Wednesday, April 30, 2014

May Meeeting: SLO History and Ellis Island Immigrants

Ellis Island's Immigrant Landing Station, February 24, 1905


Saturday, May 3, 2014
Research Class: 12:15 PM
Main Program: 1:45 PM

Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Hall
520 Dana Street
San Luis Obispo, California




The May research class, The History Center of San Luis Obispo County: Organization, Resources, and Genealogy Research, will be presented by Jill Fletcher. From this overview of local historical society activities, learn what types of sources might be waiting for you at historical societies throughout the United States!

Following the research class will be a brief business meeting at 1:00 PM, followed by snacks and time for chatting with other members. Don't miss the drawings for some excellent prizes!

The main program will be Coming to America: Castle Garden, Ellis Island, and Your Immigrant Ancestors presented by Nancy Loe.

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Jill Fletcher is the museum manager of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Jill grew up in New England. Residing in the Lexington/Concord area of Massachusetts for most of her childhood, she developed an interest in the rich history and literature of the area. After high school she moved to California and worked in the entertainment industry for 13 years and eventually ended up doing legal research for film and television. After leaving Los Angeles, she worked as a legal assistant in Colorado. She has also lived in New York City, Iowa, and Ojai, California. She moved to San Luis Obispo in 2008. Jill started working at the History Center in 2009 as the volunteer coordinator. One of her goals is to connect all of the county history organizations so that they can share resources and network.

Nancy Loe is a professional archivist, librarian, and genealogist, with master's degrees in American History and in Library Science. She was director of special collections and archives at Cal Poly for nearly three decades. Nancy has appeared on PBS's American Experience and California Gold, and at Rootstech and the SoCal Jamboree. Her website, sassyjanegenealogy.com, was featured in the Jan-Feb 2014 issue of Family Tree Magazine's "Social Media Mavericks: 40 to Follow." Nancy is working on her own family tree in Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Austria, Prussia, and New Zealand, as well as the United States.

* Photo above from Wikipedia Commons

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

April Meeting: Questions, Answers, and Big-City Research!

Saturday, April 5, 2014
Research Class: 12:15 PM
Main Program: 1:45 PM

Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Hall
520 Dana Street
San Luis Obispo, California


The April research class, Question and Answer Session, will be presented by Cafi Cohen. Bring your questions about genealogy research!

Following the research class will be a brief business meeting at 1:00 PM, followed by snacks and time for chatting with other members. Don't miss the drawings for some excellent prizes!

The main program will be Needles in Haystacks: Big-City Genealogy Research also presented by Cafi Cohen.

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Cafi Cohen is a professional genealogy researcher, as well as the current Education Chair and past Seminar Chair of the San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society. Since 1997, she has presented many sessions on research techniques, both locally and at regional conferences. As co-owner of Bridge to Yesterday, she combines genealogy research services with book publication – "We do the research and we make it beautiful." She is a member of the National Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society