The Livermore Roots Tracer, February 2002

The Roots Tracer is a quarterly publication with articles of interest to the genealogist. Members are encouraged to submit their "Profiles" and articles of general interest. Queries are free. The Roots Tracer is published in February, May, August and November. The deadline for each quarterly is the 15th of the previous month. Submissions must contain the name of the submitter, as well as the name of the author, publication and date of any published article that is being quoted. Send material to: The Roots Tracer, P. O. Box 901, Livermore, CA 94551-0901 or E-mail: rootstracer@l-ags.org

William Buchanan

Pam Chrisman

Carl Feighner

Kathy Redmond

Type	Memberships	Individuals
Individual	139	139
Family	46	92
Life	7	9
Benefactors	4	5
Honorary/Charter	5	5
Honorary	2	2

Totals	203	252

We have some Roots Tracer jobs open and are looking for volunteers. Since the Tracer is published quarterly, each job only needs to be done once every three months. We can keep the Roots Tracer at the quality level that it has been by sharing the workload among more members. If you are interested, contact us at rootstracer@l-ags.org. Please consider volunteering.

1. From the Attic - This page focuses on things that members have inherited. Examples are photos, books, clothing, tools, weapons, awards, needlework and quilts. The person who adopts this page can send out an e-mail message to solicit items. This is a fun page, since you get to see the items and hear the stories.

2. Life in the Past Lane - This page is mainly gathered from old newspapers. We can get some amazing glimpses into the old days from them. If you enjoy reading old newspapers, here is your chance to share your finds with others.

3. Printing, stapling, labeling, stamping and distributing the completed Tracers. This has been a 2-person job, which Joyce Siason and I have been sharing.

As a new L-AGS year begins we would like to give thanks to our past board, our several meeting groups, the Roots Tracer staff and contributors, fair volunteers, and all of the others who have helped to make L-AGS such a success.

A special thanks to Vicki Renz for all of the work she has done to improve the Roots Tracer. I belong to a number of genealogical societies and I must say that the Roots Tracer is larger and with more real content than any of the countywide newsletters I receive. Best wishes to Vicki in her new home in Big Sky Country!

Joyce Siason is giving up her position as corresponding secretary. Besides handling that task Joyce has been a real inspiration as she continually comes up with new ideas including starting our The Master Genealogist Group – which she will continue to co-lead.

But most of all I want to thank our past president, Jon Bryan, for all of his time, effort, ideas, and enthusiasm. You never know where you might find Jon: helping someone find their roots, leading a meeting, organizing the picnic, manning the L-AGS booth at the fair, or giving a talk on genealogy. We all thank you, Jon, and wish you the very best.

What makes our society so great are the numbers of people (many of whom you may not even know about) who have contributed as board members, on one of our committees or groups, helping with the Roots Tracer, or even coming up with new ideas for projects or speakers. Please let any member of the board know where you are willing to help to make our society even better!

With the help of the new Program Committee, we will be offering our members and guests some outstanding programs. We plan to offer a mix of family and local history and also programs that are more “how do you do it” oriented.

Our February meeting will feature David Abrahams and the Schellens Genealogy Collection Project that he has headed up.

In March we will have Jackie Pels, author and publisher, speaking on her family’s history and also how you get your own history published.

In April some of our DAR members will be speaking on their recent trip to Salt Lake City: why they went, how they prepared, and what they found.

Future speakers will include local personalities like Dr. Grace Devnich and Melvern Sweet. It looks like some great meetings coming up. See you there and bring a friend.

When doing county-level research be aware that some counties have more than one courthouse, and in heavily populated counties there may be annexes in the larger towns where records are stored on a permanent basis. The existence of such annexes usually is not indicated on standard references that give courthouse addresses.

Reprinted from “Musings and Gleanings from the World of History and Genealogy,” with permission of Heritage Quest Magazine, web site http://www.heritagequest.com/ and the author Richard L. Hooverson, web site http://www.outofthepast.com/

Computer Interest Group (CIG) News
Dick Finn at rwfinn@pacbell.net, past leader
Jim Lathrop at lath1@ivwnet.com, new leader

The CIG meets once a month to hear speakers on a wide variety of genealogical computer related subjects such as software (new, revised, how to use it, etc.), hardware (computers, storage devices, scanners, cameras, printers), websites, useful CDs, etc., that help us in our quest for genealogical information. Often we have very useful handouts. During the last several months we have had expert speakers talking on a range of items as well as round table discussions on many hardware, software, hacking, and virus topics.

At this time I would like to introduce our new CIG leader, Jim Lathrop. Jim has been involved in the use of computers and programming for a goodly number of years. I would not even dare to say how many!

During the school year we meet the fourth Thursday of every month except November and December at 7:30 at the Livermore Adult Education Facility (formerly the Sonoma Avenue School), 543 Sonoma Avenue, Livermore. A map to the school may be found at: http://www.l-ags.org/sonoma.html.

Members needing help with a computer problem may call one of the mentors listed in the Members handbook.

For information on CIG please call Jim Lathrop at 925-443-4640 or e-mail him at lath1@ivwnet.com or George Anderson at 925-846-4265 or gwajr-at-comcast.net. Contact Jim or George for information about topics to be discussed or to let us know what items you would like to hear about.

The L-AGS Family Tree Maker (FTM) Focus Group meets the first Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Livermore Adult Education Facility (during the school year - formerly the Sonoma Avenue School), 543 Sonoma Avenue, Livermore. URL for a map to the school: http://www.l-ags.org/sonoma.html.

We are primarily a group of FTM users (from beginners – even those who have not yet installed FTM - to experts) who discuss problems and solutions, share successes, answer questions, and in general help each other with the Family Tree Maker software. At recent meetings we have talked about using shortcuts in FTM to input data, generating charts that show specific information and generations, showing some of the work we have done using FTM, using work-a-rounds to bypass problems, the newest version of FTM 9.0 (its pros and cons), as well as a number of other items.

All persons interested or potentially interested in Family Tree Maker are invited to attend. For information on our group please call Dick Finn at 925-447-9652 or e-mail him at rwfinn@pacbell.net or George Anderson at 925-846-4265 or gwajr-at-comcast.net. Contact Dick or George for information about topics to be discussed. There is no charge to attend.

Despite the fact that James Gilhooley was a professional genealogist, after he died in his hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland, “police admitted they have been unable to trace the wife, son or daughter of the expert in family history,” the BBC reported.

Reprinted with permission from Paper Roots: A Weekly Round-up of Genealogy in the News, a free email newsletter, No. 66, Jan.14 – Jan 20, 2001. For information, visit http://people.ne.mediaone.net/ehwoodward/paperroots.html.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies and The California State Genealogical Alliance invite you to attend the national conference, "A Goldmine of Diversity," to be held at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California, August 7-10, 2002.

The 2002 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will be hosted by the California State Genealogical Alliance. This 2002 Conference will celebrate the ethnic diversity of this country since its foundation. Nowhere is this multicultural environment more apparent than in California.

Lectures and activities will emphasize all the many cultures in our society today and how they influence the work of today's genealogists. They include:

The conference will be held at the new Ontario Convention Center. It is next to the Ontario International Airport and close to major freeways and public transportation for easy access to the surrounding counties. Conference hotels and numerous restaurants close to the Convention Center provide a wide selection of accommodations and dining options for conference visitors.

Libraries with large genealogical holdings are located within easy commute from the Convention Center, as are colleges, historical sites, shopping centers, and restaurants. The National Archives and Records Administration Pacific Region facility (Laguna Niguel), is located in nearby Orange County. The Los Angeles Public Library is also situated within easy driving distance.

Extend your visit to do further research and enjoy some of the many entertainment sites unique to this area of California!

A registration booklet containing detailed information on the conference and accommodations will be sent to you if you request it at the FGS web site at http://www.fgs.org/fgs-mailinglist.htm.

It’s time to renew your membership, if you haven’t already done so. Dues are $18.00 for an individual and $25.00 for a family. Make your check out to “L-AGS” and send it to:

5. Descriptions of each generation's achievements, dates of birth and death etc.

As many of you know, I am Chinese on my father’s side and Irish+ on my mother’s. My father was born in China. Chinese research can be very challenging, especially when you can’t speak any of the dialects, which is the situation in my case. The Chinese family tree and surnames are best described and illustrated by several articles written by Danny Boey and staff at ChineseRoots.com. Most of the facts quoted below are excerpted directly from a series of online articles called “Jiapu Appreciation, Jiapu (Chinese Genealogical Record): An Introduction” found at http://www.chineseroots.com/ and reprinted here with Danny Boey of Singapore’s gracious permission. Other surname information came from http://www.chinavista.com/.

The Chinese have had surnames long before the period of the Three Emperors and Five Kings, when recognition was given only to one’s mother and not one’s father. In fact the Chinese character for surname is made up of two individual characters – one meaning woman and one meaning to give birth. Surnames originated from the name of the village in which one lived or the family to which one belonged. The clan-name was derived from the name of the territory or the title granted. Hence, only nobles had surnames as well as clan-names. A clan name indicated the ancestral home.

After 800 years, during the 10^th century, a book of surnames (Bai Jia Xing) recorded 438 Chinese surnames and was one of the earliest surname books written. The surnames are arranged in rhymed lines without repetitions. In the original copy that was lost, pictures of famous historical figures were illustrated on the upper part of every page while the text was printed on the lower part. The unknown author successfully combined the study of family names, philology, sociology and pedagogy into one book, making it one of the most popular books in history. A man and woman of the same clan-name could marry each other but they could not marry if they were of the same surname. This surname book became a reference for selecting qualified government personnel and arranging marriages. In 1977 there were 100 million people with the surname Zhang.

The segment on the origins of a clan’s surname in a jiapu (translated family genealogy record) describes how a clan got its surname and how it developed over a long period of time. Most origins of Chinese surnames hail from the ancient times. Without these records in ancient books and jiapus, it would be very difficult for the modern Chinese to research their family’s history. There are ancient traditions associated with updating and maintaining these precious inherited documents, many of which have been destroyed over the years for many reasons, including political. At one time all jiapus were ordered destroyed by the reigning emperor.

Chinese names can be written in two ways – either using Chinese characters or the Western romanization of these characters. For example, the surname I research is Leong. Depending on the regional location the Western spelling can be Liang, Leong, Leung or Neo. Leong (Liang) is the 21^st most popular surname in China. The ancient name is derived from Liang. Chinese characters can be written with Simplified or Traditional characters. Although the pronunciation of the surname varies with locality, the characters are written the same, no matter which region.

The origin of jiapus spans many eras and has been found as early as the Shang Dynasty (1523-1028 BC). The family trees of the clans then were written on turtle shells, cow bones and bronze. Prior to the invention of writing, Chinese genealogical information was recorded by tying knots on ropes. Objects such as miniature arrows, shoes, cradle, bronze coins, kneecaps of goats and pigs were tied to the knots to show the number of generations, number of members (male and female), etc., in a family. This information was also verbally passed on to the later generations.

The written jiapu contains entries about the migrations of the people and social evolution. It tracks the growth of the clan members by recording in detail their political, military and academic achievements. It also eulogizes the clan’s ancestors and encourages the future generation to do worthy causes to maintain the good name of the clan. A jiapu usually begins with the primogenitor that first settled or moved to a place and started his family there, and should end with the contemporary generation that draws up the genealogy. The intermediate ancestors are to be enumerated in between. The primogenitor’s sons and descendants compose the first six generations and are tabulated on one form. The primogenitor’s first-born son and subsequent first-born grandsons are listed vertically downwards on the right, while the brothers of the first-born are listed laterally on the left. Descriptions of each generation are confined in relatively narrow, horizontal divisions of the form. These spaces contain information such as the ancestor’s name and aliases, date of birth and death and official rank. The proceeding generations are recorded in a similar manner.

The jiapu usually does not have prominent records of the women in the family. This is because in Chinese families greater emphasis is placed on the sons who will carry on the family name. When daughters marry, they are considered a part of their husband’s family. Although their names are mentioned in both their family and in-law’s family records, their significance is usually marginalized since they are unlikely to extend the family’s lineage. The perception towards the objectives of Chinese genealogical research has tremendously changed over time. Researchers are now studying Chinese genealogies as a supplement to other research areas such as social economic history, geographical history, history of law, population history, religion and culture, history of overseas Chinese, inheritance practices and biography of historical figures. Recent work in the field has dispelled the myth that Chinese genealogical research is only a mere pastime hobby for the amateur genealogist.

There are basically four styles of pedigree charts: Ou, Su, Pagoda and Document. Some of these pedigree charts are in scrolls that are yards and yards long and can be found in San Bruno’s National Archive with the Chinese Record Group immigration files.

The ancient Ou style separates the generations of descendants in a left to right manner with five generations on one form. This format gives details of every individual recorded to the left of the person’s name. Information includes the subject’s name, alias, official rank, nobility rank, date of birth, details of spouse, burial location, achievements, etc.

The Su style, also known as the hanging bead style, is another ancient method of recording family history. This pedigree chart has generations of descendants arranged in a descending order connected by vertical lines instead of horizontal lines. This patriarchal system is written from right to left.

The Pagoda style has names appearing from top to bottom in the shape of a pagoda. Horizontal lines connect the same generation and vertical lines connect the different generations. Space limitations may cause brothers to appear on different pages making this format more difficult for analysis.

A Document pedigree chart uses words rather than lines to depict relationships. A brief description of the person appears under their name. Information provided is the same as the Ou style. This is probably the easiest and most economical way to chart Chinese pedigrees.

100 Reasons to attend a genealogy conference - Be brilliant. Let your creative juices flow. Come up with a reason that would persuade the world to attend the FGS/CSGA (Federation of Genealogical Societies/California State Genealogical Association) 2002 Genealogy Conference and win a prize.

Send your entries to Catht@aol.com. All entries must be e-mailed by midnight March 15, 2002.

They will be ranked by a committee selected by the FGS/CSGA 2002 Publicity Committee.

The Top Ten winners (reasons and submitters) will be posted to the E-zine on March 30^th. They will also be posted on the FGS Website http://www.fgs.org/ and at the conference. The other Top 100 Reasons will be shared through the E-zine postings until the Conference.

The meeting time and date has been changed to accommodate more people interested in attending. We now meet the third Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until noon at 6377 Clark Avenue, Dublin. (URL for a map to the meeting place: http://www.l-ags.org/clarkave.html or call 925 829-1007). The next meeting will be February 16th.

We had a good turnout at our January meeting with people from Palo Alto and San Mateo, Pleasanton and Livermore attending. Kim Everingham from San Francisco came and gave a class on documentation and citations. Kim is a beta tester for Wholly Genes, the developer of The Master Genealogist.

Larry Renslow is our main instructor and on February 16th will be doing a short review and then discuss any area of the program that the members wish to discuss. Larry has been using The Master Genealogist for many years and is a very capable teacher for the program. We do appreciate his support and instruction.

Anyone wishing to check out the program may do so by going to the web site for a free demo of The Master Genealogist software at http://www.whollygenes.com/.

Tables will be set up for use with Laptops. Please bring your manual and questions that you would like to have answered.

The Study Group meets on the third Thursday of each month, at 7:30 p.m. The meeting is held at the LDS Church, 950 Mocho Arroyo Street, Livermore.

February’s meeting will be a report on tips for preparing to go to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

A brief report on the GenTech Conference held in Boston on January 25th and 26th will also be given.

The Family History Library has released two new research products to help researchers succeed in their quest to learn about their ancestors.

A new introductory workbook, How Do I Start My Family History? and a new line of research guides, Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Part A: Denmark feature easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, colorful graphics and tear-out worksheets. Additional guides in the “Finding Records of Your Ancestors” series will be published in 2002.

Both publications now in print are available at Family History Centers or can be ordered by calling 1 800 537-5971 or at the website http://www.familysearch.org/. How Do I Start My Family History? is free. Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Part A: Denmark (item No. 36577) is $3.25. A PDF file of the booklets can be downloaded from the Internet site as well.

The search for roots, family history and the things I’ve found along the way have given me glimpses of lives I’ve never known. They’ve also introduced me to some of the most wonderful people and new friends along the way.

I received e-mail last August from a retired colleague, Lt. Dennis Holmes. He’d heard I’ve been doing family history-genealogy, and wondered if I would help him get started. I invited him to come visit one evening at the police department where I’m working the night shift. He came, we talked, and he took notes. I gave him quite a bit of basic information, tips and web-sites to begin his search. He mentioned he was taking a trip to Oregon to visit his brother and hoped to look at some family memorabilia, and visit the local cemetery. I gave him plenty of direction, then asked what city in Oregon. Small world, he was going to visit Astoria, the very town I too was researching for one of my mother’s family lines. Lt. Holmes volunteered to bring back some documents from the courthouse and photos from the cemetery.

Two weeks later he came back with a stack of papers, photos, and tales to tell. He’d received a crash course in courthouse research, local historical society research, a dunking in the Columbia River with his camera in tow and a cemetery visit. All of this, and he gave me a bill for $3.00 worth of copies. He brought home everything I’d asked for and even more. I jokingly asked him if we were now related because our relatives are buried in the same cemetery in Oregon.

Lt. Holmes mentioned his brother had in his possession a journal of a man, F. W. Van Sant, who served as a 2^nd engineer on the steamship SS Sydney out of San Francisco. It was a mail packet route to Hong Kong, Yokohama, and Okinawa. The journal was dated 1887-1889. His brother had promised to have it copied and mailed to him. They believed it belonged to his grandaunt’s husband. She was Jennie Johnson Van Sant Bjorklund. They also had the marriage license for Jennie and her second husband, Axel Bjorklund. No clue whether Jennie was divorced or widowed from her first husband and her age left the impression she married a much older man.

Lt. Holmes took his lessons to heart. He found photos online of the ships named in the journal, as well as information about them. He printed them and had the journal copy bound at Kinko’s. I asked if I could read it, and we made a deal - I offered to transcribe it for him, then I’d have access to read the whole journal.

He brought me the journal in September, and I began transcribing it during the quiet hours of a midnight shift schedule. I was so intrigued, not only did Mr. Van Sant write about the ocean crossings, he wrote about his activities in San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Yokohama. He tells of the weather, the sea voyages, and the engine room activities. He talks of his courting of Miss Lizzie Gosling of San Francisco. He lists places they visit, people they know. Many locations are still standing today, the Orpheum Theatre, visiting Lake Merritt for boating; a train ride to Sunol, in southern Alameda County. He names the streets they walk from the wharf area as it was in 1887, and the shops he visits. He attended the 50^th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign, while they were in Hong Kong. As I worked, I looked online and found historical photos of many places listed, with the thought of including them in the transcription.

We wondered over e-mail of the author’s full name since all we had were the initials F. W. I located a page in which he names all the officers on one of the voyages, and includes his own name, Frank W. Van Sant. He also notes one day as his birthday: he was 24 years old on July 21, 1887. The journal is a fascinating glimpse into the life of one man, over 100 years ago, living in our own San Francisco.

Somewhere during this process I mentioned to Lt. Holmes that I too, have some Van Sant relatives I’ve been researching. I even have a Frank W. Van Sant, but the age and date of birth doesn’t match anything in my family. The names and locations were just a coincidence. My Van Sant family lines came from Pennsylvania to Ohio, to Iowa then in the 1860s, settling in the Solano County area of California.

During my research I’d been in contact with The Van Sant/Zant Society in Pennsylvania. They maintain a huge database linking many family lines, back to their origins in the early 1600s in the United States and back even to their Dutch origins. The society assisted me in linking the families I was researching to their proper family lines.

I began to research the names from the journal on various San Francisco genealogy websites, old city directories, and census reports. I was able to locate many of them listed in the journal. I then found an obituary for Frank W. Van Sant and his wife Lizzie Gosling Van Sant in the San Francisco Call newspaper. I was able to learn they both died within a year of each other, 1890 and 1891, only 27 years old.

By now I realized this information didn’t make the marriage connection to Lt. Holmes’ grandaunt possible. She was born after this man died. We then thought perhaps she was married to a son of this couple. I am still researching this aspect of the story. I also sent his name, dates of birth and death to the Van Sant/Zant Society via e-mail. They replied he was in their database and they’d mail me the information.

Last week I received the paperwork from Pennsylvania. All of the information I’d located was correct. The real kicker - Frank Woodruff Van Sant is not only tied to this huge family tree, he is a direct relative of MINE! I expected the links but in no way was I prepared to see him on the same tree as my ancestors. Our common ancestor is Frank’s great-grandfather, Abraham Van Sant, who is also my own great-great-great-great-grandfather.

Never did I imagine I’d be related to the man who wrote the journal - I assumed the name was a coincidence. So now by happenstance, coincidence or serendipity, my friend and retired police department colleague and I are indeed related by marriage!

I called around to the cemeteries in Colma, California looking for Frank and Lizzie’s interment locations. I found them at Cypress Lawn, in the Laurel Hill Section. It turns out they were originally interred together in the City of San Francisco’s Laurel Hill Cemetery. Over the last century almost all of the City cemeteries have been relocated to Colma. This couple was removed with the cemetery in 1946, 56 years after they died.

I plan to do more research on this couple, including finding their son who was married to Lt. Holmes’ grandaunt. I’d like to assist in the publishing of this journal and have it posted to several pertinent websites in the genealogy field, as well as to the San Francisco Maritime Museum site.

Once again, I am amazed at the twists and turns family research can take, never knowing where the journey will take me. I’ve been on quite a ride for the last couple of months, finding it intriguing that my friend and I had relatives in Oregon at the same time, (my mother’s line) and then this turn, related by marriage on my father’s line! I couldn’t have made this one up if I tried.

Editor’s Note: Gary Drummond has long been a student of Livermore Valley History. He is the author and editor of several publications on valley history, including the stories of Mary Ann Harlan Smith, William Mendenhall and James D. Smith, Headmaster of Livermore College from 1875 to 1893. He is on the Board of Directors of the Livermore Heritage Guild.

As more families settled in the Livermore area, more of the original oaks and other trees that dotted the valley disappeared. An early writer (1845?) commented that one could walk across the valley in tree shade. Trees fell to the demand for domestic firewood, fuel for railroad locomotives and farmers clearing their land for cultivation.

In 1887 several ladies of the town pushed forward a plan for planting a continuous line of trees on every street in the community. They found that they could purchase trees in large quantities at a savings of one-third to one-half the regular cost. The trees would be purchased by popular subscription. Those who chose to plant trees themselves would be provided them free of charge. Those who wanted trees but were unable to pay in full for planting were subsidized.

The project got enthusiastic community response. The Livermore Herald reported that:

In 1888 and 1889 the Livermore Herald was giving away black locust trees for planting not only in town but also on the surrounding country roads. They proved to be the best tree available for growth without irrigation, and were planted by the thousands. The locust trees still seen on the streets in the older parts of town, blooming with white flower clusters in the springtime, are reminders of that civic improvement program. Travelers can also find them on either side of North Livermore Avenue, north of the freeway, and on East Avenue past Sandia National Laboratory.

In 1895, 600 eucalyptus trees were planted through the efforts of the “Men's League of Progress” along Lizzie Street (Livermore Avenue) from the town center south about one mile. But they failed to recognize their attraction to livestock being driven down the road as free forage. It appeared that owners of livestock in that area considered Lizzie Street a public pasture. Legal action was threatened.

The League initiated a tree replacement program and purchased 300 replacements at a total cost of $9.00. Are the eucalyptus trees along South Livermore Avenue near the Tesla Road turn the last remaining survivors of this effort?

National Genealogical Society Announces an Exciting Partnership with the St. Louis County Library -

The circulating collection of the NGS has been moved to the St. Louis County Library where it is available to researchers. As of February of 2002, the 20,000 volume NGS circulating book collection will become available in its entirety for interlibrary loan to both NGS and non-NGS members, thus making this entire collection as close as your nearest public, college, junior college or university library. Information about the St. Louis County Library Special Collections Department can be found at www.slcl.lib.mo.us

A Preservation Guide, Saving the Past & the Present For the Future by Barbara Sagraves. She is a Preservation Services Librarian at Dartmouth College. She gives information on preserving paper, books, textiles, photos, film (still, slides & super 8), tapes (audio & video), CDs and phonograph records, all in 42 well illustrated pages.

Our Quaker Ancestors, Finding Them in Quaker Records by Ellen Thomas Berry & David Allen Berry. A history of the Quakers, plus information about their hierarchy and where records may be found.

Are you wondering what has been published on your surname? Byron Stone of Stone Family Newsletter says the best place to go is www.familysearch.org and search their card catalog. Also, conduct a surname search of the card catalog of the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library.

Another newer source is USGENWEB Archives. There are thousands of digitized documents and manuscripts here and you can search by surname and/or state.

Looking for something in England, Scotland or Wales? Go to http://www.englishancestors.com/. Here you will find on-line searchable databases that, previous to one year ago, could only be searched in the Library of the Society of Genealogists, in London. Some of the databases are free or require a small fee. Last week I searched 150 records for about $8.50. Charging your credit card was simple and quick.

If you want specific books but can’t get to a library or your library does not have what you want or the book is out of print, try CDs.

The texts of six books by Peter Wilson Coldham: The Complete Book of Emigrants, originally published by the Genealogical Publishing Company, is available on FTM CD #350.

A small sample of other books is available on CD #523 - Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire; Abridged Compendium by Frederick Virkus; 4 volumes of First Settlers of New England by Savage.

If you want to research in Virginia or Maryland, the Virginia Historical Index #202 is a must. This Family archive contains searchable text of E. C. Swem’s comprehensive Virginia Historical Index. Originally published by the Virginia Historical Society, the two-volume set indexes approximately 200,000 individuals from several popular genealogical resources. While they focus on Virginia, the publications also reference individuals from many other states including Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland. The index will give you title, volume number, and page number of a publication in which you can secure more information. These publications like William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine can be found online and on selected CDs and in major libraries.

Here is what I did a few weeks ago in ordering CDs with digital copies of books I wanted to add to my library, which were either very expensive or out of print. I went to http://www.willowbendbooks.com/default.asp and looked over their listing of 908 genealogical CDs. On each listing I clicked on “What are the data sources for this product?” When I saw something that looked interesting, I printed the description. I then reviewed carefully each description and selected the CDs to order. Before placing my order, I went to http://www.ebay.com/ and looked to see if any of the CDs I wanted were available at auction. I found a couple for less than $5.

Reprinted with permission from Byron Stone, Stone Family Newsletter, Vol. 16, Issue 11, January 2002.

A long time ago when I was searching for “stuff” in my parents’ attic, I found a cook book that belonged to my father’s mother – her name, Julie Schnuerer, is inside the cover – written by Caroline French Benton and published in 1905.

The introduction tells us about Margaret, a little girl who wanted to cook. She tried, but “she could not understand the cook-books, and she made dreadful messes, and spoiled her frocks and burned her fingers till she just had to cry.”

She asked her mother, her aunts and her grandmother to tell her all about cooking, but they said she was not old enough to cook yet and to wait a year or two and they would teach her and she would be able to go to cooking school. But she wanted to cook now, and wanted to do “little girl” cooking, not cooking school cooking!

At her next birthday, they surprised her with her own pans, utensils, aprons, a special table and a book of recipes they put together from their own collections. She “danced for joy” and put on an apron and began to cook. Before her next birthday she had cooked everything in the book.

In the first section – Things Margaret Made for Breakfast – the first recipe is for cereal where you had to begin to cook it the night before and put it on the back of the wood stove all night. If the fire went out, you were to cook it at least two hours before serving with cream.

There are recipes for mush, boiled rice, various types of eggs, smelts, fish-balls, creamed codfish, corned beef hash, broiled bacon, various chops and steaks, various potato dishes. The description of how to make toast by holding it over hot coals is quite fun.

There are recipes for various breads and muffins, griddle-cakes and waffles, and that ever popular favorite – milk toast, made with a white sauce and layers of buttered toast.

The first recipe in the second section – Things She Made for Luncheon or Supper – is for cream sauce because “so many things…called for cream or white sauce, that the rule for that comes first of all.” Then follows a multitude of “creamed” recipes – fish, lobster, salmon, chicken, turkey and eggs. There are also lots of recipes for creamed soups and vegetables in the third section – Things She Made for Dinner. This section also includes recipes for stock soups, cakes, pies, jellies, cookies, tea, lemonade and cocoa.

Have the butcher chop the meat all together for you; then put everything together in a dish and stir in the egg, beaten without separating, and mix very well. Press it into a bread-pan and put in the oven for three hours by the clock.

Every half-hour pour over it a tablespoonful hot water and butter mixed; you can put a tablespoonful of butter into a cup of water, and keep it on the back of the stove ready all the time; after the meat has baked two hours, put in a piece of heavy brown paper over the top, and keep it there till it is done, or it may get too brown. This is to slice cold; it is very nice for a picnic.

It’s really interesting to read the directions. For even a simple recipe, the language is so different. And there are no pictures to show us what the finished recipe looks like! Most recipes do not have precise measurements like we are used to today. And preparation times then were usually in the hours – not the minutes that we have come to enjoy.

I inherited some tools from my Dad, Karl Kirkwood, at his death in 1981. He was a carpenter, farmer and ran a sawmill at various times in his life. I am familiar with some of the tools, but I haven’t the foggiest idea what some of them are for.

I know that the big ladle at the bottom right of this picture is for melting lead. My great-great-grandfather, James Kirkwood, was a blacksmith and this ladle belonged to him. His bellows are in the Yamhill County Museum in Lafayette, Oregon.

The object in the lower left corner is a square with a level on it. I took the ruler off several years ago, so I could store it, and can’t get it back in the groove. I don't know what the long wooden piece at the far right is for. I do recognize the trap beside it. For gophers, maybe?

There is one drill bit that looks like a piece was welded onto it to make it longer. The other drill bit has a small diameter to fit into the chuck, but the business end of the drill is bigger.

There is also a small plane that would be used for finishing work, I think. One of my grandsons took it apart several years ago and I have never been able to get it back together right. I guess he wanted to see how it worked.

During World War II, my Dad worked for the Navy and we moved to various places in Oregon and Idaho, where he helped build hangars. He worked on the two big blimp hangars at Tillamook, Oregon. One of them burned down a few years ago, but the other is still in use as an air museum. I remember going to visit him while he was working and seeing him way up on top of the hangar, walking along a beam!! Dad was never afraid of heights and acted like he was walking on the ground when he was way up there.

Dad built several houses that we lived in. The problem was that he never quite finished them. He always got the outside walls and roof built, but never got around to putting in the sheetrock on the inside. Or, he wouldn’t ever get the ceiling put in. Once he built a house on a hill and the back door had no step, deck or anything. If you walked out of it, you would have fallen down a steep hill. I guess he just had a short attention span!!! Attention Deficit Disorder, maybe? More likely, he found something more interesting to do.

He never had a blueprint to build a house. He paced off the distance of each wall, set stakes at the corners, and started building. No permits, etc., in those days. Sometimes, he got the house wired for electricity and plumbed, but sometimes he didn’t. We used coal oil lamps and outhouses and carried water in a bucket long after most people did, much to the annoyance of my mother and step-mother!

As you might have guessed by now, my Dad was very “laid back,” as we would say today.

G. R. O. W.
(Genealogy Resources On the Web – The Page That Helps Genealogy Grow!)
Compiled by Frank Geasa

The Museum of the City of San Francisco has an online search database of those who perished in the 1906 Earthquake. Compiled from the newspapers, it also offers suggestions of variant name spellings. http://www.sfmuseum.org/perished/index.html

The Indiana State Archives has a site with a number of useful genealogical search lists. Included are lists for naturalizations, Indian lands and awards to farms that have been in the same family for over 100 years. http://www.state.in.us/icpr/webfile/archives/database.html

The addresses of the Catholic cemeteries of the Brooklyn Diocese of New York and the fees they charge for providing genealogical data from their records is provided at http://www.cathcemetery-bklyn.org.

This site contains an index of more than 55,000 surnames used in Denmark. It can be used to determine if a surname is of Danish origin, what its original spelling was and its variants. An ongoing effort, it contains and message boards for some of the names. http://www.mydanishroots.com/surindex/index.htm

Search lists for 19^th century baptism, marriage and burial records of the Protestant Churches in Quebec’s Chateauguay Valley are available at this site. It currently contains some 34,000 records. http://websites.epidirect.com/~chateauguay

If you are researching ancestry in Scotland you might want to visit this site aimed at the ongoing exchange of birth, death and marriage related information. http://www.sctbdm.com

If you are researching Mennonite ancestors, you will want to visit the Mennonite Genealogy Data Index site. This site is organized by location and includes data from around the world – lists such as church elders, burials and much more. http://www.mennonites.ca

The St. Albans lists are lists of immigrants who crossed the border from Canada into the U.S. between 1895 and 1954 at St. Albans, Vermont and many other crossing points. This site offers a good survey of the data content and availability. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~holdenclan/albans.htm

If your ancestors are from Mississippi you will probably find this site useful. While the data varies by county it generally offers query boards, good links and such information as the genealogical organizations and published genealogical information for that county. http://msgen.net/

A site with very many online searchable lists including those in the Birth, Death, Marriage, Prison, Migration, Military, Divorce and sundry other categories. It is worth a visit just to see what is available. http://www.idreamof.com/database.html

A growing site offering online search by surname, this site has links to many other similarly oriented sites. http://www.cousinconnect.com

The New Mexico Genealogical Society site has an excellent section aimed at assisting you in locating old Catholic Church records. In many cases where they exist, it even provides the relevant FHL film number. http://www.nmgs.org/Chrchs-intro.htm

A site of interest to those researching in Pennsylvania, it contains links to almost 2,000 other genealogical oriented Pennsylvania sites organized in some 28 categories. http://www.geocities.com/ricma55/pennsylvania_links.htm

An interesting site with the catchy title Claim-A-Convict, this index contains over 20,000 names of the convicts arriving at Port Jackson, NSW, Australia from 1788 forward. http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/convicts/index.html

If you are trying to locate a town or village in the U.S., even one that no longer exists, visit this site. http://www.topozone.com

February 21, Santa Clara, CA - Thursday 7-9 p.m., V. Nelson free program on Scandinavian Research, emphasis on Sweden and Norway, 3345 Lochinvar Avenue, Santa Clara. Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogy Society.

March 2, San Luis Obispo, CA – “Tracing Your Family Tree in the 21^st Century.” 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For location and fees contact: slogen@fix.net or call 805-460-9021.

March 9, Sacramento, CA - The Family History Day at the State Archives, sponsored by the California State Archives, Root Cellars, and the Genealogical & Historical Council of Sacramento Valley, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Research, resources, computer demonstrations, preservation techniques, genealogy and historical mini-classes. 1020 “O” Street, Sacramento. FREE!

March 23, Santa Rosa, CA - James L. Hansen will present an all-day seminar for the Sonoma County Genealogical Society. Topics include “The Draper Manuscripts,” “Getting Around the Lost 1890 Census,” “Genealogy in Alphabetical Order,” and “What To Do When You Hit a Brick Wall.” For information, contact Audrey Phillips, 96 Eastside Circle, Petaluma, CA 94954-3609, or call 707-537-1684; see the web site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~cascgs/hansen.html or e-mail LoisNim@aol.com

April 7-14, California Genealogical Society trip to Salt Lake City . - Librarian Bette Kot and Jane Lindsey, will provide participants with library orientation, assistance with their research and the opportunity to discuss research goals and how to achieve them. Experienced researchers are welcome! Tour will be limited to 30 participants. Call CGS, 510-663-1358 and ask to speak to Jane Lindsey, SLC Event Chairman.

April 13-14, Pasadena, CA – Southern California Genealogical Society’s Annual Genealogical Jamboree, Pasadena Convention Center. For information, call Chris Hubbart, 818-843-7247, or e-mail scgs@earthlink.net or check the web site at http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/

April 13, Carmichael, CA - Sacramento German Genealogy Society’s annual seminar held at the La Sierra Community Center in Carmichael. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. with program from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Trudy Schenk, AG, will present: “Counties and Principalities of the 18^th Century – A Political Map of Germany;” “My Ancestor Came From Germany, That's All I Know” – highlights on research in Saxony and Thuringia; and Research in Germany with emphasis on primary records. For additional information contact Chuck Knuthson at cknuthson@surewest.net or see the web site at http://www.sacgergensoc.org

May 5-12, Salt Lake City, UT - Research Trip with Jenkinson and Locke, contact Betty Locke, 1010 Thoreau Court, Modesto, CA 9350-4125

May 11, Sacramento, CA - The Sacramento Genealogical Society presents Sandra H. Luebking lecturing on a variety of topics. Contact Chuck Knuthson at cknuthson@rcsis.com for preliminary information.

May 15-18, Milwaukee, WI - The National Genealogical Society presents its annual Conference in the States. For information, check their web site at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/

May 25 - June 1 , - Genealogist’s Cruise to Alaska on the Star Princess. Contact All Cruise Travel, 1213 Lincoln Avenue, #205, San Jose, CA 95125 or 800-227-8473 or www.allcruise.com

August 7-10, Ontario, CA - Federation of Genealogical Societies Annual Conference. Ontario Convention Center, Ontario, CA. Information on their web site at www.fgs.org

Editors		Staff Contributors
	Mildred Kirkwood	Livermore History	Gary Drummond
	Debbie Pizzato	G.R.O.W.	Frank Geasa
	Vicki Renz	Things to File	Lois Barber
		Life in the Past Lane	Mildred Kirkwood
		From the Attic	Vicki Renz
Proofreading		Family Tree Maker Group	Jim Lathrop
	George Anderson	Tri-Valley TMG User Group	Joyce Siason
	Vicki Renz	Study Group	Joyce Siason
	Cassie Wood	Computer Group	Jim Lathrop
		Library News	Judy Person
Printing & Distribution		CD-ROM Updates	Jay Gilson
	Mildred Kirkwood	Future Programs	Dick Finn
	Joyce Siason	Seminars	Marie Ross

Some of our members have wished to donate books or other items to our group. We will be happy to receive such donations. The donor will receive a Thank You note to use for tax purposes, if desired.

Other members have wished to make a monetary donation on behalf of a loved one or friend. These donations will be used according to the donor's wishes, or if none is expressed, we will purchase items for our Pleasanton and Family History Libraries.

We welcome such donations and our Corresponding Secretary will acknowledge the gift. If a memorial, an acknowledgment will be sent to the family.

Member News	Editor's Note	President's Message
Future Programs	Multiple Courthouses	Computer Interest Group
Family Tree Maker Group	What Happens to His Genealogy Now?	FGS/CSGA Conference
Dues Reminder	Chinese Surnames	2002 Conference Contest
The Master Genealogist Group	Study Group	Free Workbooks
Journal of Frank Woodruff Van Sant	Livermore Valley History	Things to File
Life in the Past Lane	From the Attic	G.R.O.W
Upcoming Seminars and Workshops	Newsletter Staff	Donations