2015 San Francisco History Expo

Are you ready for some San Francisco history?  That's right, the San Francisco History Expo is back for the fifth year!  Once again held at the historic Old Mint, this year's event will have more than 60 exhibitors, all of them looking forward to sharing history with attendees.  We'll have historical and ethnic organizations, museums, libraries, and of course genealogical societies!

An important theme for this year's expo is the 100th anniversary of the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), which was held in San Francisco.  Three speakers will cover different aspects of the exposition:  Laura Ackley, a well known expert on the PPIE, will talk about the people who made the event happen; Mike Phipps and Don Holmgren, directors of the Cable Car Museum, will unveil the story of the cable car designated specifically to convey people to and from the PPIE; and John William Templeton will explore the life of Wesley Johnson, a notable black American who came to San Francisco in 1915 for the PPIE.  These presentations, along with films and other talks, will be held on the vault floor at the Mint.

Living history re-enactors in period costumes will circulate throughout the expo and mingle with visitors, giving impromptu performances of well known individuals from San Francisco's Gold Rush and Barbary Coast eras.  (I've heard rumors that Emperor Norton will again grace us with his presence.)  New this year will be singers from the San Francisco National Maritime Historical Park, who will regale the crowds with sea shanties (songs) about San Francisco from the time when it was an infamous port city.

The genealogy groups participating will again be the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California, California Genealogical Society, San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, SFGenealogy, and Sutro Library (the genealogy branch of the California State Library).  AAGSNC, CGS, and SFBAJGS will be in the same room as last year, but SFGenealogy and Sutro may be in other locations.  Come talk to us about your family, and we'll do our best to give you tips to help with your research.

The Expo will be held on Saturday and Sunday, February 28 and March 1, at the Old Mint, 88 Fifth Street, San Francisco.  (Powell Street is the nearest BART station.)  Hours are 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Sunday.  The admission fee is $5.00, children under 12 are free, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

For more information about the Expo, and to see the list of exhibitors and the presentation schedule, visit http://sfhistoryexpo.org/ or call (415) 537-1105 x100.

Genealogy at "Antiques Roadshow"

I played hooky today.  I volunteered at the taping of Antiques Roadshow that took place at the Santa Clara County Convention Center in Santa Clara, California.  Instead of working on genealogy, I helped with production on the set, mostly by corraling lines of guests waiting for their appraisals.  I figured it was going to be a genealogy-free day.

But then I saw Ron and Pam Filion of SFGenealogy in the jewelry line and went over to say hello.  And a friend who used to be staff at the Oakland FamilySearch Library showed up in the collectibles line with her stepmother.  Then another woman in the collectibles line recognized me from a newspaper presentation I gave to the Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society.  And a very sweet 91-year-old told me about her daughter, who used to be the director of the Santa Cruz FamilySearch Center.

On top of all that, David Gallagher of the Western Neighborhoods Project, with whom I worked on the committee that organized this year's San Francisco History Expo, was in the books and manuscripts line with a 1935 testimonial of some sort to "Uncle" Joe McLaren of the San Francisco Bohemian Club.  The oversize sheet was filled with signatures of people who wanted to say what a great guy Uncle Joe was.  The page had probably about 100 signatures.  What a fascinating resource to place those men in San Francisco in 1935!

Well, so much for my genealogy-free day!

I am a major Roadshow geek.  When I had time during my breaks I ran around and got autographs from almost all the appraisers.  I was sad that I wasn't able to get Kerry Shrives, because every time I went by she was busy doing appraisals.  And I didn't get Kevin Zavian, who kind of seemed to be in a grumpy mood anyway.  But I found out that Ted Trotta's mother's name is also Janice!

Volunteering to help at the Roadshow allows you to have two items appraised, the same as people who win tickets to attend.  I didn't do well with my jewelry items.  A brooch that my former boss sold me as early Victorian was appraised by Rhinestone Rosie as late Victorian and worth about only $50 (unfortunately, less than I paid for it).  A string of pearls the same boss had told me were cultured pearls from the 1920's Rosie and a second appraiser determined to be well made glass pearls with ground fish scales coating the outside to give a somewhat gritty texture, reminiscent of the texture of natural pearls.  She told me the sterling silver clasp was worth more than the pearls.  And this is the second time Rosie has told me my jewelry item was actually glass.  (I'm glad the pearls didn't cost me anything!)

I did much better with a gorgeous green silk cloak that was sold to me as having been worn by Maureen O'Hara in the movie Ten Gentlemen from West Point.  Two appraisers at the textiles table agreed that even without authentication of the provenance from the movie the cloak is worth what I paid for it (hooray!).  If I can find a still from the movie showing O'Hara in the cloak and get a certificate of authentication that the cloak was worn in the movie, however, the value goes to several thousand dollars.  I guess I gotta watch that movie sometime soon.  And O'Hara is still alive!  Maybe she remembers the cloak ....

Wordless Wednesday

Photos courtesy of Sandra Huber. Thank you!

Microhistory and Macrohistory, Working Together

Historia (1894) by Gyzis

I think of history as having two different approaches, broadly speaking.  Microhistory is focused on individuals, the type of research that genealogists do.  We try to find as much information as we can about our ancestors and collateral family members so that we can learn about them as individuals.  Macrohistory (or just history) is about the world around individuals, the events and movements and eras that affected those ancestors.  Last weekend and this weekend I attended events with different emphases on history but that incorporated both aspects, and I started thinking about how the two work together.

The weekend of March 1 and 2 I was at the San Francisco History Expo.  This event primarily is about macrohistory.  More than 60 groups participated, most of them focused on topics such as San Francisco neighborhoods, different ethnic groups, and organizations such as the fire department and the Masons.  Their information was about the history of the times the groups were in San Francisco, how they reacted to changing times, significant historical events that occurred in the city, and similar subjects.  A few reenactors walked through the Expo portraying historical characters from San Francisco's past — Emperor Norton, Adolph Sutro, Domenico Ghirardelli.  There were also a small number of genealogical groups.  We microhistorians talked with people about how they could learn more about their ancestors and their lives in San Francisco and sometimes pointed an attendee in the direction of one of the history groups that might have helpful information.

On Saturday, March 8, I was at the 9th annual African American Family History Seminar in Sacramento.  This was a genealogy event, so most of the sessions focused on tools and techniques that could help people find their ancestors and learn more information about them.  Tom Stratton, the seminar's keynote speaker, however, is a (macro)historian who spoke about Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth and the town he founded in California.  Stratton discussed the historical events that occurred during Allensworth's life and how they affected him and informed many of the choices he made.  Stratton also talked about Allensworth State Historic Park and the interpreters (historic reenactors) who help recreate the feeling of the town and bring alive its history.

To really bring a historical character alive, an interpreter/reenactor — such as the ones at the San Francisco History Expo and Allensworth State Historic Park — wants to learn as much detail as possible about the person he is portraying.  But he also needs to understand the history of the times in which that person lived.  Think about yourself:  You are influenced and affected by the history and culture of where you grew up and where you live.  If you were living in a different country, a different era, you wouldn't be exactly the same person you are now.

Mark Twain (1895)

An excellent example of someone interpreting a historical person is Hal Holbrook, who has continually received great acclaim for his portrayal of Mark Twain in his one-man stage show.  Holbrook has studied Twain in depth, but he also studied the times in which he lived, not only to learn what influenced Twain but to think about how Twain reacted to what happened around him.  Because of that he can portray Twain as a real person and react in character.

That blending of microhistory and macrohistory can help us understand our ancestors better.  It's natural to focus on finding as many pieces of information as possible about them as individuals, but we also need to study the greater historical times they lived in, because that helps us understand what affected them and why they made some of the choices they did.

I remember one day when I was working at the Oakland Family History Center someone came to the desk to ask for help in solving a question about her ancestors.  After listening to her description of the problem, the background of the family, the location, and the period, I told her there were not a lot of records available for that area at that time, but that she should look at the history of what was going on there to learn what was bringing people there for settlement and which groups were there.  She looked shocked and said, "I have to learn about history to do genealogy?"

Well, no, you don't.  You only have to learn about history if you want to be successful with your genealogy.

2014 San Francisco History Expo

It's back!  Once again history will come alive at the Old Mint in San Francisco when the doors open on March 1 and 2 for the largest San Francisco History Expo to date.  More than 60 exhibitors will participate, including historical associations from all over San Francisco, small museums, libraries, and genealogy groups.  This year the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California will join the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, SFGenealogy, California Genealogical Society, and Sutro Library in our little corner of the expo focused on genealogy.  Come by and visit; we'd love to talk to you about your family history!  Presentations and films are planned for both days of the expo on the vault level.

This is the fourth annual San Francisco History Expo.  The theme is "Piecing Together Our Past" (which fits nicely with my concept of genealogy as a jigsaw puzzle, don't you think?).  The Expo is presented by the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.  There is an admission fee this year of $5.00, but children under 12 are free, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

There will also be a raffle, in which most of the exhibitors are participating.  SFBAJGS will be giving away a year's membership in the society.

The Expo will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2, at the Old Mint, 88 Fifth Street, San Francisco.  Hours are 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Sunday.

For more information about the Expo visit http://sfhistoryexpo.org/ or call (415) 537-1105 x100.

Wrapping Up Family History Month

October, which is Family History Month, is always a busy time of year for genealogists.  Along with attending a few events, I let myself be scheduled for several talks, including five in six days.  (You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now!)  It's been a great month, and I learned and shared a lot.

I started the month by going to the October 5 Angel Island Family History Day coordinated by the California Genealogical Society.  I very much enjoyed the event and the opportunity to learn about some of the different groups of immigrants who were processed at the "Ellis Island of the West."  And because it was the beginning of the month, I actually had time to write a separate post about it!

Saturday, October 12, was Family History Day at the California State Archives.  I was asked to give a talk on online newspaper resources, which went very well, with about 75 people in the class.  I also was able to attend three classes myself.  I took the opportunity to hear Lisa Lee's "Introduction to Black Genealogy" because although I've been researching black genealogy for many years, I had never taken an introductory class.  She had a lot of useful information and different perspectives from some other people I've spoken with.  I also attended sessions on Cherokee and Italian research, plus I took a tour of the archives.  Did you know the archives holds all the historical records for San Quentin and Folsom prisons?  Makes me wish I had a serious reprobate to research.

On Wednesday, October 16, I taught a class on Jewish genealogy at the Oakland FamilySearch Library for International Jewish Genealogy Month.  Instead of a general introduction to research, this class focused on what differentiates Jewish research from that of other groups.  The class had a good turnout, and someone who couldn't attend contacted me afterward to get information.  Even better, one of the people in the class is already following up by doing more in-depth research!

The Mt. Diablo Genealogical Society's October speaker canceled at the last minute, and they asked if I could step in.  Lucky me, I was able to do it because of the short BART strike.  (It kept me off the streets and out of trouble!)  So on October 18 I gave a presentation on how even if you have very, very little information to begin with, if you work methodically and thoroughly, it is possible to build on that small beginning and find documents and more information.  In the case study I discussed, I started with one person's last name, another person's first name, a third person's occupation (but no name!), and a town, and my research resulted in a seven-generation family tree with more than one hundred people.

The Concord FamilySearch Library and Contra Costa County Genealogical Society held their annual "Digging for Your Roots" seminar on Saturday, October 19.  I taught two classes there, online newspapers and finding women's maiden names, which were both well received.  I was able to attend several sessions, with the standouts being about Germans from Russia and overlooked military sources.  They both had a lot of useful information I had not seen before.

The San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (SFBAJGS) held its final 2013 East Bay meeting on Sunday, October 20, at the Oakland FamilySearch Library.  At this all I had to do was open the library and set everything up!  Lisa Gorrell of the Contra Costa County Genealogical Society gave a talk on city (and other) directories and how they can be helpful in genealogy research.

The final 2013 SFBAJGS meeting for our peninsula location was Monday, October 21.  After several years of trying to work it out for me to give my talk about online newspapers there, I was finally able to make it down to Los Altos.  Several people who attended e-mailed me within the next couple of days to say they were already finding articles about their relatives — just what I love to hear!

The first organizational meeting for the 2014 San Francisco History Expo was Tuesday, October 22, at the Old Mint, where the Expo is held.  I went as a representative of SFBAJGS and . . . um . . . somehow ended up volunteering to be on the organizing committee.  (Oops.)  I figured it was the best way to make sure that all of the genealogy groups get to stay together in one room, which has worked well the past two years.

And last but certainly not least, this past Saturday, October 26, the California Genealogical Society held a big fundraising event, Their Roots Are Showing, its take on a Who Do You Think You Are? type of production.  Three local Bay Area celebrities — Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics, drummer Tim Alexander of Primus, and Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin — learned about their ancestors live on stage.  I did research on Beane's and Alexander's families for the event, and I was able to meet them in person, which was pretty cool.

And now I have a short break until November 2 (yikes! that's this Saturday!), when I'll be teaching two sessions at the Sacramento FamilySearch Library's genealogy seminar.

It's a good thing I love my work ....

2013 San Francisco History Expo

The third annual San Francisco History Expo will bring together more than 40 local and neighborhood history groups in the Old Mint at 5th and Mission Streets. This is an opportunity to learn (and participate in) San Francisco history though displays, presentations, photos, videos, children's activities, and historical reenactments.  Over the last two years more than 7,000 people have attended the weekend-long event and viewed exhibits from the California Historical Society, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco History Center, and many others.

This year's Expo will be on Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3, at the Old Mint, 88 Fifth Street, San Francisco.  Hours are 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Sunday.

Last year the Expo added a genealogy-focused room, with the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, California Genealogical Society, and SFGenealogy.  Our three groups will be together again this year.  Come by, visit our tables, and learn a little about San Francisco Bay area family history!

The event is totally free, though the organizers hope you'll help offset the costs by making a small donation or buying a raffle ticket.  More information is available at http://www.sfhistoryexpo.org/.

ZichronNote Is at the Printer

I'm still running behind on my schedule, but it's getting closer to being on time (at least I'm finished with my training schedule!).  The May issue of ZichronNote has been sent to the printer and will be mailed soon to hard-copy subscribers.  Articles in this issue include a cautionary story about contacting possible relatives during your research; a name survey of the British censuses; and reviews of the San Francisco History Expo and a presentation about the Angel Island Immigration Station.

ZichronNote is available only to members of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society. If you join (at the very affordable annual membership rate) you get a subscription to the journal and help fund research projects, and help support a hobby you enjoy.

San Francisco Discovers Family History

Last year I lamented the fact that the inaugural San Francisco History Expo had plenty of history but no family history.  This year they have corrected the error, and both the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society and SFGenealogy will be participants, with members of the California Genealogical Society on hand as well.  Apparently last year's comments were heard.

This year's event will be on Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4, at the Old Mint in San Francisco.  Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.  Friday, March 2, school groups will come through on specially arranged tours.

The two-day event will feature interesting displays from participating organizations.  You can also view a special exhibition of 42 photographs called “Elegant Pit Stops”, a display of historic garages in the city.  (I wonder if the historic garage on Arguello I was searching for will be represented.)  Historic artist Alan Zimmerman of Stockton is returning, with large oil-on-wood paintings of Gold Rush San Francisco.  Historic films and special program are scheduled in the vault area for both days.

The event is free, and everyone is welcome.  Please come by, visit our booth, and learn a little about San Francisco Bay area family history!

San Francisco History Expo -- But No Family History

The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society is putting on a "history expo" this coming weekend, February 12 and 13.  More than twenty groups will showcase their contributions to San Francisco's history.  But there is a significant omission from the list of exhibitors:  No genealogical societies are participating.  And why are they not participating?  Because they weren't invited!

When the president of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society asked about the possibility of participating, on behalf of his group and the California Genealogical Society (which has only been around since 1898), he was told they were already full up and that they would add the genealogical societies to the list for what "might be" another event in the future, "if this is successful."

The tagline of the expo is "Piecing Together Our Past."  That's what genealogists and family historians do every day.  Well, maybe this event will go well and they'll have another one, and we can add family history to San Francisco's history.  I'm not sure how they're planning on measuring success, though.  The event is free, so there won't be any tickets to track attendance accurately.

If you go to the expo, I encourage you to mention your interest in genealogy to the event organizers.  If there is a survey of some sort, suggest that next year they include genealogical organizations as well.  (If you aren't going, there is a contact link on the Web site.)  After all, when you research your ancestors, you need to understand the times they lived in, and when you learn about history, you are learning about the people who lived at those times.  Genealogy is, at its best, the placing of a person in the context of his time -- and isn't that what a history expo should be all about?

For more information about the expo, visit http://www.sfhistory.org/index.php?pageid=20.

(Special thanks to reader Carol Townsend for her feedback on this post.)