Lisa Alzo’s September 8 Seminar Topics Following is a brief description of the topics Lisa will be presenting at our September 8 Seminar at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. Cost is $40 which includes the four-lecture seminar, box lunch with drink, and door prizes. Any of you who have heard Liza speak, will agree when we say she is entertaining, energetic, knowledgeable and lots of fun. The Registration form is attached or go to our web site at http://casdgs.org. Click on Meetings and Events, Calendar of Events, September 8 and Download: Seminar Registration Form. The deadline is 30 August, so sign up now! Demystifying Eastern European Research  Anyone who has attempted to trace their ancestors back to Eastern Europe understands the special challenges and frustrations involved. Border changes, language differences, political considerations, and exotic-sounding surnames often complicate the research process. This session covers the most common myths and misconceptions and how to work around them. Show, Don’t Tell: Using Nonfiction Writing Techniques to Write Better Family History Do your family members start yawning and rolling their eyes when you mention Family History? This presentation will show you how to create interactive family histories using free, or low-cost online tools for adding photos, video, maps & more to bring your ancestor’s stories to life. You have the power to change family indifference or boredom into excitement about family history. Books, e-books, blogs, newsletters, family websites, online scrapbooks, memory or memorial pages, slide shows or presentations, video tours and social media will all be discussed as tools for making family history more interesting. Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Present and Future There are a handful of “cluster” immigrant communities throughout the United States that blossomed during the immigration influx of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Exploring “cluster genealogy”—the process of researching those relatives, friends, and neighbors who lived near an ancestor—can often break down brick walls in the search for individual family lines and help to place our ancestors’ lives in historical context. For those descendants who’ve moved away from such traditional immigrant enclaves, 21st-century technology can be used to rebuild “cluster communities” in the virtual world. This lecture will cover: How to identify chain migrations or cluster communities using key records; ways to share and collaborate with other researchers, and the benefits, pitfalls, and obstacles associate with a shift to “virtual” cluster communities; and how to use tools such as social networking sites, Wikis, etc., build online genealogical communities. 365 Ways to Discover Your Family History Serious genealogists recognize that they are never truly “done” when it comes to their research. However, while researching our roots, we often find that the process can become tedious and even frustrating, especially when you stumble across the inevitable “roadblock(s).” This session will discuss some of the ways to make the research process fun and challenging throughout the year, using your calendar as a genealogical research guide, and even how to utilize holidays to enhance your family history quest. Presentation will offer innovative approaches to common research tasks to assist both the novice and more experienced researcher.

The 1940 Census Index Just Keeps Building

I took a look at the index completion map at FamilySearch this morning and saw some more states listed as searchable. There are now 24 states ready to be used by genealogists and non-genealogists alike.

The states are: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wyoming

Things to Know

The following are recent sites that have been used and are very interesting. The first one is just information concerning the move of Sutro Library which most people did not know about. THINGS TO KNOW The Sutro Library Is Moving! The Sutro Library is in the process of moving to a new location and is temporarily closed. We anticipate re-opening in late June or early July, 2012. Upon re-opening, genealogists, historians, and other researchers will discover that Sutro’s rich collections and resources are newly housed in a spacious, well-lit reading room designed specifically for our patrons. Here is what you need to know: Our New Location 1630 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco 94132 Sutro will be located on the 5th and 6th Floors of the newly renovated J. Paul Leonard- Sutro Library on the San Francisco State University campus. Please visit http://www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap/ for a detailed map. Parking and Getting Around University parking and free shuttle service to our new location will be available. For more information, please visit the San Francisco State Parking and Transportation webpage at http://www.sfsu.edu/~parking/. For More Information For more information about the Sutro Library, contact us at our new telephone number: (415) 469-6100 or send us an e-mail: sutro@library.ca.gov. If you want to receive weekly updates about our move progress and automatically receive notification of the exact date Sutro will re-open, please send an e-mail to sutro@library.ca.gov and ask to be added to our move update list. We look forward to seeing you at the new location! Established in 1908 by the Polish National Alliance, Dziennik Zwiazkowy continues to be published today as the Polish Daily News. This database includes the first ten years (1908-1917) of publication, which represent local, national and international issues of utmost concern to the Polish community of Chicago at that time. Explore the Collection: view all issues browse by date: browse by volume/issue: Funding for this grant was awarded by the Illinois State Library, a Division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the federal Library Services and Technology Act. about the collection | related CRL resources e-collections home | about CRL ©2010 Center for Research Libraries http://ecollections.crl.edu/index.php This site has interesting documents http://www.accessgenealogy.com This site is very good for Native American documents. It gives the degree of Native American in particular lines.

Some more 1940 Census Indexing stuff

Many people don't avail themselves of the valuable assets on the FamilySearch WIKI. The entire wiki is a valuable resource of genealogical research. Of import right now is the overview for indexing the 1940 U.S. Federal Census. The link below is to that overview page.

1940 Census Indexing Overview This link takes you to the FamilySearch.org website and will open a new browser window.

If you click on the "Project Updates" tab you can find the official way to list the entries for French Canada, English Canada, Northern Ireland, Free Ireland and Eire.

1940 Census Arbitration

Arbitration of your indexed census occurs when a specific data field from Indexer A and Indexer B do not concur. The arbitrator looks at the census batch and both indexers inputs. The arbitrator then selects the data that appears to be most correct.

After a batch is arbitrated the batch is available under the indexers Arbitration Results tab. Each listed batch can be opened so the indexer is able to review the arbitration results.

All indexers should open the arbitrated batches to learn where they are making errors.

1940 Census Indexing Hint

I was indexing a census batch this afternoon and had a practically unreadable surname. It is the surname on line 51. My first guess was Schmoe. That is obviously a poor choice.

Then I noticed that the last family member was on one of the supplemental information lines. When I looked at the supplemental lines I saw that the surname is clearly Schnoor. It pays to explore all options.

1940 Census Indexing Project

We have 32 volunteer indexers for the 1940 Census. Our group has indexed over 64,000 names for the project. That is less than 1/2 of 1% of the entire census. WE NEED MORE HELP! If you would like to help all genealogists with their research, contact us at sdgsinfo@yahoo.com You can also joint the census indexing project from the1940census.com