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

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

Genealogy NOW! - Featured Speaker Judy G. Russell

Three fabulous speakers are on tap to give presentations at our upcoming seminar, Genealogy NOW! New Millennium Skills to Grow Your Family Tree, on Saturday, February 1, 2014, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in San Luis Obispo.

One of these speakers is The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell, a Certified GenealogistSM and Certified Genealogical LecturerSM with a law degree. She writes, teaches, and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing.

A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother's side and entirely in Germany on her father's side, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. On the faculty of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research in Alabama, and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and has written for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the National Genealogical Society Magazine.

To see what all the excitement is about, visit her on the Internet at The Legal Genealogist and The Legal Genealogist Blog.

For more information, visit http://www.slocgs.org (scroll down to Genealogy NOW!). Don't forget, very attendee will receive a complimentary door prize ticket for a special drawing for a one-year subscription to Ancestry.com!

Direct link to 2-page schedule & registration form:
http://slocgs.org/Seminar%20Flyer%202014.pdf

Genealogy NOW! New Millennium Skills to Grow Your Family Tree

• What's the easiest way to digitize records and photos? 
• How do I get the most out of immigration records?
• What are the best resources for researching ancestors from the Midwest?
• Can tax lists help me in my research?
• What are the most up-to-date online search tools and tips?

The best way to do your genealogy is to learn how.

To answer these questions and many others, plan to attend the all-day Genealogy NOW! New Millennium Skills to Grow Your Family Tree seminar on Saturday, February 1, 2014, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in San Luis Obispo. We will feature three nationally-known speakers, a full vendor display hall, and every attendee will receive a complimentary door prize ticket for a special drawing for a one year subscription to Ancestry.com!

For more information, visit http://www.slocgs.org (scroll down to Genealogy NOW!).

Direct link to 2-page schedule & registration form:
http://slocgs.org/Seminar%20Flyer%202014.pdf

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society

January Meeting: Murder and Marriage!

Saturday, January 4, 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 January research class, Finding Helen Jewett: The Murder of a Prostitute in 1836 New York will be presented by Patricia Cline Cohen.

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 Radical Marriage Reform in the 1840's-1850's also presented by Patricia Cline Cohen.

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Patricia Cline Cohen teaches at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and specializes in nineteenth-century U.S. women and gender. She is the author of The Murder of Helen Jewett: The Life and Death of a Prostitute in Nineteenth-Century New York (1998) and a coauthor of The Flash Press: Sporting Male Weeklies in 1840s New York (2008). She is also a coauthor of the textbook The American Promise (4th edition, 2008). Her current research focused on the nineteenth-century health and sex reformers Mary Gove and Thomas L. Nichols, advocates of hydrotherapy, vegetarianism, sex education, and for a time, free love.

Copyright by © San Luis Obispo County Genealogical Society