers for homes and businesses under that name. Gordon tried calling some of the Stoughs. A few were openly skeptical, apparently thinking the call was some kind of hoax..............."

Inscriptions, photographs, and papers inside the bible tell: "it was given to Harry Isaiah Stough by his mother, Savannah, on 25 Dec 1885. Harry had a brother named Ammon, who married Minnie F. Welk. They had at least three children: Marie Florence; Laroy George; and Raymond Welk. Other papers mention Sevannia Wantz Stough and Lydia Wantz. The pictures were taken at Jeffres Art Studio in York."

Mr. Julian Gordon, according to the newspaper article, has said he will send the bible and contents to anybody who can tie their family to Ammon and Harry Stough. The newspaper quotes him: "It's there. I'll send it to them. I'll pay the postage."

This will be quite a find if the right family can be located.

Please pass this message on to other lists. We would all appreciate finding it if it was our family bible.

I personally can tell you nothing more than what I have written here.

I responded to an ad in Everton’s Genealogical Helper for the Blair Society for Genealogical Research and they found 2 matches in my maternal grandmother’s Blair/Wilder line. I chatted with my 3^rd cousin, John Blair, in New Hampshire and he referred me to another 3^rd cousin, Dorothy Wilder Smith in Hemet, CA, who wrote a book called Wilder, Delarye & Associated Families. She didn’t have a copy of her book, but provided me with some interesting information and gave me a list of books. She sent me photocopy pictures of my great grandparents and my great-great grandmother and an address for Fred Blair (my 2^nd cousin) in New York, who has the originals. I have not heard back from him, so I need to try again soon as he is 83 years old and I hope I am not too late.

Through the Wilder line, I found out my 4^th great grandfather was Asa Milar Wyman, born in Massachusetts in 1750. He lived to be 110 years old, fought in the Revolutionary War for 3 years and was a personal acquaintance of George Washington. I sent to the National Archives for his pension records and should be receiving them any time now.

I received a letter from a lady in Ohio who had talked to my Dad and he told her I had the information she was looking for. She is the fraternal grandmother of my 2^nd cousin’s granddaughter and I was able to give her all I had on Sarah Ann (Brean) Taylor’s fraternal line and that was fun for me. She may help me someday, and I may be able to add to what I gave her.

By 1900, Livermore, a town of 1500 people, was a socially conscious and culturally progressive community. Substantial homes were being built, and efforts were being made to improve the appearance of the community. Brick buildings were replacing the wooden structures along First Street that had been constructed 25 years before. That social conscience can be no better illustrated than by the town's reaction to news of the San Francisco Earthquake on Wednesday, April 18, 1906.

Although damage caused by the earthquake in the town was minimal (the railroad water tank collapsed; several chimneys came down; merchandise in the commercial section fell off the shelves), the primary concern among Livermore's citizens was "what about the homeless in San Francisco."

In less than 36 hours after the earthquake, Mayor Thomas E. Knox called a meeting of local businessmen to discuss local relief measures. He appointed a committee of three, D. J. Murphy, John Sweeney and A. L. Henry, to canvas the community for contributions. Almost immediately local bakeries sent 250 loaves of bread to the Relief Committee in Oakland "which was supplemented by as many more from the ladies of the town." Several cases of hard-boiled eggs were donated, all sent out on the afternoon train.

A mass meeting of local citizens was held on Friday afternoon, April 20. At this time, within 60 hours after the earthquake, the committee reported it had subscriptions from almost 100 individuals and businesses of $1773, ranging from $.50 to $50.00. The women of the community had already banded together to sew clothing for infants and children. The Herald later reported, "The layettes made by the local ladies have been in great demand at the maternity homes, and several hundred infants received their first wardrobe from packages sent from Livermore." The committee also had offers from the townspeople to house and feed up to 500 homeless.

By the end of the following week, an additional $500 had been subscribed and Wells Fargo reported it had shipped out 2600 loaves of bread, 2500 dozen hard-boiled eggs, 700 pounds of butter and 50 pounds of cooked meat. The refugees who came to Livermore received 100 loaves of bread, 100 dozen eggs, 250 pounds of fresh meat, 3 sacks of potatoes and a large amount of miscellaneous groceries.

By early September, 1906, it appeared that most needs had been fulfilled. The Livermore Relief Committee was ready to be discharged of its responsibilities. In addition to contributions of food and clothing, the committee had disbursed $1243 of the $2495.60 subscribed by the citizens of Livermore. It was agreed that the balance was to be left in a trust fund and carried separately on the town's books. What happened to it? - well, that's another story.

BILLY GREEN died on 30 June 1998, after a long illness. He and his wife, Lorraine, were long-time L-AGS members. They helped with our cemetery project, published as "Cemeteries of Pleasanton and Dublin, California" in 1990 and were active, experienced and valuable members of the society. We are sorry to lose Billy, and hope that Lorraine will continue to be active in L-AGS.

FRANCES SAMANS died suddenly, on 3 August 1998. She was a Charter Member of L-AGS and served as President in 1980-81, 1982-83 and in 1995. She was a Certified Genealogist and a member of Daughters of the American Revolution and of Native Daughters of the Golden West. She was also a past California Assembly Woman from Alameda County. Fran donated several books to the L-AGS holdings at the Pleasanton Library and was active in several community organizations. She will be sorely missed by all her many friends in L-AGS and the community.

The Ohio Historical Society web site has added more than 67,000 pages of historical documents. The records include: the Ohio Newspaper Index; Death Certificate Index from 1913-1937; the Ohio troop roster for the War of 1812; Civil War correspondence and records; various Ohio historical documents beginning in 1785; biographies of governors from 1803-1863; and the ordinance of the Northwest Territory. http://www.ohiohistory.org

Attorney Tim Sizemore was thinking about tracing his family’s ancestry, but then decided it would be a lot easier to run for public office and just let the media do the investigative work for him.