Featured Tonight: Your Ancestors' Military Records

Thursday, March 16, 2017

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

Finding Your Ancestors in Military Records

Kathryn Miller Marshall, Ph.D.

Whether you are seeking information on family members who served during the second World War or are looking for ancestors' records from the Civil War or earlier, there is a wealth of details to be found in military records--as long as you know where to look.

For this month's membership meeting, we are pleased to announce the return of a favorite speaker. Kathryn Miller Marshall is no stranger to our members, having given several well-received presentations over the last few years. She most recently served as director of the Lodi Family History Center, a position which she held for sixteen years.

While her Ph.D. is in psychology from UC Berkeley where she taught for many years, Kathryn Miller Marshall has served as a senior research scientist in Bethesda, Maryland, evaluating the nation's substance abuse programs for congressional reports. Returning to California for her husband's last assignment as a military officer, Dr. Marshall designed curricula and began to specialize in the history of our state between the years of 1840 and 1865. She has had experience developing interpretive panels for museums, editing books for fellow historians, and writing books of her own on the Gold Rush era. Dr. Marshall is a member of the Advisory Board for the California Pioneer Heritage Foundation, which provides living history re-enactors at state parks and preserves historical sites in California.

Please consider yourself welcome to come early to this Thursday evening's meeting to enjoy refreshments and visit with fellow members. We look forward to seeing you then!

Featured This Week: Using DNA to Discover Your Roots

Thursday, February 16, 2017

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

Using DNA to Discover Your Roots

Linda Parker Magellan

Where once genealogists agonized over "brick wall" problems keeping them from discovering more about their ancestors, we now have technology enabling us to leap over those proverbial research walls. At this Thursday evening's Society meeting, our speaker will introduce us to the possibilities accessible through the use of DNA testing, and examine what can be discovered, thanks now to genetic genealogy.

This Thursday evening's speaker is Linda Parker Magellan, an independent professional Genetic Genealogy consultant who has traveled internationally to assist individuals in discovering their ancestry through the use of DNA testing. Linda enjoys putting the pieces of the puzzle together to solve the mystery of one’s genetic inheritance.   

Linda ordered her first DNA test kit in 2003 and has been hooked ever since.  She now administers several surname projects and has experience with FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and The Genographic Project. 

As a founding member of the International Society for Genetic Genealogy, Linda has long regarded education a priority and continues to develop professionally through workshops, conferences, and continuing education coursework. Her area of expertise is in teaching others how to unravel the story in their DNA.

This meeting is open to members of the Society as well as to the public, and is free of charge. Please come early to insure a good parking place, select a seat for the presentation, and enjoy some refreshments during the networking time before the 5:45 start of our Thursday evening meeting. 

Featured Tonight: Family History for Family Holidays

Thursday, November 17, 2016

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

Working Family History At Your Family Gatherings

Kim von Aspern-Parker

The holiday season is upon us! Dinners, parties, special gatherings will likely feature one constant: these are all events which will include family members. What a perfect opportunity to encourage interest in your family history research.

This month, we are pleased to  welcome Kim von Aspern-Parker back to Stockton as our guest speaker. A Sacramento area genealogist, Kim is a graduate of University of Nevada at Reno with a bachelor in journalism and public relations. Kim  speaks, teaches, coaches, and blogs about genealogy—and has done so for more than twenty five years, providing private genealogical investigation services out of her Sacramento office. In addition to this month’s topic, Kim specializes in research in both California and Louisiana, where she often conducts  research trips.

Join us in welcoming Kim von Aspern-Parker back to Stockton at our meeting tonight, Thursday, November 17, at the Margaret Troke Library in north Stockton. As always, plan on coming early to enjoy some refreshments and a social time with fellow Society members. Also, feel free to invite a friend to attend the meeting with you—the more, the merrier!

Featured This Week: Your Ancestors' Voter Records

Thursday, September 15, 2016

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

Tracing Your Ancestors in Voter Records

Teresa Costa Fraser

Politics has certainly been in the news lately, with elections coming up. But have you ever thought about what you might be able to find out about your ancestors, based on their voting records?

There is a lot more to voter records than political party affiliations. Join us this Thursday as our speaker, Teresa Costa Fraser, delves into this useful research resource. She’ll give us an overview of which voter records can be used to complete pedigree charts and round out family history stories. In addition, she’ll discuss how to find those voter records online and at local and state collections, and will share what she has discovered about her own ancestors, using voter records.

We’ve enjoyed Teresa’s past presentations at our Society meetings. A fourth generation Californian, Teresa saw her interest in genealogy blossom sixteen years ago, upon locating her Swiss Italian immigrant great grandfather’s 1900 census entry at a Family History Center in San Diego. With that success, she has been tracking down her other ancestors ever since, now specializing in research in the Mid-South region for individual clients and research firms.

Please join us early this Thursday evening to enjoy refreshments and chat with fellow SJGS members before our meeting begins at 5:45. We look forward to seeing you back at the Troke Library for this Thursday’s meeting!

Featured Tonight: Researching Your Irish Ancestors

Thursday, March 17, 2016

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

   
"Irish Research:
Online and On the Ground"

Presenters:
Jacqi Stevens
Claire Stevens

Sure, you’ve always been told there’ve been Irish immigrants in your family history, but can you trace your way back to their homeland? Join us this month as SJGS members Jacqi and Claire Stevens present a case study on the winding path that led them from the family’s home in Chicago back to the very spot on Tountinna, the mount in northern County Tipperary, where Claire’s second great grandfather was born.

Researching “across the pond” presents many challenges not encountered by those whose families lived for centuries in North American locations. This presentation will guide you from the point of your most recent immigrant relatives’ residence to the region they once called home. Don’t think you have to travel to that spot to get your research done: with current digitization projects, many of the records helpful in your quest are now available online, and will be shared at this week’s meeting.

Please join us this Thursday evening, whether your ancestors were Irish or not. The steps taken and online resources used to find these Irish ancestors applies as well to researching ancestors from many European origins. Hope to see you then!

Featured Tonight: Researching Wills and Probate Records

Thursday, February 18, 2016

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

   
"Where There's a Will:
Probate Records Can Prove Family Connections"

Presenter: Janice M. Sellers

Records created when a person dies can be very useful for genealogists, as they often describe family relationships. They may, however, also contain pitfalls. In this month's membership meeting, SJGS is pleased to offer a topic covering estate records as well as guardianship records, all presented by a professional genealogist who is no stranger to our Society.

As we've already seen during her past presentation at our 2014 Seminar, this month's speaker, Janice M. Sellers, is passionate about her work. She loves to research her own family and everyone else's, and by her own admission, will "talk your ear off about genealogy," given the chance. She specializes in Jewish, Black, forensic, and newspaper research. In addition, she edits three genealogy journals and serves on the boards of three genealogical societies. Along with her website at ancestraldiscoveries.com, she writes an informative genealogy blog.

Join us tonight as we return to the Margaret Troke Library to resume our regular monthly meetings there for the Spring calendar. As always, feel free to invite a guest. We look forward to seeing you then! 

Tonight: SJGS Hosts Director of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy

Thursday, October 15, 2015

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

   
"DNA Refresher and Genetic Genealogy Update"

Presenter: Katherine Hope Borges, Director
International Society of Genetic Genealogy

SJGS is pleased to announce our speaker for tonight’s meeting: Katherine Borges. Returning to Stockton after her well-received presentation here three years ago, Katherine will be bringing updates on developments in the use of DNA testing for genealogy, as well as reviewing the basic concepts behind DNA testing for those interested in exploring this tool for use in your own family history.

Katherine Borges is co-founder and current director of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, the first society organized to promote the use of DNA testing in genealogy. Established in 2005, the non-profit ISOGG is currently eight thousand members strong and represents a membership spread across the world in more than seventy countries. With a mission to promote and educate members and the general public about the use of DNA testing for genealogical purposes, ISOGG has been active in presentations across the continents. Katherine, herself, has spoken not only at many events in the United States, but also in Canada, the U.K., and Ireland.

Join us this evening in the Community Room of the Margaret Troke Library as we welcome Katherine Borges back to Stockton.

This Week's Meeting: SJGS Hosts California Genealogical Society President

Thursday, September 17, 2015

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

   
"The California Genealogical Society and Library:
Connecting People to Their Diverse Family Heritage"

Presenter: Linda Harms Okazaki, M.A.

As genealogists, we begin by researching our own roots, following our family back to origins in other states and perhaps even other countries whose ethnic customs we've celebrated all our life. But then, perhaps a marriage introduces an entirely new culture—and a different direction for our family history research. Enter a new learning curve as we start to familiarize ourselves with names and places not part of our own heritage.

No matter which countries of origin you've added to the patchwork quilt of your family heritage, you will be interested to hear the experience of this month's guest speaker at our monthly membership meeting.

With one speaker, we offer a double feature. Linda Okazaki, president of the California Genealogical Society and Library, will share with us the scope of services available through CGS and the holdings that can be found at the CGS Library in Oakland.

In addition, because of the diversity of the state of California and the fact that our ancestors came from so many different places, our speaker is passionate about encouraging people to avail themselves of the specialized resources of many different genealogical societies, and will share some of these other useful resources with us in her presentation this coming Thursday evening.

As an example of mounting that learning curve in researching family roots from unfamiliar regions, Linda will delve into her own family's experience—in particular, discussing how she researched her husband's Japanese roots.

Linda Okazaki is a fourth generation San Franciscan whose interest in genealogy began as a hobby but has since grown to a professional quest. Linda is a member of APG, the Genealogical Speakers Guild and DAR. A graduate of NIGR, ProGen and several other genealogical institutes, Linda is passionate about researching, documenting, teaching and sharing the stories of Japanese Americans. We are honored to have her as our guest speaker for this first meeting of our fall season.

Tonight: More Tools for Brick Wall Smashing

Thursday, May 21, 2015

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

   
"Re-Branded Lives: Tracking Name Changes"

Presenter: Kathryn Miller Marshall, Ph.D.

Do you have mystery ancestors whose invisible trail through time has driven you to distraction? Every genealogist eventually runs across a Brick Wall case in which the ancestor seems to have literally disappeared. Research responses include the usual tactics: puzzling over name variants, typos, transcription errors, and mishearing of names by census enumerators.

But what if names have been changed intentionally? Your ancestor may have had one of many reasons for such action. Forbidden romance, adoption, debts, criminal records, avoiding military service, religious persecution, and national quotas have been common motives for selectively filtering or modifying information about oneself over time.

Returning for an encore following her February presentation, Dr. Marshall will show us techniques for tracking intentional name changers in these different scenarios during tonight's membership meeting. The principles she will describe are important to problem solving about elusive ancestors, resolving contradictory claims about family lines, and recognizing if a same-named individual is part of your family line or actually belongs to another's ancestry.

Please consider yourself invited to join us for this evening's presentation, and to invite a friend, as well. Come early to enjoy refreshments and an opportunity to socialize with fellow members before the beginning of our 5:45 p.m. business meeting.

Tonight’s meeting will be the last in our Society’s regular spring line-up. Next month is our annual potluck dinner. The meeting location will be sent to members in the monthly newsletter.

We will resume our evening meetings at the Troke Library after our summer break, with our first fall presentation scheduled for Thursday, September 17.

Tonight's Meeting: Equipping You to Break Through Brick Walls

Thursday, April 16, 2015

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

 502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton 

Elementary, My Dear Watson:
Solving Your Genealogy Puzzles With
Clues You Already Have

Presenter: James Baker, PhD, CG

Every researcher has run across them: those challenging situations where key data are missing or inadequate. How do you fill in the genealogical blanks without embarking on new research?

Dr. James Baker, CG, will provide us with the answer to that quandary as he returns to present this second part of his research series this evening, April 16, at our monthly membership meeting at the Troke Library in north Stockton.

The evening's presentation will provide case studies to show how thorough data analyses and the use of indirect evidence can be your effective approach in reviewing documents you've already compiled. He'll provide workable examples by examining naming patterns, witness signatures to birth or marriage documents, inheritance data, sibling data and family migration patterns, many of which details you may already have in documents you've previously obtained.

After the favorable reception to his presentation last October, we are pleased to welcome Jim Baker back to Stockton for this month's follow up session. Please come early to enjoy some refreshments and a social time with fellow members. Feel free to invite a friend to attend with you. 

Got Irish Roots?

Thursday, March 19, 2015

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

 502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton 

Researching Your Irish Roots

Presenter: Kim R. von Aspern-Parker

Whether you are among the 33 million Americans who in 2013 reported to the United States Census Bureau that they have Irish ancestry—or the additional three million haling from Scots-Irish roots—when it comes to the month in which we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, everybody’s Irish. At least, everyone who is pursuing family history can benefit from the lessons learned in researching Irish roots.

This month, we welcome as our speaker Sacramento genealogist Kim von Aspern-Parker. Graduate of University of Nevada at Reno with a bachelor in journalism and public relations, Kim has often commented that she speaks, teaches, coaches, and blogs about genealogy—and this she has done for more than twenty five years, providing private genealogical investigation services out of her Sacramento office. In addition to this topic, Kim specializes in research in both California and Louisiana, where she recently completed a research trip.

 
Join us in welcoming Kim von Aspern-Parker on Thursday, March 19, at the Margaret Troke Library in north Stockton for our monthly membership meeting. Come early to enjoy some refreshments and a social time with fellow members. Feel free to invite a friend—the more, the merrier!

Tonight's Meeting Brings Pre-1850 Research Tips

Thursday, February 19, 2015

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton 

 

 The Quest for Pre-1850 Colonials

Presenter: Kathryn Miller Marshall, Ph.D.

At some point in the quest to find our ancestors, we need to be equpped to cross the great census divide and move our family history research back before 1850.

 

The challenge with that, of course, is the lack of itemization of names of anyone in each family, other than the head of household, in every U.S. census enumeration occurring before 1850. To trace family members before that landmark year, we need to employ other types of documentation.

 

We are delighted that our speaker for tonight's meeting is equipped to provide us numerous tips on how to proceed with our pre-1850 research. We welcome back Dr. Kathryn Miller Marshall, who has been enthusiastically received by our members in the past. A speaker at numerous genealogical seminars and conferences, Dr. Marshall served for sixteen years as Director of the Lodi California Family History Center.

 

Please join us tonight in welcoming Dr. Marshall back to Stockton, as we return to the Troke Library for our 2015 general membership meeting series.

Welcome to 2015!

We are delighted to kick off the New Year with our annual dinner meeting this evening at UJ's Restaurant. We are looking forward to hearing from our featured speaker, Mr. Bill Maxwell, Archives Manager of the extensive photograph collection at the Bank of Stockton. He will be sharing some of the exceptional photographs within that collection, especially focusing on those detailing the history of the Stockton area.

This event appears to be the largest annual dinner meeting held in our 60+ year history, as over fifty of our members will gather to socialize with fellow genealogy enthusiasts over a delicious meal. In addition, this event serves as our annual Installation of Officers, and will feature special recognition of notable members.

After the conclusion of this event, our meetings will return to their usual third Thursday time and location at the Margaret Troke Library on Benjamin Holt Drive in Stockton.

Last Society Meeting of 2014: Telling the Family's Story

Thursday, November 20, 2014

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

Sometime in the midst of the search, every genealogist comes across a story that just must be told. In Deborah Conner Mascot’s case, the story was an outgrowth of her childhood experiences on the Portola Valley country property of successful San Francisco merchant, Stephen Mariani.

At our November meeting, author Debbie Mascot will share how her family crossed paths with this pioneer San Francisco family and how she came to know their family stories so well. She’ll explain what led up to her decision to write about the Mariani family and what that meant in terms of researching a family to whom she was not related, but of whom her own family had so many memories.

As she has self-published several books, our speaker will share a bit about the process she faced in converting her research into a manuscript, and beyond that into a book for publication.

In addition to her full-time job and partnering with her husband in homeschooling their two children, Debbie Mascot is active with Bay Area genealogical societies and as a leader for 4-H projects. Somehow in the midst of this, she has published four books and spent time in genealogical research projects. For this last Society meeting of the year, we are pleased to present one of our own members as our featured speaker. Please join us in welcoming Debbie Mascot at our November meeting.

Join Us for our October Meeting

Thursday, October 16, 2014

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive

Stockton, California 

Every genealogist has them: those impossible "brick wall" ancestors who seemingly refuse to be found. For our October meeting, we are honored to have as our guest speaker James M. Baker, Ph.D., C.G., who specializes in resolving such impossible research problems.

Our speaker for this month's Society meeting will provide case studies on seven ways to resolve those "brick wall" research dilemmas often encountered by genealogists. If you have found yourself challenged by such research puzzles, please consider yourself invited to join us for this informative session. Attendance is free and we welcome anyone in the Stockton area who has an interest in genealogical research to attend our monthly meetings in the Community Room of the Margaret Troke Library.

Pioneer Liberty: Restoring the Nearly-Lost Legacy of Local Cemeteries

Thursday, September 18, 2014

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive

Stockton, California

Ever wonder what happened to the now-disappeared pioneer towns of San Joaquin County?

Inspired by a girlhood volunteer project for her 4-H chapter, author and historian Barbara Filbin launched a research quest to honor the pioneers who once settled in Lodi, Acampo and Galt—as well as in those vanished settlements of northern San Joaquin County. Extracting names and dates from the old gravestones of such places as Liberty Cemetery, Barbara has reconstructed the life stories of these pioneers and incorporated them into the many books she has published over the years. The stones of places like Liberty Cemetery have revealed enough detail to lead Barbara to reconstruct the 1850s and 1860s history of the short-lived nearby town of Liberty, as well.

We are honored, this Thursday, to welcome recently-joined new SJGS member Barbara Filbin as our speaker as we kick off the fall season and resume our monthly meetings. We look forward to Barbara's recounting of what she found while researching the Liberty Cemetery—as well as other local cemeteries of historical significance—and how she recorded those in the many books she has published.

Please join us at the Troke Library at 5:45 p.m. tonight to hear Barbara Filbin recount her stories of discovery and research into the local history of the northern portion of our county.

Genealogy Storytelling: A Different Way to Present Family History

Thursday, May 15, 2014

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 West Benjamin Holt Drive

Stockton, California

 

Do you worry your family history research will end up in a cardboard box in an attic gathering dust? How do you engage your family of all ages so they send e-mails asking for more family stories? Our speaker this month, poet and genealogist Kay Speaks, will share some of her methods of storytelling and sharing her family history at our upcoming meeting on May 15.

Kay joined the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society in 1999 as a newbie genealogist trying to solve a family murder mystery. Since then she has been involved in L-AGS special interest groups and county fair projects, as participant, leader or coordinator. She has organized events for L-AGS, CGS, Chinese American Family History Group, Tri-Valley TMG Users Group, poetry exhibits and public readings.

Kay has presented a variety of family history topics to special interest groups, including Family History Day 2013 on Angel Island at the Immigration Station where her Chinese family members were detainees during the Chinese Exclusion Era. Her family research has been on display at the Museum on Main (Pleasanton), Carnegie Museum (Livermore) and the Alameda County Fair. Kay’s Chinese adventures include the serendipity of ancestors found and discovering a 1928 family murder mystery cited in case law today. She helped edit a genealogy software book that has sold in four countries and is a member of the California Writers Club, Tri-Valley Branch. Kay is a local and international award-winning poet. She finds her family research to be poetic inspiration.

Tonight's Meeting: Featuring You!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

5:45 p.m.

Margaret Troke Library

502 W. Benjamin Holt Drive, Stockton

Round Table Discussions:

Breaking Through Our Brick Walls Together!

Returning to our meeting line-up after its successful inception last year is our Round Table Discussion, an interactive learning session featuring you as speaker!

Anyone who has spent time researching family history eventually comes to that one ancestor whose story seems impossible to trace. We call those instances our “Brick Walls.”

Using the power of collective effort during this month’s meeting, we’ll pool our resources to break through those brick walls. Through informal small round table discussions, we’ll use these cases to help each other find answers to our most challenging research problems.

To prepare for our April 17 meeting, SJGS members have already completed an online survey, allowing us to select the following four topics for discussion:

Research in New England: where to find those elusive documents

Tracing Ancestors to Europe through clues in passenger lists, immigration and naturalization forms

Headed West: Tips on researching Midwest and Western Territories and States

Finding Online Resources: Places to look online for lists, archives, and documents

Tonight, come meet and help your fellow Society members! Share experiences and techniques you’ve used to find elusive ancestors. It does not matter if you are a beginner, a seasoned genealogist, or haven’t even found a “brick wall” yet (you will!). Bring any information you already have about your mystery ancestor, his or her family and descendants—this might provide some clues. We can all learn something from each other, while also getting to know each other better.

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