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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.

CGS Events:

April 3: 1st Saturdays Free Intro to Genealogy: Organizing Your Family History

Conferences & Workshops:   

March 27-April 3: “Virtual Open House” (Genealogical Forum of Oregon)

 

April 3: Spring Seminarwith Karen Stanbary and Maurren Taylor (Eastern Washington Genealogical Society)

April 1-May 31:  The New England Regional Genealogical Consortium

BYU Family History Library

March 31: “Family Search Q&A” with Kathryn Grant

Family Search Family History Library

April 1: “Hessian Soldiers: Their History and How to Find Them in American and Germany”

Legacy Family Tree

March 30:  “See your ancestors like never before with MyHeritage’s photo tools” by Tal Erlichman
March 31: “Fifty Overlooked Genealogical Resources in Fifty Minutes” by Diane L. Richard
April 2: “In Their Own Words: Genealogy in the Slave Narrative” by Renate Yarborough Sanders

Southern California Genealogical Society

April 3: “Suddenly Scotland: An Introduction to Scottish Research” by Sara Cochran

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:

March 30: “Curtain Going Up: Entertainments During The Gold Rush and The Comstock Lode” by William Eddelman (San Francisco History Association)
April 1: “Institutions Part I: Hospitals, Sanitariums and Asylums” by Madeline Yanov (Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia)

April 3: “Splitsville: Divorce Records and the Hidden Gold Within” by Stephanie K. West ( Solano County Genealogical Society)

Conference Keeper has 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 a sampling of the coming week’s offerings:

Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society

 If you don’t yet know about Reclaim the Records, you should.  Founded in 2015 by CGS member Brooke Scheier Ganz, it’s a not-for-profit group of activist genealogists, historians, researchers, and open government advocates. They sum up their mission like this: “We identify important genealogical records sets that ought to be in the public domain but which are being wrongly restricted by government archives, libraries, and agencies.” 

When they find such records, the group files a Freedom of Information request, asking that the data be released to the public. If the FOIA request is denied, they sue the agency in question. So far, Reclaim the Records has succeeded in opening up public records in multiple states, including Mississippi, Nebraska, and Wyoming, and even at federal institutions such as the National Archives.

The group was born when Ganz became frustrated doing New York City genealogy research. She found that most vital records in New York were either inaccessible or available only at great expense. Reasoning that these were public records, paid for by taxpayers, Ganz filed a Freedom of Information request with the New York City Municipal Archives, which was ignored. She then sued, and became the first genealogist to successfully sue a government archive for the return of records to the public.

The group is celebrated among researchers and open-government activists. They’ve gained quite a following on social media, too, with a Twitter account full of cheeky comments (“RELEASE THE KRAKEN! We’re taking on @nycrecords! Again!” reads one post.)
 
That cheekiness is characteristic of all Reclaim the Records communications; fed, no doubt, by exasperation and outrage. A press release about a recent court action read: “Did you ever wonder what would happen if you caught a major American city’s Department of Health in an ‘astroturf’ campaign where they created fake support for a government policy that actually came entirely from city officials?” That refers to a two-year battle over access to New York City death certificates. The case recently moved forward when a State Supreme Court judge ruled against the city’s Motion to Dismiss and ordered the municipality to prepare a verified response. It is hoped that this will go before a judge in the next few months and that the result will be an order to make the records public. 

You can read the saga here. Or visit the Reclaim the Records website for much more!

Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society 

 

 

 

 

President James Sorenson

On March 10, 2021, Alameda County returned to the red tier for COVID-19 restrictions.  That change does not allow for the reopening of office spaces, which includes the CGS library. Offices can reopen at 25% capacity in the orange tier if required safety protocols are in place. CGS is following Alameda County announcements and comparing reopening plans with similar organizations.  Due to the steps CGS will have to take to comply with safety protocols, our reopening will not occur immediately after the County returns to the orange tier. We will continue to work towards reopening and will keep you updated as to our progress.

 

As more people are completing their vaccination cycle, it is logical to ask if one’s vaccination status will impact your ability to return to the library. At this point, it is highly unlikely that the County will adjust their restrictions to reflect individual vaccination status in the near term. One reason is that it is unknown if vaccinated individuals can still spread the virus to others. It would also be difficult to administer a system which reflects the haves and have-nots of vaccination.

 

We know many of you are eager to return to your research at the CGS library. We will do all we can to make sure that happens in an efficient and safe way and look forward to having you visit again.

 

James Sorenson, CGS President