Tuesday, May 17, 2011

California Vital Records Fees to be raised????? Please respond.


Posted: 16 May 2011 08:32 PM PDT
From: Legislative Watch Chair, CSGA

Assemblyman Gordon has introduced AB1053 and the bill has been referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Hearing will held on May 18, Wednesday. See links below to contact information for author and members of the Committee on Appropriations.

This bill would raise the basic fee for certified copies of vital records by $9 from the current $3. In other words, $9 will be added to the current fee for vital records. Example: If a county currently charges $19 for a birth record, the new fee would be $28. This is an enormous increase!

For questions regarding various fee elements being charged for vital record copies, please reference the pie chart in the 2011 Jan-Feb CSGA newsletter. The basic fee is being increased and added to other surcharges and program fees. This increase would affect all vital records regardless of when the records were created.

It is unfortunate that the increase would also apply to records created prior to 1906. Today and tomorrow, you may wish to contact your Assemblyman, or Assemblyman Gordon, or members of the Committee to object to this proposed fee increase as 'unreasonable' before it goes to committee on Wednesday.

Assemblyman Gordon:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0021
Tel: (916) 319-2021
Fax: (916) 319-2121

Assemblyman Gordon:
District Office
5050 El Camino Real Suite 117
Los Altos, CA 94022
Tel: (650) 691-2121
Fax: (650) 691-2120


Friday, May 13, 2011

Some Genealogical Concepts in my Thoughts.

 Some Genealogical Concepts in my Thoughts

 I just read a really good mystery that conjured up some very interesting Genealogical threads, regarding a man of history.
 This brought up some very interesting thoughts for us as genealogists. I was thrilled to see a writer use some genealogical data in his book.
 The marriage in England has many hunting for their royal roots.  Others look for links to Charlemagne.

 So what about the links to other famous or not so well liked rulers of old.
 What about early Greeks, Spartans, people of Mesopotamia?

  We of the western culture are so new to research that we do not even have at hand the resources except via the internet and major libraries for information and most of us lack the historical knowledge of early areas to have a clue as to whom we may relate to.

  Ydna and Mtdna say we do link going back to the the beginning.

  With Genealogy doing all the twists and turns and bends in it's resource formats and concepts, this book fell into a great space to expand out for more knowledge.

  Why do we hear so much of the Germanic and English and so little of our real early peoples?

   Do we not know where these groups formed from?  What about the Norseman and others that we read
   of.  The Monguls and the early Chinese.  Where did our Indian's come from?  Did they start here,
  historians say no and that they came across the isthmus at Alaska and migrated into the western world.
  That only happens now when the water freezes across for them to migrate across the region.

  So is the place called Atlantis in our background?

  Thanks Clive Cussler for a great read. Napoleon for having been so different that he could be used as a plot in a book." Spartan Gold: was exciting and intriguing and made my mind say we do not all have to go back to Charlemagne.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

52 Weeks of P G & H Bedroom

Now that is a topic to really delve into.  Our Bedrooms, did we share, did we not?  Were they up stairs or down?  Did they have heat or did they not?   Were they of paneling or painted over plasterboards or just single wall rooms, sharing the board with the out side and the in?

I  lived early in a room with my parents in a bunk house style home, then we moved to California and I had my own room for a few years.
When sister came along and was old enough she then shared the room with me. Again this was a wood structured home with board walls. I know there was no insulation. But the houses were smaller and the space was not as big to get so cold it seemed. The wood stove in center of home heat all the rooms when we left the doors open before stoking the fire and going to bed.
We moved again about     8 maybe 10 miles down the road to a much larger home. It had wall paper and trim around the room.  The ceilings seemed taller and we had separate rooms then we shared because we wanted the one room as a toy room.
Again brother was born and we remained sharing the room.  It was a really nice house. It still stands right there under the bend in the road. Twice while living there cars came off but never hit the house but destroyed the fence. We had violets under our bedroom window and they smelled so nice. The yard was rimmed in herb bushes of many kinds so it always smelled good.  This was a dairy and chicken ranch.
Very seldom did the odor of the ranch bother us. The way the land laid and the buildings were set agreed with a good breeze to keep the air clear. It was in this house Mom and were picking weeds and the sun was out and we got rained on. The landlady said it was California Liquid Sunshine.

It seemed my rooms were almost always an off white color. We had cloth curtains or the pull down roll shades in the windows to cut the light and heat and cold.
In the first home in California, Dad made me a table. I later shared it with my sister. I am hoping to give that table to my nephew who is just starting to have children, for them to enjoy.  Richard do you hear me.
We had two small chairs that outlasted our childhood. Sis took hers home a few years ago. The other one I am going to pass along to go with the table. The back needs two boards replaced. I was going to ask a cousin to do it but it not hard to do.
We also had a small dresser in the room for our clothes. The light was in the ceiling.

 When we moved again to the current home that is going to be sold we shared a bedroom with our small brother and I helped Dad do some remodeling of the home. We ultimately build an back porch to the property giving the home more bedrooms. At first we 3 slept in the 8 X 12 room on a double bed.
Finally we were able to have separate beds and we moved into the upstairs space that was upgraded. So we had two single beds, a night stand and dresser.  We also had a spare single bed for company in this space. Brother got the bedroom downstairs and then the last brother came.

It took us some time to remodel this small house and for all to have space somewhat of their own.
Being that I was older, I was gone by the time my younger brother started school. So they had more room.

 I think of the homes I had the favorites would be the bedroom in the house below the curve on the hill with the violets and herbed smell and the yard. Even if living here was my first experience with fire.

My next favorite would be my sleeping upstairs and being able to open the door to walk on out on the roof of the bedroom my parents slept in. When hot we would set out until it was more cool.
Alas I slept walk and almost came off the roof so Dad moved me down stairs my last two years in the house. I had the room Mom died in, in December. It still was painted the colors we painted it when I was in high school. They never changed it. It was a pretty soft grey and pink off set trim. It was carpeted.
Free carpet from a hotel that closed. Mom really liked those colors and growled if we wanted to change it.  She always said," I want to try it Yellow one day."

We were not allowed to lay our clothes down and leave them lay. There was no space for clutter.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Genealogy Conferences- My Likes and Dislikes

Genealogy Conferences  - My Likes and Dislikes

My first exposure was working and attending the NGS in San Diego in 1995.  Alas it was cut short due to death of my father.

I had a half day and another half day of attending and working. I was so thrilled to see all the things that we just did not seem to be hearing about that was out there for help in research, and methods and sources.

That note believe it or not is what I still hear from new Genealogists today.  We did not know you existed or did that kind of help. I have never seen those forms before. Gee, it would make things so much easier had I had that chart to keep track of my research. All actual comments that find their way into my ears.

So since my first some things have changed but many things have not.

I have since attended the Jamboree in Burbank as often as I can financially afford it.  Now that is another rub, since we can not really afford to set home if you actually saw what they were offering and how much it would help you in your research. Whether it be a specific place or otherwise, data can generally be related to anyones research and applied to give yourself a boost.

I love the convention hall areas for vendors. I am not sure a big Conference or Jamboree would feel the same if I was not able to attend that venue. I generally scoot through once scan what is there. Make mental or physical notes of what really peaked my  interest to go back and do in depth research on those places.

I love that fact that some of the societies that I belong to such as NEHGS, NGS actually attend the large venues and we meet some of the people whom put out data and offer to help their members, whether at the conference or from home.  I can say that NEHGS has been a blessing for my research and I promote them when I can. Did you know they have files on non New England areas? Yes, they do.

When attending a close conference it would be super to be more aware of the ability to drive so maybe a person could attend only one day if could not afford or have time for more. I know there is parking but the knowledge of this information tends to be slim.  I love that fact I can get on the train and go up and get dropped off literally almost at Burbank's front door.  (Having had knee surgery this was key one year.)

After attending my first conference just the two half days due to work then Dad's death. I more than gained enough knowledge to have off set any fees incurred. In fact I think it saved me several dollars because of my talking to the people whom I did speak with.

So think about this, it may be looking costly but the information you gain and the information you can share and the people you can meet all move you forward in your research.

The surname boards at a Conference are super. I have located many family members this way.
Of course they are not necessarily first cousins but the information that I have garnered from the
third and fourth and second and other cousins has been a life saver in research.

I wish they would do a stand up of people when you go into the hall so that you can see who else is there that is researching the same area. Generally it will be a distant kin if in the 1600 or 1700's for coming to the States.  It may take a while but it can happen.

This can work even up to about 1860 for research in the more western states, and mid west.

My wish is that it was one day more.  It seems we fly from one event to the next and truly miss the  interaction with the people we really wish we could chat with more.

My one comment also on communication is that we have more and pay attention less or at least are not able to connect with people when we had less.  Time rushes past us and us past Time.

I want to thank all those who have put on Conferences and Jamborees for the intense work it takes to put on a day or more event. Each day compounds the problems and adds to the delights of a conference or jamboree.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

May is Scrapbook Month A Time to Ponder

May is Scrapbook Month, A Time to Ponder

 Ah a topic dear to my heart and I am not a Scrapbook doer, but I am a user of their ideas at times and attempt to help others collect their genealogical information by using a basic Memory Book.

  A Memory Book you say, well it is a Memory Calendar of your past year.  I suggest you start with Christmas so it can end in December and be a gift to a family member at Christmas the following year.

  Having recently read where our current history is being lost faster than it is being created, we used this as a method of recovery.  The article listed many many ways to help correct that in ones own family.

  The Memory Book can be as simple as a 3 x 5 card with a statement about something special you did that month. A picture of an event you attended or happened that affected you and your family.

  I went to a office supply store and bought acid free sleeves, acid free paper and acid fee pens and pencils for our members to use.  I also had acid free picture tags for members to use.

 At a local craft store I got several mini calendars that could be cut up and added to each page for the Memory Book. We used only 12 pages for data for basics, one for each month.

 This cut up calendar, 3 x 5 card or picture you have to add, to page is set on each page for each month of the year. Now you can break it up and do it as a Family calendar of events during the year, Medical knowledge for a year, genealogical finds for each month,  or what ever goal you want to succeed at.

 A recovering Cancer patient did it for Medical genealogy, It was a fabulous book.  What a great way to remember the positive things that happen in such a difficult time. Mine is by the month for various monthly events in the family.  I started mine in January but am planning on backing it up to last fall.

January has a notice of Mom's death and her picture on the mortuary card given. Other events for  the month are noted on the days of the week of the calendar. The events attended in February are posted for the next month ditto down the months. It has become a simple and easy item to do. Not costly expensive or time consuming.

One person cut the days of the week out of the calendar and only posted the month and the days that applied to their events.

So on the side of Scrapbooking you can preserve some of your family history for a child or grandchild or daughter or son, and maybe promote the want to carry on this learning of family history into the next generation.  Truly hope you give it a try.

It may be a fun thing to do for a shut in, in your family also.  Just keep it simple.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Facebook is coming to the Rescue Can we Bloggers too?

 I just was reading over on Facebook about the people that are finding personal data of the people in the ravaged Tornado areas of the Southeast.

 I see Facebook has a group that are posting the data on line for people to see and find to recoup from this devastation.

Pictures and Documents found after the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes (92)

So far, 76,324 people have responded.  A news channel is also mentioned.
 I see 9 bloggers have signed up as liking this.

 Thomas and all can we not step up and help.   I was reading reports and seeing where some seem to be talking about same papers or pictures and I was seeing some people that were looking for information.
 One young lady lost her grandparents and was hoping to collect back something of her Grandparents.

I think we need to get the word out to a large base of people and so people do not toss what they find away.  There is even a store in one town that has opened it's doors to store items until families can be found.  The real true American  Spirit.

 I have not heard if we had damage to any of our many bloggers communities or families.  I have heard from some of my distant kin in those areas and so far God has spared those I have heard from.
 I have a Scott cousin, widow of my cousin who lives in that lower portion of Va I have yet to hear from but no news is good news I think.

I just think we need to get this information out to televsion stations, radio networks, blogging people, genealogical and historical societies so that more can be saved.