Presentation: Genealogy & Family History Symposium 2024

Wednesday, 10/23/2024
9:00 - 6:00
Virtual Library

United States

Register

Discover your roots, connect with fellow enthusiasts and unlock the secrets of your family’s past. Join us for an all-day virtual genealogy conference on Zoom, as experts from Bay Area’s genealogical societies, libraries, historical organizations and The National Archives share their insights and special collections. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just starting out, this event is tailored for you. Learn what resources are available, how and where to find them, and who can help. 

Below is the order of the presentations and speakers. To register, click on the Register button (above). 

 

9:00 to 10:00 AM | San Francisco Public Library Genealogy Databases
Daniel Matsumoto, eResources Librarian, San Francisco Public Library.

Discover the secrets hidden within the library’s genealogical databases—Ancestry, MyHeritage and HeritageHub. Join us for an illuminating session that demystifies these powerful tools for researching your roots.


10:00 to 11:00 AM | Genealogy Resources at the National Archives
Stephanie Bayless, CA Director, National Archives at San Francisco.

Stephanie Bayless, Director of the National Archives at San Francisco, will present an overview of the genealogical records and resources available through the National Archives. From immigration files to land records, to military service and beyond. . . you might be surprised where you can locate your family in Federal records. Attendees will learn about the National Archives; what types of records are available on-site and what can be accessed from home.

 

11:00 to 12:00 PM | CHSA Digitalization Projects and Discover Hidden Chinatown Collections
David Y. Lei, Chair of the Collection Committee, Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) and Jisung Heo, Collections Manager, CHSA.

Jisung Heo, Collections Manager, will begin with highlights of their digitization project and collections, followed by David Lei’s special talk on how to find family history records hidden in Chinatown collections, which are accessible only with community connections and persistence. 
 

12:00 to 1:00 PM | To be announced.

1:00 to 2:00 PM | To be announced.

  

2:00 to 3:00 PM | Discovering your Roots at Sonoma County Library
Nikelle Riggs, Librarian & Archivist, Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library.

Nikelle Riggs, a librarian from the Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library in downtown Santa Rosa, will introduce the topic of genealogy while exploring the library's e-resources and various other freely available online databases that can aid you in your research. The library collections include the County government archives naturalization records.


3:00 to 4:00 PM | Immigrant Voices of Angel Island Immigration Station San Francisco (AIISF)
Danielle Wetmore, AIISF Director of Education.

Historical records tend to focus on statistical evidence: names, dates, amounts, times, etc.  Immigration stations, like Angel and Ellis Islands, are creators of records for the accounting of humans passing through the gates of the United States. Behind these statistics are real human experiences, emotions and concerns. Join Danielle Wetmore to read between the lines of historical documents to find human stories through immigration records from Angel Island detainees and their experiences.

 

4:00 to 5:00 PM | Genealogy Resources for African Americans
Addie Lewis-Watson and Virginia Smyly, Board of Directors of the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society.

African Americans face unique challenges in searching for their family genealogies. The San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society has developed a workshop that introduces persons new to genealogy to the basics, and in a group space, review online, other resources and tips useful for breaking through the brick wall of enslavement and Jim Crowism. Co-facilitators will use their own genealogy experiences to demonstrate how to get started, how to broach the "brick wall" and beyond. Participants will actively contribute their own experiences and or recommended resources. Time permitting, facilitators will demonstrate how to use online tools to search on a question from the participants.

 

5:00 to 6:00 PM | Introduction to the Sutro Library
Steenalisa Tilcock, Reference & Outreach Librarian, Sutro Library.

Did you know that the largest genealogy collection in the Western United States can be found right here in San Francisco? A branch of the California State Library located on San Francsico State University’s campus, the Sutro Library is home to an extensive collection of census and vital records, family histories, city directories, newspapers, and more, covering 49 U.S. States and some international locations. In addition, genealogists can take advantage of the rich selection of sources from our special collection, which contains rare books and archival materials offering an invaluable window to the past. In this presentation, learn more about the resources and services we offer, get a sneak peek at some of our most unique and sought after materials and find out everything you need to know to plan your next visit to the Sutro Library.


 

Author Readings & Lectures

Engage with your favorite writers and discover your next read.

History

Learn more about local history.

Spotlight

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.