SFBAJGS - Calendar of Genealogical Events

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland Family History Center

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Directions and Map

 

Two talks will be presented:

Getting Ready for the 1940 Census: Searching without a Name Index

Ketubah: The Jewish Marriage Contract and What it Really Says

Speaker:

Stephen Morse

1940 Census: When the 1940 census is released in April 2012, it will not have a name index. Such an index will not be available for perhaps up to six months after opening day, so finding people in the census will require searching by location instead. The census is organized by Enumeration Districts (EDs), so a location will need to be converted to an ED before the census can be accessed. The One-Step Website contains numerous tools for obtaining EDs. This talk will present those tools and show circumstances in which each can be used. It will also demonstrate a tutorial quiz for determining the best tool to use in each situation.

Ketubah: Vital records (birth, marriage, death) have always been a valuable source of family information and sought after by genealogists. The Jewish Marriage Contract (Ketubah) is no exception. The information in the Jewish record actually complements the information in the civil record: the civil record typically identifies the bride and groom by giving their family names whereas the Jewish record gives their fathers’ names instead. There is a basic difference between the civil and religious marriage records in that one focuses on the union and the other on the termination of the union. This paper discusses what is contained in the Jewish marriage contract, tells what it really means, and provides information that can be useful to family historians.

Stephen Morse is the creator of the One-Step Website, for which he has received both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Contribution Award from IAJGS, the Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society, the first ever Excellence Award from the Association of Professional Genealogists, and two awards that he cannot pronounce from Polish genealogical societies. In his other life Morse is a computer professional with a doctorate degree in electrical engineering. He has held various research, development, and teaching positions, authored numerous technical papers, and written four textbooks, and holds four patents.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 7pm, Program begins 7:30pm

Congregation Beth Am Rm. 5/6

26790 Arastradero Road

Los Altos Hills, CA

Map

 

Topic:

Getting Ready for the 1940 Census: Searching without a Name Index

Speaker:

Stephen Morse

When the 1940 census is released in April 2012, it will not have a name index. Such an index will not be available for perhaps up to six months after opening day, so finding people in the census will require searching by location instead. The census is organized by Enumeration Districts (EDs), so a location will need to be converted to an ED before the census can be accessed. The One-Step Website contains numerous tools for obtaining EDs. This talk will present those tools and show circumstances in which each can be used. It will also demonstrate a tutorial quiz for determining the best tool to use in each situation.


Stephen Morse is the creator of the One-Step Website, for which he has received both the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Outstanding Contribution Award from IAJGS, the Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society, the first ever Excellence Award from the Association of Professional Genealogists, and two awards that he cannot pronounce from Polish genealogical societies. In his other life Morse is a computer professional with a doctorate degree in electrical engineering. He has held various research, development, and teaching positions, authored numerous technical papers, and written four textbooks, and holds four patents.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Genealogy Clinic: Brainstorming with the Mavens

Free. Anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Noon to 2pm.

Jewish Community Library

1835 Ellis Street

San Francisco, CA

Map

Free parking: enter parking garage from Pierce Street

Whether you're trying to find your great-grandmother's elusive town or your grandfather’s passenger manifest, take advantage of the Library's extensive reference collection and Internet connection to countless searchable databases — all with one-on-one guidance from experienced genealogists.

Longtime Library volunteer staffer Judy Baston and other veteran researchers from the SFBAJGS begin with a brainstorming and problem-solving roundtable, followed by individual attention using the Library's resources.

Bring your materials and your questions to the Library, generally the first Sunday of the month. Registration requested but not required; call (415) 567-3327, ext. 704.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Membership Meeting

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza  [new location] Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Free parking on Sundays

Please do not bring any food into this kosher location.

 

 

Topic:

Jewish Refugees at Angel Island Immigration Station

Speaker:

Eddie Wong, Executive Director, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Several hundred Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi regimes in Germany, Austria, and other European countries in 1939 and 1940 were able to obtain exit visas and make their way across Russia to China and Japan, where they boarded ships that took them to San Francisco. Many of them were held for medical inspection and questioning at the Angel Island Immigration Station. The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF) has begun to research this little-known chapter of history by looking at immigration files of Jewish refugees at the National Archieves in San Bruno. AIISF has also been able to interview a few of the refugees. This talk will highlight some of the efforts to locate the descendants of these refugees and learn more about these Jewish immigrants.

Eddie Wong has been the Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation since May 2008. He is a graduate of UCLA's film program, where he obtained his BA and MFA. For many years he was a documentary filmmaker and later became the Executive Director of the Center for Asian American Media, which produces and funds films for PBS and also produces the Asian American Film Festival in SF, Berkeley, and San Jose.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Genealogy Clinic: Brainstorming with the Mavens

Free. Anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Noon to 2pm.

Jewish Community Library

1835 Ellis Street

San Francisco, CA

Map

Free parking: enter parking garage from Pierce Street

Whether you're trying to find your great-grandmother's elusive town or your grandfather’s passenger manifest, take advantage of the Library's extensive reference collection and Internet connection to countless searchable databases — all with one-on-one guidance from experienced genealogists.

Longtime Library volunteer staffer Judy Baston and other veteran researchers from the SFBAJGS begin with a brainstorming and problem-solving roundtable, followed by individual attention using the Library's resources.

Bring your materials and your questions to the Library, generally the first Sunday of the month. Registration requested but not required; call (415) 567-3327, ext. 704.

Monday, April 15, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 7pm, Program begins 7:30pm

Congregation Beth Am Rm. 5/6

26790 Arastradero Road

Los Altos Hills, CA

Map

 

Topic:

Researching my Jewish Roots: How I Succeeded Beyond My Wildest Dreams (and how you can too!)

Speaker:

Dr. Jeffrey Mark Paull

Dr. Jeffrey Mark Paull, a native of Pittsburgh, PA, has had a long career in the field of occupational and environmental health. In 2008 the making of a family retrospective film in honor of his son Joshua's Bar Mitzvah triggered his long-standing interest in delving further into his family's history. Starting with little more than a family portrait and dim
recollections of his family’s oral history, Dr. Paull researched this lost world to recreate what this immigrant experience was like for his ancestors. In so doing, he discovered that they were a family of impressive yichus that descends from five generations of Polonsky rabbis who were Av Beit Din (ABDs) of their towns in the Kiev gubernia of the Ukraine. It is a lineage descends from some of Europe’s most eminent rabbinical families.

Dr. Paull will be re-creating his journey through his family’s illustrious history and lineage and most importantly describing how he discovered all of this amazing information. His book has been acclaimed by distinguished scholars as "an impressive piece of work!" Come and find out how to research and write you own family history!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland Family History Center

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Directions and Map

 

Topic:

Who Do You Think They Were?

Facilitators:

Panel of Experienced SFBAJGS Researchers

You know who you are -- but do you know who THEY were? By "they" we mean the folks who came before you -- your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and of course all of their siblings also. While it can sound extremely challenging, we can help you take those first few steps into the magic and mystery of your family history and genealogy. Along the way we will help you figure out how to research and answer the "who, what, where, when, and how" of your family. As to the "why", well, we do it because we love it!  We hope you will too.

You may have stories, artifacts, documents, and pictures. On the other hand you may have nothing but a name. It doesn't matter, we can help you get started on this roller-coaster road of adventure and discovery as you answer the all-absorbing question -- who do you think they were?!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Genealogy Clinic: Brainstorming with the Mavens

Free. Anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Noon to 2pm.

Jewish Community Library

1835 Ellis Street

San Francisco, CA

Map

Free parking: enter parking garage from Pierce Street

Whether you're trying to find your great-grandmother's elusive town or your grandfather’s passenger manifest, take advantage of the Library's extensive reference collection and Internet connection to countless searchable databases — all with one-on-one guidance from experienced genealogists.

Longtime Library volunteer staffer Judy Baston and other veteran researchers from the SFBAJGS begin with a brainstorming and problem-solving roundtable, followed by individual attention using the Library's resources.

Bring your materials and your questions to the Library, generally the first Sunday of the month. Registration requested but not required; call (415) 567-3327, ext. 704.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Membership Meeting

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza  [new location] Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Free parking on Sundays

 

Topic:

Google and Genealogy

Speaker:

Rich McCartney

The goal of this presentation is to help you target your searches using the Google search engine so that they bring you better results. Google's tools include a calculator, language translation, phone book, dictionary, and the ability to notify you when something of interest is posted to the Internet.

Rich McCartney is an avid genealogist. He has been on the staff of the Oakland Family History Center for six years and a member of the Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group for 11 years. He specializes in helping patrons remove errors from genealogy files. His first job dealing with computers was for General Electric, which hired him to take an inventory control function off of a computer and return it to a manual system. His computer love affair started with his first personal computer in 1980.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Genealogy Clinic: Brainstorming with the Mavens

Free. Anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Noon to 2pm.

Jewish Community Library

1835 Ellis Street

San Francisco, CA

Map

Free parking: enter parking garage from Pierce Street

Whether you're trying to find your great-grandmother's elusive town or your grandfather’s passenger manifest, take advantage of the Library's extensive reference collection and Internet connection to countless searchable databases — all with one-on-one guidance from experienced genealogists.

Longtime Library volunteer staffer Judy Baston and other veteran researchers from the SFBAJGS begin with a brainstorming and problem-solving roundtable, followed by individual attention using the Library's resources.

Bring your materials and your questions to the Library, generally the first Sunday of the month. Registration requested but not required; call (415) 567-3327, ext. 704.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland Family History Center

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Directions and Map

 

Topic:

Caring for Your Documents and Photos: Better Now than Never

Speaker:

Karen Zukor, paper conservator

This presentation will show how to take care of important papers and what to avoid.  Conservation is based on the study of what makes artifacts of all kinds age and deteriorate.  Paper conservation relies on understanding paper chemistry and the media used to produce art and artifacts. By understanding the physical and chemical attributes of a wide range of papers, conservators can repair damaged items and extend the life of those artifacts for future generations.

Karen Zukor has been a paper conservator in private practice for 32 years. Her work encompasses a full range of paper, from the 15th century to contemporary pieces.  She has been responsible for many collections, including fine art, archival material, maps, historic currency, and rare books, in both private hands and institutions.  Her studio is involved in both conservation and preservation; she and her staff not only repair damaged items but provide information on extending the life of an object.  Karen has also trained conservation interns for more than 20 years. Zukor Art Conservation is in Oakland, California.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 7pm, Program begins 7:30pm

Congregation Beth Am Rm. 5/6

26790 Arastradero Road

Los Altos Hills, CA

Map

 

Topic:

TBD

Speaker:

TBD

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Membership Meeting

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza  [new location] Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Free parking on Sundays

 

Topic:

Researching When Records Are Gone

Speaker:

Nancy Peterson

Nancy Peterson’s guide to circumventing the enormous record loss in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire has been substantially updated and expanded to include newly released records and necessary information on post earthquake resources. The inclusion of a wide and detailed body of sources and emphasis on casting a much wider net than is customary makes this guide useful not only for anyone doing research anywhere critical records have been lost or destroyed, but also for those seeking to create a fuller, richer family history.

Nancy Simons Peterson is a fifth-generation Californian, a certified genealogist, and author of numerous articles appearing in prominent genealogical periodicals. Winner of the 1998 National Genealogical Society's Family History Writing Contest and the Society of Genealogists Scholar Award in 2003, she holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland Family History Center

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Directions and Map

 

Topic:

How Spreadsheets Can Help Your Research

Speaker:

Cat Nielsen

More information to be provided.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 7pm, Program begins 7:30pm

Congregation Beth Am Rm. 5/6

26790 Arastradero Road

Los Altos Hills, CA

Map

 

Topic:

TBD

Speaker:

TBD

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Membership Meeting

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza  [new location] Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Free parking on Sundays

 

Topic:

A Torn Family Reunited through Discovery of an Ancestor’s Diary

Speaker:

Frederick Hertz

In 1884, at age 20, David Blumenfeld and his parents and younger siblings left Courland, Latvia, moving to Minnesota. After nearly twenty years of moving between Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota, he settled in a small town near St. Paul, where he established a successful business and emerged as a community leader. He was a self-taught author, writing poetry, novels, and diaries, all in English, which he had typed in the 1940s, self-publishing a few of them when no commercial publisher would accept them. Shortly after his death in 1955 his box of unpublished volumes disappeared, only to be rediscovered in 2009 in the basement of a now-Episcopalian great-grandson in Seattle. The featured work of this newly discovered collection is entitled Diary, a semifictionalized story of the family's life in Latvia, their decision to leave for America, and the first thirty years of their life in their new world. Four of David's great-grandchildren -- two Jewish and two non-Jewish -- have collaborated to create an edited version of the Diary, with commentary and annotations, to be published in 2012 by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest. As part of the project, the cousins will visit David's hometown (Tukums, Latvia) in August 2012.

Frederick Hertz, one of David's many great-grandchildren, grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and is a fifth-generation Minnesota Jew (with all eight great-grandparents living there by 1884). He has lived in the Oakland area since 1978 and is a lawyer, mediator, and author working on legal issues faced by unmarried couples, both gay and straight.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland Family History Center

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Directions and Map

 

Topic:

Applying the Scientific Method to Genealogical Research

Speaker:

Stephen Danko

The Scientific Method is a well established process in scientific disciplines and is used routinely to design experiments and evaluate results. Even though the Scientific Method was not developed with genealogical research in mind, it can be used to help solve genealogical problems in a logical, stepwise manner. To apply the Scientific Method, the genealogist must define the question to answer, gather information and resources, form a hypothesis, collect data, analyze the data, interpret the data, draw conclusions, publish the results, and retest the hypothesis. This presentation will teach participants how to apply the Scientific Method to real genealogical problems.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Membership Meeting

Meetings are free and anyone interested is welcome.
Time and Place:

Doors open 7pm, Program begins 7:30pm

Congregation Beth Am Rm. 5/6

26790 Arastradero Road

Los Altos Hills, CA

Map

 

Topic:

TBD

Speaker:

TBD

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Membership Meeting

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza  [new location] Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Free parking on Sundays

 

Topic:

Secrets to Searching Ancestry.com

Speaker:

Victoria Fisch

Victoria will explore little-known methods of getting the most out of the Ancestry search engines. She will explain alternative ways of searching for your ancestors when their names have been mistranscribed, finding records in less-used Ancestry databases, how best to set up Ancestry charts, and how to keep your chronological records on Ancestry useful. During her talk she will go online with Ancestry.com to show live examples.

Victoria is the president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Sacramento and the Northern California editor of Western States Jewish History Journal. She is currently editing a book on the historical Jewish community of Santa Cruz, and researches the Jews of the Gold Rush.

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