Saddleback Valley Trails

Vol 10 No 7 ...Editor: Mary Jo McQueen...July 2003

South Orange County California Genealogical Society

 P. O. Box 4513, Mission Viejo, CA. 92690

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SOCCGS MEETING - July 19, 2003

Our speaker will be Barbara Renick whose topic will be "How Not to Get Lost at the FamilySearch Internet Site". This site provides the ability to search through multiple record collections in a multitude of ways. Barbara will help guide us through the many ways to use Family Search using a powerpoint presentation.

Ms. Renick is a professional genealogist and nationally known lecturer and author. She has thirty years of research experience tracing her own family tree in the challenging areas of Eastern Europe and the hills of Tennessee. She has taught genealogical computing classes since 1985, and presented lectures, seminars, workshops, and computer labs at regional conferences since 1983 and at national conferences since 1994. Barbara is well known for explaining technical material in easy-to-understand language. You won’t want to miss this program!

August - Nancy Huebotter: "Writing Your Autobiography"
September - Andrew Pomeroy: "Mastering Search Engines, Internet Research Skills You Need"
October - Seminar featuring Dr. George K. Schweitzer
November - Nancy Bier: "Everyone Lived on the Land"

This month's Safari will be to the San Diego Genealogical Society library on July 23, leaving the parking lot of the Mission Viejo FHC at 9 am. Call Janet or Mary Jo with any questions.

Our Third Annual SOCCGS Garage Sale will be held at the home of Leon and Bunny Smith. Please start gathering up your salable items. The Smiths will be accepting items the week before the sale. In the meantime, Jeanne Barrett has graciously offered part of her garage to store items. Please, let’s only ask her to store things we really don’t have room to store ourselves. You may call Jeanne to arrange to deliver items.

The second annual annual SOCCGS seminar will be held October 18 in the Saddleback Room, Mission Viejo City Hall. The speaker will be Dr. George K. Schweitzer. Professor Schweitzer is a great speaker who uses historical reenactment to teach genealogy. We are indeed fortunate to be able to include his presentations in our seminar. The cost for this day will be $20 per person plus $5 for lunch, if desired. You will find a flyer, with registration form, elsewhere in this newsletter. Registrations are being accepted now.

There were four guests and one new member at our meeting on June 21. We welcome Walt Schalick from San Clemente as a new member. Visiting were: Jim Jacks, Debbie Cohen, James and Mary Allred.

There were about fifty members at the June meeting. Doug Mason presented an enjoyable and informative program on his Civil War Ancestors.

DOCENTS NEEDED! There is an ongoing need for docents to help at our Genealogical Library. No experience is necessary. There are openings for both regular shifts and substitutes. A regular shift can be as little as a couple of hours a week or even once or twice a month. Please consider volunteering a little of your time. Call Janet or Mary Jo for further information.

Gail, we will miss you as newsletter editor. We will hope that you will return to this job that you have done so very well. I will endeavor to follow in your footsteps, however difficult that will be. Get well soon. Mary Jo

The Sedgwick Granger Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans is being organized. and will meet in Tustin. It has been some time since a camp has been available here in Orange County. Anyone wishing information on becoming a member of this group may contact Richard Raver at (949)493-4787 or [email protected].

http://www.ourroots.ca At this site, you will find Canadian local histories in both French and English. Actual books have been scanned and the pages can be read. (I didn’t try to print.) It seems to be quite a comprehensive site and will take a bit of exploring.
<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html> American Memory offers primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. I put in the name of my hometown in Iowa and found a picture of a bank on main street taken in the Thirties. Great site! Go there!

The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2003 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at: http://www.RootsForum.com>

There are 19 million war veterans living in the United States today, but every day we lose 1,500 of them. Now is the time to collect their stories and experiences, while they are still among us. The Veterans History Project aims to do just that.

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress plans to collect and preserve audio- and video-taped oral histories, along with documentary materials such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home movies, of America's war veterans and those who served in support of them. The Veterans History Project covers World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars. It includes all participants in those wars -- men and women, civilian and military. It documents the contributions of civilian volunteers, support staff, and war industry workers, as well as the experiences of military personnel from all ranks and all branches of service -- the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.

All Americans are encouraged to participate. By interviewing a veteran or war worker as part of the Veterans History Project, you honor those who served our nation. You also are participating in a national project initiated by Congress to promote public learning and to encourage discussion across the generations about our nation's wartime activities. Interviewers might be veterans comparing their experiences with fellow veterans who fought in previous wars. They may be students talking with veterans and home front supporters within their local communities as part of school projects. Or they may be grandsons and granddaughters coaxing grandparents to share their memories of America at war.

You can read more about this project at: http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/about.html

Our SOCCGS Library is the recipient of a wonderful library of Jewish Genealogy books from Dorothy Kohanski. We thank her for this very generous donation. It greatly enhances our collection. Following is a listing of the titles:
Migration From The Russian Empire, Ira A. Glazier; Vols. 1 through 6
Finding Our Fathers, Dan Rottenberg
Jewish Documentary Sources in Russia, Ukraine & Belarus, Sallis & Web
Pioneer Jews: A New Life In The Far West, Harriet & fred Rochlin
There Once Was A World, Yaffa Eliach
Fragile Branches, Travels Through The Jewish Diaspora, James R. Ross
Where Once We Walked Companion: A Guide To Communities Surrounding Central & Eastern European Towns, Gary Mokotoff
My Generations: A Course In Jewish Family History, Arthur Kurzweil
From Generation To Generation, Arthur Kurzweil
The German Minority Census of 1939, Thomas Kent Edlund
Guide To Naturalization Records of the United States, Schaefer
From A Ruined Garden: Memorial Books of Polish Jewry, Kugelmass & Boyarin
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames From The Russian Empire, Alexander Beider
Dictionary of Jewish Surnames From The Kingdom of Poland, Alexander Beider
Jewish Surnames In Prague 15th to 18th Centuries, Alexander Beider
The Ancestors of Our Children, Maynard Abrams
Western States Jewish History; Vol. I #1; Vols. II through XIII complete
Western States Jewish Historical Quarterly, Vols. XVI to XXV
Jewish Genealogy Beginner’s Guide
19th Annual Conference of Jewish Genealogy, Syllabus
Facing The New World, Jewish Portraits In Colonial & Federal America, P. Avotaynu
Index to Volumes 1 - 12, Avotaynu

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children-last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence, the saying, "Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water."
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence, the saying "dirt poor."
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat."
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle and guests got the top, or "upper curst."
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were then laid out for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat, drink and wait to see if they would wake up. Hence, the custom of holding a "wake."
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when the door was opening it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance. Hence, the saying a "thresh hold."

California Birth, Death, and Marriage Certificates

Did you know that the guidelines for ordering birth and death records are changing? (SB 1614 was passed after extensive opposition by genealogical groups.)

Because of the increased occurrence of identity theft, new laws were passed to protect birth and death records from misuse. These laws go into effect July 1, 2003. At that time, the steps necessary to obtain a birth or death record will change significantly.

Effective July 1, 2003, the California Health and Safety Code, Section 103526, will permit only authorized individuals to receive certified copies of birth and death records. Those who are not authorized by law to receive certified copies will receive certified copies marked "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY."

In the case of birth records, the new law describes an authorized person as:

* The registrant or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant.

* A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record in order to comply with the requirements of Section 3140 or 7603 of the Family Code.

* A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business.

* A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.

* An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant's estate.
In the case of death records, the new law describes an authorized person as:

* A parent or legal guardian of the registrant.

* A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the death record in order to comply with the requirements of Section 3140 or 7603 of the family code.

* A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business.

* A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.

* An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant's estate.

* A funeral director ordering certified copies of a death certificate on behalf of an individual specified in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 7100 of the Health and Safety Code.

For more information go to: <http://www.sonoma-
county.org/Clerk/HTML_Documents/BDMCerts/Frameset_BDMCerts.htm>

September 20

Genealogy Society of North Orange County California, Yorba Linda will hold a one day seminar. Geoff Rasmussen, Mellinnia Corp., creators of Legacy Family Tree, will be the speaker. He will be speaking about publishing your own family history book from a computer program. Call (714) 528-4977 for information.

Annual Kin-Dig Genealogical Fair, sponsored by the Antelope Valley Genealogical Society, will be held at the Antelope Valley Inn and Convention Center, 44055 N. Sierra Highway, Lancaster, CA. For information: [email protected]

South Orange County California Genealogical Society Family History Seminar featuring Dr. George Schweitzer.

Ancestry Novemberfest Family History Seminar, Redlands California Stake, 350 Wabash Ave., Redlands, CA. Free admission. For Information: C. Hatch: [email protected]

Chino Valley Family History Fair, Chino Valley Stake,Chino Hills, CA. Free admission.
For Information: Greg Collinwood at [email protected]

JULY LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS

SOCCGS Purchases:
The Complete Book of Emigrants 1607-1660: Peter Wilson Coldham
Kate Hill Kelley, Letters From A Vermont Family, Hoag & Leudeke
12 Volumes of Biographical Sketches of Flagon & Trenchers
CD:Worden’s Index To The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 1870-1998

Donations:
JANET FRANKS: Colonial Taverners Established by Members of the Flagon & Trencher
JACKIE HANSON: Microfilm Reels
New England Historical Society Register, Vol. 4, 5, 6
1880 Census Roll No. 739; Vernon, Texas
1880 Census Roll No. 1050; Miami & Morgan Counties, Ohio
1880 Census; Mercer & Miami Counties, Ohio
1860 Census; Waldo & Washington Counties, Maine
1880 Census; Waldo & Washington Counties, Maine
1820 Census Population Schedules; Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lists of North Carolina Land Grants in Tennessee, 1778-1791
Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers During The Revolutionary War from North Carolina

******* Thank You! *******

AVAILABLE CLASSES

***Continuous classes are offered at the Mission Viejo Family History Center at 27976 Marguerite Parkway. For a current schedule or to register call (949) 364-2742.
***For information on classes held at the Orange FHC, 674 S. Yorba St., Orange, call Beth McCarty at (714) 998-3408.
***Classes for beginners and intermediates in Computer-assisted Genealogy are offered each month by the Orange County CA Genealogy Society in the General Meeting Room of the Huntington Beach Central Library, 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach, CA for a fee of $4 for nonmembers, payable at the door.
See http://occgs.com for schedule.

***The schedule for NARA workshops is available by calling (949) 360-2641.
***The British Isles Family History Society (BIFHS) holds classes monthly at the LA FHC of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10741 Santa Monica Blvd., W. LA. Classes and parking are free. For information contact Dorothy Losee at (310) 838-6085, [email protected].
***Classes are offered monthly by the LA Family History Center, 10741 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles which offer a wide variety of topics. To see the schedule for the current month, go to their web site at http://www.lafhc.org or call (310) 474-9990.
***Brigham Young University's Department of Independent Studies offers two free online genealogy courses, Finding Your Ancestors and Providing Temple Ordinances for Your Ancestors. See http://ce.byu.edu/is/dept/famhist.htm for details.
***Community College genealogy courses can be found listed at the web site: http://www.ed2go.com/colleges.html Many of these are also free online.

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