08 April 2008

San Francisco Bay Area: Eastern European workshop, April 12

Founded in 1898 in San Francisco, the California Genealogical Society and Library is now located in Oakland.

The CGS will present a series of research workshops this year focusing on specific ethnic groups and geographic regions. The first is "Eastern European Research," set from 10.30am-2pm Saturday, April 12.

Gen-blogger colleague Stephen J. Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog and Jeremy G. Frankel, San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society president are the excellent and interesting speakers.

The program includes two lectures, a lunch break and a hands'-on session for attendees to share ideas, speak with the experts and access computers.

"Don't Reinvent the Wheel," with Jeremy Frankel

"Before researching for original documents in faraway repositories, try finding other people who have done what you are attempting. Is there a special interest group for your geographical area of interest? Can you find someone who has already visited East European archives? Can they tell you what the date range, condition, access issues are? As with all foreign research, start by digging around in your own backyard. You might be surprised at what you find."

"Finding ancestors amidst the changing map of Europe," with Steve Danko

"Finding the place of origin of an immigrant is crucial to finding historic records for that immigrant's ancestors. Complicating matters are the changing borders in Europe during the past two centuries as the territorial acquisitions obliterated some nations from the map. Border changes in Europe affected not only the map of Europe, but also the records on which genealogists depend to document their ancestors' lives."

The workshop is free for CGS members ($10 for others) but limited to 15 people. Reservations are required.

Born in London, Frankel trained as a cartographer and surveyor and has been investigating his roots in Poland and Lithuania for more than two decades. He joined the SFBAJGS after moving to the area in 1993 and has been president since 2003. He has studied San Francisco and California Jewish history. His current projects include a San Francisco-born Jewish boxing glove manufacturer, and a Polish Jewish anarchist who co-founded the first sailor’s union in San Francisco. He's a professional genealogist, research families who lived in the UK, US and parts of Eastern Europe.

Danko is a native of upstate New York. In the course of writing his daily genealogy research blog, he has reconnected with lost cousins in Poland, the UK, and the US. He's been researching his family history for nine years and has conducted research in Poland and Lithuania and visited his ancestral villages. He also conducts client resarch on records in the US, Poland, Italy and Canada. His languages are Latin, German and Polish and has a working knowledge of several others and is currently studying for a Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies in Toronto.

For more information and details, click here.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks, Schelly, for spreading the word. Have you any news about the U.S. "Who Do You Think You Are?" You seem to have an inside track!

    ReplyDelete