Soccgs Home Page
Vol 2 No. 10 Editor: Pat Weeks October 1995
South Orange County California Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 4513, Mission Viejo CA, 92690
SOCCGS EVENTS
SOCCGS monthly meetings are scheduled for the third Saturday of each month and are held from 10 a.m. to Noon at the Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Oso Viejo Drive, Mission Viejo CA.
Meeting Date Changed
Circumstances beyond our control have forced us to change the next meeting date from Oct 21st to a week earlier, October 14th. Mark your calendars now!
14 October 1995 Karen Langer will speak on "Documentation: How and Why", the need for good documentation, analyzing data, and backing up your data with documentation. Nominations for the 1996 Board of Directors will be held at this meeting also. After the meeting, John Smith A. will lead a workshop at the Family History Center on Marguerite Parkway for all interested members.
18 November 1995 Judy Deeter will present an overview of the Orange County Vital Records housed at Santa Ana. At this meeting we will hold the election of Board members.
16 December 1995 Installation of the new Board for 1996. The end of the year reports from Committee leaders will be presented at this meeting also.
OTHER EVENTS
7 October 1995 The North San Diego Gen. Soc. presents Arlene Eakel, Ph.D. who will speak on Tidewater Research of MD, VA and DE; Mississippi River System & Your Family Tree; Ancestors who lived in Cities; and Evaluating Genealogy Evidence. 8:30 registration, at the Carlsbad Senior Center.
14 October 1995, DAR monthly meeting, at Villa Valencia Clubhouse hosts Melinda Kashuba who will speak on how to make up your medical genealogy. Open to the public. Reservations must be made. Call Janet, 496-8428.
21 & 22 October 1995 Highland Games, sponsored by the Clans of the Highlands. Scottish dance, athletic events, genealogy, food, music, folklore, re-enactments, even a sheep dog demonstration, at Prado Regional Park near Corona. For more information, contact Shirley Fraser, 837-5566.
21 October 1995 Immigrant Gen. Soc., presents Trudy Schenck, co-author of Wüerttemberg Emigration Index., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Burbank CA.
10-12 November 1995 Inland Empire Civil War Round Table, 11th annual West Coast CW conference, "Lincoln, Davis, and Their Generals". Conference site is Orton Center, Univ. of Redlands, 1200 E. Colton, Redlands CA. If further information needed, call (909)789-7632.
6 December 1996 So. CA Gen. Soc presents the French Canadian Workship. Begins 6:30 p.m. at the Community Room of the Burton Chase Park, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey. Contact Ann LeBlanc Barillas for further information, (818)769-0790.
21-29 January 1996 New England Historical & Genealogical Society will meet at Long Beach.
16-18 February 1996 The California Historical Society will hold their conference in Ontario, CA.
MEMBERSHIP
We welcome the following new members:
Stella Cardoza R0155
Edna B. Diller R0156
Marie B. Keeler R0157
Jacqueline Core, , has renewed her membership for the year.
Guests at the September meeting were:
Tom Hruska, Edna Diller, Ryan Jordan, Darrell Manrique, Keith Hinckley, Jean Stewart, Milly Milstead, Marie Keeler and Nancy Palmer. (The news must be spreading about the super meetings we have been having!!!)
M.V. LIBRARY
Bob Breton was present at our last meeting to inform the members of the progress being made with plans for the new city library. The city expects construction to begin on the 25,000 square foot building in June 1996. Although independent from the Orange County library system, the Mission Viejo Library will be available to all Saddleback Valley residents.
LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS
Eugenia Gannon is at it again! At the last meeting she presented the SOCCGS with the most recent surname index published by the Orange County Genealogical Society. The booklet will be available at the back desk at each meeting for anyone to use.
We also thank Judy Deeter, who has given our library collection a 1932 Coalinga CA Masonic Lodge roster, and
History of Arizona, a family and personal history,Vol. 3, published 1958. This later book has many references to persons who left California to settle in Arizona.
SAFARI REPORT
The October 25th excursion is planned for the Orange Family History Center in the City of Orange. Remember, 9:30 a.m. sharp, at the Community Center, if you want to join us. We are not planning any trips for the months of November and December, but will be back in full swing with a new schedule byJanuary 1996.
PARKING
The Community Center placed red cones out to provide us with reserve parking last month. It is a great help, and we hope it continues.
Will the real Tom Hruska
please come forward?
SOCCGS member Shirley Fraser has been looking for long-time friend Tom Hruska. She saw he was a member of SOCCGS, and had gotten married, but she never saw him at any of our meetings. She even kept missing him at the National Archives where she spotted his name on the sign-in sheet.
Well, on the Safari to the Sons of the Revolution Library in July, someone asked for Tom Hruska. Shirley volunteered, "He's not here." Mrs Hruska
(Pat) promptly replied, "Yes he is. He's right here."
To Shirley's amazement, and ours also, there are two Tom Hruskas (unrelated at this moment) living right here in our Valley. Can you imagine the trouble they can create and blame it on the other Tom Hruska!
Moral to this story is send your name and surnames you are searching into Mary Ellen Lytle so she can print you up a name tag to wear to our meetings.
SUTRO LIBRARY ACCESS
Sutro Library is initiating a new series of their "New Arrivals" lists. List #1 of the new Series 5 includes all books received at Sutro during the Fall, Winter and Spring of 1994-1995.
Please remember that Sutro requires separate requests for each volume of a book and for each reel of microfilm needed. The Sutro Library is now accepting interlibrary loan requests via the Internet (from public or university libraries only). Their Internet address is [email protected]. (Ca State Gen Alliance Newsletter Vol 13 #9, Sept 1995)
HOLOCAUST VICTIMS
In May of 1995 Jewish and Mormon leaders signed an agreement to remove the names of about 380,000 Holocaust victims from off the IGI. This was intended to end a controversy that arose last year after some Jewish Holocaust survivors learned that their relatives had been baptized into the Christian faith after they perished in WW II's Nazi death camps.
Some felt it was disrespectful of individuals who were murdered by the Nazis solely because they were Jewish. Mormon Church officials in March 1991 directed members to stop proxy baptism of Holocaust victims, but the ban was violated by some overzealous record gatherers who were motivated to "love and compassion" after visiting Holocaust museums and memorials, said Monty Brough, executive director of the church's Family History Department.
"They were deeply moved by the tragedy of that terrible, terrible event" but did not realize that what they intended as a "Christian act of service" was "misguided and insensitive," he said.
Don LeFebre, a public affairs official for the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, said the baptisms of Holocaust victims were not sanctioned by church leaders and contravene the church's "95 year rule" which expressly forbids the baptizing of anyone born less than 95 years ago unless family permission has been obtained. However, he indicated that this rule is difficult to enforce among the world's more than 9 million Mormons scattered across 156 nations and territories. However, in a nation-wide Satellite broadcast of August 28, this statement was reaffirmed to all Family History workers and leaders.
With this agreement, the Mormon Church will direct all of its officials and members to discontinue baptism of deceased Jews, except those who are ancestors of living church members or whose families give permission. It took several months for the computers to find and permanently remove the names of the 380,000 Holocaust victims on their rolls and the new IGI reflects the removal. (Ca. Soc. Gen Alliance Newsletter, Vol 13, #9, Sept 1995)
BOSTON SOURCE
The Boston Public Library has an index to the Boston Evening Transcript genealogical column from 1901 to 1935 as well as the microcards of the actual columns. These can be seen in their microtext Department located on the first floor of the old building. Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Boston, MA 02117. Phone number is (671)536-5400.
(Genealogical Helper, July/Aug 1995)
SEAMAN'S
PROTECTION CERTIFICATE
If your ancestor went to sea in the 1800s he may have applied for a Seaman's Protection Certificate to protect him from imprisonment by Great Britain and other powers. This program lasted from 1796-1897. The applicant presented proof of citizenship and paid a fee of 25cents. Every three months a list of seamen was sent to the Sec. of State stating each seaman's age and physical description. Write the Archives Division, National Archives & Records, Washington D.C., 20408. (Gen. Soc, North Orange Co., Newsletter, August 1995)
READING GERMAN SCRIPT
The Sacramento German Genealogical Society has for sale a "German Card" designed to fold to credit card size. Along the edges of the card, is the old German script alphabet, both printed and cursive, upper and lower cases, to enable the researcher to hold the letter adjacent to the word or letter being deciphered. To order the card, send $3.00 and a legal-size self addressed envelope to SGGS, P.O. Box 660061, Sacramento, CA. 95866-0061.
SIGNS OF THE
GENEALOGY BUG
1. Have you turned every end table into
a file cabinet?
2. Can you use your dining table today - or do you need a week to clean it off?
3. Can you remember your ancestor's marriage date but have forgotten your own?
4. Can you recognize a vacuum cleaner? Or have you sold yours to pay for copies? (by Christine Flynn in SDGS 12/91)
A BRICK WALL
His nickname was "Spike" and his full name was William Hugh HENNESSY, born 1882-1883, somewhere in Canada. Family lore says this grandfather of mine was the son of John Hugh HENNESSY, a "champion log roller" of Canada who came from County Cork, Ireland, entering Canada illegally.
When quite young, Spike and his older brother, JOHN HENNESSY, were indentured out to a cigar manufacturer. They soon rebelled against this life and ran away, entering the US illegally. John lived for a short time in Clarion PA, moving on to Baltimore MD around 1910.
"Spike" ended up at the lead mines of southwest Missouri, and in 1907 married my grandmother, Elizabeth WILLIAMS at Carthage MO. After their marriage Spike became a salesman, and they lived in Kansas City and St. Joseph in MO., Denver CO, and various Kansas towns.
A nasty divorce ended their marriage in 1924, and their only child, my father, John Hugh HENNESSY. b 1908, forever lost contact with his father. The enclosed picture, taken at Revere Beach, Boston, dated July 27, 1924 represents his last knowledge of his father's whereabouts. "Spike is the gentleman on the left, the man on the right is unknown. I feel this visit to Boston must have been a reunion with a relative, although the unidentified man in the picture is not his brother, John HENNESSY.
Until someone identifies this picture, I am at a loss as to where William "Spike" HENNESSY may have been born in Canada, or have lived after the divorce, or when or where he died, or who his parents may have been. Any information, no matter how remote, will be greatly appreciated.
Patricia Hennessy Weeks, 33412 Sea Bright Drive, Dana Point CA 92629.
Research already completed, with unsuccessful results:
St Albans' Border Crossings, Ontario Birth Index, US Logging Association, Canadian National Library, Ottawa, Approximately 40 reels of 1891 Ontario censuses scanned to date, Soundex 1900 of MO, KS, PA, MA, NY, MD. WWI Draft card, SSDI. This article was written last December and submitted to the Gen. Helper, but not accepted for print.
THE GENEALOGY BUG
by Grace Clark
It's addictiveIt's contagious
It's time consuming
It's frustrating
It adds a great dimension to your travels.
It's a detective search
It's a jig-saw puzzle
It's a thrill
It's full of many disappointments
But, it's exciting!
It's rewarding,
It's hard work
It's lots of fun
It is never finished, and
It is always waiting when you leave it!
I caught the but around 1978, from a dear, addicted friend, who had been working for years on her "tree". I only wish I'd been exposed when my husband was alive and we were trailering all over the US. SOCCGS Member Grace Clark.
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Ready to do some Christmas shopping??? May we remind you that a rubber stamp from Rootstamps is a great gift, and an inexpensive expression of your interest in another's devotion to genealogy. The catalogue is at the back desk - please feel free to browse it, but leave it there for others to use also.
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