Your feedback is needed by May 19!
(5/13/2021)
From time to time the CGS blog likes to inform our readers and friends about campaigns to improve access to genealogical records. A group of activists recently succeeded in forestalling a huge increase in the fees to access A-files and other immigration records. Now they are lobbying USCIS to transfer these records to the National Archives. Public comments are due by MAY 19.
Head to www.recordsnotrevenue.com for comment starters and to see a breakdown of the important issues open for discussion.
Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society
Online genealogy, week of May 9-15
(5/8/2021)
Our weekly roundup of upcoming genealogy events. Numerous associations offer online genealogy classes every week. Most are free. To register for one of the events below, click on the name of the host organization.
May 11: “WWII ‘Internment Camps’ and Mass Incarceration in the U.S.”
May 15: Family Tree Maker Special Interest Group
May 15: Eastern European Special Interest Group
Conferences & Workshops:
May 15: Four-Part Workshop with Judy Russell (Cobb County Genealogical Society)
May 15: “A Day of English Research” with Paul Milner (Seattle Genealogical Society)
May 12: “Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II” by Daniel James Brown
May 13: “The Story of Jewish Families and Their English Country Houses” by Curt DiCamillo
FamilySearch Family History Library
May 12: “What’s New at FamilySearch”
May 11: “Latest updates to MyHeritage Genetic Groups” by Daniel Horowitz
May 12 & 13: “DNA Downer: Strategies for Dealing with DNA Fatigue” by Blaine Bettinger
Other Listings
Sutro Library’s Bay Area Genealogy Calendar lists a wealth of Bay Area events and exhibits, including regular genealogical group meetings. This week’s highlights:
May 10: “Getting Ready for the 1950 US Census” by Thomas MacEntee (Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society)
May 12: “Our Portuguese-American Ancestors: From the Azores and Madeira to the U.S.” by Ralph Severson (Oakland Family History Library)
May 12: San Francisco Genealogy Group (San Francisco Public Library)
May 13: “What’s in a Name? Renaming at Stanford” (Stanford Historical Society)
May 15: “Advanced Research in Passenger Arrival Records” by Julie Miller (Sonoma County Genealogical Society)
May 15: Celebrating Our HeART-filled Heritage (Leela Dance Collective)
Conference Keeperhas a large calendar of classes (too many to list) hosted by genealogical organizations around the country and abroad. Lots to explore, and new events are added often, so be sure to browse the entire calendar. Here’s just a sampling of the coming week’s offerings:
May 10: “Stitches in Time: Quilts 1800-1976” (Genealogical Society of Bergen County)
May 11: “Starting Your Family History Journey in Four Steps” by D. Joshua Taylor
(New York Genealogical & Biographical Society)
May 12: “Api’s Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather’s Nazi Past” by Gabrielle Robinson (Indiana German Heritage Society)
May 13: “Reverse Genealogy: Finding Cousins and Chasing the Living” by Nicka Smith (Allen County Public Library)
May 14: “A Firsthand Look at Crypto Jewish Research and Sources” (Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research) by Genie Milgrom
May 15: “Reconciling Unsettling Truths About Our Ancestors” by Connie Davis & Wendy (Virtual Genealogical Society)
See our post “Genealogy Learning in the Time of Coronavirus” for links to classes archived online at Ancestry, FamilySearch, RootsTech, and more. Be well, stay safe, and happy learning!
Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society
Now online: Documents from the Griffin Collection
(5/4/2021)
By Chris Pattilo
The newest addition to the CGS website is a set of documents from the Griffin Manuscripts Collection. Member Stewart Traiman scanned the material and created a detailed list of the contents, which include marriage, death and other vital records, wills, deeds, personal notes, genealogical worksheets and a few photos for multiple generations of the Charles Griffin family as well as allied lines including Ashfield, Benson, Blatchford, Deboy, Dudley, Haverhill, Maxwell, Taylor and more.
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| Captain Francis Marion Griffin of Boston, 1909: from the Griffin Collection |
Dr. Charles Francis Griffin was the tenth president of the California Genealogical Society (CGS). He served from 1923 to 1931. He was born 26 April 1869 in Lassen County, California, the son of Francis Marion Griffin and Margaret Malloy Griffin. Griffin attended school in Vallejo, California, and Cooper Medical College in San Francisco. He received an MD degree from Stanford University in 1891, and practiced medicine in San Francisco.
In addition to being an active member of CGS, Dr. Griffin was a contributing member of the California Historical Society. In that capacity he compiled an Index to the Annals of San Francisco which was published in 1935. He was also an officer in the Society of Mayflower Descendants for many years.
Dr. Griffin was killed in a bus accident in Guerneville, California, on 23 December 1950. Upon his death his estate donated his vast collection of genealogical books to CGS.[1]
To browse the Griffin Collection via our website, log in and go to the Research Tab, select “Online Resources” from the pull down menu, and scroll down to Resources Developed by CGS Members, where you will find a link to the Charles Francis Griffin M.D. Collection. Note: These online collections do not include everything held by our library because some items are under copyright. To view the entire collection you’ll need to visit the library when it reopens.
[1]Information gleaned from an article written by A.T. Leonard, Jr. for California Historical Society Quarterly, 1 March 1951, and from previous CGS blog articles.
Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society