Society Saturday - Family History Day at the California State Archives

"Just the facts mam" was Sergeant Joe Friday's famous line from the Dragnet radio and TV series.  The line also rings true in the search for ancestors.  Where are the facts?  What if there's a bit of fiction (lore) mixed with those facts?  Can your ancestors still be found?

Answers to these questions and more await you at Family History Day at the California State Archives on Saturday, October 13, 2012.   Discovering Ancestral Gold is the theme at this all day free event open to the public.

At Family History Day you will learn:

• How to start the quest for your family roots or revive old research
• What basic resources to use onsite and online
• Where to get ongoing help locally and afar

Highlights of the Day

• Welcome by Nancy Lenoil, State Archivist, California State Archives
• Keynote address by Lisa B. Lee, professional genealogist and owner of GotGenealogy.com.  Ms. Lee's topic will be “Genealogy Basics, The Constant Companion of Family Historians”.   Ms. Lee will also teach the class “Finding your Black Ancestors, an Introduction”.  
• 25+ classes in basic genealogical research techniques and resources presented by local and statewide  genealogical experts
• Tours of the Archives Preservation Lab
• “Insider” tours of the State Archives
• 25+ exhibitors representing genealogical, historical and lineage societies, research libraries, archives, and preservation experts - some offering live internet searches
• Root Cellar Genealogical Society Library - open for browsing its extensive collections and talking to the Librarian and member volunteers
• Volunteers and exhibitors wearing period clothing to reflect the bygone days of our ancestors.  You too?
• La Bou Cafe, open from 9am - 2pm, 11th and "O" Streets, one block away

What you can do

• Pre-register - let us know you're coming!
• Reserve a Syllabus ($5.00) with all the class handouts and list of exhibitors
• Pre-register and reserve a Syllabus in one email sent to fhdmailbox@gmail.com
• Follow or subscribe to the Blog for Family History Day for event details
• Tell a friend, bring a friend!

Family History Day

California State Archives

1020 “O” Street, Sacramento

Saturday, October 13, 2012

8:30am - 4:30pm

Cost: Free (see ''What you can do'' above)

Blog: http://fhdnewsline.blogspot.com

Email: fhdmailbox@gmail.com

(Note: several members of Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society are organizing this event)

Sponsors: California State Archives; Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society; Genealogical and Historical Council of Sacramento Valley, and The California Museum

posted by Denise H. Ricmond

Thank Goodness for Archives!

The National Genealogical Society blog, UpFront with NGS, posted this article on 18 Nov 2011. Now this is information that's meant to be shared! 

Archives can be a great resource for genealogists and yet visiting/using one can be intimidating.  I remember that I was actually nervous the first few times that I visited some – they each have their own rules and one sometimes wasn’t always made to feel welcome.  Now that I have visited all kinds of archives, big and small, private and public, I know that if I do my homework about what the archive holds, how it operates, etc, I really enjoy and value the access that I gain to the records.  This does outweigh the few butterflies I still sometimes experience when I am planning a first visit (for me) to an archive. 

Given that, I think that you’ll find the following helpful …

Paula's Genealogical Eclectica* recently posted a piece titled Guide to using Archives where she talks about The Society of American Archivists and its helpful online guide Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research which has many great tips for potential users.

 
Select entries from the Table of Contents

What Are Archives and How Do They Differ from Libraries?

Types of Archives

Finding and Evaluating Archives

Planning to Visit an Archives

Typical Usage Guidelines in Archival Repositories

Visiting an Archives

There is also a PDF version.

*This is the blog of Paul Stuart-Warren, CG ^TM 

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In Sacramento, California, visit these fine repositories:

• California State Archives
• California State Library
• Center for Sacramento History

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

Follow Friday - Family History Day at the California State Archives

On Saturday, October 15th, the California State Archives will open its doors to the 13th annual Family History Day, an all day, all free event.

This is a day when we celebrate National Family History Month.

This is a day when we introduce the joy of genealogy to the public.

This is a day when you will begin your journey back to the days of your ancestors.

Whether you want to learn how to start your family tree or refresh your research skills, the 23 genealogy classes available at Family History Day 2011 are sure to meet your needs.  All classes are presented by speakers who are experts in their subjects, teaching at the basic level, informing you of what resources are available and how to use them. 

Talk to representatives from the 27+ exhibitors who will help enhance your family history research.  The exhibitors include genealogical and lineage societies, libraries and archives, photographic preservation experts and technology tools.

The Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Library, housed on the 4th floor of the State Archives, will be open for browsing (and research if you have time).  Our librarian, Sammie Hudgens, and her team will be available for orientation and assistance.

Be sure to sign up for a tour of the State Archives.  You will enjoy a rare opportunity to get an inside look at how documents are received, prepared for storage and made available to the public for research.  Also, learn about the State Archives preservation process for documents held there.

The Family History Day blog has up-to-date news about the speakers, class topics, exhibitors, venue and parking.  The class schedule is there as are FAQs about the event.  Visit the blog today!

We look forward to seeing you at Family History Day 2011!

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

The First Sacramento Archives Crawl was a success!!

On Saturday, October 1, 2011, California State Archives, California State Library, Center for Sacramento History, Sacramento Room of the Sacramento Library, and Root Cellar's Library opened their doors to the public. 

Here Root Cellar's Librarian Sammie Hudgens is informing people of the holdings of our library as well as the society's publications.


Posted by Ron Setzer
Pictures submitted by Lois Shumaker

You're Invited! Crawling in Sacramento

 

Crawling in Sacramento?  What's going on here?

• Event: “Explore History: Sacramento Archives Crawl”
• Date: Saturday, October 1, 2011
• Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Places:
  • California State Archives (1020 O Street)
  • California State Library (900 N Street)
  • Center for Sacramento History (551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.)
  • Sacramento Public Library (828 I Street)

Nineteen archives and special collections libraries from the Sacramento area and beyond will be celebrating National Archives Month by exhibiting rarely-seen historic treasures from their collections at four host locations in the downtown area. 

Start off at any of the host locations listed above---- then "crawl" to the others using the map provided in your Archives Crawl passport. At each location, you can view archival collections on display and take behind-the-scenes tours. Representatives from other archives and special collections libraries will be on hand to discuss their archival collections - historic photographs, rare books, historic artifacts - and answer your questions about how to connect with local history resources. Those who have their passports stamped by at least three of the host locations will receive a set of limited-edition collectible coasters with images from Sacramento's former Buffalo Brewing Company.

Self-promotion: Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society, a sponsor of Family History Day, will have an exhibit at the California State Archives location.  Our Librarian, Sammie Hudgens, and her team will be available to describe the extensive reference collections in our genealogical library housed at the State Archives.

Hope to see you there!  Knee-pads optional!