To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time. April 9 & 10: Weekly “Tips & Talk” at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. In person and via Zoom. Free; please preregister. To reserve your space, go to the Tips & Talk Event page and click at the top of the page on the date of the event you want to attend. Tuesday, April 9, 11:00 am: How-To Series: “Descendancy Research on FamilySearch” with Denise Plaskett. Typically when doing genealogy we start with ourselves and move back in time. Descendancy research is about choosing an ancestor and ..read more

Beginning April 6 and continuing through June, the CGS library will close at 2 p.m. on Saturdays rather than at 4 p.m. Library hours will now be Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. This decision was made after observing that few visitors come on Saturday afternoon. We will re-evaluate later this summer. We are aware this may be disappointing for our Saturday patrons. You may arrange to stay later by sending an email a week in advance to: visit@californiaancestors.org Thank you for your support. The post Announcing a change in library hours first appeared on California Genealogical Societ ..read more

To register or for more information, click the hyperlink for any event. All times are Pacific Time. Happy April! This month we have a variety of exciting classes and workshops coming up. A quick rundown: Sat., Apr. 6, 10 AM: Intro to Genealogy. A series of 4 rotating classes covering the basics of genealogical research. This month: “Organizing Your Research.” Free. Via Zoom. Weekly (Tuesdays & Wednesdays): “Tips & Talk” at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. Weekly talks by experts on a variety of topics. This month’s presentations include a 3-part series on DNA, discussions of UK rese ..read more

To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time. Thomas MacEntee’s class on Sat., March 30 is sold out.  Also happening this last week of March: “Tips & Talk” at the Oakland FamilySearch Center, March 26 and March 27. Events may be attended in person or via Zoom. Free. Please preregister. Tues., March 26, 11:00 am: “How-to Series: Simple Photo Enhancements for Novices” with Robert Leitao. We all likely have old photos that have been creased, torn, or damaged in some way and it would be great to restore them to a better condition. This “how ..read more

by Maureen Hanlon CGS recently received a copy of Dr. David Dobson’s Irish Emigrants to North America, Consolidated Edition and a quick review should be of cheer to those with Irish ancestors who came to the United States before the Great Famine. Although immigration from Ireland to North America peaked in the latter half of the nineteenth century, there were waves of immigrants who came much earlier. This consolidated edition of ten previously published volumes lists many of these early immigrants as well as later arrivals. For the original series Dobson consulted archives and libraries in th ..read more

In the 125 years that the California Genealogical Society has been knocking around, we’ve acquired a number of interesting artifacts. One such item, the ceremonial President’s gavel, is still in use. Now nearly 110 years old, the gavel was a gift of Sarah Soule McMillan Patton in 1915. It’s made of wood from Roanoke Island, North Carolina, where Sir Walter Raleigh established an ill-fated colony in 1585. The inscription on the silver band reads: SIR WALTER RALEIGH’S COLONY 1585 ROANOKE ISLAND NC CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY 1915 SARAH SOULE MCMILLAN PATTON Chris Pattillo hold the CGS gave ..read more

To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time. All classes free unless otherwise noted. There are two classes in the “Tips & Talk” series at the Oakland FamilySearch Library this week. And you can attend them either in person or via Zoom! Tuesday, March 12, 11 AM: “Snipping, Clipping, and Irfanview.” Robert and Portia NeVille demonstrate how to capture images online. This “How-to” session will teach you how to use the computer’s Snipping Tool and IrfanView to highlight, capture, and save parts of records and photos. We will practice with onli ..read more

To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time. We’ve got two stellar presentations coming up this week as part of the “Tips & Talk” series at the Oakland FamilySearch Library. And you can attend them either in person or via Zoom! Wed., March 6, 11:00 AM –  “Overview of Irish Records and Research” with Maureen Hanlon. Maureen’s class focuses on finding the homeland of your immigrant ancestor using Irish records of the 19th century. Maureen, is a CGS member and a volunteer at OFSC . She became interested in her Irish families after discove ..read more

To register or for more information, click the hyperlink for any event. All times are Pacific Time. Mark your calendars now for some great educational opportunities, including a special class featuring well-known genealogist Thomas MacEntee. If you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (or even if you don’t), don’t miss Maureen Hanlon‘s March 6 talk on Irish Records and Research. We’ve also got the monthly first-Saturday Intro to Genealogy, All events are completely free of charge, but please do preregister. Sat., March 2, 10 AM: Intro to Genealogy. A free series of 4 rotating classes covering the basic ..read more

To register or for more information, click the link for any event. All times are Pacific Time. In case you hadn’t heard, RootsTech, the world’s largest family history conference, is this coming week, from Feb. 29-March 2. If you’re already on your way to Salt Lake City, have fun! If you’re not going in person, you can still register to attend online events for FREE. Closer to home, the following East Bay events are slated for this week: The “Tips and Talk” series this week features Janet and Cliff Ross. Held in person at the Oakland FamilySearch Center and via Zoom. Free. Please preregister ..read more