Category Archives: 2021

Monthly Meeting – Dec 2, 2021 – “Working on My Waterburys” by Gail Burk

Thursday, December 2, 2021 7:00 PM

Guest Speaker: Gail Burk

Working on My Waterburys

For more than 40 years, Gail has been trying to find the parents of her second great-grandfather, the elusive James Foster Waterbury. She has finally made a bit of recent progress in cracking this brick wall through the slow amalgamation of clues gleaned from many diverse sources. Gail uses a multi-faceted approach that combines traditional genealogical research with DNA analysis. This presentation outlines some of the strategies she has employed in the process of working on her Waterburys, and will focus on the many tools available at ancestry.com.

Gail Burk is a long-time member of the Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County, where she has served in a number of Board positions, including President. Gail graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she majored in art, and minored in history. She has been an active genealogist since 1977. For many years, Gail also participated in a weekly writing group and a monthly sketching group. During the pandemic, she has devoted much time and effort in attempting to break down some of her genealogical brick walls. As Gail’s granddaughter says, Gail has become very “sleuthy.”

The Zoom meeting will start at 7:00 pm sharp. Zoom meeting details will be sent by invitation only. If you are not a member and wish to attend, send an email with your email address to our Membership VP, Marilyn Ruccello.

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”The task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen; but to think what nobody has yet thought, about that which everybody sees.” – Arthur Schopenhauer

Monthly Meeting – Nov 4, 2021 – “Online Courthouse Tour” by Junel Davidsen

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Courthouse documents are rich with genealogical information. These documents include a variety of records such as: birth, civil matters, criminal, death, divorces, estates, marriage, land transactions, maps, name changes, and more. Many courthouses throughout the United States now have digital access to their early record collections as well as current information. These records can be accessed directly from the record keeper’s website at no charge or for a small fee. In addition, courthouse records for some locations can be found at the FamilySearch website by browsing non-indexed collections. This session will highlight digitized record collections that are name searchable and also provide a step-by-step process for browsing FamilySearch collections.

Junel Davidsen, CG®,, worked in San Benito County Clerk/Recorder’s office and as Assistant Registrar of Voters of Monterey County. After retirement, she obtained an AA degree in Family Research Studies from Monterey Peninsula College and has been a Board-certified genealogist for 13 years. She has attended several genealogy conferences and training workshops, most recently the 2021 Midwest African American Genealogy Institute. Junel has held various positions on the Monterey County Genealogy Society board including President. She is a regular speaker at family history events including the annual Ancestor’s Roundup. She is a professional genealogist specializing in courthouse research. She assists families in finding missing relatives and estate administrators in locating living next-of-kin.

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”I am slow to learn and slow to forget that which I have learned.” – Abraham Lincoln

DNA Discussions – zoom at noon on Wednesday – October 6th

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MoCoGenSo’s DNA Discussion Group will be meeting Wednesday with an open forum. Join us via Zoom. Feel free to drop in for conversation and stay for lunch.

Check out this great page full of information for newcomers to genetic genealogy isogg.org/wiki/Wiki_Welcome_Page

This meeting will start with Terry Jackson and Jim Robeson discussing how they discovered they are related in a “way back” sense. See description below.

Click to Join Meeting: Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 897 1823 5118
Passcode: 738495

To get a clear description of the Y DNA haplogroup, go to

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Y-chromosome_DNA_haplogroup

To get a brief overview of Y DNA tests, go to

https://isogg.org/wiki/Y_chromosome_DNA_tests

To find out why the male determining chromosome is called Y (blame Edmund Beecher Wilson), go to

https://www.the-scientist.com/foundations/how-chromosomes-x-and-y-got-their-names–1891-65508

To find out why there is a model Y Tesla automobile, go to

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/tesla-s-elon-musk-rolls-out-model-y-completing-automaker-n983581

Jim:

I1a-M253 > DF29 > CTS6364 > S4795 > S4767 > S4770 > Y13495/Y13016 > Y29634/S4774 > A13294 > FTA86767

Terry:

I1a-M253 > DF29 > CTS6364 > Z2337/CTS10028 > S6346 > L22 > FGC83305 > FGC28756 > FGC28751 > Y49398 > FT377135

Meanwhile, did you know that YNT means “why not” in modern text jargon? 🙂

Using our tools

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MoCoGenSo’s DNA Discussion Group will be meeting Wednesday with an open forum. Join us via Zoom. Feel free to drop in for conversation and stay for lunch.

They say that the pandemic has given lots of folks extra time these days to work on their genealogy. Perhaps, but there is still never enough time.

The wife and I have done our DNA tests at the “big 4” of course, and every so often I make the rounds looking for new matches. Never underestimate that auto-tree at 23andMe.com – it can be full of surprises. Once built, the tree remains static. But you can and should refresh the tree periodically. It is a pain to figure out how to refresh it, but it can be done via the help system.

We discovered a new branch of 4 cousins in my wife’s refreshed tree the other day that contained people we had never heard of before and the branch was placed in an impossible position. After a couple of weeks of sleuthing, we have decided that the stories about her grandfather’s escapades were true! How else can you have a half first cousin show up out of nowhere!

23andMe.com provides lots of information about DNA matches that are really useful in solving puzzles. Birth year, haplogroups, shared matches, triangulation, etc. Add a subscription to Ancestry.com to the mix for source searching and you can solve lots of thorny NPEs. Ancestry.com has tree building and a bigger match base, but 23andMe.com provides so many more DNA tools. You really need to test at both places.

The centimorgans Tool at DNA Painter is invaluable at justifying tree placement. In addition, Genetic Affairs can create an extremely useful cluster analysis from 23andMe data. I ran their Auto Cluster tool on the wife’s 23andme Me data and am still finding new information.

The MoCoGenSo DNA Discussion meetings are a better place to talk about this stuff. I hate typing…. Perhaps I can show-n-tell this case at some future meeting. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to learning about Gail Burk’s methods used at tomorrow’s meeting. See you tomorrow noon on Zoom.

DNA Discussions Wednesday Noon: Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 897 1823 5118
Passcode: 738495

DNA Discussions – zoom at noon on Wednesday – August 4th

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MoCoGenSo’s DNA Discussion Group will be meeting Wednesday with an open forum. Join us via Zoom. Feel free to drop in for conversation and stay for lunch.

Check out this great page full of information for newcomers to genetic genealogy isogg.org/wiki/Wiki_Welcome_Page

This meeting we will have a special presentation by Gail Burk about her search for ancestors. See description below.

Click to Join Meeting: Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 897 1823 5118
Passcode: 738495

Gail Burk is a long-time member of the Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County, where she has served in a number of Board positions, including President. Gail graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she majored in art, and minored in history. She has been an active genealogist since 1977. For many years, Gail also participated in a weekly writing group and a monthly sketching group. During the pandemic, she has devoted much time and effort in attempting to break down some of her genealogical brick walls. As Gail’s granddaughter says, Gail has become very “sleuthy.”

”Maybe if we tell people the brain is an app, they will start using it.” – Morgan Freeman

Monthly Meeting – August 5, 2021 – “Connecting the Italian-Swiss Families of Our Central Coast” by Midge Buchert & Sandy Peterson

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Sandy Peterson shares clips from a 2019 video interview with Midge Buchert, who discusses her experiences tracking down long-lost ancestors of many Italian-Swiss families now living on the Central Coast of California. Her story is both inspiring and fascinating, and not just for those interested in searching for their roots.
Learn some of Midge’s research strategies and the tools she uses in her pursuit of Swiss ancestors. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the presentation.

Midge Buchert was first introduced to the Santa Maria LDS Church’s Family History Center in August 1992 and has been haunting it ever since, doing genealogy research for herself, and then serving as a volunteer for several years. Over 10 years ago, she
began researching Catholic Church records of Ticino, Switzerland for a friend whose Donati ancestors came from the village of Broglio. These records were written in Latin, and because she has knowledge of the language, she’s been researching Ticino records
ever since for the many California Central Coast families who are descendants of Ticino Swiss immigrants. It has been challenging, rewarding and addictive – she is still involved today!

Sandy Peterson has always lived on the Central Coast. She has been researching her family history since 1988. A few years later, she began volunteering in the Santa Maria Family History Center, and began teaching a few “how to” classes. From 2015-2019, she
served as the Family History Center director in Santa Maria and has served as the Santa Maria Valley Genealogical Society president two times. She loves researching her Polish, Danish, German, Welsh, English (etc.) ancestry, plus helping others to discover their roots and make connections with cousins. One of Sandy’s favorite pastimes is to create graphic art collages from the documents, photos, and maps relating to her ancestors.

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”The young will get old, if they are lucky!” – Francine Prose

Monthly Meeting – June 3, 2021 – “Using FindaGrave” by Gary Carlsen and Tina Magill

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Looking for the burial sites of your ancestors with little luck, wishing for some place on line to put their remains, or simply wanting to remember them for future generations? Gary and Tina will attempt to introduce this website to those of you who don’t know about it, and open more about it to those of you who have used it casually. The website currently is managed by Ancestry, but you do not need an Ancestry membership to use it. It is a free website. You have to register, establish a username and password and you off and running.

Gary Carlsen, He began his genealogical research in 1990, and he has been pursuing both his and his wife Carolyn’s, a seventh generation native Californian, ancestors. In that time he has located over 20,000 family members to which he and his wife are related. He is presently the President of Monterey County Genealogy Society, but has been a member since 1990. He is the Editor of the Society’s Bimonthly Newsletter, the Society’s Genealogist. He has been a volunteer librarian at the local Family History Center for the past 25 years. He has given presentations with the DAR and other Societies. He has transcribed 2 publications for the Society, the first, “Soldiers and Census,” contains the 1790 Monterey Mission Census, 1804 Monterey Garrison Census, the 1808 Monterey Garrison Census, the 1836 Monterey Garrison Census and Ranchos, and the 1850 Monterey County Census Index. His second was a transcription of the 1889 Monterey County Directory covering all of the townships in the county.

Tina Magill, Has researched her family for many years. She is currently serving on the Board as, Member at Large for Monterey County Genealogy Society. A member of the DAR, Commodore Sloat Chapter. She is currently documenting the burials of Monterey County, CA using the website: findagrave.com. She has completed Monterey, and currently working on Seaside, Soledad, and Gonzales.

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”The young will get old, if they are lucky!” – Francine Prose

Monthly Meeting – April 1, 2021 – “Rootstech 2021 Forum: Share a Tip Learned at the Virtual Rootstech Experience” Co-hosts: Shelley McFadden & Joseph Donahue

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Genealogist’s dream of attending the Annual Rootstech Conference in Salt Lake City, UT. Professional genealogists, and family researchers, gather to share and learn what is new in the world of genealogical research; all hoping to find a new solution to solve their own family mystery. How often have you thought about traveling to Salt Lake City, in order, to be educated by those famous genealogy professionals? This year, Rootstech is introducing – “Rootstech Connect: A FREE Online Conference Experience.” We can all attend this virtual event from our own home computer. The Conference – February 25-27, 2021. This event was livestreamed or on demand, and you can access the classes up to 12 months after the conference.

Monterey County Genealogy Society has decided to dedicate their April 1, 2021 program to the Rootstech Experience. Each of us will have an opportunity to share tips learned at this year’s Rootstech Conference. Our plan is to share with other members new or more effective ways to complete our family genealogy, learned at Rootstech.

Shelley McFadden holds a BFA in Fine Arts, and is a retired RN. She had worked for over 40 yrs on her family genealogy. She is member of MoCoGenSo, 1st V.President – Programs and past Acting President. Also a member of Commodore Sloat Chapter of the DAR, and Assoc. member of Aloha Chapter of DAR. Charter member of NSCDA in Hawaii. Teaches Beginning Genealogy and Newspaper Research.

Joseph T. Donahue, retired RN. All of my Great-Grandparents immigrated from other countries: Ireland, England, Germany, and Italy. As a young Child, I asked my Dad which was I mostly. He said Irish, a fact supported half a century later by DNA testing. I was named after my Dad’s Brother, who died in England while serving in the U.S. Army during WWII. In the early 1980’s, Aunt, Margie fueled my interest in genealogy by sharing info she gathered by interviewing my paternal Grandfather, research done as a member of the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society, and travels to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT. I am a member of MoCoGenSo since and serve on their Board of Directors.

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”The more I work and practice, the luckier I seem to get.” – Gary Player

Monthly Meeting – March 4, 2021 – “Connecting with Cousins: Reunions, Road Trips and Zoom” by Kathy Nielsen

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Our cousins provide so much family history information. But traditional ways of connecting were suspended last year. Family Reunions were cancelled. Road trips were postponed. Thank goodness for Zoom. Join Kathy Nielsen in planning some real life connections with cousins. Kathy will help you start planning that reunion and that trip. And if these plans are not meant to be in 2021, what about a virtual connections? Let’s share ideas!

Kathy Nielsen, MA, MLS, is a reference librarian and an educator. She is currently a popular genealogy speaker on the Monterey Peninsula. She has been featured on Lisa Louise Cooke’s weekly YouTube program, Elevenses. She is a co-founder of the Monterey County Society’s special interest writing group, “Off the Charts”. Kathy incorporates her skills as a historian, storyteller, Librarian in her search for her family’s history.

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” The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” – Albert Einstein

Monthly Meeting – February 4, 2021 – “Metes and Bounds” by Martha Wallace via Zoom

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Beginning at a hickory and white oak on the North east side of Wolf River…Thence N 62 W 50 poles…Do you have land records that read like this? What’s a pole? The hickory tree is no longer there! Why was this format used? Join us to learn how to “translate” the records and map the land, and get some hints about finding the land today.

Martha Wallace is a retired middle school history teacher. She really got serious about genealogy research in the1990s when she received copies of family histories which had been researched in the 1940s and 50s. These documents were each over 3 inches thick! She used the stories she learned about her family to expand American history lessons for 8th graders. Today, in addition to spending lots of time hunting for ancestors and hiking in the hills, she is a docent at the 1867 Rengstorff House at Shoreline in Mountain View and a volunteer at the National Archives in San Bruno indexing Criminal Court Records from the mid to late 1800s. Her interests are US land records, tombstones, medieval and American history, and connecting her ancestors to actual events in history, especially in Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas. She still enjoys teaching as long as it doesn’t require grading papers.

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” The reason that my phone doesn’t autocorrect on caps lock is because it knows that I’m angry and doesn’t want to intervene.” – II (Internet Intelligence)