Saddleback Valley Trails

Saddleback Valley Trails

Vol 2 No.7 Editor: Pat Weeks July 1995

South Orange County California Geneaogical Society

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

SOCCGS EVENTS

The SOCCGS monthly meetings are scheduled for the third Saturday of each month and are held from 10:00 a.m. to Noon at:

Norman P. Murray Community Center

24932 Oso Viejo Drive

Mission Viejo, CA

28 June 1995 Safari to Carlsbad Library, ( See page 42).

15 July 1995 Our speaker will be Betty Bell Feldman, who will speak on "Points & Pitfalls of Genealogical Research" who reports she has been her family historian since the age of 16. Betty Bell has published books on writing family lore and teaching genealogy. She is a member of Questing Heirs Genealogy Society, the Orange County Gen. Society, Orange County Computer User's Club and is presently the president of the McDonnel Douglas Co. Gen. Club.

26 July 1995 Safari to SR Library

19 August 1995. The speaker, Walter Woods, will discuss computer programs to help in writing a family history.

23 August 1995 Safari, destination to be announced by next meeting.

16 September 1995. Our speaker for this meeting will be Karen Langer who will discuss documentation, why it is vital and how it can be accomplished as painlessly as possible.

OTHER EVENTS

8 July 1995"America On-Line" demonstration for both IBM or Mac users, Orange Apple Computer Club, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00, Orange Coast College, Chemistry Building.

21 & 22 July 1995 Open House at the Mission Viejo Family History Center, see article, page).

July 1995 For Leisure World residents only.

Mary Ellen Lytle will be conducting a series of Beginners' Workshops, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on July 10, 17, 24, 31 at Clubhouse 1, Dining Room 3. If interested, call her

9 September 1995 The Genealogical Society of Hispanic America meeting will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of V-J Day, 9:00 a.m. At 12:00 Patrick Perez will present "How to Videotape Your Family History", Santa Fe Springs Library.

20-23 September 1995"From Sea to Shining Sea" conference sponsored by Federation of Gen. Societies and hosted by Seattle Gen. Society. Over 100 exhibit booths and over 100 genealogical lectures. Brochure available on back table, or can be ordered from FGS, P.O. Box 3385, Salt Lake City, UT 884110-33885

17 Sept & 15 October 1995 Hispanic Heritage Day celebration at old San Juan Capistrano Mission honoring 218 years of Hispanic culture with music, food and dance.

21 October 1995 Immigrant Gen. Soc. of Burbank presents Trudy Schenk, accredited genealogist and German resource person at Salt Lake City FHC, co-author of Württemberg Emigration Index, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., $22 for non-member, includes lunch.

P.O. Box 7369, Burbank Ca. 91510 for further information.

MEMBERSHIP

We welcome the following new members:

Pat Burckhardt #0148

2707 Via Lado

San Clemente CA 92672

Herb Abrams #0149

24801 San Andres Lane

Mission Viejo CA 92691

The following have renewed their membership for the year: H.Lowell & Jacqueline J. Smith; George & Louise Supple.

Walt Wood, Herb Abrams, Lorene Carnes and Morgan Sales were guests at our June meeting. We welcome all guests and remind the members to bring along any friends who would like to attend a meeting.

A BIG THANKS

to Eugenia Gannon who wrote for the guide to historians of New York. She received the guide and names and addresses of local historians of 8 Western counties. These Eugenia ran off and offered a copy to any of the members present at our last meeting, asking for 60cents to cover xeroxing, which she then donated to the penny basket. Ruby White reports that as of today, we have collected a total of 34,152 pennies - only 965,848 pennies to go to reach our goal. These pennies will go to supplies and books for the new library section in the upcoming library.

SOCCGS BOARD NEWS

At the most recent Board meeting, President John Smith announced that he had completed the application for recognition of exemption (non-profit status) which has been sent to the IRS. A reminder to all members that the Board meetings are held at Arby's Restaurant on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. and all members are invited to attend.

JOIN OUR SAFARI

Beginning this month we are initiating our "Safari" program. One the fourth Wednesday of each month we will gather to travel to a library for a day of research. Some visits will be close and some will be far away and make for a very long day, but it will be worth it! If you are interested, you must be at our meeting spot at 9:30 prompt, and it would be wise to bring a lunch, for an eating place is not always available at some libraries. Members will provide the car pools and we ask you to contribute $1 to your driver to offset the cost of gasoline. For our first safari, we will meet at the Norman Murray Community Center on June 28, 9:30 prompt, and travel down to Carlsbad City Library. We will plan to leave to return to Mission Viejo at 3:30, putting us back by approximately 4:30p.m. The newsletter will contain particulars of each month's planned outing.

Ready or not,

It's Time to Recopy

By Karen Langer

Years of collecting copies of documents have produced dozens, if not hundreds, of records with different types of paper. In order to protect your years of research, you must now systematically go through all your copies and determine which ones are significant enough to re-copy. Yes, you read that correctly. RE-COPY!

For example, about 30% of all your copies were photocopied "wet". This copy was wet immediately after the copy process. The paper still feels tacky, and after 10 - 15 years becomes brittle. Also, these copies fade fast. Even without exposure to daylight, these photocopies are very, very temporary.

Another 50% of your copies were photocopied "dry" but on high-acid paper. Paper with high-acid content will usually last 50 years before yellowing and becoming brittle. Although they may last somewhat longer with good storage (constant low humidity, no daylight, and even temperatures), these copies are also considered temporary. All certified birth, death and marriage records, and most photocopies, fall into these two categories.

To confuse the issue, recent technology has introduced FAX paper (very temporary), bubble-jet printers (the ink runs if the paper gets wet) and laser printers (they use inexpensive high-acid paper).

To simplify your decision-making process do the following: (1) determine which records need "permanent" status, and (2) purchase sufficient reams of "acid-free" paper and carry them with you to your favorite "Copy Store" to re-copy these records.

HINT: When you go to purchase paper, check the labels. The label will state "acid-free" or "archival". Many distributors have samples of their paper so that you can check the content with a testing pen. Hammermill-brand papers, for example, (carried by many of our local stores) are acid-free products.

HINT: When you decide to hand-write information on documents, do what the archivists do, use a pencil.

Not every record needs or requires permanent or archival storage. But seriously think about recopying certified records (such as birth certificates), newspaper articles (obits), or any document that would cost money to replace. If it's expensive to certify today, I think of what it will cost 20 years from now!

OPENHOUSE AT

M.V. FAMILY HISTORY CENTER

Ever wondered how to use the local Family History Center? The staff of the Mission Viejo FHC at 27976 Marguerite Parkway (by Medical Center Drive) is presenting an Open House Tutorial How To Program on Friday, July 21st, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday July 22nd, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Every 30 minutes an introduction entitled "where do I start" will be given. Also available will be a tour of the library with instructions on use and availability of microfilm, microfiche, books, pamphlets and forms. A continuous film of census research is another presentation. Computer demonstrations and tutoring will be available. All levels of research will be attempted, so come one and all and get this free tour and individual attention.

MY BRICK WALL

(at least, one of them)

by Rosann Morrow Orewyler

Greenberry Horras HARRISON (not to be confused with his grandson, Greenberry Hardin HARRISON, my great grandfather, was an adventurer and a scalawag.

He was born about 1811, most likely in Virginia. He married Esther GILLESPIE 24 July 1831 at Blount Co. Alabama. They had two sons, my great-great-grandfather Joseph David Harrison, and James Horras Harrison, who died in infancy. Then, they divorced in 1835.

Sometime between October 1835 and July 1839 he went to Texas. There are several letters, in the Texas State Archives, written by him to Sam Houston about "fighting the Mexicans", establishing this. On July 15 and 16, 1839, he fought in the Cherokee Campaign.

He bought an Austin newspaper, became a luxury hotel owner, and bought a shipping line. He promoted land development; most advertised was a development on the Brazos River called "Alabama".

In 1840 he was elected to the Republic of Texas Fifth Congress from Houston County, and then married Ann McKINSTRY in 1841 at the Lamarr White House.

We lose track of him in 1856 when his wife wrote a letter to the Texas General Land Office regarding a land transaction and stated, "my husband is in California".

Many have tried to track him and they have all failed. Can you offer a suggestion on how to find where he went and what he did?

Roseann Morrow OREWYLER, 25711 Via Solis, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675.

LIBRARY UPDATE

Some of our members attended the Mission Viejo City Council meeting on June 12th to hear the presentation of the various committees concerning the planning of the future city library. The Council approved the plans, committed the monies, and predict the library will be opened Summer of 1997.

CA STATE ARCHIVES

The State Archives reopened at its new building, two blocks south of the State Capitol at 1020 O Street in downtown Sacramento on March 20. Two new phone numbers, (916)653-7715 for general information and (916)653-2246 for references. Researchers making requests by phone may experience significant delays as the Archives staff is working to reduce a sizeable backlog of requests. All researchers are advised to come to the Archives to do their research in person. The Research Room is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Records cannot be pulled between noon and 1 pm or after 3:30 pm. (New Building Update, 5 Apr 19 via CSGA Newsletter June 1995)

For reference books on California, ask for a catalog from Herzog/Landrith, P.O.Box 4842, Auburn CA 95604 or call (916)823-2160. They have cemetery records by the dozens. (CSGA Newsletter, June 1995)

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