I had been planning a research trip to Turlock, California
with a friend since the pandemic started. We both have family who lived in the
area, though my husband’s family lived here early in the 20th century
and hers lived there in the mid-to-late part of the century.
We used Trello to make our plans. It’s a great place to put details
of each research facility and what specific things we hope to see there. We had
three main places for research: the archives at the California State University
Stanislaus (CSUS) library, the Turlock Historical Society, and the Turlock
Public Library. We also planned trips to the cemetery and funeral home. We spent
two nights and three days in Turlock.
CSUS
The first stop was the library at CSUS. The archivist had all the items we
requested laid out on the tables.
It was very helpful to contact her ahead of time. One of the items I wanted to see was a master’s dissertation but it was not available for me because the microfilm machine at the library was in disrepair. I was interested in a mercantile company’s records, items about World War I, farming (specifically the Turlock Irrigation District), and anything that mentioned my Lundquist or Nilsen family.
Although I found little about my family, I managed to take 125
images of documents. Some were from the Turlock Journal, the Stanislaus
Stepping Stones (the historical society’s journal), and images of a Merced WWI
soldier’s diary and photos. It still was a productive day.
Turlock Historical Society
We had arranged a tour with the president of the society. They are in the
process of revamping their exhibits which were very nicely arranged. We were
not able to view their archives. They are in the process of determining what
they have and I will wait to email them in about six months to check on their
progress. I did learn that Hilmar, where my Lundquist and Nilsen families
lived, is also getting ready to have their historical society museum set up. I
will be contacting them soon. The Turlock Historical Society did have copies of
Turlock High School and Jacqueline was able to find her parents and uncles in
the book.
Turlock Public Library
We came here primarily to view the newspapers they have on microfilm but we
discovered they also have city directories of Turlock and Modesto from 1922 to 2000. I found listings
of my farmers in the pages on rural routes. I looked through some early
newspapers but didn’t find much. I was disappointed that there were no newspapers available during the beginning of WWI where I expected to see possible
articles of local men going off to war. We heard at the CSUS library and the
historical society that there might be a digitization project in the future.
That will be a blessing to be able to do a name search.
Research road trips are always fun and can be very rewarding. Do make plans and contact the places you are interested in visiting first so you are not disappointed they are not open or have information you want.
#52Ancestors-Week 32: Library – My Research Trip in Turlock
California
This is my fifth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week on one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.
Sometime you just need to get away. It's nice to be able to travel again.
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