SFBAJGS - Calendar of Genealogical Events

Sunday, June 2, 2013

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 9, 2013

Membership Meeting

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

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland FamilySearch Library

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Map

 

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, and moved to Minnesota. Shortly after David's death in 1955 his box of unpublished writing disappeared, only to be rediscovered in 2009 in the basement of a now-Episcopalian great-grandson in Seattle.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 "Diary", a semifictionalized story of the family's life in Latvia, their decision to leave for America, and the first 30 years of their life in their new world. "Diary" was published, with commentary and annotations, in 2012 by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest.

This talk gives a personal view of David's family's life in Tukums, Latvia, supported by contemporary and modern postcards and photography. Fred visited Latvia and met with archivists and other researchers, gaining a better understanding of the opportunities and limits on genealogical research. The diary proposes many ideas for why Jews left Latvia/Russia and describes several vignettes of life in Tukums. This program will be repeated in the South Bay on June 17.

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.

Monday, June 17, 2013

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:

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, and moved to Minnesota. Shortly after David's death in 1955 his box of unpublished writing 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 "Diary", a semifictionalized story of the family's life in Latvia, their decision to leave for America, and the first 30 years of their life in their new world. "Diary" was published, with commentary and annotations, in 2012 by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest.

This talk gives a personal view of David's family's life in Tukums, Latvia, supported by contemporary and modern postcards and photography. Fred visited Latvia and met with archivists and other researchers, gaining a better understanding of the opportunities and limits on genealogical research. The diary proposes many ideas for why Jews left Latvia/Russia and describes several vignettes of life in Tukums.

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, July 21, 2013

Membership Meeting

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

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Parking Information: Rhoda Goldman Plaza has a private, locked garage on Sutter, between Pierce and Scott.  It is in the middle of the block and large writing
on the building says "Parking for Rhoda Goldman Plaza".  Pull up to the gate, press the RGP button on the box on the driver's side, say you are there for the genealogy society meeting, and the gate will be opened.  Then drive down the ramp to RGP's visitor parking.  Take the RGP elevator to the first floor, then make a right and a quick left turn, and walk down the hallway to the lobby.  There you register and the front desk staff will direct you to the Olive Room on the same floor.

 

Topic:

Utilizing the Jewish Community Library as a Genealogical Resource

Speaker:

Judy Baston

Judy Baston, former SFBAJGS librarian and volunteer staff at the Jewish Community Library (JCL) for the past 20 years, will discuss the many ways in which the JCL's 30,000+ volume collection can aid in Jewish genealogy research. She will discuss the JCL's books on Jewish genealogy methods, name origins, reference works, Jewish community histories, bibliographies, and more.

Judy, a Board Member of LitvakSIG and of Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, was born in Oakland, California. Her father was born in Eisiskes (Eishishok), Lithuania, and her mother was born in Lomza Gubernia, Poland. Judy has been researching her family¹s history for 20 years, and she has traveled to Lithuania, Northern Belarus, and Poland.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Membership Meeting

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

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland FamilySearch Library

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Map

 

Topic:

Bring Your Own Brick Wall

Speaker:

Panel of SFBAJGS Experienced Researchers

Whether you are just beginning or have been working on your family history for many years, we all run into what genealogists call "brick walls", those questions or situations we just can't fathom how to scale. Do not fear, several Society members will try to offer suggestions based upon several years of their own research to help you break through, climb over, or get around those brick walls. Bring your questions and documents (no originals, please, make copies
first!), and let's see if we can't make that breakthrough. The library has several genealogy databases available, so we may be able to take advantage of this and locate almost instant answers. No promises, though!

Monday, August 19, 2013

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:

A-Files at the National Archives

Speaker:

Marisa Louie

The National Archives maintains over 400,000 Alien Case Files or "A-Files" at its facilities in San Francisco, California, and Kansas City, Missouri. Created beginning in 1944, these files relate to non-citizen alien residents of the United States and are a potential wealth of genealogical information. At this presentation, you'll discover more about what's in the A-Files, who is documented in them, and how to find them at the National Archives.

Marisa Louie has been on staff at The National Archives at San Francisco (located in San Bruno, California) as an archivist since September 2009. She works with the facility's holdings of Immigration and Naturalization Service case files and is the project archivist for the Alien Files ("A-Files") transferred to her facility. Marisa holds a B.A. in American Studies and Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is a past participant in the "In Search of Roots" program.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Membership Meeting

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

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Parking Information: Rhoda Goldman Plaza has a private, locked garage on Sutter, between Pierce and Scott.  It is in the middle of the block and large writing
on the building says "Parking for Rhoda Goldman Plaza".  Pull up to the gate, press the RGP button on the box on the driver's side, say you are there for the genealogy society meeting, and the gate will be opened.  Then drive down the ramp to RGP's visitor parking.  Take the RGP elevator to the first floor, then make a right and a quick left turn, and walk down the hallway to the lobby.  There you register and the front desk staff will direct you to the Olive Room on the same floor.

Topic:

Napa Valley's Jewish Heritage

Speaker:

Donna Mendelsohn and Henry Michalski

As the world rushed in to profit from California’s gold strike of 1848, many Jews joined the throng, not necessarily to mine but to sell merchandise to prospectors. Some pioneers settled in the Napa Valley, where they conducted business, participated in cultural life, and held public office. Many also made fine wines, something perfected thousands of years ago as commanded in scripture. This is their story told through photographs.

Raised in Illinois, Donna Dover Mendelsohn came to California in 1961 and settled in Napa in 1998 with her husband. As cofounder of the Jewish Historical Society of Napa Valley and past president of Congregation Beth Sholom, she coordinated the permanent exhibit "Jews of the Valley" at the Napa Valley Museum.

Henry Michalski was born in Kazakhstan and came to America with his Polish parents in 1949. In 1968, he began teaching history in the Napa public schools and at Congregation Beth Sholom’s Sunday school. He is now retired.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Membership Meeting

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

Doors open 12:30pm, Program begins 1pm

Oakland FamilySearch Library

4766 Lincoln Avenue

Oakland, CA

Map

 

Topic:

Using City Directories to Further Your Research

Speaker:

Lisa Gorrell

Directories were not only for cities. Many counties and rural areas had directories, also. Learn what they contain and how they can be used to flesh out your family's lives.

Lisa Gorrell has researched her own family and her husband's family for nearly 20 years. City directories are her favorite resource. She is a board member of the California Genealogical Society and the Contra Costa County Genealogical Society.

Monday, October 21, 2013

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:

Using Online Newspapers for Genealogical Research

Speaker:

Janice Sellers

Newspapers are valuable in genealogical research because you can find information about births, deaths, marriages, moves, business, naturalizations, court cases, and more. Millions of pages of the world's newspapers are now accessible online, but there is no one place to find them all. This class gives an overview of what is available online and techniques to help improve your chances of finding information about your relatives.

Janice M. Sellers is a professional genealogist specializing in newspaper and Jewish research, a board member of SFBAJGS, and the editor of ZichronNote and a second genealogy journal. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Genealogical Speakers Guild, and the California Genealogical Society and a board member of
the California State Genealogical Alliance. Her company is Ancestral Discoveries, http://www.ancestraldiscoveries.com/.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Membership Meeting

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

Doors open 1pm, Program begins 1:30pm

Rhoda Goldman Plaza Map

2180 Post Street, San Francisco 94115

Parking Information: Rhoda Goldman Plaza has a private, locked garage on Sutter, between Pierce and Scott.  It is in the middle of the block and large writing
on the building says "Parking for Rhoda Goldman Plaza".  Pull up to the gate, press the RGP button on the box on the driver's side, say you are there for the genealogy society meeting, and the gate will be opened.  Then drive down the ramp to RGP's visitor parking.  Take the RGP elevator to the first floor, then make a right and a quick left turn, and walk down the hallway to the lobby.  There you register and the front desk staff will direct you to the Olive Room on the same floor.

 

Topic:

The Changing Borders of Eastern Europe

Speaker:

Marc Seidenfeld

Marc will discuss how the Prussian, Austrian, Russian, and Ottoman empires broke up and how we ended up with the present independent states and their borders. He will also talk about how the historically shifting geographical and political boundaries of Eastern Europe are significant in our genealogical research.

Marc Seidenfeld has been a member of SFBAJGS for many years and has researched his Galitizianer ancestry. He is an attorney in private practice with an emphasis on probate and real property matters.

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