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Thursday, July 30, 2015

Who Do You Think You Are? is now airing on Sunday for a short time

It is time to watch the returning series on TLC on Sunday at 9pm (please check your local time to verify the correct time for your area). Before, the producers of the show were willing to allow Internet user to view the episodes later by connecting to their web site and watching them. Now you have to check with your cable company to watch missed episodes.

This last episode dealt with the problems associated with medical doctors prescribing narcotics to treat everyday symptoms before the US government outlawed it. So many individuals becoming addicts and their lives affected by it.

To review the episode notes on Ginnifer Goodwin, please read Ancestry.com blog on the subject.  Knowing history during the the time of your ancestors helps you to understand who they were and how they lived.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Continuing Education:

What Happens to Your Research After You Are Gone?

Have you given a thought to what happens to your research after your death? If you have managed to publish one or more completed histories on your ancestors, you are ahead of the game. Copies have probably already been sold or gifted to family members. However, even though your extended family members have copies, does that mean your work will survive and be available to future researchers? What else can you do?

Copies should be donated to libraries and archives. After all, that is where the researchers of the future will be searching. However, before you send these facilities a copy, make sure they ACCEPT this type of material and in what format—because not every facility does. Most libraries and archives prefer a bound book. If it is a loose manuscript, spiral or honeycomb bound, be sure there is a 1-inch left margin since they will want to bind it. Here’s a partial list of who should receive a copy:

•Library of Congress
•Your local library
•A major public library or college/university in your area
•The local historical society
•State historical society
•Similar libraries and societies in all the states in which your ancestors lived

Yes, that’s a long list, but an invaluable list. It may seem expensive to you, but it will be valuable to the researchers who come after you: your donated research will save them time and often they can add to what you have already accomplished.

What can be done with your genealogy files to preserve them if you have no descendants or your family isn’t interested in your work? I am probably not the only one who has discovered family histories, photo albums, diaries, baby books, etc. at garage sales or charity thrift stores. I would hate to think that my lifetime’s gathering of family information, expensive documents, photographs, hard-to-find and hard-to-prove connections were thrown in a dumpster, sold to strangers at an estate sale, or scattered to the wind.

What should you do with your family papers, documents, photos and files? Many things can be done with these materials to preserve them. Small collections might be scanned and uploaded onto an appropriate website. Larger collections might be bound as-is, or preservation photocopied and bound.

If you decide to give your material to any archive, the more organized it is, the better. Organized files are easier to prepare and catalog, and the material will be available for use by the public if it is easy to process. You might consider a title page, a table of contents, an index, pages that are uniform in size, dividers by family, geographic area, or record type, or other ways of organizing the material. You could type a page of explanation telling what families, geographic areas and time periods the material covers, as well as a description of its organization.

Reprinted from Nuestras Raices, the quarterly journal of the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America, with the author's permission.

Monday, July 20, 2015

San Diego Research Day---August 1st, Saturday

Hispanic Researchers:

Even if you are not in the San Diego area, this is an event you do not wish to miss. It is with great pleasure to announce that John Schmal, the co-author of "Mexican-American Genealogical Research: Following the Paper Trail to Mexico" will be coming down from Los Angeles to be in attendance for the August 1st Hispanic Resarch Saturday meeting. He will provide two talks: "Finding Your Roots in Mexico" and "Fundadores de Mexico". Please meet at the Central Library. 330 Park Ave, San Diego, CA 92101. Directions--619-236-5800.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

August 1, 2015 GSHA-SC General Meeting Notification

Please join us at our next General Meeting on Saturday, August 1, 2015 for a discussion on the future of Genealogy groups


“Putting Youth in the Driver’s Seat to Preserve their Family Legacy:
A Discussion on Creating Changes in Genealogy Organizations”

Panel guests include Anthony Ray, Youth Representatives, Cynthia Liu, Webmaster and Social Media Technician, Paul Gomez, President and Moderator, 
and  Rita Vega-Acevedo, VP Programs and Education

What will it take for genealogy groups to survive aging members and the digital age?
The panel’s focus will be on the future of genealogy groups by promoting changes, such as recruiting younger members and incorporating social media. Cynthia Liu will discuss how the digital age has changed the way we communicate and how social media will drive recruitment and retention in the 21st century. Can social media entice the next generation to preserve their family legacy? Can or will genealogy organizations implement changes quickly enough?

This meeting requires audience participation. Hope to see you on August 1st.

General Meeting Saturday August 1, 2015 10 AM-4 PM
Southern California Genealogical Society Library
417 Irving Drive, Burbank, CA

See back page of August issue of Huellas del Pasado for directions to the SCGS library.