Saturday Society - pre-Root Cellar Spring Seminar

Saturday is finally the day for Root Cellar's 2013 Spring Seminar with speaker Thomas MacEntee. With all the final tasks being done we are ready for 200+ participants. The baskets are complete and are being put in their places this afternoon. Our vendor's are unloading and getting set up also.

We will be ready for all of you in the morning with registration packets, breakfast goodies, table with free information, vendors ready to service you, 16 huge wonderful gift baskets for the raffle awaits you, and Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society ready to show and shine.

Thomas MacEntee flew in from Chicago, IL Thursday afternoon and was met at the airport by Speaker Transport crew "Denise & Scott Richmond" They had dinner and Thomas checked into the hotel.

Timing is everything.........  our regular General Meeting was Thursday evening also and Thomas and transport arrived just in time for all the pre-meeting activities. Of course we are trying something new this month........... 2 Roundtable Discussions. I was thrilled to have Thomas  sit at my table and interact with the members about Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. The other table was discussing Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Just a half hour of discussion but everyone seemed to enjoy it and want more. So we will try it again in April.

Thomas and Judy Nissila are reunited... turns out that they are cousins. ahhhhh!!!

Our main speaker for the evening was Cheryl Crockett presenting "The Slade Phenomenom". Her presentation was really well planned and organized.

Friday really was a busy day for Thomas and his transport crew. They showed up about 9am at the Center for Sacramento History where our transcribing group led by Marilyn Ulbricht meets each Friday AM. It was a small group today but still we were hard at work.........  Marilyn Ulbricht, Sandi Benward, Lois Shumaker, Sammi Hudgens and of course Patricia Johnson, Senior Archivist & Volunteer Coordinator from the center. Thomas was able to see what we do, & what we have done and then take a tour of the Center- vault and all. I think he was impressed.

At noon the Tech Committee, Ron Setzer, Denise Richmond (transport crew) and Sandra Benward meet with Thomas over lunch (lots of pizza - what else is there!). Lots of questions and more than we expected in answers. It was a great discussion, with lots of super ideas for the society.


After lunch and discussions, Thomas was driven over to the church so he can check out the room, the sound system and internet connection. All around him were set up people and Root Cellar volunteers tranforming the room. Alot of action at the delivery entrance, all those 16 gift baskets for the raffle were arriving. Wow, you are going to be surprised when you see them........  amazing. What a logistics problem, getting each of those huge baskets to the Church AND IN ONE PIECE TOO and they did it. Lots of van's and trucks. Thank you to everyone that helped in that effort. Vendors were also arriving and setting up. It is going to be a fun day Saturday.

 

....and of course the Techie corner and asking 'what did we forget?'

Tonight, Friday, Diane Maltase, invited all the board members and seminar committee volunteers - for a special 'Sweet & Greet" Gathering at her home. Everyone brought sweets to share. It was an opportunity to have a one on one discussion with Thomas (well, maybe 7-10 to 1 is more accurate). Great idea.

To bed, & up early - getting ready to greet all the participants for the day.

Big thanks to Diane Maltase and Denise Miller,co-chairs and to the many volunteers that helped.


                       WE ARE READY TO SHOW AND SHINE ONE MORE TIME.

                                                 See you at the Spring Seminar!



posted for your enjoyment by Sandra Gardner Benward

Sacramento County History Day March 9, 2013

Sacramento County History Day........  This is day well spent, especially when you are sharing the day with young people. These young people have created projects or written papers that cover a number of areas all within the area of 'history'. The theme this year is "Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events"

There are several ways you can enjoy the day .......  as an obsever or as a participant. Observers give alot of great support to the young people. It shows that the outside world does care about they are doing........  Participating as a Judge would also show your support and will help you to understand the projects that have been created. Judges/Volunteers Needed for Sacramento County History Day. If you would like to be a judge please use the contact information at the bottom.  Thank You! 

The Genealogical & Historical Council of Sacramento Valley is offering two $50 cash awards for the "Best in a Genealogical Project/Paper". You may see the winners at Family History Day 2013 exhibit hall.  Gwen Myers and I will be judging this award.  See you there.

The The Center for Sacramento History , in partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education, will host Sacramento County History Day (SCHD) on Saturday, March 9th at Inderkum High School in Natomas. This year, young scholars in 4th-12th grade from around the county will gather to present their original projects in one of six categories based on the theme, "Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events."

Friendly, service-oriented folks with an interest in history are invited to serve as judges at the competition. Judges evaluate student entries, providing positive feedback and constructive criticism to help them advance to the state competition in late April.  Judge training takes place that morning, and breakfast and lunch are provided.  It's a fun day for all, and one that allows some of the best and brightest in our community to shine! 

If you're interested in being a judge, please visit the SCHD Website and fill out the online Judge Registration Form.

 

What: Sacramento County History Day

Where: Inderkum High School, 2500 New Market Drive, Sacramento, CA  95835

When: March 9, 7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Click For more information   or  call  916-808-7072 or email

Dylan McDonald, CA 

Center for Sacramento History
551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd
Sacramento, CA  95811
TEL (916) 808-7080
FAX (916) 808-7582



posted hoping for your support and/or particiaption by Sandra Gardner Benward

 

Support the Sacramento History Foundation for the Center for Sacramento History

UNTAPPED 

SACRAMENTO HISTORY

The Sacramento History Foundation Presents

A Behind the Scenes Look at

Sacramento's Brewing Heritage

Inside the Vault of the Center for Sacramento History

Featuring Ed Carroll

Author of "Sacramento Breweries"

Featured Breweries

Ruhstaller * Track 7 * Two Rivers Cider

Tickets $35

Includes 2 pints in a complimentary pint glass

Additional pints may be purchased for $5

Posted by Ron Setzer

Society Saturday - Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection Completed

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is very pleased to announce the completion  of the Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection 1887 - 1969.  The progress of producing this 20 book collection of over 70,000 indexed names was chronicled, in part, here and here.

Every Friday morning for over three years the extraction team lead by Marilyn Ulbricht assembled at the Center for Sacramento History where the records are held.  Each volunteer had a coroner's record book from which entries were extracted. The books were fragile and cumbersome to manage, some measuring nearly 18 inches square. Great care was taken to protect crumbling spines and delicate pages. Pat Johnson, Senior Archivist at the Center, welcomed the volunteers and the extraction project because it will increase public access to the records via published indexes and promote preservation of the actual books by reducing or eliminating handling.

The adage "dead men tell no tales" couldn't be further from the truth when it comes to coroner's records.  Genealogists with kin of all ages and gender who lived in Sacramento County from 1887-1969 could learn valuable clues about their last place of residence, cause of death and more from our newly completed collection. 

Dae Powell, the Shoestring Genealogist, wrote about the types of coroner's records, how to locate them, and online resources.  The article, written in 2007, remains relevant today except for need to add the Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection to her list of resources!

The books are available for purchase in the Store on our website or by contacting us by email.

posted by Denise H. Richmond

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 

--------------

In Sacramento, California, visit these fine repositories:

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

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

Thankful Thursday: Volunteers Who Transcribe Original Records

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is thankful for its devoted Records Extraction Team lead by past president Marilyn Ulbricht. The term 'extraction' sounds down right painful, but it is far from it.


This group of volunteers would probably describe their transcription work as a way of giving back to the genealogy community, possibly a labor of love and certainly educational.  Reference books are always at hand to clarify a place name or cause of death terminology of a bygone era like dropsy and marasmus.

Every Friday morning the team assembles at the Center for Sacramento History. Each volunteer has a record book from which to extract entries.  The books are fragile and cumbersome to manage, some measuring nearly 18 inches square. Great care is taken to protect crumbling spines and delicate pages.  Pat Johnson, Senior Archivist at the Center, welcomes the volunteers and the extraction project because it will increase public access to the records via published indexes and promote preservation of the actual books by reducing or eliminating handling.

The team's current project is huge:  extracting Sacramento County Coroner's Office records from 1887 - 1969.  These original records are held at the Center for Sacramento History which acquired them through the efforts of the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Committee.  The work of these dedicated volunteers will culminate in a 20 volume record set.  As of this writing, Book 13, covering the 1930s to 1940s, was just completed and sent to the printer!

According to Marilyn Ulbricht, "Coroner Records are a gold mine of information - they give clues to follow which can really get through some brick walls.  They really tell a story of life!"  Marilyn continues "Not everyone was buried in a potter's grave as there were contracts with various cemeteries in the area to bury decedents whose family was unable to bury them". 

The books contain inquisition certificates, inquests, receipts for property, indigent burial records, disposal of bodies and property, and buried location.  The information to be gleaned from each book includes place, date or cause of death; date and arrangements for burial; and property description and name and relationship of the person receiving such property.  These are valuable clues for the family history researcher.

Thank you again for your tremendous contribution to Root Cellar and the genealogy community!

This publication and others can be read at the Root Cellar Genealogical Library located inside the California State Archives, 1020 "O" Street, 4th floor, Sacramento, California.  You may also contact us about purchase. 

 

Thankful Thursday is just one of the blog themes suggested on GeneaBloggers.  Get your family research noticed here; send a short story and/or image to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.

 

posted by Denise HIbsch Richmond

Wordless Wednesday: Women Proprietors 1850-1930

Cover photo of the index compiled by members of the Extraction Committee from records held at the Center for Sacramento History

 and published by Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society

 More info about lookup or purchase

Wordless Wednesday is just one of the blogging themes suggested on GeneaBloggers.  Get your family research noticed here; submit a short story or image to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.

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!