Contra Costa County Genealogical Society

Q: The pandemic has affected genealogical societies in many ways. How can genealogists and societies turn lemons into lemonade and make this time productive? What examples do you have from your own experience these past months? A: This has been an ideal time to refocus my research. As things were beginning to close, I started a few home-based projects that I had put off for a long time. One was tackling large numbers of digital photos and downloads I had from more than ten ...years of research. I took the time to organize, file, and preserve these items. At the same time, I reviewed older research notes and developed new research plans for those projects. As repositories begin to reopen, I now have a few new approaches towards some longstanding brickwalls that I am eager to pursue. From the standpoint of genealogical societies, this was a chance to consider how they can interact with long-distance members. At the NYG&B, we began a free webinar series to share some of the rich educational offerings available. Take the time to become comfortable with the technology (Zoom, Crowdcast, GoToMeeting, etc.) and think of ways to apply it for your membership meetings and events. I have much enjoyed a higher level of interaction with several societies over the past few months as I have been able to attend and participate in activities online. Prior to the pandemic, travel or other factors would have otherwise made it difficult to join. Instead, I have attended local society meetings of organizations and connected with fellow members from California to Florida and everywhere else in-between! See more

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"Stories of the Sacramento Delta" Webinar November 12........... Presented by Grant Din a highly accredited with an extensive genealogy background. He has been researching his and other families’ histories for about 40 years, since he was told by a cousin that he is in the 36th generation of Gongs from his ancestral village in Southern China. Grant has worked most of his life in the nonprofit sector, including work for the Angel Island immigration Station Foundation, and cur...rently consults on community fundraising, historical, and genealogy projects. Grant has a BA from Yale University, an MA from Claremont Graduate University, and a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. Grant moderates an online group on Chinese American family history research and has spoken to organizations and libraries throughout California. He is a member of the board of directors of the California Genealogical Society and has published articles in the newsletters of the California and National Genealogical Societies. Grant was also on the team of consultants and researchers for an upcoming documentary about six Chinese workers who survived the 1912 Titanic disaster, called The Six. Don't miss this Webinar!!! Register in advance at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uPofeOlZScORJ7LdP8EuKQ See more

Are you a beginner? Need to brush up? Misplaced some of your skills? Or, are you just a genealogy fanatic that just can’t learn enough? Let the Acalanes Adult Education school genealogy courses help you. Starting in September the school is offering two courses of education for genealogy enthusiast. These courses will be taught by CCCGS’ Lisa Gorrell. Follow this link for all the information to register online or by phone: https://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us///150/AcalanesFall20_R1.pdf

Born in New York, Ron Arons was reared a goodie-two-shoes. Aside from five moving violations (including a California roll through a stop sign, doing 40 MPH in a 30 MPH zone, and driving with his brights on), Arons has never been afoul of the law. When Ron discovered a criminal ancestor in his past, it inspired a genealogical research technique for better results. At this meeting, he will discuss how concentrating on one person at a time will help you uncover learnings that ...a scattershot approach will not. Free and open to the public. Register in advance for this webinar at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_l3lDCJMCSBmwW1nVyoLbdQ Once you have registered you will be sent a unique link to join the meeting at the designated time.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is a nationally known and recognized speaker and author on genealogy and family history. Passionate about the diverse and dynamic field of genealogy, Joshua is the President of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B) which celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2019. He also served the genealogical community as the President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) from 2013-2016 and has been a member of the FGS Board of Direct...ors since 2007. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including RootsTech’s Distinguished Presenter Award, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Award of Merit, and the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society. In 2017, Joshua was named as one of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers. Come join us on October 10th or 17th to hear this great speaker via a Webinar presentation. Save money and sign up for both days! Can’t do both, you can still be enriched by participation in a one-day session. Do not miss out on this golden opportunity. First 45 paid registrations will also be invited to attend a special Q&A session. Do not wait, sign up now at www.cccgs.net. See more

We are back! Won't you join us for this free informative event? CCCGS August Meeting Registration When: Aug 13, 2020 6:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) ... Topic: CCCGS Webinar with Speaker Sarah Clift Tips on Getting Youth Interested in Family History Register in advance for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dIGYXlUQS8aXI15iiuYAmw After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. This info will contain a unique link that should not be shared. Following the webinar, we will make the recording available for 30 days on the Members Only section of www.cccgs.net. Non-members will not have access to the recording If you are not familiar with zoom webinars read the information below.... Our August CCCGS meeting is being conducted as a free Zoom webinar. The most notable difference is that the webinar allows attendees to view only. Our speaker will not be able to see you, nor will you be able to see other attendees. However, you will have the ability to ask questions through the Q&A section and to chat. To join the Zoom webinar, you will need to register in advance with your name and email address (see link below). It will take under a minute. Once you have registered, you will be sent a unique link to join the meeting at the designated time. You will also receive a reminder about the meeting.

FYI. If you are an Ancestry.com member they are giving you free access to Newspapers.com Publisher Extra, now through May 17th*. You can now explore everything on Newspapers.com. That’s more than three centuries of newspaper articles that could shed light on your ancestors’ daily lives, uncover sensational stories of previous generations, and maybe even include obituaries for people in your family tree.