Saddleback Valley Trails
South Orange County California Genealogical Society

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

Monthly meetings are held on the third Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to Noon at the Mission Viejo Family History Center Institute Building, 27978 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, between Medical Center Drive and Hillcrest Drive. Membership is open to anyone wishing to join. Yearly membership fees are $20 per calendar year for individuals, $25 for joint membership. SOCCGS is not affiliated with the LDS Family History Center.

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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR THE SEMINAR. DON’T MISS OUT!
RESERVATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 15!

OCTOBER 18, 2003 SEMINAR

October 18 - Seminar featuring Dr. George K. Schweitzer
November 15 - Nancy Bier: "Everyone Lived on the Land"
December 20 - Holiday Party

SEPTEMBER MEETING

This month we welcome six new members. Sue P. Miller (Pritchard & Greenway), Debbie Cohen (Rudman in Maine), Connie Galliher (Wingham, Kuntz, Coyne, Flannery, O’Malley, Henry, Wiwi, Sisson), Theresa (Terri) Lancey (Lancey, Hill, Fish, Creveling), Dale Larsen (Price, Tungate, Lutzi), Victoria Crayne (Hidden, Crayne, Parker, Helsom, Sell, Schrank), Charlotte Staples (Carmichal, Staples, Clary, Prothero).
Guests were: Barbara Rasmussen, Barbara & Ralph Sogliuzzo, Fred R. Granville, Charmaine Granville, Carol Lobo, Joan Truman, Karen McConnell, and Amy Gazzar. We enjoyed meeting them and hope they will consider joining our group.

My family coat of arms ties at the back....is that normal?

SOCCGS LIBRARY

Lee Kraft has volunteered to serve as a docent on Tuesday afternoons from October 7 to December 2. She will be there from 1 to 4 pm. We still need someone from 4 to 6, or 7 for the same dates. This will allow Janet and Mary Jo, along with Ruby, to take a life story class. Please call Mary Jo if you can help out, even for one or more Tuesdays.

We wish to share our condolences with the family of Jean Neibecker. Jean passed away recently. She was a long time member of our society and will be greatly missed. Also, in our thoughts is Barbara Wilgus, whose mother passed away last week. Barbara has gone to Illinois for an extended stay.

GENEALOGICAL NEWS

“Write Your Life Story.” Learn how at free classes offered through the Santiago Canyon College Adult Education Program beginning the week of October 6. Beginning/Intermediate Life Story Writing, on Tuesdays 1:30 to 4:30 pm; Advanced Life Story Writing on Wednesdays, same time. These nine-week courses are being taught by Dawn Thurston at the Orange Center, 541 North Lemon, Orange. Call (714) 564-5300. Learn more at www.MemoirMentor.com

The Sedgwick Granger Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans has been organized and is meeting 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].

The Family History Alliance holds informal monthly meetings the last Saturday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Orange Family History Center, 674 S. Yorba, Orange. The meetings are held in the Relief Society Room (on the south side of the building). The goals of the FHA are to educate genealogists, officers and members of genealogical and historical societies and librarians about the genealogy and family history resources available in Orange County, California. Barbara Renick gives a presentation at each FHA meeting, usually about online and computer resources (both LDS and non-LDS) for genealogical research.

This month's research safari will be to the Sons of the Revolution Library in Glendale. This library is the repository of an impressive collection of American Revolution; early American (New England), California and local history and genealogy books and materials. It comprises over 35,000 volumes and is well known as one of the largest collections relating to the American Revolution and Colonial America in the western United States. We will leave the parking lot of the Mission Viejo FHC at 9:00 am. This will be a long day and into the evening so remember to bring or buy lunch and be prepared to buy dinner on the way home. Please try to sign up in advance by calling Janet or Mary Jo.

GRANITE MOUNTAIN RECORDS VAULT

In 1938 the Genealogical Society of Utah began filming records important to research; in 1938 only 12 rolls of microfilm were produced. By 1950 the collection numbered hundreds of thousands and a secure, permanent home was needed.
In 1960 construction began on the GMRV in Little Cottonwood Canyon, some 22 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. The complex was finished in 1965 and consisted of four tunnels with a total of 65,111 square feet of space, some 650 feet deep into solid granite cliffs. The entire collection of 429,356 films was soon moved in. Today the film numbers spill over four million.
During construction, a source of fresh water was found. This water proved vital to the developing of the film that arrives daily from countries all over the world. The GMRV supplies duplicate microfilms and microfiche to a network of over 3500 Family History Centers throughout the world. About 60 dedicated employees fill from 500 to 2500 orders for films or fiche each day. No visitors are allowed into the GMRV so that the temperature and air quality can be maintained.
(From: Genealogy Bulletin, Heritage Creations, February 2003)

SEPTEMBER LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS

DONATIONS:
JACKIE HANSON
Abstracts of North Carolina Wills; Fred A. Olds
First Settlers of Connecticut & Massachusetts; Nathaniel Goodwin
Marshfield, Massachusetts Vital Records
California Place Names; Erwin G. Gudd
New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 5 microfilms
JEANNE BARRETT
Goin’ West, A record of Some Who Went West, Vol. 1 thru 11; Dick Nelson
JANET FRANKS
Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications
KINGS HIGHWAY CHAPTER, DFPA
On Loan: Assorted Daughters of Founders of Patriots & America Lineage Books

SOCCGS BOOK & CD PURCHASES;
Deep South: CD- Early Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi Settlers
Nevada: Boulder City Cemetery 1942 to June 2000, Vol. 1: A-K & Vol. 2: L-Z by Diane E. Greene
Louisiana: CD-Early Louisiana Settlers (Contains 11 books relating to Louisiana)
Florida: Claims to Land in East & West Florida: 1825
Spanish Claims to Land in Florida: 1835
Maryland: CD-Maryland Settlers and Soldiers, 1700s-1800s
Massachusetts: CD-Massachusetts Genealogical Records, 1600s-1800s
CD-Vital Records of Springfield. MA to 1850
Georgia: CD-Early Georgia Settlers
History of Macon County 1933, Louise Frederick Hays
Virginia: CD-Colonial Virginia Source Records, 1600s-1700s
Pennsylvania: Record of Pennsylvania Marriages Prior to 1810 Vol. I & Vol. II
Connecticut: A Genealogical Register of the Inhabitants of the Town of Litchfield, 1720 to 1800 by George C. Woodruff
Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records
Vol. 12, Fairfield 1639-1850 & Farmington 1645-1850 Vol. 45, Suffield 1674-1850
Vol. 52, Wethersfield 1634-1868
Vol. 55, Windsor 1637-1850
Emigration: The Alsace Emigration Book I & Book II by Cornelia Schrader-Muggenthaler Native American: CD-1890 Cherokee Nation Census
CD-1880 Cherokee Nation Census
Indian Tribes of North America (Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology) by John R. Swanton Hispanic: Finding Your Hispanic Roots by George R. Ryskamp
General: Reading Early American Handwriting by Kip Sperry
Producing a Quality Family History, Patricia Law Hatcher
Write the Story of Your Life, Ruth Kanin
Scotch Irish: CD-Scotch-Irish Settlers in America, 1500s-1800s, Immigration Records
Scotch Irish Pioneers in Ulster and America, C. K. Bolton
Military: Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants, By State Governments, Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck Organizations: DAR Patriot Index, 3 Vol. ( 2003 Edition)

INTERNET

http://www.calendarhome.com is the url for a site that gives a monthly calendar from the year 1 A.D. to 9999 A.D. (10,000 years). This perpetual calendar shows the days of the week as well as the date.
Go to http:www.censusdiggins.com to calculate dates from cemetery markers that have only the year of death and age at death. All the dates at this site are according to the Gregorian calendar and it automatically includes leap years.
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/newengland/savage/Here you will find James Savage’s “A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Before 1699. The book is fully searchable by surname.
The Plymouth Colony Archive Web Site http://etext.virginia.edu/users/deetz/ This site focuses on Plymouth from 1620 to 1691 and has been selected as one of the best humanities sites on the Internet by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Features fully searchable texts of early laws, court records, wills, and probates; analyses of the colony legal structure, domestic relations, early settlement, criminal records, and interactions of the Wampanoag people and the colonists; biographical and social network profiles of members of the colony; a study of social and legal relationships between indentured servants and masters; archaeological analysis of house plans and material culture; and fully searchable seventeenth-century texts.
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ysbinns/vataxlists/index.htm1790 / 1800 County Tax Lists of Virginia (Reconstructed 1790 & 1800 Federal Census) Fully searchable.

A List of Occupations, many of which are archaic: http://cpcug.org/user/jlacombe/terms.html
Cemetery Junction Directory - A directory of more than 20,000 cemeteries, arranged by state. Search by cemetery and family name. Links to obituaries and genealogical societies in the U.S., Australia, and Canada:http://daddezio.com/cemetery/

GENEALOGICAL EVENT CALENDAR

October 18 -On The Trail of Our Ancestors, South Orange County California Genealogical Society Family History Seminar, featuring Dr. George Schweitzer. Registration information included within newsletter.

October 25 -The Pommeran Special Interest Group of the Immigrant Genealogical Society is presenting a Pomeranian Town Hall in Burbank, California, on Saturday, October 25, 2003. The featured speakers will be Martha and Les Riggle. Prior to October 1 the cost is $12.50 per person with an additional $5 for lunch. For a registration form and additional information, please go to our website (pomeranianews.com) and click on our "Calendar of Events." For those of you who may be Pomeranians and not know it, our area was considered part of Prussia/Germany until the end of WWII. Then the NE part of Germany along the Baltic Sea coast was given to Poland. Now the towns and counties use both their German and Polish names.

October 25 - Hemet-San Jacinto Genealogical Society is featuring Richard S. Wilson at a Family History Seminar, October 25, 9 am - 3:30 pm. Call (909) 765-2372 for information.

October 26-November 1, 2003 - NGS 2003 Research Trip to London will include a full week of research opportunities at: The National Archives (formerly The Public Record Office), The Society of Genealogists, The Family Record Centre , The London Metropolitan Archives, First Avenue House (for wills after 1858), The Guildhall Library and Corporation of London Record Office and other repositories, as requested. Register online at http://www.NGSgenealogy.org/researchtrips/londonregistration.htm

November 1 - Ancestry Novemberfest Family History Seminar, Redlands California Stake, 350 Wabash Ave., Redlands, CA. Free admission. For Information: C. Hatch: [email protected]

November 8 - Southern California Genealogical Society is hosting an all-day seminar featuring Bill Dollarhide and Leland Meitzler. (818) 843-7247 or http://www.scgsgenealogy.com

EPITAPHS

“David Miller here is laid; His work’s done--his debt’s paid; He was a useful man in his station,
Being grave digger by occupation; But since he is dead, let’s rejoice at his fall. For if he had lived he’d have buried us all” (Waterloo, NY NGS Quarterly, Jan. 1919)

The Hon. Elisha Sheldon, Litchfield, Connecticut - "A gentleman of extensive genius and liberal education, called in early life to various public employments, both civil and military, all of which he executed with punctuality and fidelity, much respected for his generosity and benevolence, and greatly lamented by his extensive acquaintance. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

I'm always late. My ancestors arrived on the JUNEflower!

ENGLISH COMMON LAW

According to George Webb, The Office and Authority of a Justice of Peace (Williamsburg, 1736) a person was considered "of age" under different circumstances.

"At Common Law, every Person under the Age of One and Twenty Years is an Infant; but this holds only in Civil Causes, for in Criminal Matters the Law regards the Age of Discretion, which is 14 Years. "And in Cases Civil there are several Exceptions, as, The Age for a Man to marry, is 14, and for a Woman 12.
"An Infant of 17, shall take Administration, or prove a Will, in his own Right; for then the Power of Administrator, or Executor, during Minority, ceaseth.
"And whatever Act he doth, which was his Duty to do, as giving Release upon receiving all Money due, Paiment of just Debts, &c. shall bind him.
"Above 18, may bequeath Slaves, by Will in Writing.
"And in divers other Cases, whereby by Special Law, or Custom, an Infant shall be bound, as tho' he were of full Age.
"Surety of the Peace is grantable to or against an Infant, tho' under 14 Years of Age.
"An Infant of 14 Years may commit Forcible Entry, or Detainer, for which he may be fined; and he shall find Sureties for his Good-behaviour; But he shall suffer no Imprisonment, nor Corporal Pains, for Breach of any Penal Law, wherein an Infant is not expressly named; yet, he shall forfeit the Penalty of a Penal Law, and so may lose his Goods.
"An Infant above 18, may be a Disseisor with Force, and may be imprisoned for the same.
"In all Cases of Treason, or Felony, Infancy is no Plea, but the Offender, tho' under 14, shall be liable to the Punishments by Law inflicted for such Offence, if it appear that he had Knowledge of Good and Evil."

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ENGLISH COMMON LAW, 18th CENTURY VIRGINIA

There are other circumstances when a person is considered "of age", for example, orphan boys were apprenticed until age 21 and girls to age 18. Anyone 14 or older could witness legal documents.
Appointment of a legal guardian was not necessarily related to who raised a child or where he or she lived.
A legal guardian was either named or chosen for an entirely different reason: to protect the child's right to his or her inheritance.
Typically, when a father or mother died, the children continued to live with the surviving parent, or perhaps with grandparents or other relatives, and no legal action was deemed necessary.
Guardians for the children were thus not named or chosen until some "triggering" event. For example, suppose the widow decided to remarry. Under typical laws, she was entitled to her "dower right" (usually one-third), and the children were entitled to the remainder of their father's estate. In view of the impending marriage, it was usually deemed necessary for the under-age children to have guardians to see to it that their property rights were protected.
The other common "triggering" event was the death of a grandparent. Suppose the children's mother had previously died and the children were living with the father. Later, the mother's father died intestate. In this case,
her children would be entitled to their mother's share of the grandfather's estate, thus make it necessary that the children have a legal guardian. (In a case such as this, it might well be that the father of the children was
named their guardian.)
The appointment of a guardian by the court or the choosing of one by someone at least 14 years old contains some hidden messages for genealogists:
First, as noted, it says that those who chose guardians were at least age 14. Secondly, it tells you to look for some event that made the appointment of choice of the guardian necessary - usually the remarriage of the mother or the death of a grandparent.
What it does not tell you is when the parent (or parents) may have died. Nor does it tell you anything about who actually was rearing the children. The guardians were for strictly legal purposes, not for the purpose of saying who should be responsible for raising the child.
It is true, however, that totally orphaned (both parents dead) were often raised by an uncle or other close relative, who was also their guardian. Said uncle would, of course, exact the costs of keeping and schooling the
children from their inheritances!
>From VAROOTS USGenweb:: http://www.usgenweb.org/researchers/misc.html

SNOBS TALK AS IF THEY HAD BEGOTTEN THEIR OWN ANCESTORS!

RULES FOR THE WORK PLACE IN 1872

The following Rules were posted by the owner of a New England Carriage Works, as a guide to his office workers. These rules were printed in the Boston Globe some years ago.

1. Office employees will daily sweep the floors, dust the furniture, shelves, and showcases.
2. Each day fill the lamps, clean the chimneys, and trim the wicks. Wash the windows once a week.
3. Each worker will bring in a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the days business.
4. This office will open at 7 am and close at 8 pm except on the Sabbath, on which day we will remain closed. Each employee is expected to spend the Sabbath by attending church and contributing liberally to the cause of the Lord.
5. Men employees will be given off one evening a week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go regularly to church.
6. After an employee has spent 13 hours of labor in the office each day, the remaining time should be spent reading the Bible or other good Books.
7. Every Employee should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years, so that he will not become a burden on society or his betters.
8. Any employee who smokes Spanish cigars, uses liquor in any form, or frequents pool and public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop, will give me good reason to suspect his worth, intentions, integrity, and honesty.
9. The employee who has performed his labors faithfully and without fault for five years, will be given an increase of five cents per day in his pay, providing profits from the business permit it.

********

ANCESTORS

The Smiths were proud of their family tradition. Their ancestors had come to America on the Mayflower. They had included Senators and Wall Street wizards.
They decided to compile a family history, a legacy for their children and grandchildren. They hired a fine author. Only one problem arose -- how to handle the fact that great-uncle George, was executed in the electric chair. The author said he could handle the story tactfully.
The book appeared. It read, "Great-uncle George who occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution, was attached to his position by the strongest of ties, and his death came as a great shock."
-Author Unknown

TIPS TO HELP YOU GET MORE FROM ONLINE RESEARCH TIME
By Juliana Smith
1) Think of a trip to the computer like a trip to the library. You wouldn’t go to the library unprepared, so do a little work before you log on. You might keep a binder with printed pedigree charts and family group sheets on the desk. Include some blank pages to make notes of ideas for new research strategies, etc.
2) With the immense array of resources available online it is impossible to keep track of where you have searched, when and for what. Keep a research log of sites visited, searches performed, and the results.
3) Determine what information you need. Most of us have a limited amount of time that we can spend surfing for ancestors. Go over your research and decide what information you are looking for.
4) Don’t just search for surnames. Find out all you can about where they were from. While learning about an area, you will often find clues that will open up to avenues of research.
6) Learn. There are many how-to, beginner, and specialized sites dealing with specific record types, geographic areas, repositories, and/or ethnicity. Use them to locate new resources and methods for conduction your search.
5) If you don’t find the information you seek online, use online sources to determine what off line avenues are available to you.
6) When you find a pertinent piece of information, be sure to record the full bibliographic citation. If it is not available on the Web site, write the webmaster and request it. Citing your sources is critical, both online and off.
(Excerpted from Ancestry Daily News, 23 August 1999)

“Studying history without genealogy is like reading with one eye shut."
--Tom Nicholas, 1896-1993.


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