Barry's Bits and Upcoming Events

 

18 Aug 1890 San Francisco Chronicle

Crystal Springs was not without troubles as evidenced by this tragic report of a drowning in 1890.

                       Upcoming Events                          

Thu, Feb 14, 2018 – Workshop, Hispanic Genealogy: Spanish Records

2:30 am–4:00 pm; Cañada College Library Computer Lab, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, San Mateo

Free for Cañada College students, faculty, and staff. SMCGS Members $5, Non-members $10.

Presenter: Lucy Jennings Sweeney

Discover how to ss as baptism and marriage, where to find records for your country and town, and learn about the Spanish naming system. Plus receive a resource list of online/print materials.

Lucy is a San Francisco native who graduated from UC Berkeley. When she retired from teaching, she began investigating her heritage which spans roots in both Mexico and Ireland.

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Sat, Feb 23, 2019 – City Directories

10:30 am–12:00 pm; Grace Lutheran Church, 2825 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo, entrance in back

Presenter: Pamela Brigham

City directories sometimes are referred to as census substitutes, yet they are much more. They are a source to an inside view of your ancestor’s life. You can track cities that your ancestors lived in over the years, develop a history of the town, and view social meetings that your ancestor may have attended.  The pictures in city directories can provide a rich window into what your ancestors may have seen as well. 

Pamela Brigham is the President of the Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group and a devotee of using technology in genealogy.  She teaches classes in genealogy including using online research programs.

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Sat, Mar 23, 2019 – Lies, Lies and More Lies:  Can DNA Solve My Parental Lineage

10:30 am–12:00 pm; Grace Lutheran Church, 2825 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo, entrance in back

Presenter: Jeff Vaillant

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From Research to Story – A Writing Workshop

Saturday, March 30, 12:00-1:30 pm

Grace Lutheran Church, 2825 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo

 Bring your research and family lore to life through writing compelling stories. This workshop will help you generate ideas and focus on powerful storylines to create family history stories for future generations. Come to have fun and share creative ideas with your writing peers.

Craig Siulinski teaches genealogy and life story writing classes, and does presentations on blogging, location research, and other family history topics. Craig is passionate about helping people research, write and share their life stories. 

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Finding Power in Your Family’s Story – A Writing Workshop

Thursday, April 11, 2019, 2:30-4:00 pm

Cañada College Library Computer Lab, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, San Mateo

Finding Power in Your Family’s Story – A Writing Workshop

 Tell your family story in a way that engages, inspires, and changes perspectives. Find transformational gems in plain sight. Using a 7-step process, you will learn how to develop your authentic voice and to create a compelling story worthy of publication that may change your life and the lives of others.

Regina Mason is an international speaker, an award winning author, and Executive Producer of the docudrama, Gina’s Journey: The Search for William Grimes.

GENERAL WORKSHOP INFORMATION:

Workshops are $5 for SMCGS Members, $10 for Non-Members
Workshops are FREE to Cañada College Faculty, Staff & Students 

RSVP required.  Send email to:  seminars@smcgs.org 

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Save the date for the SMCGS Spring Seminar

               with Michael John Neill

National Lecturer on Genealogical Research

Practical, Down to Earth, with Just the Right Amount of Humor

Saturday, May 4, 2019

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Menlo Park LDS Hall, 1105 Valparaiso, Menlo Park

Ticket sales open on February 15, 2019

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Barry Hinman and Mary Lou Grunigen volunteer at the San Mateo County Genealogical Society library located at Canada College in Redwood City. They welcome members of the Society and visitors who would like a tour of the library and an introduction to its holdings. They are also available, of course, to consult about genealogical problems or research strategies. They are there from 1:00-4:00 on the second Tuesday of every month if the Canada library is open to the public on that day.  

SMC Places: Crystal Springs Dam

On Jan 11, a rainbow shone down on the opening of the new section of the Crystal Springs Trail and the reopening of the road across the Dam.  Some five years later than scheduled, the wait was worth it.  No more transmission lines marring the view and a new parking area, overlooking memorials to those who lived in the area.

Constructed across San Mateo Creek,  Crystal Springs Dam was one of the first gravity dams built in the western United States.  Designed by  Hermann Schussler, the chief engineer for the Spring Valley Water Company, it was unique in that none of the horizontal or vertical joints match up. Originally completed in 1888, the block by block cement construction and strict standards set by Schussler withstood the 1906 and the 1989 earthquakes with no damage.  Upon completion it held nearly 60K acre feet of water. 

San Francisco Chronicle 3 Jul 1871

The planning for Crystal Springs began  in the 1870s and  on 5 Sep 1874 The San Francisco Chronicle reported the sale of the possessions of the Crystal Springs Hotel.  On 21 Sep 1883 the San Francisco Bulletin reported on a visit by the SF Board of Supervisors to the Lakes to learn about the Water companies upcoming project.

 

Crystal Springs Reservoir - Wikipedia
Crystal Springs Dam Bridge Reopened - San Bruno Patch This article provides a good history of the original dam and of the renovation work.

A Story on Every Page

Jean Ann Carroll
2 Jan 2019

SMCGS members are transcribing the mortuary records of Valente, Marini, Perata and Co; a (by my estimate) 95% Italian Mortuary in North Beach, San Francisco.  Every entry tells a story:  about origin, cause of death, relatives.  As we move into the 1930s, we get compelling stories of the Great Depression.  Every death has costs; some more elaborate than others.  Some simple, as for infants and young children. 

Valente, Marini and Perata management seems to have had a compassionate policy for young children.  The costs were minimal, far below a normal charge for service.  For example, here is a record for an adult, Consolvo Arvedi, age 50, funeral cost $328.10, paid in full within the month.

 

Now look at the bottom of the page at the entry for Joseph Bedini:

 

Full service, costs $38.  Date:  April 7, 1931.  Look at the payment record.  For 1931, the parents paid $19.  For 1932, $30.  For 1933, $8.  Lower costs, yet the payment is spread out over three years.

After transcribing dozens of entries when the payment was weekly and/or monthly in very small amounts, I wondered how traumatic it would be for a parent to walk into the mortuary office and hand over $1 week after week; month after month; year after year.  How can you ever process the loss of a child when you have this financial burden you can’t pay.

I called the Valente, Marini and Perata  4^th generation person who had turned the records over to the Colma Museum.  I asked him about the payments.  He said, you have it wrong.  People didn’t come in to make the payments. It was up to the newest person on the staff (all relatives of the owners) to take the 3x5 index card file and walk the neighborhood; knock on doors; collect the money.  Week after week; month after month; year after year.

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As the database grows we continue to update the file available online.  This month we also have begun digitizing the oldest books, those buried in Washington Park to save them from the fires following the earthquake of 1906.

Newest Update to the Valente, Marini, Perata and Co Mortuary Index 

If you have some free time and would like to help index or film these records email 
Publications @ smcgs.org