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ISSN0736-802X THE LIVERMORE ROOTS TRACER VOLUME XII SUMMER 1993 NUMBER 4 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society PO Box 901 Livermore, California 94551
TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME XII NUMBER 4 Message from the President 424 Calendar of Events 425 The Benefits of Belonging to Numerous Genealogical Societies 426 Notes From All Over 427 Computer Notes 429 Item Found in "Day in the Life of Italy" 431 Beatitudes of a Family Genealogist 431 4,000 Diseases Traced to Genetics 432 Tidbits 433 This Week in History 434 Constitution and Bylaws 435
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT David Abrahams For the past few months, a L-AGS special committee, composed of John Walden, George Anderson and Jolene Abrahams, has been examining and recommending changes to the Society's Constitution and Bylaws and the Standing Rules. On behalf of the Society, I want to take this opportunity to offer my special thanks to them for their tireless work in this endeavor. At the general meeting of June 8, the membership unanimously adapted the changes as presented. In the Constitution and Bylaws, changes have been made as follows: Article IV, Officers and Elections, in Sections A and F, Article V, Duties of Officers, in Section A, Article VII, Chairpersons, Committees and Duties, Sections A, B, D and F, and Article XI, Property Assets, Section A. Many of the Standing Rules have also been changed. The most important changes which I would like to point out are Article II, Dues, and Article V, Calendar. Due to the increased cost of just about everything, we have raised the dues 20%. It should be noted that this is the first change in the dues structure in several years. We have also changed the fiscal year so that it corresponds to the calendar year. Previously, you will recall, we had elections at the beginning of summer, and the new officers were installed in September. It was felt by many of us that there was too much time between the election and the installation of the new officers. The result of making this change in fiscal year has resulted in two situations that we solved at the June meeting. First, the present Board will be serving an extra four months - until the new Board is installed in January, 1994. Secondly, because of the extended fiscal year, we have raised the dues for Fiscal 1994 only an additional 25%. This is the only way we can ensure financial continuity for the extended year. Individuals will be asked to pay $15; Families $22.50; Benefactors $37.50; Patrons $75. Again, this is only for the Fiscal Year 1994! In Fiscal Year 1995, the dues will revert to those shown in the new Standing Rules. For the convenience of the entire membership, the newly revised Constitution and Bylaws and Standing Rules have been published in this copy of The Roots Tracer.
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS Julia ESTABROOK Florence E. LAWSON Joni JACQUES Lucille KUSKO WELCOME TO RETURNING MEMBER June DUFFEY
CALENDAR 10 July 1993 The California Genealogical Society will hold its general membership meeting at the California Genealogical Society Library, 300 Brannan Street, San Francisco. 14 July 1993 The San Mateo Genealogical Society presents Paul Hawkins speaking on "Huguenot Migration Patterns, Europe to America, Part II", 7:30 PM. For information, contact the Society at P.O. Box 5083, San Mateo, CA 94402- 0083. 4 - 6 August 1993 Genealogy and Family History Conference, sponsored by BYU Religious Education, BYU History Department. A 3-day conference with basic, intermediate and advanced courses for genealogists. For further information, see the brochure at our next meeting or write to BYU, 136 Harman Building, Provo, UT 84602 (or call 801-378-4853). 5 - 7 August 1993 Gateway to the Past, a Conference for the Nation's Genealogists. St. Louis, MO. Sponsored by the Federation of Genealogical Societies and The Missouri State Genealogical Assn. A 3-day conference with seminars, classes and exhibits. For further information, see the brochure at our next meeting or write to FGS, P. O. Box 3385, Salt Lake City, UT 84110- 3385 21 August 1993 Genealogy Society of Stanislaus County celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, P. O. Box 4735, Modesto, CA 95352-4735. (CONGRATULATIONS!!) 23 August 1993 Genealogy Society of Stanislaus County presents a seminar featuring Dr. George Schweitzer at the Modesto Center Plaza. For more information write to the Society at P. O. Box 4735, Modesto, CA 95452-4735. 26 - 28 August 1993 1993 BIFHS Genealogical Research Seminar, presented by the British Isles Family History Society of Los Angeles. Three days of lectures on using English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh records. For further information, see the brochure at our next meeting or write to BIFHS, 2531 Sawtell Blvd., #134, Los Angeles, CA 90064-3163. 8 - 9 October 1993 Polish Genealogical Society of America Fifteenth Anniversary Conference: A "Celebration". Ramada O'Hare Hotel, Rosemont, IL. For details write or call: Mrs. Barbara Fink, 819 Chestnut Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091; 708- 256-7083.
THE BENEFITS OF BELONGING TO NUMEROUS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES Jeanne V. Tanghe Genealogical societies fall into four categories: Local, Area, Ethnic and Specialty Below I have tried to describe each of these, relating the differences between them. 1. Local: Local genealogy societies, such as ours, promote personal sharing, programs, speakers and field trips to libraries and research centers. These societies are essential for the beginner, which generally publish a monthly or quarterly newsletter - such as The Roots Tracer. 2. Area: Area genealogy societies typically concentrate on the areas our ancestors settled in upon arriving in the United States. They provide information on local history, libraries, cemeteries and surname research. They may publish local information, such as obituary indices, cemetery extractions and old church records. Your research may be aided once you seek out these societies and write to them for their publication lists. 3. Ethnic: These groups concentrate on such areas as Polish, German, Portuguese and Jewish genealogy. I belong to the Polish genealogical societies of Wisconsin, California, Michigan, Chicago and Posen (Poland). The newsletters, maps, surname lists, crests, seminar information, history, book lists, letter writing guides, cemetery and school enrollment lists may be able to provide invaluable information in aiding you in your particular ethnic research area. 4. Specialty: One example of a specialty genealogy society is the Immigrant Genealogical Society of Burbank, California. They have wonderful researchers. For example, they use West German and East German phone books to provide lists of names and addresses in the geographic areas you are researching. I was amazed at the number of people with my surnames. Another example is the Wisconsin Old Cemetery Society. Their goal is preservation of cemeteries and records. These records are essential to any genealogical research. They print queries in their publications, research cemetery records, and sponsor programs of interest. (If you are unable to attend the seminars, send for a syllabus, synopsis or program agenda. These documents will list speakers, their outlines and many bibliographies, and can be a gold mine of information - found in one place!) Knowledge, contacts, ideas, exciting mail and the stimulus of each newsletter are just some of the reasons for joining other societies. It is desirable to support these other genealogical societies for the important and priceless work they do. Our membership fees go toward purchasing books, microfiche and film for libraries, and the financing of filming of indices and vital statistics. Publishing and preserving genealogical information is a high priority for all of us. There are also many resources you may wish to purchase if they aren't available in your local library. The Handbook for Genealogists by the Everton Publishers is one such resource. It lists genealogical archives, libraries and societies. The Genealogical Helper, a quarterly publication, lists current genealogical societies annually. You should also consider writing to libraries in the area you are researching for the names of local genealogical societies that may not be listed in the above sources. The bottom line is: I am always amazed and overwhelmed by what information is out there - just waiting to be found. I could make this hobby a full-time job, and not have enough time to do everything I want to do!
NOTES FROM ALL OVER UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Don't forget the University Library as a source of help. UC Berkeley is a Depository for US Government Records. Example: In 1986, a commission did a study on famine in the UKRAINE in 1932-33; it contains information on individuals, families and places. "MELVYL" shows it at the UCB Law Library (call no. KE4924.U54) [L. Scott NNY-BBS via CCCGS May 93] Another example: Two Canadian Guides: Checklist of Parish Registers, 3rd Edition from Public Archives of Canada. (bilingual guide to microfilms of parish registers including English-speaking, non-Catholic parishes) Call # CD3648.A1 PI in UCB Main Library. In the UCB Law Library #BQV101.5.C37 G85 Guide Sommaire des archives des dioceses Catholiques au Canada. (Bilingual listing of diocesan archives of Canada. [Sue Budlong. NNY-ABBS via CCCGS N/L Jan 93] BE SURE TO CHECK SUMMER HOURS BEFORE YOU GO: 510/643-9999. From the San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society Newsletter, June 1993
NEW JERSEY WARNING! "The Bureau of Vital Statistics has been experiencing an employment freeze and budget restrictions. It is necessary at this time to inform you that the processing of all genealogy is suspended. This suspension of services will continue indefinitely... the New Jersey State Archives has the original vital records for the state for the period May 1848 to May 1878. The Archives continues to search these records by mail for a fee of $4 per record. The Archives has also begun to acquire the following vital records on microfilm: marriage records, June 1878 to 1940, death records, June 1878 to 1940, and birth records June 1878 to 1923. You may contact the Archives at (609) 292-6260 to determine their current holdings. These microfilmed records are open for research at the Archives Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM; however, the Archives cannot search them by mail. If you are unable to use the facilities at the New Jersey State Archives, you may wish to consider utilizing the services of a professional genealogist. If you wish to use a professional genealogist, please write and request that a list be mailed to you..." (Letter received by editor dated April 6, 1993) From the Santa Clara Co. Hist. & Gen. Soc. Newsletter, June 1993
NEW COMMITTEE IN FGS The Federation of Genealogical Societies has announced the establishment of a Records Preservation Access Committee. Curt B. Witcher, FGS President, explained the purpose of the new committee: "The establishing purposes of the Records Preservation Access Committee include assisting genealogists and their societies around the country in maintaining appropriate access to vital and other historical records, disseminating strategies for dealing with potential records closures, offering advice for getting specific record closures reversed or repealed, and working through the genealogical community to reach legislators with the message that the records of our past are a worthwhile and important investment." The National Genealogical Society has joined this effort to guarantee access to records. An article in the NGS Newsletter (Vol. 19, No. 2) explains the importance of this issue: "Few issues will be as important to genealogists in the coming years as records preservation and access. Effectively addressing those issues requires more than rallying opposition to restrictions on access. Strong efforts are needed to develop communication at many levels among the genealogical community, records custodians, legislators, and others with similar concerns and goals. The committee will work to facilitate such communication and will regularly report to the genealogical community on efforts and developments in these important areas." Those with information or suggestions may write to the Federation of Genealogical Societies, Records Preservation and Access Committee, P. O. Box 3385, Salt Lake City, UT 84110-3385. From Illinois State Genealogical Society Newsletter, May/June 1993
WARNING: Genealogy Pox SYMPTOMS: Continual complaint as to need for names, dates and places. Patient has blank expression, is sometimes deaf to spouse and children. Has no taste for work of any kind, except feverishly looking through records at libraries and court houses. Has compulsions to write letters. Swears at mailman when he does not leave any mail. Frequents strange places such as cemeteries, ruins, remote-desolate areas. Makes secret phone calls at night. Hides phone bills from spouse and mumbles to self. Has strange faraway look in eyes. NO KNOWN CURE TREATMENT: Medication is useless. Disease is not fatal but gets progressively worse. Patient should attend genealogy workshops, subscribe to genealogical magazines and be given a quiet corner in the house where he or she can be alone. Extra Warning Enclosed: This disease is contagious. Anonymous
COMPUTER NOTES This is another new column. Your editorial staff welcomes any and all contributions, no matter where they come from! NEW TOYS... WHAT IS A SCANNER, WHY WOULD YOU WANT ONE? A scanner is a computer peripheral that allows you to transfer hardcopy images into your computer. If a "hardcopy image" sounds like jargon, substitute photograph, map, diagram or even text (if you want to manipulate the text, not just have the picture of the words, additional software for Optical Character Recognition, OCR, is needed). Scanners come in handheld and flatbed models. A flatbed scanner will capture the image of a full page at a time. The page is placed on the scanner, the command to scan is given and the image is captured. Handheld scanners require the user to move a device across the object to be scanned. The results will depend on how smoothly the scanner is moved across the image. The images will take up LOTS of computer memory. To get an idea of how much, square the dpi (dots per inch) at which the image is scanned and multiply that result by the number of bits (not bytes - to convert to bytes, divide by 8) required for a square inch of scan. If you are scanning a 3" X 5" photo in black and white, meaning one bit depth, at 300 dpi, the calculation is 300 X 300 X 1 = 90,000 bits/sq. in. 90,000/8 = 11,250 bytes/sq. in. 11,250 X 15 (sq. in.) = 168,750 bytes If you scan for 16 bit color or gray scale, multiply this by 16 which would be 2.7 megabytes for the photo. With this kind of drain on both storage and memory, why would you want to use a scanner? One of the commonly used genealogy programs, Brothers Keeper 5.0B allows .PCX images (a format created by most scan software) to be attached to the database so that pictures of ancestors, their homes and possessions, maps of travel routes, homesteads, etc. are all linked to the file. PCX images can also be included in many word processing documents. How much does a scanner cost? A flatbed model with its associated software is expensive, $1000 or more. A good quality handheld scanner may be purchased for about $300. So, do you NEED a scanner? Probably not. Will you spend hours happily "playing" with one? I certainly have! KSW From an unknown publication!
GEDCOMPANION FOR THE MAC GEDcompanion is a program written by Mark Taylor for the Macintosh. It is a utility program for the Mac which converts GEDCOM files into formats that can be read by word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and outline programs. It also creates files which can be used by MORE (Symantec Corp) and Org Plus (Banner Blue Software Inc.) to create graphic charts. GEDcompanion can make detailed ahnentafel charts and descendant charts using the Henry numbering system. Have you ever wanted to move your data to a spreadsheet or database program, so that you can search and sort, and look for errors? GEDcompanion lets you create database files, tab- delimited text files that can be opened by virtually any spreadsheet or database program. It works under System 6.0.5 and 7 and fully implements the Macintosh user interface. Complete documentation is included. Costs $20 from Mark Taylor, P. O. Box 2034, Cupertino, CA 95015-2034. (Gary Hoffman on Genealogy_EUR, 28 July 1992, and Ann Turner on Gensoft, 2 Aug 1992, via NNY-BBS) From an unknown publication!
EACH PERSON HAS: 2 parents 4 grandparents 8 great-grandparents 16 great-great-grandparents 32 great-great-great-grandparents 64 great-great-great-great-grandparents 128 great-great-great-great-great-grandparents 256 great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents 512 great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents 1024 great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents AFTER JUST TEN GENERATIONS!!!
ITEM FOUND IN "A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ITALY" Collins Publishers, San Francisco Division of Harper Collins Page 82 "A municipal clerk at the 'ANAGRAFE' will search the files for birth, marriage and death certificates. Italians who need copies of their records for any reason are obliged to make a trip to an 'anagrafe' office. Documents, like those at the Reggio di Calabria anagrafe, may be found there. They are often kept on small metal plates and stamped onto paper upon request." I found this in a photography book at a store in Santa Cruz! It was interesting information for genealogists and researchers, as it is difficult to obtain information from Italy. However, I would strongly urge (actually, it is a must) anyone who is requesting this information to get a translation into Italian of the entire letter. You might include an international postal order - also include this information in your letter. Many post offices in Italy have never heard of this international item. I have not used this source as yet, and probably will not, as the information I desire is in Sicily near Palermo, and I doubt very much whether the authorities will honor my request. Beverly Schell Ales
BEATITUDES OF A FAMILY GENEALOGIST Blessed are the great-grandfathers, who saved embarkation and citizenship papers, For they tell when they came. Blessed are the great-grandmothers, who hoarded newspaper clippings and old letters, For these tell the story of their time. Blessed are all grandfathers, who filed every legal document, For this provides the proof. Blessed are grandmothers, who preserved family bibles and diaries, For this is our heritage. Blessed are fathers, who elect officials that answer letters of inquiry, For - to some - the only link to the past. Blessed are mothers, who relate family tradition and legend to the family, For one of her children will surely remember. Blessed are relatives, who fill in family sheets with extra data, For to them we owe the family history. Blessed is any family, whose members strive for the preservation of records, For there's is a labor of love. Blessed are the children, who will never say, "Grandma, you have told that old story twice today". (St. Louis Genealogical Society Quarterly, December 1969, by Wilma Mauk)
4000 DISEASES TRACED TO GENETICS When a group of health experts wrote the book "50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save Your Life", they made an unlikely pick for recommendation No. 1. No, it is not a low-fat diet or regular exercise. Rather, the experts - the entire public-health faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles - urged people to discover their medical roots. It's crucial, they concluded, to know about the health of your family - your brothers, sisters, parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and great- grandparents. Indeed, some diseases do "run in families". Experts estimate that about 4,000 of the 10,000 known diseases are caused, at least in part, by genetic factors. These family diseases include conditions - such as heart attacks, stroke, cancer and diabetes - that rank among the major causes of death today. If you have a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle who died from a heart attack before age 65, your heart attack risk may be five to seven times higher than normal. Several types of cancer, including breast, colon, prostate, uterine, ovarian, cervical, skin, kidney and pancreatic, run in families. A woman's single most important risk factor for developing breast cancer is having a mother or sister with breast cancer. A woman with two or more cases of breast cancer in her family has a personal risk of about 1 in 6. If those cases occurred in her mother or sisters, her risk rises to 1 in 3. Discovering a family history of heart attacks or cancer does not mean that you are doomed to an early death. Experts believe that in many common diseases, defective genes must interact with environmental factors for the disease to occur. These include diet, cigarette smoking, lack of exercise and other factors that you can control. Knowing your medical roots can provide a powerful incentive for modifying your own lifestyle and getting periodic tests that can diagnose diseases early. Try to collect basic medical information on your family. When a family death occurs, recognize the importance of an autopsy to establish the exact cause. Studies show that physicians often err in establishing the cause of death based on a clinical diagnosis. An autopsy thus can alert relatives to diseases that pose unrecognized threats to their own health. Bookstores and libraries have many resources. Bantam Books is publishing "If It Runs In Your Family." Each volume explains one family disease and how to reduce your risks. "Family Diseases: Are You At Risk?" by Myra Vanderpool Gormley (Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc.) is an excellent summary of the entire topic. (This was written by Mike Woods/Toledo Blade and printed in the Sacramento Bee, April 23, 1992.)
HIS OWN GRANDPA Phil Bolsta of Hopkins MN sent this "genealogical riddle" to the SF Chronicle: "If Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, 56, and ex-wife Mandy Smith, 22, decide to reconcile, genealogists could celebrate. Here's why: Wyman's 30-year-old son, Stephen, just announced his engagement to Patsy Smith, 46, who is none other than Mandy's mother! "If the romantic partnerships succeed, Bill Wyman would become his son's son-in-law, because he would be married to his son's stepdaughter. Mandy Smith would become Stephen Wyman's mother because she would be his father's wife. By virtue of his marriage to Mandy's mother, then Stephen Wyman would be both Mandy's son and father. Likewise, Patsy Smith would be Mandy's daughter as well as her mother. Of course, things get real interesting if both couples decide to have children. If Patsy Smith has a son, the child would be Bill Wyman's brother-in-law and Stephen Wyman's uncle because he would be the brother of this stepmother, Mandy Smith. If Mandy has a son, the child would be Stephen Wyman's brother as well as his grandchild because the baby would be the son of his daughter. It then follows that Patsy Smith would be her husband's grandmother because she was his mother's mother. Stephen Wyman would be both his wife's husband and grandchild. And since the husband of a person's grandmother is his grandfather, Stephen Wyman would be his own grandfather!" Any one remember the old 78 rpm record by this name? (The Live Oak May/June 1993) OUT OF PRINT BOOKS The American Association of University Women Book Finders is a non-profit organization that will search an inventory of approximately 8,000 antiquarian book dealers for a specific title. The search usually takes approximately 100-120 days and is conducted at no charge. Write them at P.O. Box 8151, Corpus Christi, TX 78468. (Pomona Gen. Soc.. 2/93 via San Mateo Co. Gen. Soc. 4/93, H.A.G.S.. INFORMER June 1993)
HUMOR LAND RECORDS RESEARCH -- THE ULTIMATE TITLE SEARCH An employee of the post office department in Washington, DC, rejected a title search on a property the department wished to purchase because the tile abstract stopped at 1803. The abstractor replied: "Gentlemen:...the Government of the U.S. acquired title to the Territory of Louisiana, including the tract to which your request applies, by purchase from the Government of France in 1803. The Government of France acquired title by conquest from the Government of Spain. The Government of Spain acquired title by the discovery of one Christopher Columbus, traveler and explorer, a resident of Genova, Italy, by an agreement concerning the acquisition of title to any lands discovered, traveled and explored under the sponsorship and patronage of Hr Majesty, the Queen of Spain. the Queen of Spain had verified her agreement and received the sanction of her title by consent of the Pope, a resident of Rome, Italy. The Pope was an ex-officio representative and vice regent of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the son and heir apparent of God. god made Louisiana. I trust this complies with your request." (CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 6, June 1993)
TOMBSTONE: A recent discovery in Pamlico County, North Carolina, was a 600 - 800 pound granite slab from an abandoned cemetery. The inscription read: Edward BRYAN, born in London 1663, emigrated to Nansemond County, Virginia 1690, moved to Craven County 1700, died in 1739. Christiana, his wife, daughter of Hodges COUNCIL, died 1743. From the NCGS NEWS, Vol. 12, No. 3, via the Washington County (NC) Genealogical Society (WCGS NEWS) June, 1993.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY The following news notes are copied from various editions of the Livermore Herald and the Livermore Echo newspapers. L-AGS wishes to thank Barbara Bunshah of the Livermore Heritage Guild for providing these interesting personal news bits. From the Livermore Echo, week of 8 April 1893: Mr. M. BERLIN, formerly of Pleasanton, has rented and will shortly reopen the Germania Hotel. A barn and about 60 tons of hay, on the ranch of Thomas QUIGLEY, were destroyed by fire last Monday night. Loss estimated at $400, insured for $300. The fire is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. From the Livermore Echo, week of 1 May 1893: The County Supervisors announced a hearing on the proposed new county road on the lands of Thomas QUIGLEY and P. MANNING in the northwest corner of Rancho Las Positas. From the Livermore Echo, week of 15 May 1893: The newly elected town trustees took their oaths of office and selected Wendell JORDAN as chairman of the board. From the Livermore Echo, week of 22 May 1893: Fred SCHOENSTEDT has opened a blacksmith and machine shop and a complete planing mill at the corner of Second and K Sts. From the Livermore Echo, week of 1 June 1893: 80 acres of barley near Altamont belonging to Mrs. DUNLEA were destroyed by fire, of unknown origin, on Friday. A. J. MCLEOD was re-elected Chief Engineer (i.e. fire chief) by the Town Trustees, despite a plea from the firemen for the appointment of A. W. FEIDLER. From the Livermore Echo, week of 8 June 1893: The program for the First Annual Commencement of the Livermore Union High School included orations, songs, essays and an address by the Hon. J. W. ANDERSON, State Supt. of Schools. From the Livermore Herald, week of 1 April 1918: Blacksmith Ed DONAHUE was recently called upon to perform an unusual shoeing job - a family cow for a group moving from Salinas to Auburn via Livermore.
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