Double Issues for Two Journals

Sometimes real life has an annoying way of intruding on volunteer activities.  That's what happened to me earlier this year, and it's why issues of ZichronNote and The Baobab Tree did not appear in the spring, as they should have.  But I've been dancing as fast as I can, and I managed to catch up.  Both journals have recently been published as double issues, with more pages and stories than usual in an effort to atone for the delay.

In the February/May 2017 issue of ZichronNote (from the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society), Fred Hertz wrote about his successful efforts to contact cousins from other branches of his family tree and his thoughts on the different paths family members took.  Martin Gewing was fortunate to see a torah from the town his mother's ancestors lived in.  Judy Vasos shared a special photograph from World War II, of an entire wedding party in Germany wearing the required yellow stars of David, and shared her discovery of a second photo from that day.  Alan Silverman related one Sephardic family's journey, over several generations, from Spanish expulsion to Dutch sanctuary to British establishment.  In the third article in a series, Kevin Alan Brook described documentation proving that Sephardic Jews resided in central and northern Poland.  Sheri Fenley, the Educated Genealogist, graciously allowed us to reprint her story (with new material!) about David Nathan Walter, an early Jewish pioneer in San Francisco.  One of our members wrote about her pleasant surprise at discovering that her 10-year-old grandniece is actually interested in family history.  And the SFBAJGS Treasurer, Jeff Lewy, went over the society's financial performance in 2016 and explained how we were able to help several genealogy projects around the world.

The Winter/Spring 2017 issue of The Baobab Tree (published by the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California) led off with an article by Patricia Bayonne-Johnson about the Georgetown Memory Project, which grew out of the public revelation that Georgetown University survived an early financial crisis through the sale of slaves.  This article is a follow-up to one Pat wrote in 2008, also published in Baobab, about her family members that were among the Georgetown slaves.  Veola Wortham contributed her hard-learned lesson not to take everything family members tell you as gospel.  In the first half of a two-part article, Ellen Fernandez-Sacco discussed her discovery that her early ancestors in Puerto Rico owned slaves and how her research has changed due to learning that.  Richard Rands eloquently explained why your family tree should be on your computer at home, not online.  Janis Minor Forté didn't let one adverse piece of information define the legacy of her grand-uncle.  In addition to her first article, Veola Wortham also reviewed the book Black Indian Slave Narratives and discussed its relevance to genealogical research.  There is also a review by Sharon Styles of this year's Sacramento African American Family History Seminar, where the keynote speaker was Paula Madison.

That sounds like a lot of interesting genealogical reading, doesn't it?  Wouldn't you love to see how those stories turned out?  All you have to do is be a member of the respective societies, and you can happily receive issues of the journals.  Visit the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (for ZichronNote) and the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (for The Baobab Tree) for membership information, and all your problems will be solved.  Well, at least those relating to being able to read the journals.

Another way to obtain a copy of either journal in the future is to have a story published in it.  (In fact, for Baobab, you will receive five copies!)  You do not need to be a member to submit a story.

Have you had a breakthrough in your research, solved a family mystery, discovered a different way to use resource materials, or walked where your ancestors walked?  Do you have an interesting story about your family?  Other people would love to read about it!  Submission guidelines for The Baobab Tree (including deadlines) are online, or you can send me a message regarding a submission to ZichronNote.  Let's talk about it!

The Latest in Genealogy Journals

I realized I have been remiss lately in letting everyone know what interesting articles are being published in the journals for which I am the editor.  And now that I've added a new (to me) journal to the list, there's a wider range of stories!

The most recent issue of ZichronNote came out at the end of November.  Australian Dani Haski wrote about the status of Jewish record books in Egypt, a subject of interest to her because her ancestors came from Egypt.  Susan MacLaughlin discussed her roots trip to Lithuania, which she originally thought was going to be to France.  Vivian Kahn updated our membership on the latest additions to the Hungarian Special Interest Group database on JewishGen.org.  Debra Katz tried to entice people sitting on the fence to jump in the DNA research pool and see what they can learn.  Fred Hoffman wrote about some pitfalls of machine translation, including "swanky oxen" and "fetus farms."  And SFBAJGS President Jeremy Frankel and several other members shared their perspectives on the 2016 IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, which took place in Seattle, Washington in August.

The Fall 2016 issue of The Baobab Tree was e-mailed to members in December (yes, when it was still fall, thank you).  We've had a glitch with the printer, so the print copy has not yet gone out, but it should soon.  The big story in this issue was the celebration of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California's 20th anniversary, which was held at the September meeting.  Dera Williams wrote about the highlights of the day, and Jackie Chauhan contributed a list of some of the topics the society's speakers have addressed over the course of 20 years.  There's also a lovely photo gallery showing many of the attendees and honorees, including our beloved Electra Kimble Price and the ever-busy Ron Higgins.  Lavinia Schwarz wrapped up her three-part story about the research she did on her 2x-great-grandmother, a free woman of color in New Orleans.  A few AAGSNC members attended the 3rd International Black Genealogy Summit in Arlington, Virginia and had the opportunity to meet the Côte d'Ivoire ambassador to the United States.  And AAGSNC President Howard Edwards presented a plaque of appreciation to the Oakland FamilySearch Library in thanks for all of its support over the years.

My new baby is The California Nugget, the twice-yearly journal published by the California Genealogical Society.  This is my first issue, so there's been a learning curve, finding out about all the people and procedures involved.  It should be published this month.  Two things that will be new with this issue are a message from the president, currently Linda Harms Okazaki, in place of the previous message from the editor (because we all know I hate to write), and a regular column on genealogical methods by Rondina Muncy, CG.  In addition to those, Stella and Linda Allison wrote about their great-grandfather's sister, a Mexican immigrant to San Francisco who moved up economically from her beginnings in Mazatlán.  Scott McKinzie used DNA and old-fashioned paper research to determine who his grandfather was.  Joe Reilly and Tim Cox have stories about relatives who served and died in World War II.  Kathleen Javdani dove into research on her great-grandmother, trying to find if the information in a family narrative matched reality.  And Carolyn Ervin wrote about memories of her own great-grandmother, whom she was fortunate enough to meet shortly before she passed away.

There's a caveat, though.  (Isn't there always?)  To receive these fine journals, you need to be a member of the respective societies.  If you would like to read these articles, visit the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (for ZichronNote), the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (for The Baobab Tree), and the California Genealogical Society (for The California Nugget) to join and you can be reading them soon.

There is a way around that membership requirement, at least on a per-issue basis.  If you have a story published in an issue, you receive a copy!

Have you had a breakthrough in your research, solved a family mystery, discovered a different way to use resource materials, or walked where your ancestors walked?  Do you have an interesting story about your family?  We would love to read about it in one of the journals.  Submission guidelines for The Baobab Tree (including deadlines) and The California Nugget (which will probably be updated soon) are available online, or you can send me a message regarding any of the journals, and we can talk about it! 

The ZichronNote February 2016 Issue Has Been Published

The most recent issue of ZichronNote, the quarterly journal of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (and the publication for which I recently won an editing award) was e-mailed and mailed out to SFBAJGS members before the month of February ended (thank heavens for that leap day this year!).  Deborah Cohn's lead article focused on the detailed personal information you can find in newspapers, one of my favorite resources.  Susan Steeble discussed how she had to use two different Web sites to find online naturalization forms from the State Supreme Court of Kings County (Brooklyn), New York.  Judy Vasos and her husband took a trip to Eschau, Germany to visit the home of his ancestor.  And Judy Russell, the Legal Genealogist, reviewed Israel Pickholtz's recently published book on endogamy and DNA research.

Do these articles sound interesting to you?  Well, to receive ZichronNote when it is published, all you need to do is join the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society!  If you join at our very affordable annual membership rate, you not only will have the journal when it's hot off the press, you will be helping fund the research projects that the society supports and supporting a pastime that you enjoy.

There is another way to get a copy of ZichronNote:  You could contribute an article!  I could be promoting your fine prose here!  If you have had a breakthrough in your family history research, solved a family mystery through painstaking work, discovered an innovative way to use resource materials, or contacted a "tenuously, absurdly distant" cousin to learn more about your family, we would love to read about it.  If you are interested in writing for ZichronNote, send me a message, and we can discuss!

I Won an Award!

One of the things about editors I have learned in my roughly 35 years of working as one is that they rarely get recognition for their work.  There's a saying that if the editor is doing his work well, you never notice his presence.  And I know someone who has mentioned more than once that he has hired a writer he thought was good and discovered that the person he really wanted was the guy's editor, who had made him look good.

So I was very pleasantly surprised today at the meeting of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society to be presented with an award for my editing work on ZichronNote, the quarterly journal of the society.  The award was from the California State Genealogical Alliance (CSGA) and was presented to me by Beth Galleto, the previous editor of ZichronNote.  Beth wrote lovely things about my work in the application she sent to CSGA, some of which was quoted in the letter accompanying the certificate.  So I'm very proud, and I want to show off my certificate and letter.

Two Genealogy Journals Finished and Sent to Members

I'm a little behind on announcing that the latest issues of ZichronNote and The Baobab Tree have been finished and distributed to members of the respective genealogical societies.  As usual, I think I found a good mix of topics for the journals, and I learned something from each article.

In the May 2015 issue of ZichronNote, two articles, by John Althouse and Jeff Lewy, address the problems and pitfalls of spelling as it relates to finding our relatives in indexed records.  Not only should we take into account the education levels, languages, and writing skills of both the people reporting the information and those recording that information, the talents of whoever creates the indices we use in our searches have a huge effect on our possibilities of success.  Daria Valkenburg wrote about displaced persons' camps in Europe after the end of World War II.  SFBAJGS member Rebecca Elliot contributed an article about how she discovered and met her half-brother; until recently, she had not even been sure he was still alive.  Krzysztof Bielawski, the man behind the Kirkuty Polish cemetery Web site, gave us a little bit of history on how the site came to be.  And I (the person who hates to write) was moved to write about my encounter with Leonard Nimoy (z''l) after his recent passing.

The Spring 2015 issue of The Baobab Tree has a fantastic lead story:  AAGSNC board member Nicka Smith discovered that her grandparents knew Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, during the short period the Kings lived in Chicago.  Following that is an excellent resource article from Eric Johnson on how to look for black soldiers in early U.S. Army records.  Angela Williams Brown, who has just recently started family history research, talks about some newbie lessons she has already learned.  Betsy Monroe enlightened us as to early black settlements in the Capay Valley area of California.  And Jackie Chauhan, the AAGSNC historian, wrote about the 10th anniversary of the Sacramento African American Family History Seminar, which was held this past March.

All you need to do to receive these journals when they are published is to be a member of the respective societies.  So if these articles sound interesting to you, visit the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (for ZichronNote) and the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (for The Baobab Tree) to join and you can be reading them soon.

The other way to receive the journals is to be a contributing author.  I could be promoting your article here!  Have you had a breakthrough in your family history, solved a family mystery through painstaking research, discovered a better way to use resource materials, or walked where your ancestors walked as part of a heritage trip?  Do you have an interesting story about your family history in the San Francisco area?  We would love to read about it in one of the journals.  Submission guidelines for The Baobab Tree, including deadlines, are available online, or you can send me a message regarding either journal, and we can talk about it!

The February 2015 Issue of ZichronNote Is Out the Door

The latest issue of ZichronNote, the quarterly journal of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (SFBAJGS), has been printed, e-mailed, and mailed by the U.S. Postal Service.  As usual, the articles cover an interesting range of subjects.  SFBAJGS President Jeremy Frankel has wrapped up the report of his research on his cousin, including the revelation of an amazing find on the sidewalks of London.  Board member Heidi Lyss wrote about her impressions and what she learned on an excursion to the Jewish quarter of Córdoba, Spain, last year.  Jeanette Rosenberg, of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, kindly allowed me to reprint her article on the basics of using Facebook for genealogy, which makes a nice segue into the society's June presentation on social media for genealogy (presented by the only other Sellers who is a member of our society!).  And treasurer Jeff Lewy reported on what worthy genealogical endeavors SFBAJGS was able to support in 2014, with help from the donations generously given to the society by our members, above and beyond their membership dues.

You could be a part of this too!  I could be talking about your article in ZichronNote.  Have you had a breakthrough in your family history, solved a family mystery through painstaking research, discovered a better way to use resource materials, or walked where your ancestors walked as part of a heritage trip?  Have you had success or made progress at the San Francisco Genealogy Clinic with the Mavens?  Do you have an interesting story about Jewish family history in the San Francisco area?  We would love to read about it in the journal.  Send me a message, and we can discuss!

November ZichronNote Has Been Delivered! (Electronically)

Hooray!  The November issue of ZichronNote has been put to bed, and it's still November.  The electronic version has already been sent to SFBAJGS members, and the print copy will be mailed out soon.  I really enjoyed the articles in this one.  (Okay, I enjoy the articles in every issue!)  Larry Fagan, one of our members, broke through a longstanding brick wall by availing himself of help from JewishGen classes and our brick wall session in August.  Heidi Lyss, a board member, has written about the "Jews in Utah" session at this summer's IAJGS conference and the direct connection it had to her own family research.  Jeremy Frankel has given us the second part of the story of discovering a lost branch of his family, and we learned that we now have part three to look forward to, with more revelations!  And this time even I contributed:  some updates, but still looking for a wedding photo of Jeanette August Meier Heller; and information about the JewishGen Memorial Plaques Database and how to contribute to it.

Does all of this sound like something you just have to read?  Well, remember, the most recent issues of ZichronNote are available only to members of the society. If you join (at the still very affordable annual membership rate) you get a subscription to the journal, help fund research projects, and support a hobby you enjoy.  And if you're interested in contributing to ZichronNote, write to me for more information.

Genealogy Talks and Journals

Whew!  I finally have a chance to come up for air!  I've given four genealogy talks this month, which I realize isn't that many, but three of them were brand-new ones I was doing for the first time, so there's been a lot of last-minute running around, looking for the right graphics, finalizing handouts, and generally tweaking the presentations.  On the positive side, all of the talks went well (yay!), so the time invested in them was worth it, and I now have presentations on probate records, city and other directories, and deaths in San Francisco.  Unfortunately, the time spent on preparing the talks came at the expense of writing for my blog, so now I have a backlog of articles.  I'm going to have to work on catching up!

Something else that kept me busy was finishing the most recent issues of  The Baobab Tree and ZichronNote.  I didn't quite get them out on schedule as I had hoped, but I was close!  The summer issue of Baobab includes articles on the history of black mariners and resources for researching them; some information on the life and history of the first black resident of Antioch, California; personal memories about a relative who portrayed marketing icon Aunt Jemima at public events; and an introduction to the journal of a doctor in the British Royal Navy in the 19th century, with his observations on race and the slave trade.

The August issue of ZichronNote includes four pieces about the annual IAJGS conference, which took place this year in Salt Lake City:  commentary from several SFBAJGS members about their experiences, President Jeremy Frankel's commentary on the conference in general and on the annual business meeting and election in particular, and winners of the annual awards (ZichronNote unfortunately being beaten in the society journal category by Lineage, the newsletter of the JGS of Long Island).  Jeremy also wrote about a genealogical puzzle that took him 29 years to solve, and there is a thoughtful article about growing up with a grandfather who was a Torah scribe.

My usual caveat about these informative journals is that you have to be a member of the respective societies to receive them.  So if these articles sound interesting to you, visit the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (for ZichronNote) and the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (for The Baobab Tree) to join and you can be reading them soon.

And I realize I have not written yet about the Minnie Driver episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, but I ran into a problem:  I always review an episode to make sure I didn't miss anything, and my cable provider did not have the episode available on demand.  So I'm still working on that too.

Journals, Journals, Journals!

Reading genealogical journals is a wonderful way to learn more about history, techniques, records, and family stories, all of which can help you advance their research.  I really enjoy being the editor of three journals.  It gives me incredible opportunities to read fascinating stories, and I learn something from every submission.  But it does keep me busy!

I was a little behind schedule (again!; I have to stop getting sick), and the most recent issues of all three journals ended up being published in less than a month.  While I'm catching up on the intended publishing schedule, I realized I hadn't told everyone about the articles in these issues.  So now I'm caught up on that also!

The March 2014 issue of The Galitzianer actually went out in late May (oops!).  In addition to the outpouring of information in the research column, the issue also includes articles about efforts to preserve Jewish history in Bolechów, how Jewish refugees from Galicia ended up being stateless after World War I, how someone learned his mother's original given name and then visited the site of his uncle's former hat shop in L'viv, and some of the revelations learned during twenty years of research into a family.  (I am catching up on The Galitzianer, and the June issue should be out in July.)

The May 2014 issue of ZichronNote went out the first week of June (pretty close!).  The president's column took a strong stand on an issue affecting almost all Jewish genealogical societies.  Other articles discuss a World War II refugee camp created in upstate New York, the discovery of a long-lost relative still living in Israel (just in time, as it turned out), genealogy resources available at the Portuguese Fraternal Society of America, and a report from the SFBAJGS treasurer on how the society spent its money in 2013.  (The August ZichronNote should definitely be out on time.)

The Spring 2014 issue of The Baobab Tree just barely squeaked in on schedule (hooray!), because summer didn't officially start until June 21.  The lead article is a stunning example of using traditional genealogical research, oral history, and DNA to piece together a family history reaching back to the 17th century.  The rest of the issue includes articles about newly freed slaves in Indiana enrolling in Freedmen's Schools, a personal retrospective on Black History Month, and a mystery photo taken during the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and the popular Genealogy 101 column's take on the federal census.  (I"m going to try to get the next Baobab out in July; keep your fingers crossed.)

The only bad thing about these great journals?  You have to become a member of each society to receive a subscription.  If these article descriptions have piqued your curiosity, visit Gesher Galicia (for The Galitzianer), the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (for ZichronNote), and the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (for The Baobab Tree) to join and get your copies today!

Two Journals Finished and Soon to Be Mailed

Oh, I love it when I start to catch up on my schedule!  The February 2014 issue of ZichronNote, journal of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, and the Winter 2014 issue of The Baobab Tree, published by the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California, are both done and will be mailed soon to the societies' respective members.  ZichronNote is on schedule, and Baobab should really have come out in January, but considering the previous two issues were two months behind, one month late is a distinct improvement.

This issue of ZichronNote has the conclusion of the article that began in the November 2013 issue, where someone was very surprised to find that her great-grandmother apparently was born Jewish.  Not what one would expect when the woman in question had been known to her family only as an enthusiastic Christian Scientist!  Other articles are the story of unexpectedly finding a cousin in Russia while on a research trip, a description of the genealogy class that was part of the curriculum at a Jewish high school, and thoughts on how to make sure your years of genealogy research will be saved for many generations to come.

The winter issue of The Baobab Tree leads off with the third article in a series exploring some of the surnames originating with slave owners that are still common among blacks in Arkansas.  In addition, the regular column "Genealogy 101" covers a list of some basic vocabulary terms genealogists need to understand; an author expounds on her opinion of why wildcards are far better than Soundex; the descendant of the daughter of a Dutch immigrant and an African slave in Schnectady, New York, who married the son of French-Canadian immigrants tells a little of their story; and the recent movie Twelve Years a Slave generated interested in reading the original book.

ZichronNote and The Baobab Tree are each a benefit of membership for joining the respective genealogical society. Articles for both are accepted from both members and nonmembers.  If you submit an article that is published, you will receive a copy of the issue with your article even if you are not a member (but think about joining!).  Submissions may be articles, reviews, graphics, or almost anything genealogy-related, both original and previously published, and must be relevant to either Jewish or black family history research, respectively.  Submission guidelines for The Baobab Tree, including deadlines, are available online.  For details about submissions to ZichronNote, write to me for more information.

So send me an article!  Can't you tell I love to read?

The Latest ZichronNote Is at the Printer

The November 2013 issue of ZichronNote is at the printer, and the electronic edition will be sent to members this week.  The main article in this issue is about how one woman was surprised to discover a possible Jewish line in her family while researching her great-grandmother, and her search for more information to prove it.  Other articles include member comments about their experiences at this year's IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy, the ways in which the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society supports Jewish genealogical research around the world, and the benefits members of the society receive.

Speaking of benefits, one of them is that the most recent issues of ZichronNote are available only to members of the society. If you join (at the still very affordable annual membership rate) you get a subscription to the journal, help fund research projects, and support a hobby you enjoy.

More Genealogy Editing!

I am very excited about my new volunteer position!  I have been confirmed as the new editor of The Baobab Tree, the quarterly journal of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California.  The editor is also the chairman of the society's Journal Committee.  I'll be taking over from Annette Madden, the wonderful lady who has been the editor for the past two years.  I'm really looking forward to continuing the great work that has gone before me but finding a way to put a little of myself in the publication also.

And speaking of editing, the latest issue of ZichronNote has just been sent to members of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society.  This issue has two articles about successful searches for family:  one sparked by an envelope addressed to a mystery aunt, and the second by long-guarded secrets that were finally shared.  There is also a review of the recently published DNA USA:  A Genetic Portrait of America, which tells us that the book is not quite what the title promises.

So with these two publications and The Galitzianer, I'm now going to be putting out a journal every month.  I guess you can take the girl out of publishing, but you can't take the publishing out of the girl ....

Genealogy Journal Issues Published

My timing is a little off, but all I have to say is that it wasn't all my fault!  The latest issues of the two journals for which I am the editor have gone out, one a little late and one somewhat more.

The November issue of ZichronNote is just now going out to members of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society.  I'm very proud to be publishing an article about graphic artist Arthur Szyk, written by the official genealogist of the Arthur Szyk Society.  Other articles are a discussion of the "widow's portion" of inheritances, a review of the book Bread to Eat and Clothes to Wear, and information about a new series of translated yizkor books being printed by JewishGen.org.

Three articles in the September issue of The Galitzianer, which was sent to members of Gesher Galicia in early November (yes, really!), focus on the Holocaust:  a memoir of the events in the city of Stanisławów, the part the airfield in Krosno played during World War II, and tracking down what actually happened to a convicted Nazi criminal.  A more scholarly article looks at how Beth Din records can not only shed light on the daily activities of a town but can also help researchers reconstruct family relationships.  In the final article a woman retraces the life of her great-great-aunt in Poland.

You can receive ZichronNote and The Galitzianer if you join the respective organizations.  Each journal is published quarterly.  I try to publish interesting articles that help broaden our knowledge of the places and times in which our ancestors lived.

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.

February ZichronNote Sent to Members

The February issue of ZichronNote has been sent by postal and electronic mail to San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society members.  This issue includes an excellent article by Israel Pickholtz about one method of deciding when you have accumulated enough circumstantial evidence to make a decision about a family relationship.  Other articles are an update on the Ger Mandolin Orchestra, how to be an efficient 21st-century researcher, the opening of the new Magnes Museum in downtown Berkeley, and the premier of the new Society logo.

If you are a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, you have probably already received your issue.  If you are not, you can join by visiting the Society's Web site, and then you too can enjoy these articles and the ones to come during this year.

November ZichronNote Off to the Printer!

Somehow between getting ready for the Jewish Family History Open House, the Thanksgiving holiday, and just plain waiting for some articles to come in, the November issue of ZichronNote slipped into December before I knew it.  I have finally caught up on things, though, and the issue has been sent to the printer.  Articles to look forward to include an overview of Jewish refugees from Europe who came into the United States through the Angel Island Immigration Station; a Jewish mayor in 19th-century Texas; and why it is important to have your primary genealogical database on your home computer, not online.

ZichronNote is available only to members of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Societeey. 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.

Recently Published Genealogy Journal Issues

The August issues of the two genealogy journals for which I am the editor, The Galitzianer (the quarterly journal focused on Jewish research in the former Austrian province of Galicia, published by Gesher Galicia) and ZichronNote (the newsletter of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society), recently were published.

The articles in the August issue of The Galitzianer are a list of 1938 Ropczyce, Poland, industrial permits; a report on Jewish vital records that have been preserved in Warsaw; a memoir written by a man born in 1886 in eastern Galicia; analysis of an early 20th century photograph; and two reports about recent visits to Europe, one to Dąbrowa Tarnówska and one to the L'viv area.

In the August issue of ZichronNote you will find an article that brings a different perspective to the question of Napoleon's (yes, that Napoleon) views on the Jewish people; a woman's search for her great-grandfather's missing artwork, which was hidden in many places in and around Warsaw at the outbreak of World War II; and a review of an online gazetteer of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Both The Galitzianer and ZichronNote are available only to members of the respective organizations. If you join either (or both) you get a subscription to the journal and help fund research projects, and you help support a hobby you enjoy.

Two Genealogy Journal Issues Off to the Printers

I edit two genealogy journals.  I have been the editor of The Galitzianer, the quarterly newsletter focused on Jewish research in the former Austrian province of Galicia, since November 2009, when Ed Goldstein, the former editor, stepped down after nine years.  It is published by Gesher Galicia.  I recently took on the job of editing ZichronNote, the newsletter of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society.  Beth Galleto had been the editor for ten years.  Just my luck, they both have the same publication schedule -- February, May, August, November.  But they cover different material, and I get to work with very nice people who have interesting stories to tell, so it's a lot of fun.

The articles in the February issue of The Galitzianer are the second half of a list of 1938 Dębica, Poland, industrial permits; a review of a memoir of the town of Boryslaw, Ukraine; a reunion between a hidden child and the Polish family who helped her and her family; remembering the life of a Holocaust survivor; the methods used to search for a survivor in order to reconnect her with the family who sheltered her; a good application of DNA tests to complement traditional research; and a family gathering of several branches, reunited through research originally begun to claim an inheritance.

In the February issue of ZichronNote (my first issue) you will find the revival of an orchestra to commemorate family members lost in the Holocaust; transcribing thousands of burial records in order to help other researchers find information; twenty genealogy resolutions for the year; and the importance of translating words correctly.

Both journals have a short note about the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which occurred on March 25, 1911.  I knew about the Triangle Fire previously, but it has become more important to me because of research I did on one young woman who survived the fire by jumping out of a window but who died three days later due to her injuries.  I will write more about her on the anniversary of the fire.

Both The Galitzianer and ZichronNote are available only to members of the respective organizations. If you join either (or both) you get a subscription to the journal and help fund research projects, and you help support a hobby you enjoy.