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ISSN0736-802X THE LIVERMORE ROOTS TRACER VOLUME XIII AUTUMN 1994 NUMBER 5 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society PO Box 901, Livermore, California 94551
TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME XIII NUMBER 5 Editors' Page 508 Calendar of Events 509 Legislative Notes 511 CSGA President's Message 512 Notes From All Over 513 Family History Month 516 Veterans Records 516 The Bookshelf 517 L-AGS Library News 520 Computer News 521 "Maxing Out in Salt Lake City 524 Meet the Members, Jode (BEST) LANDSITTEL 525
LIFE MEMBERS OF L-AGS: Beverly Schell Ales Anastasia Alexander Carrie Alexander Terry Crane G. E. "Robbie" Robinson BENEFACTORS: Judy and Don Person David and Linda Curry
LIVERMORE-AMADOR GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY Co-Presidents Beverly Schell ALES 510-846-5297 Harriet ANDERSON 510-846-4265 1st VP and Membership Chair George ANDERSON 510-846-4265 2nd VP and Program Chair Isabel NOLTE 510-447-4062 Recording Secretary John WALDEN 510-443-2057 Corresponding Secretary Beverly MORRIS 510-846-4952 Business Manager Chuck ROCKHOLD 510-455-5911 Roots Tracer Editors Jolene and David ABRAHAMS 510-447-9386 Library Chair Judy PERSON 510-846-6972 Publicity Chair Felicia ZIOMEK 510-847-9260 Livermore Cultural Arts Council Rep Don JOHNSON 510-447-4746 Computer Interest Chair Doug MUMMA 510-447-5164 Historian David LINDSEY 510-447-6351 Publications Chair George ANDERSON 510-846-4265 The Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society is exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) (literary and educational) of the Internal Revenue Code and California Taxation Code 237020.
The Roots Tracer is a quarterly publication with articles of interest to the genealogist. Members are encouraged to submit their "Profiles" as well as articles of general interest. Queries are free to members, $1.00 to non-members. The deadline for each quarterly is the 15th of June, September, December, and March. Send to: Roots Tracer, P. O. Box 901 Livermore, CA 94551 Any book presented to the Society will be reviewed in the quarterly along with the purchase price and address of the publisher. Our Library is located in the Pleasanton Public Library building, 400 Old Bernal Ave., Pleasanton, CA. Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday, monthly, 7:30 PM, at Congregation Beth Emek, 1866 College Ave., Livermore, CA. Membership in LAGS is open to any individual, library, or society. Our fiscal year is January 1 through December 31. Membership includes a subscription to the quarterly Roots Tracer. Publications Members Non-Members Postage Surname Index (1994) $9.00 $14.00 $2.00 Livermore Cemeteries (1988) $12.00 $17.00 $2.00 Pleasanton, Dublin Cemeteries (1990) $8.00 $12.00 $2.00 Roots Tracer Index $3.00 $4.50 $1.50 The above publications are available on diskette (IBM or Mac) for the same price as the paper copies. When purchased with a book, they are half price. Members handbook $4.00 $6.00 $2.00 (Prices subject to change) Send check or money order to: Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society P. O. Box 901, Livermore, CA 94551 DUES Individual...................$12.00 Family.......................$18.00 Benefactor...................$30.00 Patron.......................$60.00 Life........................$125.00
EDITORS' PAGE Now that summer is finished, it is time to reflect on the events of the past few months. Typically, summertime is one of rest and relaxation; clubs and societies take a break from their usual hectic schedules. But this summer has been far from quiet and restful. There have been many activities which we think are worthy of note on this page. * Mary Lynn and Jim Horton have elected to relocate to St. George, Utah. Jim recently retired from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. As an avid genealogist, Mary Lynn has been a staunch supporter of L-AGS and has been in the forefront of the planning and execution of two wonderful genealogy seminars that have been held in conjunction with L-AGS at LDS facilities in Livermore. And husband Jim was in there working along side her at all times. Mary Lynn was responsible for establishing an LDS Family History Center in Livermore, always making sure it was kept up to date and that volunteers were available to keep the Center open at the appropriate times. Mary Lynn also volunteered one day a week at the Oakland Family History Center. Speaking for all of us, Mary Lynn and Jim, you will both be sorely missed by all of your friends at L-AGS, and we take this opportunity to wish you all the luck in the world, and, of course, please keep in touch! * For the past three years your Tracer editors have been representing L-AGS at regional California State Genealogical Alliance (CSGA) meetings. Last spring we were asked if we would run for the office of Secretary to the CSGA for the coming year. We agreed, and not surprisingly, ran unopposed! We attended our first meeting in August and have several things to report on in this issue of the Tracer. * George Anderson, our Membership Chairman, has been hard at work this summer. He has revised our Members Handbook which now includes much updated and new material. The Handbook is given to all new members and is available to existing members for $4.00. George also revised the Society's Surname Index, which has been printed and is available for purchase at this time. * The Board would like to remind all members that our fiscal year begins on January 1. Members should begin remitting their renewals in November, and hopefully, all will be paid by the end of December. Dues for the year are $12.00 for an Individual; $18.00 for a Family (at the same address); $30.00 for a Benefactor; $60.00 for a Patron; $125.00 for Individual Life; and $185.00 for a Life membership for couples. * Special thanks are due to the following members for their help in cataloging books and doing data entry at the library, and doing data entry for the Surname Book: Sandra Horne, Albert Bueche, Lucille Kusko, Regina Schaefer, Charles Michels, Bud Barlow and John Walden. Our Society always needs volunteers to help with special projects. Anyone with some spare time is welcome to call any of the Board members to find out where help is needed.
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS Doris Burnett Enoch and Elna Haga Lara Ulrich James Scofield Patricia Rochin Dean Lee Cathe Norman
CALENDAR OF SELECTED GENEALOGICAL EVENTS (From various sources) OCTOBER 8 MONTEREY CO. GEN SOC - Ancestor Roundup at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Salinas, 1071 Pajaro St. 8:00 am to 4 pm. Keynote speaker, Loretto Dennis Szucs on Chicago and big city research. Also Karen Clifford, Southern States Research; Jim Conway, War of 1812; John Movius, German and Eastern Europe; Anne Sanford, New York Sources; and John Whitaker, Automated Archives. Vendor booths available, Reg: $27.50 at door, $25 if rec'd by Sept 26. Advance registration guarantees a syllabus and lunch. College credit available by contacting Karen Clifford 408-484- 9426. Send registration to Ancestor Round Up MCGS, PO Box 8144, Salinas CA 939128144. Contact Anne Sanford, 408-624-9131 or Rosemarie Capodicci 408-899-2112. OCTOBER 8-9 FRESNO CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT Kearney Park, Fresno. Public battles/ encampment. (Coordinator: Roy Wells, (408-946-7228. OCTOBER 15 SACRAMENTO GEN SOC is sponsoring a seminar with Ron Bremer speaking on "The World of Genealogy". Cambridge Heights School, 5555 Fleetwood Drive, Citrus Heights, CA 95611. Write to PO Box 265 Citrus Heights, CA 95611 OCTOBER 12-15 (FGS) FEDERATION OF GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES and THE VIRGINIA GEN. SOC. Annual conference held in Richmond, VA. The conference is held just 6 blocks from the VA State Library and Archives. 147 sessions being presented by 81 nationally known experts. 127 vendor booths. Registration $85 for 4 days. Registration packet from FGS, Attn: 1994 Conference in Richmond, PO Box 3385, Salt Lake City, UT 84110-3385. OCTOBER 17, CONTRA COSTA GS SEMINAR Concord Bible Church, 4975 Concord Blvd, Concord. Speakers: James W. Warren and Paula Stuart Warren. Contact Stan Roberti, PO Box 910. Concord, CA 94500 OCTOBER 21-22 NEW ENGLAND HISTORICAL GEN SOC comes to Walnut Creek, CA. Includes "Getting the Most from Church Records", "Planning a New England Research Trip", "Finding the Origin of Your Irish Immigrant Ancestor", "Major Printed Sources for 17th Century Passenger Arrivals Lists and Naturalization Records", "Genealogical Connections between New England and California", "The Joys and Frustrations of Family Bibles and other Private Records", "Born in New York, but Where in New York?", "Compiling a Surname Genealogy", "Major Printed Sources (post 1700) for CT, MA and RI: a General Survey", "Locating Your Irish Ancestor: the Next Step", "Exploring Canadian Records", Gen Res in Ireland", "Taking a Closer Look at the Census", and "Urban Genealogy". Pre-conf fee $99 includes both luncheons, 2 day conference with out luncheons $80: Sat only $65; Write NEGHS Comes to Walnut Creek, Education Department, NEGHS, 99-101 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116-3087 OCTOBER 21 NATIONAL ARCHIVES 9:00-12:30 Chinese Immigration Records-$12 in advance or $15 at the door. Contact Rose Mary Kennedy 415-876-9009. OCTOBER 29 GEN SOC OF STANISLAUS CO will bring Marsha Hoffman Rising at the Modesto Center Plaza. 1000 "K" Street, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Registration $20. Seminar topics will be finding Birth, Death and Marriage Records before Vital Statistics. Proving Identity; Finding Ancestors between the 1850 Census and the Colonial Period; Clues and Tips for Successful Research. Contact Don Wilson 209-869-3966 or Write to Gen Soc of Stanislaus Co. PO Box 4735, Modesto, CA 95352-4735. NOVEMBER 5-6 CONCORD CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT Naval Weapons Station, Concord. Public battles and encampment. Coordinator: Laurie Rogers, 510825-5483. NOVEMBER 12 SAN MATEO CO GEN SOC Seminar with Hank Z. Jones Jr., Fellow, American Soc of Genealogists on "Tracing the Origins of Early 18th Century Palatine Emigrants', "When the Sources are Wrong", and "I Don't Chase Dead Germans-They Chase Me" the influence of intuition and serendipitous events in genealogy, the author of Physic Roots. Registration 8:15 am; program 9:00-3:00pm, Ampex Cafeteria, 401 Broadway, Redwood City, CA. Reg before 7 Nov 1994 Memb $15, non-memb 18, $22 at door. Send to San Mateo, Gen Soc, PO Box 5083, San Mateo, CA 94402-0083. Deli lunch available or bring your own. Call 415-591-1797. SAN RAMON GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY PLANNED SPEAKERS Sept 20-Margery Bell on "Genealogy Basics"; Oct 18-Gene Thomas on "Video Taping, Do It Yourself"; Nov 15-Ron Bremer; Jan 17-Heritage Quest" This group meets the 3rd Tuesday of the month 10:00 am to 12:00 at the Danville Womans Club. FUTURE 1995 EVENTS JANUARY 14, GEN SOC OF STANISLAUS CO will bring Helen F.M. Leary at the Modesto Center Plaza. MARCH 10-11 California Genealogy Fair in San Francisco. April ? ? Genealogy Fair, Los Angeles. MAY 3-6 National Genealogical Society at San Diego. JUNE 10-14, Federation of Genealogical Societies and Seattle Genealogical Society Conference. July 15, National Archives, Laguna Niguel. Beginning genealogy workshop. Advance registration requested. Contact Rose Mary Kennedy 415-876-9009.
LEGISLATIVE NOTES David Abrahams Several states are in the process of attempting to limit genealogists' and historians' access to public records. These records include birth, death, marriage, wills and other information we find so valuable in our research. California, for example, made such an attempt with Assembly Bill AB3170. This bill, proposed by Assemblywoman Grace Napolitano (58th District), would virtually close California vital records to researchers. Death, marriage, divorce and annulment records would be closed for 50 years and birth records for 100 years. Had it not been for an "Alert" by the Marin County Genealogical Society to the California State Genealogical Alliance (CSGA), genealogists might not have known about AB3170. However, many genealogical societies heard the "Alert" and were able to lobby their representatives in the California Legislature to vote against the Bill. WARNING: Assemblywoman Napolitano has stated that she will reintroduce this bill in the next session! The CSGA now has a Regional Director in Sacramento who, through her organizational contacts, will act as a legislative "watchdog" and will keep the genealogy societies (via the CSGA) advised as to the status of legislative activities that may affect them. We have copied, intact, a page regarding legislative information from the September 1994 CSGA Newsletter in this issue of the Tracer, and hope that it is meaningful to our readers. * The state of South Dakota is in danger of having its State Library and State Archives closed by the governor due to the discontinuance of the state lottery, which funded these activities. We have printed an appeal from our friend Lynette Trainer in the Notes From All Over column regarding this issue. Concerned genealogists and historians should make their feelings known. * Many of us have heard that the Walt Disney Co. wants to built a $650 million American-history and entertainment park, called Disney's America, on 3,000 acres of land situated in the history-rich Virginia country-side just 35 miles west of Washington. The location is in Prince William County, near the town of Haymarket (pop. 483). The Manassas, Va., battlefield is also just 3 miles from this location. The Virginia general assembly has approved a $163 million package of incentives for road, highway signs, worker training and tourism promotion designed to entice Disney to the area. If Disney has its way, ground- breaking will occur in 1995 and Disney's America will open in 1998. Disney expects the park to attract some 5 million visitors a year and create some 19,000 jobs in the area. Opposition comes from history buffs, environmentalists, and especially the Piedmont Environmental Council, with such luminaries as the Mellons and the DuPonts on the membership rolls. The Council currently has a fund of $400,000 to fight this project. Moreover, the National Trust for Historical Preservation in an open letter to Disney's chairman, Michael Eisner, has charged that the Virginia project might "fundamentally change the region surrounding the nation's capital". Appeals have also been made for help from the National Park Service, from Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and from various members of Congress. * Historians and genealogists are urged to let their government officials - at all levels - know that they are aware of these upcoming scenarios, and to state in simple terms their feelings - whether they approve or disapprove.
CSGA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Fall brings new beginnings. Students and teachers return to school, societies plan and present new programs, and groups operate from new agendas with changing goals and projects. Nevertheless, we must continue to purposefully pursue those goals which remain before us. All this to remind members of the genealogical community in California, that as individuals we must remain on the lookout for legislation which could dramatically affect our resources as genealogists and historians. It is a good idea to plan ahead. If your society or group does not have a fast and efficient means of contact members, a plan to do so could and should be devised to do so for any emergency or last minute change of plans. Telephone trees often prove beneficial in establishing a communication network with members. In addition, those with E-mail and FAX numbers should exchange account ID's or numbers as these means of communication provide quick and easy contact with others. The agenda for the CSGA Board Meeting is filled with new agenda items. Up-coming issues include up-coming legislation, requests for proposals for publication of the Great Register Project, and the NGS Conference in San Diego in 1995. These new items along with other business will make for an interesting meeting which is open to the public. We hope that many of you will join us there, or at a future Board Meeting. The Board is still seeking one or two individuals for Regional Directorship in Sacramento and North San Joaquin Valley regions. Anyone who wishes to volunteer for the same can contact Vice President Sheila Benedict at 909-928-9875. Best wishes for a productive and educational Fall. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: As we go to press, a Bill to OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS has passed the Senate 38-0 and sent to the Assembly. Aug 8, 1994 Committee passed 9 to 6. Read second time. Amended. Re-referred to Ways and Means Committee. SB 95 The California Public Records Act generally provides that the public records of any state or local agency are open to inspection during office hours unless specifically exempted or the public interest would be better served by not making the record public. Current law provides that any person may request a copy of a public record from any state or local agency upon payment of a fee covering the cost of duplication. This expands "Public Records" definition to include computer-held information; requires public records open to public inspection/copying at ALL times during office hours and in ALL forms of compilation used by the respective agency and that copies of all computerized data must be made available in ANY form of information-storage media used by the agency. Requires public agencies to ensure that systems used to collect and hold public records are designed to ensure ease of public access, and provide a copy of all computer programs necessary to process the records if the agency cannot produce copies of public records in a standard format; requires the agency to identify the basis for nondisclosure of a record; reorganizes and recodifies disclosure exemptions; and allows an agency to adopt requirements to provide faster, more efficient or greater access to records than specified in the bill. Wendy Elliott, President
LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES 1. Get to know your legislator at home. Work to get to know their views and voting records on issues. 2. Do your homework on the issues. Know your facts before meetings with your legislator. Always be prepared to respond to what the opposing side is saying. Be honest and admit if you don't know the answer. Promise to get back to them with an answer and then do it! 3. Written communications are vital. Be brief and to the point - if it can't be said in one page, it doesn't deserve saying. Use specifics instead of generalities. Always relate to how an issue affects you and others in your area. Constituents play a major role in a legislator's decision-making process. 4. Be willing to spend one hour per week on legislative activities. Whether it is volunteering for a campaign, writing letters, meeting with your legislator, contacting other members in your area or making a financial contribution, there are a wide range of activities which will make a significant difference in how your legislature views you and your issue. Involvement does make a difference! 5. Provide feedback to your legislative liaison or lobbyist. Let your lobbyist know where your legislator stands on an issue. Information sharing is a key to legislative success! The Virginia Genealogical Soc. Newsletter, May-June 1994 Page 5. CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 9 (September 1994)
NOTES FROM ALL OVER SACRAMENTO CEMETERY The Old City Cemetery at 10th and Broadway is going through changes with new leaders. A request for letters has been received by CCCGS. Please write to: Sam Burns, Director, Convention and Visitors Dept., 1030- 15th St, Ste 250, Sacramento, Ca 95814, Phone: 916-264-8109, Fax: 916264- 7687 Ask to keep the Death Books in the archives in Old City Cemetery. Many genealogical societies use them. Also encourage keeping the cemetery beautiful with adequate watering. In 1870 it was a park-like setting, a place to picnic on Memorial Day and other holidays. ******************** LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE CLOSURE THREAT IN SOUTH DAKOTA Both the South Dakota State Library and State Archives are in danger of having their doors closed forever by Governor Miller. The State Archives Librarian advised that both the State Library and Archives may be losing their funding in the near future if Gov. Miller has his way. This library not only has books about South Dakota history in its collection, but has a large collection of books that covers other states as well. Some of their collection includes: Census records for south Dakota from 1860, 1870, 1880, 1880 Soundex, 1885 Special State Census, 1900, 1900 Soundex, 1910. There are also the South Dakota State Census for 1905-1945 on file cards. WPA Graves Registration up to 1941. Veterans Records up to 1940. Newspapers: Approx. 145 weekly and 112 daily newspapers filmed as well as hundreds of early newspapers no longer being published. Most are available on interlibrary loan. Atlases: A number or county atlases have been filmed and are available on interlibrary loan. BIA-Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940(microfilm), town and county histories, SD Biographical Sketch Volumes, SD School Census records, SD Naturalization records, SD Court Records, photographs, WPA case files, SD Penitentiary prisoner case files, SD World War II Service Records, Pioneer Daughters Collection, and many manuscripts. We can't afford to lose one library, let alone a State Library and Archives. Even if you do not have any research in South Dakota, please help us save theirs! Who knows if South Dakota loses theirs, could yours be next? Your help is greatly needed and appreciated. I ask each one of you to please write to: Gov. Walter Dale Miller Office of the Governor 500 East Capital Pierre, S.Dak. 57510 (Submitted by Lynette Trainer) ******************** GLAD BAGS or SAD BAGS... Time again you will see the hint to use "Glad Bags" for storing your genealogical papers. HOWEVER, research has shown that "Glad Bags" are not mylar and not acid free! They should NOT be used to store valuable documents and photos. Check with a reputable supplier of archival materials such as Light Impression or University Products for proper archival storage materials. (CSGA nwsltr, 12:4, p. 70) VIRGINIA... The Virginia Genealogical Society has a new address: 5001 W. Broad Street, Suite 115, Richmond, VA 23230-3023. All correspondence, including requests for membership information, purchase of publications, etc. should be sent to this address. (NGS Newsletter 19:5, P.143) ******************** DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS At nearly every turn of our lives a record of some sort has been created. if we saved every record created in our names, every bill, every receipt, every letter, every document, we would be overwhelmed by paper. Instead we make decisions on what to save and what can be thrown away. Imagine the massive volume of records generated by governments and agencies over the history of this country. Just as you go through your records discarding the unnecessary and preserving the rest the agencies entrusted with the preservation of official records perform periodic house-cleaning. And just as you sometimes throw away records that you later wish you hadn't, those agencies sometimes throw away records that genealogists wish they hadn't. How does the National Archives make its housecleaning decisions? The Office of Record Management studies the record classes in question, assessing them for their historical value and determines the policy on their retention. Then as record classes are added to the Archives, they are assigned a date for destruction or, in the case of records with great historical value, they are preserved forever. But the retention schedule assigned to a class of documents is not always advantageous to genealogists. For example, the Bureau of Retirement Claims, as a part of Railroad Retirement Board, administers pensions of railroad retirees. The office generates a large quantity of genealogically significant data. Most applications include the claimant's address, race, sex, date and place of birth, father's full name, mother's maiden name, the entire employment history and the retirement compensation history, including claims made by the widow or widower, with accompanying proof of the marriage and death of the retiree. However, if you have ancestors or collaterals who were railroad employees, you'd better act fast to obtain copies of their records. indeed, you may be too late. The established retention schedule provides that five years after the last payment to a pensioner, his or her records are transferred to the Federal Records Center. That Center maintains the records for thirty years, after which the records are destroyed. The National Archives needs to hear when retention schedules ought to be reviewed and revised. To urge a reexamination of a retention schedule for any class of records write to: Director, Office of Record Management, National Archives and Records Administration, Eighth and Pennsylvania Ave, N.W., Washington, DC 20408. Those wishing to express an opinion regarding the Railroad Retirement Act Claim folder data should write to: Curt B. Witcher, Allen County Public Library, PO Box 2270, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270. Mr Witcher, President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, will be discussing the issue with the National Archives and will use your letters to support the need for reevaluation of this specific retention schedule. Remember your records, your choice! The genealogical community must ensure that records and documents of historical and genealogical significance survive for researchers of tomorrow. Notify your local Senators and Representatives that our records are being destroyed. Inform them that the documents of our heritage should be properly preserved. That's three of four letters needed NOW to express your opinion. We must act on these issues. No one else will do it for us. The above articles were taken from the Contra Costa Co. Genealogical Society Newsletter. ******************** L.A.G.S MEMBERS VISIT SALT LAKE CITY F.H.C. On June 5, 1994 L.A.G.S. members Jeanne Tanghe, Erma McCue, Fran Samans, Regina and Patty Schaefer, Peggy and Jack Norman, Mildred Doucette and your truly Isabel Nolte, with the guiding hands of Mary Lynn and Jim Horton, departed on Morris Airlines and arrived in Salt Lake City at 11:05 a.m. We shuttled to the Carlton Hotel which was about three blocks from the Latter-Day Saints Library. Not ones to let grass grow under our feet, we took off for the library and began our research. The Family History Center was open from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. We had a few diehards who stayed until the bitter end. We found that on the 4th floor of the Joseph Smith Building we could view the 1920 Soundex census and have access to more computers with very little disturbance. The library staff and the volunteers were very generous in their assistance. specialist were also available if needed. Some of our group managed to get together for meals. However, on the way home we exchanged some of our findings and found that the trip was very worthwhile. Some are anxious to go back soon. The weather was beautiful the whole five days. The Mormons are very proud of their heritage and some of us managed to visit the Tabernacle and take a tour of the land marks left by the Mormon pioneers. ******************** FOOD FOR THOUGHT Once upon a time there were four people; their names were NOBODY, EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY and ANYBODY. One day there was an important task to do. EVERYBODY was sure that SOMEBODY would do it. The task was so simple that ANYBODY could have done it, but NOBODY did it. EVERYBODY got angry because it was EVERYBODY'S job. EVERYBODY thought that SOMEBODY would do it, but didn't realize that NOBODY would do it. Consequently, EVERYBODY blamed SOMEBODY when NOBODY did what ANYBODY could have done. (anonymous) LAGS Library News
FAMILY HISTORY MONTH David Abrahams According to an article by Miriam S. Bryan in the Summer issue of FGS Forum, genealogical societies in four states have been successful in persuading their state officials to name October as "Family History Month". Proclamations to this effect have been signed by the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, South Carolina and Nevada. Our own Felicia Ziomek is currently working with the cities of Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore, California, to have them issue similar proclamations. As of this writing, both the Pleasanton and Livermore city councils have indicated they will issue proclamations naming October as "Family History Month". Moreover, L-AGS is going to have a genealogy display in the lobby of the Pleasanton Public Library, 400 Old Bernal Avenue, for the month of October. We invite all readers to stop by to see this exhibit.
VETERANS RECORDS Isabel Nolte One may write to the National Archives and request NATF Form 80 to request veterans records. This form is only used to request the following types of information: Pension application files, based on Federal (not State) service before WWI. This information usually includes an official statement of the veteran's military service, as well as information of a personal nature. Pensions based on military service for the Confederate States of America were authorized by some Southern States but not by the Federal Government until 1959. Bounty-land warrant application files are based on Federal (not State) service before 1856. Documents in a bounty-land warrant application file are similar to those in a pension application file. In addition, these files usually give the veteran's age and place of residence at the time the application was made. Military service records are based on service in the UNITED STATES ARMY (officers who served before June 30, 1917, and enlisted men who served before October 31, 1912); NAVY (officers who served before 1903 and enlisted men who served before 1886); MARINE CORPS (officers who served before 1896 and enlisted men who served before 1905); and CONFEDERATE ARMED FORCES (officers and enlisted men, 1861 - 65). In addition to persons who served in regular forces raised by the Federal Government, volunteers fought in various wars chiefly in the Federal Government's interest from the Revolutionary War through the Philippine Insurrection, 1775 - 1902. For copies of this form, write to General Reference Branch (NNRG-P), National Archives and Records Administration, 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20408. For photocopies of records relating to service in World War I or II, or subsequent service, write to: National Personnel Records Center (Military Records), NARA, 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132.
The Bookshelf The big book news this quarter is the appearance of our surname book. Ninety-nine members and former members submitted data for the book and many helped in its production. The following is the information sent to Heritage Quest and Genealogical Helper, along with copies of the book for review. The prices quoted are for non-members of L-AGS. Members get appreciable discounts. ******************** Names of our Ancestors: 5861 surnames documented by members of the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society, Livermore, California, with separate indexes for surname, locality and soundexed surname. 1994. Compiled by Beverly Schell Ales, George Anderson and Harriet Anderson. Published by the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 901, Livermore, California 94551. 110+vi pages, 8.5 x 11 inches, soft cover, self-indexed. 3.5 inch diskette (IBM or Macintosh) also available. Book or diskette, $16 postpaid; book + diskette, $22 postpaid. This book consists of three parts. The first part contains 5861 statements of the form: Surname and variants - Locality of residence - Inclusive dates of residence in that locality - Submitter's code. This list contains 2731 different surnames, 487 of which are variants. The submitter's code is keyed to the name, postal address, telephone number and E-mail address of the submitter in a table at the front of the book. The second part of the book contains the same information sorted by locality. There are 5573 entries in this list, which spans all 50 states and 37 foreign countries. The third part lists all of the surnames in the book, sorted by Soundex code. A reader searching for a name not in the book can consult this index to look for a match with a similar name. ******************** DAR Patriot Index, Centennial Edition. 3 volumes. 1994. Published by the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. 3336 pages total, plus xi introductory pages in each volume. 6x9 inches, hard cover, maps. $60. Purchased by L-AGS. One of the most valuable set of books in any genealogical library, the DAR Patriot Index was updated this year and reissued in a new edition. The occasion for the update was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the DAR. By my estimate, there are over 120,000 individuals listed in these volumes. Not all are soldiers or sailors - anyone who gave documented patriotic service during the Revolution is eligible for listing. The preface states that both men and women are included, but Harriet and I had to search through many hundreds of names before we found a female. That is certainly not the fault of the present leadership of the DAR, who probably have been praying that members would nominate more heroines, but it is a reflection of the male view of patriotism that dominated during the past century. Curiously, George Washington is not in the book, but Martha is. The preface does not state that a living descendant of the candidate must make a nomination, but if it is so, that could be the explanation - George had no descendants, but Martha did from her first marriage. If you find a provable ancestor listed in this index, you can apply for membership in the DAR, if you are a female, or can help a female with the same ancestor apply. The Society will not answer questions about a patriot, but will sell a copy of the member's application that proves the patriot's eligibility. Details are in the preface to the book. ******************** Biographical Dictionary of the Youngs (born circa 1600-1870). 1994. Compiled by Louise Ryder Young. Published by Heritage Books, Inc., 1540-E Pointer Ridge Place, Bowie, Maryland 20716. 413+xvii pages, 5x8 inches, soft cover, indexed. No price listed. Donated by the publisher. The full title of this book summarizes its scope: "Biographical Dictionary of the Youngs (born circa 1600-1870), from Essex and Old Norfolk Counties, Massachusetts Bay Colony, which once contained parts of present-day Rockingham County, New Hampshire; A Listing of All Proprietors, Pioneers, Land Owners, Heads of Family, Soldiers and Sailors, Brides, Widows and Orphans by the Family Name of Young." If you have the surname Young in your ancestry (as four L-AGS members do, according to our new Surname Book), then chances are you have a relative listed in this book. There are 2084 Youngs in the index, and 2932 allied family names. And if you think you are confused by having relatives with the same name, consider that in this small geographical area there were 157 John Youngs and 69 Abigail Youngs! Each of the 1266 main entries on the Youngs is at least one paragraph in length, and some of them fill many pages. Sources are not only cited, but many deeds and wills are quoted in full. Unfortunately, the typography is ugly and hard on the eyes. However, this is a book that would never be read for pleasure anyway, and should be judged for what the title says it is: a dictionary, and an unabridged, thoroughly documented one at that. ******************** District Register Offices in England and Wales. 1992. Compiled by Andrea Cawley, 38 The Vale, Kirk Ella, N. Humberside, HU10 7PS, England. Published by East Yorkshire Family History Society. 14 pages, 5x8 inches, indexed. 95 pence postpaid airmail. Donated by Anne Homan. If you have ever tried to order birth, marriage or death certificates from England, you know that it can be costly and slow. The cost from the national register office at St. Catherine's House as of two years ago was 15 pounds, and only a partial refund is given if the search fails. This brochure, "which was the result of an enquiry from one of our overseas members," describes a better way, at least for births and deaths: to order the documents from a district register office. You must know the district where the event took place, and the approximate date. The names of these district offices are listed by county (shire) in this booklet, and then the full mailing addresses are given in an alphabetical list. The cost for a full certificate from these offices is said to be 5 pounds, with full refund in case of negative results. For marriage certificates, it may still be easier to go through St. Catherine's House, for reasons that are explained in the brochure. It is worth repeating the phone number, given in the Roots Tracer last winter, for ordering foreign currency: 1-800-424-2923. Most government agencies overseas require payment in their native money. ******************** Arkansas Genealogical Society's 1992-1993 Resource Directory. 1992. Compiled by Desmond Walls Allen and Bobbie Jones McLane. Published by the Arkansas Genealogical Society, PO Box 908, Hot Springs, AR 71902-0908. 69 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches, soft cover, self indexed, map. No price listed. Donated to L-AGS by Judy Person.
Researchers with work to do in Arkansas are lucky to have this handsome guide to genealogical resources in that state. All kinds of resources are covered in detail, from government agencies, libraries and societies to books, microfilms, newspapers and maps. The guide is organized hierarchically, starting with statewide and regional resources, and finally covering each of the 75 counties separately. Arkansas seems to be blessed with historians and archivists eager to publish. Even tiny Hempstead County (population 25,000, county seat Hope), boasts 17 books about its heritage. Maybe Bill and Hillary will add to that bibliography when they retire. Telling evidence of the schizophrenia of Arkansas during the Civil War is the fact that there are 26 books about military records in this guide - 14 about Confederate records and 12 about Union records. There even were 2000 men who served in both armies! ******************** The Rufus Parks Pedigree: Seventeen Centuries of One Family's Ancestors. 1989. By Brian J. L. Berry, Ph.D., McKinney, Texas. Published by the author. 166+vi pages, 8.5 x 11 inches, soft cover, indexed. Numerous illustrations, charts and maps. Price not listed. Donated to L-AGS by Judy Person.
Above: The Circuit Rider, from The Rufus Parks Pedigree. Rufus Parks was a Methodist circuit rider in Illinois in the 1830s. Dr. Berry is obviously very literate and very competent as a genealogist. His wife's immigrant ancestor was Robert Parke, a personal friend of John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts. Robert sailed to America with Winthrop on the Arabella in 1630. Dr. Berry's tale of his detective work in establishing Robert Parke as his wife's ancestor is readable and convincing. Yet, from then to earlier times, I am less persuaded. His tracing of lines in England seems quite problematic, as Dr. Berry himself implies. He writes, "Within this line are two claimed marriages that link the Prideaux family to multiple royal ancestries.... If the first of these claims were to be correct, it would lead back directly to the royal houses of Europe, Wales and Ireland, as diagrammed. But many genealogists argue that neither of those marriages has been proved."
The diagrams mentioned, and other diagrams in the book, show descents from Fergus Mor MacErc, a Scottish king alive in 461; Cerdic, king of West Saxons, alive in 495; Miledh of Esbain, 67th generation ancestor of Fergus MacErc; Eystein of Throndheim in Norway, alive in 710; Charlemagne; and the Roman Procopius Emperor, 365-366. Adorning these charts are dozens of coats-of-arms and illustrations of archeological finds from Frankish times. This is pretty heady stuff, especially for someone from McKinney, Texas. There is no way that I, with no knowledge of medieval history, could disprove any of these pedigrees, but you will pardon me if I roll my eyes skyward. ******************** The Parrish Family. First printed in 1935; reprinted 1988. Compiled and published by Scott Lee Boyd, Santa Barbara, California, with the help of Genealogist Katherine Cox Gottschalk. Available from E. L. McClelland, 6150 Marietta Road, Lancaster, Ohio 43130. 413 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches, beautifully hardbound, indexed, illustrated. $30.00. Donated to L-AGS by E. L. McClelland. The subtitle of this book is Including the Allied Families of Belt, Boyd, Cole and Malone, Clokey, Garrett, Merryman, Parsons, Price and Tipton. Almost 90 percent of the book is devoted to the Parrish family, and the remainder to these allied families. The progenitor of the Parrishes was Edward Parrish, who was "imported" to Maryland in 1655. After performing his time of service, he acquired land rapidly. Apparently, all land parcels in Maryland had to be named, leading to such colorful legal names as "Parrishes Delay," "Parrishes Chance," "Papa's Ridge" and "Parrishes Fear." This book is organized in the Register format, showing the influence of Ms. Gottschalk, the professional genealogist. It is highly structured, carefully documented and attractively typeset. By my count, there are 10,600 names in the index, a very respectable number for a single-family history.
LAGS Library News by Judy Person Members have been working heroically to inventory all the books on the shelves to make a "shelf list", from which we can make a catalog on paper of the combined holdings of LAGS and the Pleasanton Library. George Anderson has organized crews several times to complete this project, including Ed Holbrook, June Duffy, Harriet and George Anderson, Sandra Horn, Albert Beuche, Lucille Kusko, Bev Morris, and me. Regina Schaefer and Charles Michels entered notes on all the materials in the Pamphlet file, which we'll keep available for scanning at the library. This may have just the information you need on military records or doing research in a particular state, or family info. The New DAR Index has arrived on the shelf, bought by LAGS, as has the 1790 Federal Census, bought by the Pleasanton Library League. The next question on my mind is - How do we afford the turbo drive CD Rom we need to run the increasingly affordable compact disks with lots of data? The Phone Disk set would be our first purchase, and the Library League might join in the purchase, but we need the fast CD Rom to run it. Any ideas? The 1920 Federal Census is now available at Sutro Library as well as at the National Archives in San Bruno, including the complete Soundex index/finder. Sutro's hours are easy to remember: M-F, 10-5. The address is 480 Winston Drive, SF, and phone is (415) 731-4477. While I'm at it, let me give you the directions for three of the ways to get there: 1. Take BART to Daly City, get a free transfer and take the 28 bus for only three stops, and you'll be at Stonestown. Just walk down the hill a short distance and you're there. 2. Drive over the Bay Bridge and take 101 South, then the 280 cutoff to Hwy 1 north to 19th Ave. Go to Winston (the street on the north side of Stonestown) and go down the hill. 3. Drive over the Bay Bridge, take 101 South and take the Ocean Ave. exit to 19th (this winds around a bit). You can't turn left on 19th, so turn right and go to where you can go south on 19th, then right on Winston. If you can't find parking, try the Stonestown lot. It's a short walk. Now the good and bad Interlibrary Loan News. The good news is you can request up to four items (Sutro's limit) at a time, but the bad news is that each request costs $2 at Pleasanton and Dublin libraries. I hope we all are those who have saved big tax bucks since Prop. 13, because we certainly have given up a lot of library service for it. Now for the National Archives at San Bruno, 1000 Commodore Avenue, (415) 876-9009. They have the 1920 Census, and their correct hours now are 8-8 Wed, 8-4 M, T, Th, F. They say take the San Mateo bridge, then 101 north to San Bruno Ave, then to El Camino then left on Sneath Lane and left on Commodore. Good Searching!
Computer News by Doug Mumma Agendas for Upcoming Meetings of the L-AGS Computer Interest Group Unless otherwise announced, the meetings of the L-AGS Computer Interest Group will be held at 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at the LDS Church, 950 Mocho Street, Livermore The following meeting agendas are tentatively scheduled. Oct. 20 Software Help/Tricks/Shortcuts - We will split into small interest groups and everyone will share the various tricks, shortcuts, or other information that they have learned about their favorite genealogy program. The tentative interest groups will be PAF-Mac, PAF-IBM, Brother's Keeper, Family Tree Maker, and/or other programs as there is interest. This will be an interactive help session as always. Nov. 17 INTERNET/and or Using BBS's - We will either be discussing the INTERNET, how you can access it with or without a modem or computer of your own (i.e. the public library), and what it can do to help you with your genealogical research, or we will have a hands-on session dialing into one of the local BBS systems and discover what genealogy data is available. Dec. 15 No meeting scheduled. ******************** L-AGS Computer Diskettes Are Available Special L-AGS computer diskettes are available which contain a variety of information including genealogy programs, utilities, tutorials, and computer versions of L-AGS published information. The diskettes are available for a donation to L-AGS of the amount indicated. There are different diskettes for both the IBM and Mac users as follows: DOS-LAGS #1 - This diskette is for IBM compatible computers and contains over 1.4 megabytes of information. There are two tutorials about genealogy, two tutorials about using PAF and recommended guidelines for documentation, a nice tutorial about using the INTERNET, a demonstration program about using CompuServe's genealogy forum, a relationship chart, a listing of all genealogy bulletin boards in the U.S., a listing of all U.S. genealogical societies, and finally, a listing/review of 144 PAF/GEDCOM shareware programs that are available. The normal diskette size is 3 1/2", high density but I also have the programs available on 4, 5 1/4" low density diskettes. Note, some programs require a color monitor. - IBM only [Donation of $5.00 members, $7.50 non-members] MacLAGS #1 - This diskette is for Macintosh computers and contains four programs that George Anderson wrote as useful utilities for himself Ahnentafel v2 makes an ahnentafel chart from a PAF file with the option of including all, some, or no notes. Narrative v2 puts all of the data in a PAF file into compact narrative form. Chart v2 produces a compact descendants chart of fine typographic quality on a PostScript printer. Soundex Q instantly converts any name to Soundex code. These programs come with a 10 page manual. - Mac only [Donation of $5.00 members, $7.50 nonmembers] L-AGS Publications on Diskette All of L-AGS books and publications are also available in diskette form for the same price as the hardcopy version. If you want both the hardcopy and diskette, the price is only 50% more than the cost of the hardcopy version. All publications are ASCII text files and are available in both DOS and Mac formats These diskettes they are available at the regular L-AGS meetings and at the computer interest group meetings. You may also contact either me or George Anderson directly. ******************** PAF 2.3 Still Has Problems! As some of you know, Personal Ancestral File (PAF) Release 2.3 is no longer being offered or distributed by the Family History Department of LDS. There are some known "bugs" that they are still trying to fix. From the rumors I see on the various bulletin boards, I would not expect to see Release 2.31 (as it will probably be known) until December. The defects, while inconvenient, do not affect data and will not affect most users. The Family History Department encourage users of Release 2.3 to continue to use the program with two exceptions: * Users of the Research Data Filer program should use the Release 2.2 version. * Users of the GEDCOM program who wish to submit names for LDS temple ordinances should use the GEDCOM option, not the Temple Names Submission options. If you have any additional concerns or need help, you can contact the PAF technical support line at (801)-240-2584 in Salt Lake City. ******************** COMMSOFT Announces the Release of InterGED COMMSOFT, the publishers of ROOTS III and ROOTS IV, have announced the release of a new specification for exchanging computerized genealogical data. I know that they have been trying to influence the LDS developers to expand the, yet to be released, GEDCOM specification 2.3 to include many new features that are important to functionality of advanced programs such as ROOTS IV. They have not been successful and are forging out on their own. I think it is a correct move and I applaud their efforts. It is important for new programs to be able to handle adoptions, illegitimate children, etc. correctly. You just can't input these events in PAF, a lineage-linked program, without resorting to tricks. The following is the COMMSOFT's news release: Windsor, CA -- (July 22, 1994) -- COMMSOFT announced today the upcoming release of InterGED, a new specification for exchanging computerized genealogical data. InterGED is included in ROOTS IV Version 1.1, which will be sent to all registered users of ROOTS IV this summer. This new specification, which allows lineage- and event-linked computer programs to communicate, is fundamentally compatible with current lineage-linked GEDCOM (Genealogical Data COMmunications) implementations. InterGED preserves the lineage-linked Family and event concepts to maintain this compatibility, although these structures are not required by InterGED. Event-linked family history takes the perspective that individuals assume relationships to each other through events. The birth event, for example, links a child with her/his ancestors through his parents. A marriage event links two individuals through a legal and/or religious agreement. Many individuals can be linked to an event in addition to the principal role players. By linking individuals through events rather than families, the historian has much more freedom and flexibility when documenting complex relationships, especially those that do not fit traditional family structures. An understanding of the association of individuals through events can give us a much better picture of our past than afforded by other forms of family history. The GEDCOM standard was developed to provide a flexible uniform format for exchanging computerized genealogical data. In the years since GEDCOM was introduced, genealogical software has evolved significantly. ROOTS IV is the first genealogy program designed to record family events and their associated roles without restriction. Modern programs such as ROOTS IV, provide the ability to store and process family historical information and associated data in ways that surpass the capabilities of the current lineage-linked GEDCOM standard. InterGED was created for ROOTS IV to reliably handle event-linked family historical information. The InterGED specification will be released to the genealogy software community so that other developers can create InterGED-compatible software. Note: I called Commsoft in early September and was informed that Release 1.1 of Roots IV should be shipped around the 1st of October. I won't hold my breath, however, that they will meet that date. They are sending me the latest maintenance of Release 1.0 which will include the new InterGED module. My current maintenance release will not even allow me to export a GEDCOM file. ******************** Need to Borrow an IBM Computer or Try Out a Genealogy Program? I now have a spare 286 IBM clone computer that is available for anyone to check out, borrow and test different programs. I have it loaded with a variety of word processing and genealogy programs. The currently loaded genealogy programs are Family Roots 4, PAF 2.3, Brother's Keeper 5.2, Family Tree Maker for DOS, Family Scrap Book 2.02, and Genbook 3.3. The word processing programs include Word 5.0, Word Perfect 5.1, and PC Write 4.0. 1 don't have any Windows programs because the 286 machine is just not powerful enough to support them or ROOTS IV. I will be happy to show you ROOTS IV or the windows programs at my house. ******************** L-AGS-1994 CIG CALENDAR October Software Help/Tricks/Shortcuts November INTERNET/and or BBS's December No Meeting
"Maxing" Out in Salt Lake City By Chuck Rockhold I recently visited Salt Lake City while on vacation and did some more research at the Family History Center Library. My schedule was quite tight; I had only three days to search all holdings for Frederick and Washington Counties, Maryland, looking for two surnames in the time period from 1750 to 1800. Previously I had done the obvious such as searches of the IGI, the Federal census and Sutro Library. A long time ago I developed the habit of making note of all documents reviewed, thus leaving a well documented trail. With only three days available, the prospects of both searching and documenting seemed impossible.
A few days before my departure, I visited the FHC in Oakland. They have the SLC card catalog on computer and on microfiche and I needed a download of all relevant holdings. The computer provided no means for getting a concise listing, so I turned to the microfiche and made copies. This resulted in 25 pages for Frederick Co. and 17 pages for Washington; each page averaging about 10 citations; about 400 total. At 25 cents per page, the cost for copies was $10.50. An example of a typical page of listings is shown. Before arrival at SLC, I was able to eliminate from the search all documents previously reviewed, those not pertinent to the time period and those inappropriate for other reasons. In SLC I first went through all books, going from the list to the shelf and checking each off as I proceeded. The same for micro-film. Because I had a hard copy list, it was only necessary to make marginal notes of findings. The investment in copies proved to be a great time saver, allowing me to accomplish and document my ambitious search in just three days.
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Last modified: 16jan03.0105