My Trails into the Past

Outside activities included three trips to the History Center, lunch with Nancy and Terry, phenology, and a walk in the marina.   Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: I made three trips to the History Center on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. I’m still working on the library database but also did some email and in-person research requests. I also took minutes for the historical society board meeting and the Sonoma County Genealogical Society board meeting. I also meeting with the History Center volunteers about the Stein Collection. I gave a presentation to the Fiske Library in Seattle on Wednesday called “How to Leave Your Genealogy.” Genealogy Meetings:  Jacqueline and I met. I also attended the renewal accountability group and the Kinseekers Military SIG. Josh and I met in the Peer Group meeting and talked about certification. Genealogy Writing/Research : Josh and I wrote for an hour during our writing accountability session on Friday. Other research I did was ...

Outside activities included a History Center, Soup Day party, Oakland FamilySearch Center, the bank in Cotati, and train club.   Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: I covered for our Executive Director on Tuesday at the History Center. I spent most of the day adding data to the library database. I created the BCG webinar press release and scheduled it to be sent on Monday. Wednesday at the Oakland FamilySearch Center, after helping a new genealogist get started with FamilySearch , I did more scanning of my grandmother’s photos. On Saturday, I gave a presentation about researching cemetery and funeral home records to the Seattle Genealogical Society. Genealogy Meetings:  Jacqueline and I met and we discussed using AirTable some more. She showed me her AirTable base. I hosted the writing group on Thursday and we spent time talking about creating goals for the year. Hopefully, this will spark some writing. I drove up to Cotati to meet with two Sonoma County Genealogical S...

Outside activities included a German party, visit with niece & nephew from England, phenology, History Center, and a hike with Elaine & Phred. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: A few of us met at the History Center on Saturday even though we were closed. I got a lot of book descriptions entered into the library database. I might be getting close to halfway done. I also got out a press release for the 2026 BCG-sponsored webinars at Legacy Family Tree Webinars. A great line up. Genealogy Meetings:  Jacqueline and I met and we discussed using AirTable. I showed her the one I started for my Hutson-Selman research project. Genealogy Writing/Research : This week I wrote a couple of extra blog posts and worked on researching in FamilySearch Full-text search for the Hutson family in Comanche County, Texas. There are a bunch of deeds, court records, and tax records to go through. I am either transcribing or extracting the information, first in a Word document, then into...

Outside activities included two trips to the Oakland FamilySearch Center, phenology at the Meadow, and the doctor’s office for labwork. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: Because of the holiday, there was no volunteer or work activities. Genealogy Meetings:  The Renewal Accountability Group met and I asked about what to do about sources for a genealogy summary when it really needs to be a proof argument. No one really had a complete answer. I’m still researching it. Roundtable met and we ran out of topics before the two hours were up so all said Merry Christmas and we ended the call. Jacqueline and I talked for a little bit after her yoga. I had watched the NGS class on Airtable but she hadn’t yet. Genealogy Writing/Research : I had more free time this week to work on genealogy. Two days, I scanned photo albums and loose photos at the Oakland FamilySearch Center, which was only open for staff to come in and and work on their own research. I scanned four Creative Memori...

Outside activities included two trips to the History Center, phenology at the Meadow, a party with the Wednesday Walkers, and lunch with friends. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: I opened the History Center on Tuesday and went again on Saturday. We came up with a plan on how to process the Davies collection. Then the board sponsored a holiday party for the volunteers. On Wednesday, I volunteered at the OFSC and had a nice conversation with Rudy, the director. I hope to teach some classes in 2026. On Thursday, I took minutes at the historical society’s board meeting. Genealogy Meetings:  There were no meetings this week. Genealogy Writing/Research : I spent a couple of days researching my father-in-law’s cousin, Dorothy Davey Borst. I was happy to locate information about her marriage to Gerrit Borst and learn about her musical performances as a child Springfield, Missouri. I also did some research in the Davey and Colby families in Illinois. I now know where Thomas Dav...

Outside activities included a trip to the History Center, phenology at the Meadow, a hike in Briones, a train club meeting, lunch with a friend, and a Christmas concert. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: At the History Center this week, I entered more books into the library database and updated some entries. The writing group met. We discussed Jacqueline’s piece, and I showed them my post about making an ancestor’s resume. I posted about the free BCG-sponsored webinar at a variety of online sites. Genealogy Meetings:  I attended the CDG Renewal Accountability meeting, Kinseekers Military SIG, Der Blumenbaum committee meeting, and Gena’s book club, where we shared the books we have been reading. Genealogy Writing/Research : I worked on transferring the writing I did about my grandmother from the InDesign file to a Word file. I could not open the InDesign file on my XP computer anymore for some reason, which frustrates me. So I’m trying to recreate it in Word, not so succ...

Outside activities included two trips to the History Center, phenology at the Meadow, a hike in El Sobrante, volunteering at the Oakland FamilySearch Center, Kaiser for flu and COVID shots, John Muir hospital for lab work, and a trip to Stockton for an APG-NorCal potluck. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: At the History Center this week, I worked on queries and entered details for some library books. Our director was ill, so I opened the Center. Later that week, committee number 1 met to discuss building issues. Wednesday was my volunteer day at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. There was no one there to help that evening, so I worked in FamilySearch’s full-text search. On Saturday, I presented “How to Leave Your Genealogy” to the Solano County Genealogical Society. There were lots of follow-up questions, which I love. Genealogy Meetings:  I attended the Labor SIG at Kinseekers, where we had a great discussion. Jacqueline and I met twice, first to discuss our weekly ac...

Outside activities included a trip to the History Center, phenology at the Meadow, Thanksgiving at our daughter’s, and working the weekend at the Train Club. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: At the History Center this week, I worked on queries. One researcher whom I had been helping via email came into the Center to look at some other items we have. Genealogy Meetings:  I attended the CDG Renewal group and then read Carol’s submission. I sent her some suggestions. Jacqueline and I met, and I heard about her trip to Hawai‘i, and I told her about the news articles I was finding about the Train Club from its inception to the mid-2000s. Genealogy Writing/Research : I am reading two books to help with my research. I’m taking notes as I read them and checking the sources in the endnotes. They are two different subjects: one on WWI and the other on farming during the westward expansion. Blog Posts Published: Swedish Recipe Treats For the theme of “family recipe,” I shared...

Outside activities included a trip to the History Center, a visit to Pacheco Marsh, meeting with friends at a restaurant in Orinda, getting teeth cleaned, and working at the Train Club. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: At the History Center this week, I worked on the donations, entering them into the accession book and then into PastPerfect. I took minutes at our monthly board meeting. I also helped a researcher locate some items. Genealogy Meetings:  I attended the Kinseekers NARA SIG, the APG Writers SIG, and the certification peer group. Genealogy Writing/Research : I did no research or writing this week except for the blog posts below. Blog Posts Published: Elizabeth Loveless: Sorting Out 7 in my Tree For the theme of “the name’s the same,” I discussed the seven women in my tree who are named Elizabeth Loveless. This was highlighted on the 52 Ancestors email. SNGF – Who’s Number 100 in Your Ahnentafel? I reported on three ancestors with the Ahnentafel number ...

Outside activities included four trips to the History Center, a visit to Hoover Ranch, and Train Club. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: I volunteered at the History Center four times this week. Tuesday was my regular day. On Wednesday, I covered part of the day for our Executive Director, who was ill. Friday, I met up with John to discuss the next steps in our processing of the collections. Saturday, I met up with Maxine. Tasks I did during the week were entering more books into the library database, completing research requests, and on Saturday, I helped a researcher locate info to document a business that moved. On Tuesday, I took minutes for the Sonoma County Genealogical Society board meeting and met up with the president on Saturday to give him the president’s binder. Genealogy Meetings:  I attended two meetings: the Military SIG with Kinseekers, and with Jacqueline before she left on her vacation. Genealogy Writing/Research : I searched in Newspapers.com for mo...

I had a full week at home, back to a normal schedule, except no phenology, due to the government closure. On Thursday, I had dinner with my sisters and cousin, Bonnie. It was great getting together. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: I prepared and scheduled the BCG webinar press release. I volunteered at the History Center, where I accessioned items that were donated while I was gone. Thursday, we had a board committee meeting on facilities. On Wednesday, I volunteered at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. Very few people were there, probably due to the possibility of rain. Lastly, our writing group met. We discussed Jacqueline’s updates to her father’s story and Sheila’s application for a Kentucky early ancestor certificate. Genealogy Meetings:  I attended several meetings: Labor SIG with Kinseekers and the APG NorCal Chapter. Jacqueline and I got caught up after my three-week vacation. Genealogy Writing/Research : I have continued using The Catholic News Archive , which...