Fresno Genealogy Happenings

On Sunday, November 8th at 2:00 p.m.  the Fresno County Genealogical Society  will present a Lisa Louise Cooke webinar, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Genealogy Research with Old Maps In this 77 minute video presentation you will learn: Which historical maps every genealogist should use, including Sanborn maps, census enumeration district maps, plat maps, and more Some of the best online resources for finding old maps How to locate offline historical maps How to create and save your own historical map collection Techniques for using old maps in your research We invite everyone to attend this free event.  Join us in the Sarah McCardle room, 2nd floor of the Central Library in downtown Fresno.  Free parking. (metered parking only on weekdays during business hours) If you have any questions, please e-mail Denise at infofcgs(at)gmail.com

Come down to the  Heritage Center  on Sunday, October 25th and join us for our LAST session of Discovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy. We start at 2:00 p.m. in the Sarah McCardle room. We'll watch Lecture 15: Extending Your Family Tree Overseas Many of our class participants arrive early to get some research done in the Heritage Center, which opens at 12 noon on Sundays. Extending Your Family Tree Overseas: Conclude the course with a peek at how to research records outside of the United States.  Focusing on his experiences in Europe, Dr. Colletta reveals what essential facts you need to know about your ancestors, and how to overcome six major challenges to accessing and using historical materials in foreign countries. Remember that you can come to the  Heritage Center  and view any of the sessions for Discovering Your Roots, as well as the session notes.

Only TWO classes left! Come down to the  Heritage Center  on Sunday, October 11th and join us for  Discovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy. We start at 2:00 p.m. in the Sarah McCardle room. We'll watch Lecture 13:  Reseaching in Your Ancestors' Backyards  and  Lecture 14:  Assembling An Account of Your Discoveries There's a short break in between sessions; and many or our class participants arrive early to get some research done in the Heritage Center, which opens at 12 noon on Sundays. Researching in Your Ancestors' Backyards :  At some point during your detective work, you'll have to actually visit where your ancestors lived.  In this helpful lecture, discover  how to use key local resources you'll need to rely on for success in your research: cemeteries, records of churches and synagogues, city directories, local libraries and historical societies. Assembling An Account of Your Discoveries : ...

FCGS Cemetery Treasure Hunt, Saturday, September 26th We'll meet at Kingsburg Cemetery, 12782 E Clarkson Ave, Kingsburg, CA 93631 and wander the older section in search of answers to our Treasure Hunt questions! Bring a pencil and a clipboard, a camera, and a sack lunch. There will be a prize for the person or team with the most right answers! Afterward, we will drive a few short miles to the Kingsburg Historical Park, 2321 Sierra St. Kingsburg, CA 93631, where we will enjoy a picnic and some great fellowship. If you have any questions, please email us,  Infofcgs (at) gmail.com So thankful for Janelle and posting this reminder of our September activity to Facebook! (and thank you to LadyTimeless at DeviantArt for the beautiful image)

Announcing Fresno County Genealogical Society Logo Contest: To finish our 50th Anniversary year, a contest is being held for a new logo to bring us into the 21st century and launch us into our next 50 years. Eligibility:  The contest is open to all individuals How To Enter:   Entries must be submitted by email to  fcgslogo@gmail.com .  Entries submitted as an EPS are preferred,  a .jpg may be accepted with a of minimum 300 dpi  ​resolution.​ Email must include the name, postal address, phone number and email address of the Entrant. No more than three entries may be submitted per Entrant. Entries must conform to the Submission Guidelines below.  Entries which do not conform will be rejected. Entry deadline is 12:00 noon, December 31, 2015 (PST) Entries will be acknowledged within one week of receipt, however, we will not be held responsible for entries or responses lost in email. There is no fee to enter. Submission Gu...

Come down to the Heritage Center on Sunday, September 27th and join us for  Discovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy. We start at 2:00 p.m. in the Sarah McArdle room. We'll watch Lecture 11: How to Write Biography and  Lecture 12: Dos and Don'ts of Writing History There's a short break in between sessions; and many or our class participants arrive early to get some research done in the Heritage Center, which opens at 12 noon on Sundays. How to Write Biography :  Explore the process of writing about your ancestors in a way that's memorable - but that always adheres to the truth.  Learn how to compose timelines; how to build historical context around life events; how to search for (and find) a life's central theme; how to select the right literary format; and more. Dos and Don'ts of Writing History :  Writing about the past is fraught with snares.  Find out how to sidestep them with Dr. Colletta's  do's and don't...

The topic for our September General meeting was Genealogy for the Holidays: Making lasting gifts with items from your family tree.  We had such a good time and there were so many great ideas, I thought I would share a few of them here. In no particular order, some with links and some without, here's a few ideas to spark your genealogy creativity - A lovely, simple embroidered family tree:  If you have a history of military service in your family, this is a beautiful way to document and honor your family members and ancestors: Love this photo idea - Can be photographed in reverse too - youngest to oldest: Turn a favorite memory into a puzzle for a unique display: Have you thought of a frame holding photos of only your great-grandmothers? What a great idea! Make those treasured photos into gift tags and add sweet memories to each gift!  Print or copy photos onto cardstock (do not use originals!!) then craft away: Beautiful ph...

Today, Melissa, Janelle, and I (Denise) were out and about in Old Town Clovis doing a bit of reconnaissance before our Seminar next month, and I HAD to share with you a perfect treasure that we found. I'm sure you've heard of the Clovis Museum .  I'm sure, if you've been to Farmer's Markets or Big Hat Days or Clovis Fest (happening this weekend, by the way), then you've walked right by it.  But have you been inside? We were very fortunate this morning when we walked in to not only be greeted by the Clovis - Big Dry Creek Historical Society President Peg Bos, but to get a personal tour from her and hear all of the wonderful stories behind the treasure contained within the museums' walls. The greatest treasure, for family historians, though, is what is contained in their vault.  Binders and binders and more binders with surnames, family stories, newspaper clippings, and more.  And the best part is that they are a work in progress.   The binders are ad...

Mark March 19, 2016 on your calendars! You DO have a calendar for 2016, don't  you? Well, we are busy planning meetings and activities for next year  and one that we are happy to announce is a  Spring Seminar  hosted in conjunction with the California State Genealogical Alliance. Janice Sellers and Mary Anne Vincent will be our presenters. One more thing to look forward to in 2016!

Have you registered for our Annual Seminar happening next month? Have you heard about our Annual Seminar happening next month? Well, for our 12th Annual Seminar - and the year of our 50th Anniversary celebration - we decided to do something really special.  We invited nationally known speaker, author, pod-caster, and Genealogy Gems owner Lisa Louise Cooke to present, what we hope will be, four informative sessions to jump start your enthusiasm, enhance your skills, and make your research time more productive.  The four sessions are: How the Genealogist Can Remember Everything with Evernote:   Evernote puts all your notes right at your fingertips no matter where you are.  In addition to super fast and easy note taking and retrieval, you'll learn how to clip items from the Internet (rather than saving entire bulky web pages!) use OCR technology to search our digitized documents like newspaper article, and tap into a myriad of apps that help Evernote help you d...

We have been enjoying and learning so much from Dr. Colletta's  Discovering Your Roots  Genealogy Course these past months, and we have a few more sessions to go. Both experienced genealogists and those new to genealogy have learned and gained valuable information from these video presentations.   As the sessions progress, we have heard the developing stories of several families in Mr. Colletta's tree, as that story correlates to the lesson being taught.  So each new class is like a continuing story as well as being full of tips, methods, and loads of places, sites, and ways to find the information you are searching for.  Have I mentioned the printed session notes that are included with each video?  There is no need to take notes or remember websites.  These notes are so complete, you can sit back and enjoy the lecture, following along, and simply underline a particular point if you feel the need. There are three sessions left - won't you join ...

In 2013, a cooperative effort of the Fresno County Public Library and the Fresno County Genealogical Society, The California History Room was renovated, reorganized, and transformed into the San Joaquin Valley Heritage & Genealogy Center, a better lighted, easier-to-explore, more comfortable Heritage Center.   Since moving upstairs in 1993, the Society's holdings have grown from about 60 books to over 12,000. The Society also has periodicals, CDs, microfiche, microfilm, computer, printer, Obituary file, and much more. A partial list can be seen on the  Library Resources Page The San Joaquin Valley Heritage & Genealogy Center is staffed by County employees and Fresno County Genealogy Society Volunteers. We have been very fortunate to have had a dedicated Society Librarian by the name of Mary Lou Talens since we moved upstairs in 1993. Due to her diligence, the Society Library has thrived and increased in size. Mary Lou retired in 2012. Kathleen Coleman replaced M...