SCGS Library Research Available!

The Southern California Genealogical Society Research Teams are highly qualified volunteers who will conduct specialized research for you.

Our resources include our library’s extensive collection of over 40,000 books, thousands of microforms and CDs, and a host of up-to-date electronic resources. Cost for non-member is $20/hr and cost for members is $18/hour (members receive a 10% discount on the hourly rate).

Click here to place an order:  Click Here to Order      

You will be delivered to the Shopping Cart, where you will choose Hourly             Research, then Check-out.  You will then have an opportunity to "Add                 Comments About Your Order".

Provide the Full Name of Person, Location of Event & Details of the               Information desired. INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION (email,         telephone, address).

Specialties of Our Society: California & Los Angeles County Research

In our own geographic area, we can offer clients information on the vital areas of birth, death and marriage, plus newspaper obituaries. We also have extensive records of people coming to the California Gold Rush, their names being on ship records, overland wagon train lists, and the newspapers of the day. SCGS also produced an 1852 census for the new State of California.

United States Research

Our collection has materials for almost every county in the United States. This makes our library, and its research team, well positioned to conduct studies on your ancestors as they migrated to and around this country.

• Revolutionary War Ancestors - if your ancestor was born before 1765 there is a strong possibility that he served in the Revolutionary War.


• American Colonial Wars - Thousands of Americans from Maine to South Carolina fought in the many Colonial Wars from the Pequot War in 1637 to the French & Indian Wars ending in 1762.


• Massachusetts Town Records – Vital Records listing births, marriages & deaths have been compiled for most of the towns of Massachusetts up to 1850.  SCGS has over 200 of these town records.


• California Gold Rush - Our records include the names of peoples coming overland and by ship; many names were recorded in the newspapers of the day.  In addition to the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Censuses, we have the California Census for 1852.


• Los Angeles County Records searches – births, marriages, deaths in Los Angeles County and California; newspaper obituaries.  


• Personalized research - we are prepared to help you knock down those block walls.  Tell us about your research puzzles and we will attempt to help you solve them.

Cornish Records Search

SCGS has one of the great collections of Cornish ancestry records, many of which go back to the 1500s. These records include the celebrated Ross Collection of births, marriages, deaths and other official records of Government and Church in Cornwall. A search can also be made of the Cornish miners of California and Michigan and other areas where Cornish people were involved.

French-Canadian Research

We are the home of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of California and one of the largest collections of French-Canadian resources in the USA. Our researchers will search the Blue and Red Drouin, Jette, Tanguay, PRDH, and the marriage records of the 1000 parishes, and the many other FC resources we have to help you document your ancestry.

Southern California Genealogy Society and Library

417 Irving Dr.

Burbank, CA 91504-2408

818-843-7247

www.scgsgenealogy.com

Email: scgs@scgsgenealogy.com

Give or Get Research Help at Jamboree 2018

One of the best ways to spring over the wall is to get free help with your research

Jamboree and the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, are offering research assistance to Jamboree for the 7^th year.  How does Research Assistance work at Jamboree?  We need people to help and we need people to sign up to receive that help.  You earn Genealogy Karma as a Research Assistant helping Jamboree attendees.  Or, as a Jamboree attendee you can get research assistance from amazing volunteers.

Volunteer to Help:                  

Qualifications: Know something about genealogy and be willing to share your knowledge.  You do not need to be board certified or accredited, or belong to SCCAPG or APG, to volunteer.

Click here to sign-in and sign-up as an RA Now!

Hint: List your area of interest and specialty

Whether it is basic genealogy or more advanced, please be really specific.  Please list each area separately.  It is easier for attendees to sign up for your help.

Need Help in Your Research:             

Need some one-on-one time with your beginning, intermediate or advanced problem?

Need a fresh set of eyes to look at your research and work you’ve done to date?

We have Research Assistant volunteer to help you.

Sign up now for a 20-minute slot.

Click here to sign-in and sign-up for Assistance HERE!

During Jamboree:

Stop by the Research Assistance rooms in the Tech Hallway during the weekend and check for availability of walk-in spots for both RA volunteers and attendees.  Bring copies of your material or bring your laptop or tablet with your information as an option. Come as organized and prepared as possible for the best help.

Southern California Genealogical Society

49th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

www.genealogyjamboree.com

Socialmedia@scgsgenealogy.com

#Jamboree2018, #SCGS2018@scgsgenealogy

Please Help - Volunteer at Jamboree 2018!

      JOIN JAMBOREE 

       "THE CALL FOR                    VOLUNTEERS" 

           IS OPEN!

Jamboree takes an army of volunteers for success! 

If you'd be willing to act as a room monitor, registration-check-in assistant, a bag stuffer, set-up/tear-down helper; tech zone techie, evaluation scanner, door monitor, a hospitality worker...please click here!

It's people like you that help make Jamboree a fun place to be.

Do you have some expertise that might help someone break through a brick wall? If so, please consider signing up as a consultant in the Research Assistance room at Jamboree... please click here!

Southern California Genealogical Society

49th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

www.genealogyjamboree.com

Socialmedia@scgsgenealogy.com

#Jamboree2018, #SCGS2018@scgsgenealogy

Jamboree 2018: Calling all Genealogical Consultants!

We need you to volunteer as a Research Assistant. 

Jamboree attendees who are looking for research assistance come in every variety - from novices looking where to begin, to advanced researchers needing a second set of eyes on their work.  Volunteer with us today and share your knowledge, experience and expertise.

Signing up is easy. We’ll ask you for your email and cell phone. which will not be visible to attendees. Research assistance is offered in 30-minute slots on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Pick your day, pick your time, and add your topic and level (beginner/intermediate/advanced). Save your entry. 

Research assistants/consultants need not be registered attendees at Jamboree to volunteer. Jamboree Research Assistance is sponsored by the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogist (SCCAPG).  Consultants need not be members of the chapter or parent organization to participate.

Make a deposit into your genealogical karma bank!

You may already be sharing that by:

• Volunteering at a library, archives or Family History Center 
• Giving presentations to local societies or even at Jamboree
• Sitting down with someone and showing that person how to get started

Whether it’s basic information:

• How to complete a pedigree chart 
• What information can be found on Ancestry.com 
• Why vital records are considered valuable 

Or something more complex:

• Information found on various websites
• Research dealing with the Civil War 
• German ancestry, Jewish roots, etc.

Please consider volunteering as an assistant by signing up at the link below and adding your specialty area(s). You will also be asked for your email, but that is so we can get in touch with you before the event, it will not be visible to the general public. 

The signup page on the website will be closed Thursday. Anyone wishing to be added may stop by the Research Assistance rooms in the Tech hallway on June 1st.

Assistants/consultants need not be registered attendees at the event to sign up, but there is no compensation for this service. Jamboree Research Assistance is sponsored by the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, but consultants need not be members of the chapter or the parent organization. SCCAPG is happy to work with Jamboree to make the weekend of June 1-2. 2018 one of the best educational opportunities for genealogy west of the Rockies!

Southern California Genealogical Society

49th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

www.genealogyjamboree.com

Socialmedia@scgsgenealogy.com

#Jamboree2018
#SCGS2018@scgsgenealogy

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It! Research Assistance is One of the Best Ways to Vault Your Genealogy Brick Wall!

by Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA

By now, you have probably heard or read about Research Assistance at Jamboree. Jamboree, along with the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, has offered this unique option for Jamboree registrants for the past five years and we are ready to go again for year six!

Not every assistant/consultant is a professional. Not every one is a member of SCCAPG or even APG. Few are Board Certified or Accredited. But every volunteer, desiring to help others, knows something about genealogy that others don’t. It might be something minor, like how to get started; it might be something major, like where to find a repository in a foreign country; it might be anything in between. The one thing these people have in common is a true desire to assist others; to “pay it forward,” just as they were assisted throughout their genealogy experiences. If you see yourself in that description, we need YOU. Please consider signing up as a consultant and listing your specialty: very general (such as “basic genealogy” or “beginning genealogy”) or more specific (such as “Union Civil War Research” or “technology for genealogists” or “German translating”). The more specific you are, the better folks can prepare to bring what they need when they meet with you.

And are you one of the many (like the over 100 people helped in 2016) who needs some one-on-one time with a person who knows more than you do about some aspect of genealogical research? Or maybe someone who could use a fresh set of eyes to look at your research problem and work you’ve done to date? Check out the consultants listed on the website and sign up where you think you will get the best help. If no one is listed for your unique issue, consider stopping by the Research Assistance rooms in the Tech Hallway during the weekend as we accept walk-ins for both consultants and patrons. We will do our best to provide you with a bit of guidance, a recommendation of a professional genealogist, a list of possible websites, or maybe some direction to one of the vendors on site in the exhibit hall. (Don’t forget to bring your materials with you to get the best help possible – pedigree charts, copies of documents, family group sheets, copies of communications, etc. We will have Internet access so bringing your laptop or tablet with the needed information is also an option. Consultation time slots are only 20 minutes long, so please come as organized as possible.)

The on-line sign-up is at the link below and the sign-ups for both consultants and patrons will be closed on Thursday afternoon, June 8th. After that time, come by the room to get on the list.

Research Assistance begins its schedule at 1pm Friday, June 9th, but someone should be in the room at noon that day to help sign folks in or match consultants with patrons where it has not already been done on-line. 

Do we promise 100% success? No. But we do promise 100% effort towards success. 

Here is the sign-up link:

http://www.mysignup.com/2017scgsjamboree_research_assistance

48th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

Genetic Genealogy 2017

www.genealogyjamboree.com

jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com

#SCGS2017 @scgsgenealogy.com

Need help with your family history research? Try “Research Assistance” at Jamboree between Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon

by Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA

Sign Up Here

Everyone needs help from time to time. Yes, even experienced genealogists are in an almost constant state of discovery and education. No one can know everything! So if you are looking for a little boost in your genealogical research, Jamboree has the answer for you! Partnering with the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists for the 6th year in a row, Jamboree is at the forefront of events in the Southwest, providing the most educational weekend for genealogists of all levels.

For the last few weeks, consultants/assistants have been signing up to help folks needing that extra one-on-one service for their brick wall issues. Whether you have just begun digging up your roots or you have been at it for decades, if you are faced with a problem that just seems to have you stuck in a quagmire, consider checking out the folks who are offering their services, at no extra charge (beyond your registration at Jamboree). We are located in the Tech Hallway (just look for the signs).

If you have a particular issue that does not appear as a specialty of any of the consultants already signed up, consider returning to this webpage frequently as more assistants are being added to the list nearly every day. The Research Assistance feature of Jamboree also welcomes walk-ins, but there are no guarantees that a consultant will be available to help with a unique issue; nevertheless, those in the RA rooms will do their best to guide you to someone, either at Jamboree or through the Association of Professional Genealogists, who might have just the aid you seek. 

Research Assistance opens at 1pm on Friday, June 9th but someone will be available in the room at noon on to help you get signed up if you are a “walk-in.” And if you have knowledge of a subject or specialty area and can assist someone else, please consider paying it forward and either sign up as a consultant on the website link here or on-site at the Research Assistance Rooms sometime over the weekend.

And tell your friends! Last year over 100 folks got a little boost over their brick walls; this year, you just might find yourself one of those. On-line sign-ups close Thursday afternoon, June 8th. 

Here is the sign-up link:

http://www.mysignup.com/2017scgsjamboree_research_assistance

48th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree

Genetic Genealogy 2017

www.genealogyjamboree.com

jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com

#SCGS2017 @scgsgenealogy.com

Jamboree 2017: Calling all Genealogical Consultants!

by Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA

Do you know something about genealogy that someone else doesn’t? I would venture to guess almost everyone reading this blog post can answer in the affirmative. Whether it’s just basic information (e.g., how to complete a pedigree chart, what basic information can be found on Ancestry.com, why vital records are considered valuable in family history research, etc.), something more complex (e.g., the information found on various websites, specific help for different elements of genealogy – Research dealing with the Civil War, German ancestry, Jewish roots, etc.), or help for something even more involved (e.g., who a person might hire for a more difficult problem, where to physically go to get original documents, out of the state or country resources, etc.), you probably know some things that can help another person get started, break through a brick wall, or recommend some websites. 

Whether you have been doing genealogy for a couple of years or a couple (or more) decades, you have information that others are probably searching for. You may already be sharing that by volunteering at a library, archives, or family history center; by giving presentations to local societies or even at Jamboree; by sitting down with a neighbor or family member and showing that person how to get started. We need you to volunteer as a Research Assistant. Some people think that to be an assistant or consultant, one must already be a professional in the field, have some sort of credential or degree, or have been doing genealogy for a minimum number of years. This is not so. Our patrons who come for help run the gamut of bare beginner to advanced researcher; that’s why the consultants who sign up to assist are asked to also list their specialty or specialties. You will see people list themselves as able to help with “basic beginning genealogy” or “Jewish research” or “technology help” or “military research” and more. 

There is something satisfying about helping a person find a document with his or her own ancestor listed or introducing patrons to websites they had no idea existed. It is true that Research Assistance at Jamboree cannot boast a 100% success rate, but we get very close, even if the success is something as basic as recommending a professional genealogist who may be able to get further with a research problem. Most of our assistants report having had a good time getting to know a patron whose problem was, at one time, seemingly insurmountable but, when leaving our facilities at Jamboree, having a sense of hope that an answer is just around a corner.

Please consider volunteering as an assistant by signing up at the link below and adding your specialty area(s). You will also be asked for your email, but that is so we can get in touch with you before the event, it will not be visible to the general public. It is important to check your Jamboree schedule before committing to Research Assistance at a particular time because, in a couple of weeks, the platform will be opened to patrons seeking your help. If you sign up for a time and date and then have to change it and a patron is expecting to get your specific help in your particular specialty, that puts the patron at a significant disadvantage. We know that not everyone reading this has even decided what to attend and plan, what meetings will be scheduled by various groups attending Jamboree, etc. For that reason, we also offer a “walk-in” option for both assistants and patrons. If you don’t feel comfortable scheduling yourself now, consider doing so a little closer to June 8th when you have your plans solidified or stopping by after we open on Friday (someone will be in the room to schedule things at noon on Friday of Jamboree). The signup page on the website will be closed Thursday late afternoon so anyone wishing to be added to the schedule after that time will need to stop by the Research Assistance rooms in the Tech hallway after noon on the 9th.

Assistants/consultants need not be registered attendees at the event to sign up, but there is no compensation for this service. Jamboree Research Assistance is sponsored by the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, but consultants need not be members of the chapter or the parent organization. SCCAPG is happy to work with Jamboree to make the weekend of June 9-11. 2017 one of the best educational opportunities for genealogy west of the Rockies!

Here is the sign-up link:

http://www.mysignup.com/2017scgsjamboree_research_assistance

48th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree
Genetic Genealogy 2017
www.genealogyjamboree.com
jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com
#SCGS2017 

Jamboree 2016: Research Assistance Wrap-up

Guest post by Jamie Lee McManus Mayhew, PLCGS

What a wild and stimulating experience it was managing Research Assistance at Jamboree. Over an hour before we opened we had walk-ins hoping to secure a client spot with our Research Assistants. The Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists sponsors Research Assistance for the SCGS Jamboree and helped 92 clients over three days. Research Assistants came primarily from the Association of Professional Genealogists but included others who came in ready to help.  

We asked those who were pleased with their experience to consider donating to the Save the War of 1812 Pensions and collected $115 for that purpose. 

Many people come together to make Research Assistance a success. I want to thank Jean Wilcox Hibben, co-chair for Research Assistance, Lise Harding from SCGS, the many volunteers at Jamboree who helped keep us running and the following volunteer Research Assistants who gave generously of their time. I hope I didn’t miss any of you. 

Cari Taplin
Toni Perrone
Karen Jones
Randy Whited
Sharon Morison
Elizabeth Swanay-O’Neil
Paul Woodbury
Anette Burke Lyttle
Janice M. Sellers
Jean Wilcox Hibben
Lynn (Butch) Hibben
Jamie Lee McManus Mayhew
Bill Mayhew
Mary Kircher Roddy
Lynn Baden
Tom Jones
Paula Stewart-Warren
Lisa Medina
Barbara Algaze
Jane Neff Rollins
Cyndy Richardson
Elissa Scalise Powell
Kathy Holland
Linda Rouse
Karen Merrill Martin
Stephanie Cardin
Sue Roe
Kimberley Gomez
Molly Squire
Stephanie Wein
Paul Moore
Sheila Benedict
Kim Parker
Dallas Bordenave
Consuelo Rodriguez
Jill Breznican
Sherri Harris
Margaret Ruthridge
Janice Lovelace
Pam Vestal

Next year SCCAPG will continue to sponsor Research Assistance. If you are interested in helping as a Research Assistant or have a problem you need help with, look for information in this blog and sign-ups in April 2017.

Jamie Lee McManus Mayhew PLCGS
Past President; SCCAPG
SCGA Jamboree Research Assistance Co-Chair

Jamboree Research Assistance . . . Popular means ACT FAST

Guest Post By Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CG®

I was just looking at the volunteer page at Jamboree for the Research Assistance room and was overwhelmed! I am not going to quote figures right now, because it is clear that they are changing rapidly. It appears that the popularity of this part of Jamboree is really catching on – both for the good genealogy folks who are volunteering their time to help others and the people who are needing a little “shot in the arm” for their ancestral searches. This page has been open for just a short time and already I can tell that this year’s Research Assistance is going to be an amazing success!

Do you have a knowledge you can share? It doesn’t need to be finding ancestors who have defied all attempts at discovery (though that is a great skill) . . . it can just be helping folks get started by learning how to do basic web searches. It can be a specialty (Irish research, Civil War research, etc.). It can be a technical skill (basic computer skills for genealogy, for example). Whatever you know that someone else does not may be just what we need at the Research Assistance rooms. Please consider signing up for a time slot: 2016 Jamboree Research Assistance Sign Up  (http://www.mysignup.com/2016scgsjamboree_research_assistance)

And for those looking for help, our assistants are already signing up to be your one-on-one consultant. But look at what the areas of expertise include. If someone has indicated “Irish Research,” don’t sign up there if you need help with finding German ancestors. Someone who has specified “General” or “Basic Research” is not likely to be able to be successful helping you locate people you’ve been searching for 30 years and hired professional genealogists to find. After all, our time slots are for 20-minute consultations and we need to be realistic. Some of our assistants also do this for a living so you may have success hiring one of the professionals there to work on your family in the weeks following Jamboree.

Research Assistance is a free service for Jamboree registrants ONLY.

Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CG®
Vice President, Southern Calif. Chapter of the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists

Jamboree 2016: HELP! – We all need it from time to time

Guest Post By: Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CG®  – VP, So. Calif. Chapter, APG

“Help! I need somebody! Help! Not just anybody!” – Oh, I remember those lyrics from the Beatles, back in the ‘60s, when life was less complicated (translation: no personal computers). Now? There’s so much to learn, so much to find, so much feeling alone in a vast sea of incomprehensible information! No, I’m not talking about life in general (though I could be); I am speaking about the world of genealogy!

Do you sometimes wonder if the family you are tracing is not the right one? That you have no idea where to find the information you need? In fact, you have little comprehension of the various websites that are even available? Even experienced genealogists find themselves learning on a regular basis. Even when I go to a class on a topic I am sure I already “know it all,” I find myself taking notes and discovering new avenues of approach to a problem. No one knows it all (even those who say they do).

Jamboree offers a unique opportunity for those who are floundering. It could be something basic, like “where do I start?” It could be something more involved, like “are there Irish Catholic church records available online?” Perhaps it is something specific, like “how do I fill out this DAR application?” It might even be something technical, like “how do I get a GEDCOM onto my Smart Phone?” These and other such questions might have matching answers at Jamboree’s RESEARCH ASSISTANCE. Held, again this year, in the TECH HALLWAY. Beginning Friday early afternoon and running through the lunch hours until Sunday mid-afternoon (none offered in the evenings, sorry . . . we have to eat and rest sometime), you can sign up in advance to get help. Go to http://www.mysignup.com/2016scgsjamboree_research_assistance and read the instructions before registering (to get help, register as a “CLIENT”; to give help, register as a “RESEARCH ASSISTANT”). Then MAKE A NOTE of your committed time (this can be done right on your Jamboree Smart Phone app).

Keep in mind, time periods, though blocked out in 30-minute increments on the website, are for 20 minutes ONLY and please don’t hog a consultant! Do not sign up for more than one consultant and time period at a stretch: no consecutive consultations with the same assistant (this is to be fair to everyone).

There are still spots available for consultants (Research Assistants) so if you know something that could help someone else, please donate a little time back and indicate your area of expertise.

Yes, we take drop-ins, and welcome both Assistants and Clients to stop by to check on available time and help options. It’s also a great place to network: we have space so people can do a little visiting. Check the signs on the doors and come on in! (Sponsored by the So. Calif. Chapter of the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists.)

And, say, if you get a little help, why not say “thanks” by making a small contribution to the Save the 1812 Pensions Project. We will have collection boxes available. Thank you.

Jamboree 2016 - Calling All Genealogists! Research Assistance Volunteer Sign-Up Open

Guest post by Jean Wilcox Hibben,PhD, MA, CG®

GREETINGS TO ALL YOU EAGER GENEALOGISTS OF ALL LEVELS!

I know that you are excited about Jamboree and all the things that are offered there. The educational opportunities are amazing and we want YOU to be part of the Learning Experience for others. For the past few years, the Southern Calif. Chapter of the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists has offered 20-minute, one-on-one consultations for folks with what some call “experts.” Now, I don’t like that term because, for some, it implies a person who knows everything about everything (FYI: there is no such person). We want to call these helpers “consultants.” Think about it: haven’t you been asked (by a friend, family member, or even the clerk at the store) for some genealogy advice? If you have been doing genealogy for more than a year, I’ll bet you have . . . and I’ll bet you’ve been able to help people get started finding ancestors. A lot of “newbies” will be at Jamboree and Research Assistance is a perfect place for that “jumping off point” experience. You could be the one to offer it.

So this is “calling all genealogists” to help out. You have the opportunity to enter your area of expertise when you sign up. If you are still learning (and, by the way, no matter how much a genealogist knows, he/she is ALWAYS still learning), sign up as “beginner help only,” that way you won’t be overwhelmed when asked to translate a Hungarian document! But if you have more experience under your belt, you probably have an area of expertise that is more specialized. Enter that: “Jewish research,” or “Military research,” or “Genealogy website knowledge,” or . . . well, the list can go on and on. And you can list more than one specialty.

This is the moment to select a period of time (these are set up in 30-minute increments, but we are asking you for just 20 minutes of your time . . . people need the extra 10 minutes to close up the laptop and let the next person set up). Or you can sign up for a longer block, but when we open this to “clients” to come for help, we are asking that no one person take more than 20 minutes of your time at a setting. We want everyone to get a chance. You are not expected to DO their genealogy, just give these folks some ideas of where to go next. We will have Internet access but not computers there; you need to bring your own laptop/netbook/tablet and we’ll give you the sign-in code. But even if you don’t want to do that, just your experience and suggestions, sans computer, is perfectly acceptable.

For those of you who do this genealogy thing for a living, who knows? You might just get a paying client or two from the experience (we do not permit you to charge for these short consultations, but we encourage you to bring your business cards if you do client work). And anyone getting help is encouraged to say “thank you” by contributing to the War of 1812 Save the Pensions Project (we will have collection boxes available for that).

Here is the sign-up URL:
http://www.mysignup.com/2016scgsjamboree_research_assistance

Do it NOW, before you forget. We need you.

And thank you.

Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CG®
VP, So. Calif. Chapter of APG

Jamboree 2015 - Research Assistance Review

Guest blog post - Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CG^sm

It’s hard to believe that it’s over. Well, that it has been over for nearly two weeks . . . seems like just yesterday that we were checking in folks needing a little genealogy boost from the many people who volunteered to help at Research Assistance. In all, there were about 75 problem sessions covered by our team of Research Assistants (some of our “clients” came more than once). Most people got ideas of where to go next, how to approach a difficult situation, or even an actual problem resolution.

We asked those who were pleased with their experience to consider donating to Save the War of 1812 Pensions and had a “collection bucket” for that purpose. We collected $58 and that is being forwarded to the project from the Southern California Chapter of the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists, the organization that sponsored Research Assistance. But those who helped out were not necessarily members of that organization – they came from all over and gave their time liberally; we can’t thank them enough. But we can recognize them here:

Barbara Algaze

Barbara Andrews

Jennifer Barber

Sheila Benedict

Jill Breznican

Fran Bumann

Sean Conley

Alice Densmore

Christine Elia

Len Enlow

Lynn Colby Galloway

Jean Wilcox Hibben

Lynn (Butch) Hibben

Kathy Holland

Lisa Howison

Dick Humphrey

Laurice Johnson

Norma Keating

Michael Melendez

George Mouchet

Barbara Perez

Toni Perrone

Sue Roe

Jane Neff Rollins

Paula Stuart-Warren

Elizabeth Swanay-O’Neal

Joel Weintraub

Elise Wormuth

If I inadvertently left anyone out, please accept my apologies – I was working with the sign-in sheets and these are the names I had. But I also have to add thanks to the good folks who helped with checking people in, making sure everyone knew where to meet, signed up volunteers and clients, and generally made the environment a good one for learning and sharing.

Do you want to be part of this next year? We’ll start the on-line sign-ups in April, so watch the blog and website.

Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CG^sm

VP,  Southern Calif. Chapter, Assoc. of Professional Genealogists