Thankful Thursday - Top Reads for 2012

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society would like to thank all of its followers for reading this blog during the past year.  Whether you live near or far, member or not, we hope the blog articles have helped you become more informed and educated. 

Thank you also to our members who contributed personal ancestor stories, photos and mysteries in hope for a cousin-connection or brickwall-breakthrough.  Remember, the blog is a member benefit so keep the contributions coming in 2013!

Year-end lists are quite popular so let's review a selection of the most read articles during 2012.  Who knows, maybe you missed a couple!

Posted by Sandra Gardner Benward:

Letters from the War Front -- Wordless Wednesday

NARA Citizen Archivist Dashboard Live!

Second Day at Roots Tech Conference

Posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond:

Tuesday's Tip: Death Records: A Check List of Ten Documents Every Genealogist Should Acquire

Follow Friday: National Library of Medicine and Your Ancestors

Society Saturday - Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection Completed

Posted by Ron Setzer:

Technology Tuesday – NGS Recommendations on Standards for Use of Technology

Tombstone Tuesday - John McLearie, Sr.

Follow Friday – Your Genetic Genealogist

As always, we love receiving your contributions, suggestions and comments.  Send them to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.  Have a happy, healthy, and ancestor-rich New Year!

Daily blog prompts are used with permission of GeneaBloggers.com. 
Images from Microsoft Office Clipart.
posted by Denise H. Richmond

Thankful Thursday - Sutro Library Reopens

Genealogists will be thankful for this news from the California State Library:

The Sutro Library is re-opening at its new location August 1, 2012.  Since its establishment in 1913, the Sutro branch of the California State Library has never had a permanent home.  Now it does--on the fifth and sixth floors of the newly renovated J. Paul Leonard and Sutro Library building on the campus of San Francisco State University.  The fifth floor reading room is bright and spacious, with brand new furniture, computers, and scanners for both print and microform.

The Sutro Library is, once again, providing no-fee interlibrary loan service; and, starting August 1, 2012, will be open to the public from 10 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

Our new address is:

Sutro Library
1630 Holloway Drive
San Francisco CA 94132

Please note that the Sutro telephone number has also changed.  Our main number is now 415-469-6100.

 Our e-mail address remains the same: sutro@library.ca.gov

For more information about the Sutro Library, please visit: http://www.library.ca.gov/collections/index.html#sutro

The Sutro Library is located in the southeast quadrant of the SFSU campus. For a map, please visit: http://www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap/graphics/SFSUmap_clean.pdf

For information about campus parking, please visit:
http://www.sfsu.edu/~parking/text/parking.html

We are excited to have the Sutro Library back in business!  We look forward to serving California's libraries and patrons from our new location.  Please don't hesitate to call us or send us an e-mail for more information.

California State Library
900 N Street
PO Box 942837
Sacramento CA 94237-0001

news submitted by Lois Shumaker
posted by Denise H. 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

Thankful Thursday - Uncle Bill's Family Findings

I am thankful for my Uncle Bill Hibsch, also known as the family historian.  His life-long interest in history and family history in particular continues to be a boom for my family research.  My husband and I recently had lunch with him and my Aunt Joan.  As we were chatting, he pulled out a folder which turned out to be a treasure trove - two obituaries and four photos.  Happy Dance Time!  He said there's more to come - oh, if only I lived next door to him!  I am sharing one of the obituaries below (click to enlarge).

This is about the 'family lore' we all have that drive us crazy.  My Uncle Bill told me about the stories he heard during his childhood about "Uncle Dock". Apparenty, he would show up unannounced at my great-grandparents Kendall's citrus ranch in Baldwin Park, Los Angeles County, California.  Uncle Dock's given name was unknown but Uncle Bill suspected he was related to my great-grandmother, Ida May Brown Kendall.  Recently, I came into possession of a hand-written letter from Ida May's father dated 1914 which suggested he and Uncle Dock were in the Civil War.

The discovery of this obituary filled in the blanks and provided new avenues to research.  Uncle Dock was Adam Clark, brother of Jane Clark Brown and mother of Ida May Brown Kendall.  Next tasks, transcribe the obit and create a reseach to-do list.

Thankful Thursday is just one of the daily blog themes suggested on Geneabloggers. Get your ancestors noticed here - submit content to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com

Posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond