Fresno California East Family History Center

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Center Contacts and Hours
Location Map:



Address:


 * 1880 Gettysburg Ave Clovis CA 93611 United States


 * Language: English

Phone:


 * 1-559-291-2448

E-mail:


 * [mailto:CA_FresnoEast@ldsmail.net CA_FresnoEast@ldsmail.net]

Center Director


 * William Holden (559) 292-1658

Open Hours:


 * Tuesday 10:00am-3:00pm and 6:30pm-9:00pm
 * Wednesday 10:00am-3:00pm and 6:30pm-9:00pm
 * Thursday 10:00am-3:00pm and 6:30pm-9:00pm

Holiday Schedule:

Closed December 16th through January 1st:

Upcoming Events:
Sunday, January 25, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. Family History Fireside sponsered by the Fresno North Stake. Speaker: Brother Dennis Brimhall, managing director of Family Search. "Discover Your Family, Find a Name..." All Adults and Youth are invited to attend.

INDEXING NEWS:

Stake Indexing Director Webinar – January 2015 Are you excited to see all of the benefits the new browser-based indexing program will bring to indexing and family history research, or are you anxious about moving from the familiarity of the current program?

Either way, this webinar is for you.

Join us to get answers to your most common questions about the current indexing beta test, including how to set up your administrative settings and how to help your indexers make a gradual, easy transition. (Haven’t tried the indexing beta test yet? Check it out before the webinar to better prepare:https://familysearch.org/blog/en/indexing-program-leads-ancestors/

When: There will be three opportunities to participate. The content presented will be the same each time. Please note: Space is limited to 500 participants per session.

Tuesday, January 20, at 11 a.m. (MST; convert time zone.) Wednesday, January 21, at 11 a.m. (MST; convert time zone.) Wednesday, January 21, at 6 p.m. (MST; convert time zone.) (Click a specific time to add an appointment to your computer calendar. The time should convert to your time zone automatically.)

Who: All English-speaking stake indexing directors, assistant directors, ward specialists, priesthood leaders, and other people with indexing-related callings are invited.

How:

Click the following link to join the meeting as a guest: http://ldschurch1.adobeconnect.com/indexingdirector/

The meeting audio will broadcast through your computer speakers. If you have questions to ask, you may type them into the live-chat window, where they will be answered as quickly as possible. Note: If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting, you should click here to test your connection beforehand. Orclick here for a guide to help you get started or troubleshoot any problems you may run into.

Thank you for your continued efforts to help your stake members enjoy the blessings of participating in family history work. A recording of the webinar will be included in the next stake indexing director newsletter.

Sincerely,

FamilySearch indexing

Stake Indexing Training

January 21st 2015 Wednesday 6:30-8 pm Gettysburg Building

January 27th, 2015, Tuesday, 7:00 pm, Fowler/Sierra Building

February 4th, 2015, Wednesday, Sanger Building

February 11th, 2015, Wednesday, Butler Building- can we get Sister Last and Betts to cover?

February 18th, 2015, Wednesday, Stake Center

February 25th, 2015, Wednesday, Fowler/Sierra Building

Stake Indexing Leadership Meeting- February 19th, 2015, 7 p.m. at Stake Center

Read "Why Indexing Matters" in the Oct. 2014 of the New Era~https://www.lds.org/new-era/2014/10/why-indexing-matters?lang=eng

Fresno East Stake Youth Baptismal Trips to Fresno Temple for Jan.- February 2015:

Month      Day           Week Day      Time           Ward Assignment

Jan          27             Tuesday         6:30 p.m.     Cedarwood Ward

Feb          07             Saturday        6:30 a.m.     Kings Canyon Ward

Feb          07             Saturday        9:00 a.m.     Sierra Vista Ward

Feb          28             Saturday        9:00 a.m.     Dakota Ward

Feb          28             Saturday        11:30 a.m.   McKinley Ward

Mar          07             Saturday        6:30 a.m.     Redbank Ward

ACCEPT THE YOUTH TEMPLE CHALLENGE TODAY

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited all the youth of the Church to participate in a global temple challenge, which he issued during his devotional talk held in conjuction with the RootsTech Family History Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah on Feb. 8, 2014.

“I want to challenge each of you to set a personal goal to help prepare as many names for the temple as baptisms you perform in the temple,” the apostle said. He added, “there is something powerful in searching out someone who needs temple ordinances, learning who they are and then being part of their receiving these sacred ordinances.”

Youth from around the world have accepted the invitation and are sharing their experiences with friends and family on social media. Through using the online search term #Temple Challenge, anyone can follow the faithful young men and young women as they share their experiences. Lds.org has published some examples of youth participating in family history work and taking their own names to the Temple. Here are some examples:

“The youth in the Nakano Ward in the Tokyo Japan Stake have accepted the temple challenge. With the help of parents and leaders, the youth are doing genealogical research to find their own ancesters. Once a month they attend the temple to perform proxy work ordinances for the family names found by their ward…”

“Besides finding names and taking them to the temple, the youth are teaching others to do it as well. The youth are helping members to create their own family trees and set up FamilySearch.org accounts so that they can input that information online. They also participate in an activity to visit gravesites to gather information to add to Family Tree to help connect families. Said high priest group leader Yutaka Aikawa, “Through the efforts of the youth, the ward family history activities are really booming.”

Close to 200 youth in Klein, Texas, learned about the temple challenge during a stake Roots Tech family discovery day. A group of youth played an integral part in planning the event, which included watching a video in which the challenge from Elder Neil L. Andersen was issued.

“Even though the nearest temple was closed for renovations at the time, the youth accepted the challenge and started searching for deceased ancestors for whom they could perform proxy ordinances in the temple. Youth leader Rob Ellis said, “This is the work of the Lord, and the Klein youth are excited to do their part.”

See https://templechallenge.lds.org

ADDITIONAL DATES AVAILABLE TO EACH WARD FOR ADDITIONAL BAPTISMAL SESSIONS:

Brother Farley from the Fresno Temple contacted the Stake with additional dates in 2015 for each Ward for Baptismal Sessions at the Temple. These sessions are open to the Priesthood Quorums to organize as they see fit:

Month        Day             Week Day            Time              Ward Assignment

Feb           14                Saturday               11:30 a.m.      Cedarwood Ward

Feb           20                Friday                   6:30 p.m.        Clovis Ward

Mar           03                Tuesday                6:30 p.m.        Dakota Ward

Mar           14                Saturday               11:30 a.m.       Kings Canyon Ward

Mar           27                Friday                   6:30 p.m.         McKinley Ward

Apr            24                Friday                   6:30 p.m.         Redbank Ward

May           09                Saturday               9:00 a.m.         Sanger Ward

May           16                Saturday               11:30 a.m.       Sierra Vista Ward

June           02               Tuesday                6:30 p.m.        Ventura Ward

FRESNO TEMPLE "OPEN" BAPTISMAL SESSIONS

The Temple now has "open" baptism sessions (no appointment necessary) as follows:

1st and 2nd Friday nights of each month (6:30-8:30 p.m.) for Youth, new members and families.

Every Thursday night (6:30 -8:30 p.m.) for Young Single Adults, new members and families.

Families may also schedule baptismal sessions on Saturdays by appointment.

Register for RootsTech 2015 Conference~Feb. 12-14, 2015~ Salt LakeCity, Utah.

https://rootstech.org

Register for Federation of Genealogical Societies Convention 2015, Febuary 11-14, 2015 at Salt Lake City,

https://fgsconference.org/

March 29, 2018, Sunday~Fifth Sunday Lesson entitled "Family History Stories", a 35 minute lesson, intended for a combined Priesthood-Relief Society-Youth Class is scheduled to be taught in all the Wards throughout the Stake by the High Priest Group Leader of each ward. see website: https://www.lds.org/callings/temple-and-family-history/sunday-lesson?lang=eng

Class Schedule
Family Search Learning Center~ Browse through hundreds of on line genealogy courses to help you discover your family history.

https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/home.html

Examples:

U.S. Military Records: Revolutionary War~ How to use military records to research an ancestor who participated in the Revolutionary War.

http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/FHD/Community/en/FamilySearch/US_Military/U.S._Military_Records__Revolutionary_War/Player.html

Welcome to the United State Census Tutorial:

http://census.byu.edu/project_files/xml/page0.xml

U.S. Courthouse Research, Audio Interview with Christine Rose: https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/lesson/u-s-courthouse-research/168

Staff Training Meetings
Fresno East Family History Staff training will be held on Jan. 7, 2015 at 10 a.m. and repeated 7 p.m. Please attend one of these sessions that fits your schedule. Topics to be discussed are using Family Tree, Ancestry.com and Puzzilla.org.

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog: This center has the ability to order any of the films and fiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog.

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.

Hardware and Equipment

 * Our Family History Center has 18 separate computer stations; one microfilm copier; two microfilm readers; one microfische reader, and a copy/scanning machine.


 * Thanks to the efforts of Dennis McCauley and Bill Holden, we have one of the best family history centers set up in the Fresno Region. The Stake has recently increased the size of our internet bandwidth so our computers are able to connect much quicker to family history websites that in the past.
 * Thanks to the efforts of Dennis McCauley and Bill Holden, we have one of the best family history centers set up in the Fresno Region. The Stake has recently increased the size of our internet bandwidth so our computers are able to connect much quicker to family history websites that in the past.
 * Thanks to the efforts of Dennis McCauley and Bill Holden, we have one of the best family history centers set up in the Fresno Region. The Stake has recently increased the size of our internet bandwidth so our computers are able to connect much quicker to family history websites that in the past.


 * Due to the large number of individual computer stations, our Center offers an excellent facility to bring groups of ten to fifteen individuals at a time for family history training. We would request that if your Priesthood Quorum, or mutual class, or other organization bring in a group for training purposes, that you call Brother Bill Holden, the family HIstory director  at 559-292- 1658 so that we can schedule adequate staff to assist patrons on a one to one basis.

Staff Research Specialties
Richard and Carolyn Roach~Stake Index Leaders~559-292-6255

Bill Holden~Family History Director~works Tuesday nights at FHL; phone 559-292-1658

Dave Grenier- Family Search Missionary, works Thursday night at FHL; phone 559-297-1345; e-mail address: [mailto:grenida@pacbell.net grenida@pacbell.net]

Rebecca Shiner~Eastern Prussia; Great Britian Research~ 559-346-1390

Bishop Dan Winiecke~ Polish Russian Research~559-903-0605

Patrick Cummings~Leeds &amp; Grenville Counties, Ontario; New York Research~559-346-1259

Leon Papin- French Canadian Research~559-346-9620

''Jane Moffitt~Great Britian Research~works Tues. Mornings at FHL; 559-412-4267''

Bill Vaughn~Fresno East Stake FHL printing specialist- works Thursday night at FHL; phone 559-298-8345

Jana Last~Family History Blogger specialist~291-6375

''Steve Mecham~Ancestry.com Research~works Wed. Evenings at FHL; 559-291-7363''

Resources in the Local Area
American Historical Society of Germans From Russia:

Their purpose is purely historical by doing genealogical research of our German from Russia forefathers, as well as reuniting with living relatives, recording and preserving historical facts.

Genealogy Research Library and Museum

Library Hours: Tuesday to Friday 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., Closed Saturday to Monday

Tours and/or Personal Research by appoitnment

Central California Chapter, 3233 N. West Ave, Fresno, CA 93705-3402

Phone: 559-229-8287 Email: [mailto:info@ahsgrfc-centralcal.org info@ahsgrfc-centralcal.org]

American Historical Society of Germans

The Heritage Center ~San Joaquin Valley Heritage and Genealogical Center~Central Branch- 2420 Mariposa St., Fresno, CA. 559-600-6230; www.fresnolibrary.org/heritage

Hours:

Mon-Thurs 10am to 7 pm

Friday, Sat 10am to 5 pm

Sun 12 noon to 5pm

Resources:


 * California vital record indexes, cenuses Great Registers


 * City Directories and Telephone Books for Fresno More


 * Orbituary File


 * Yearbooks from local area schools and colleges


 * online resources including ancestry library edition


 * newspapers: local and California dating back to the 1850's


 * Maps: Fresno, San Joaquin Valley and parts of California


 * Postcard and Photograph collection


 * William Saroyan Collection


 * Oral Histories

For a more complete list of Resources, go to: https://www.fresnolibrary.org/heritage

Daughters of Utah Pioneers:

C.L. Fancher Camp meets in Clovis on the third Thursday at noon.

Lydia McCauley Camp meets in Fresno on the 2nd Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Camp Sugar Pine meets in Oakhurst on the 2nd Monday at noon.

For more information, contact Sonja Kland 559-224-5236

International Society of Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 300 N. Main, Salt Lake City, UT 84103-1699

www.dupinternational.org

Fresno County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1429, Fresno, CA 93716-1429; Phone no 559-600-6230

FCGS meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in Feb-July, Sept and Nov. at 6:30 p.m. in the Woodward Park Library located at 944 E. Perrin (at Champlain).

Meetings feature speakers on a variety of topics of genealogical and historical interest.

Save the Date! October 17, 2015; Lisa Louise Cook, host of the Genealogy Gems podcast, author, blogger, and national speaker, Lisa has spoken for the Southern California Genealogy Society's Jamboree, RootsTech, Who Do You Think You Are? We are pleased to bring Lisa to the valley. Look for more information on our websie, Facebook page or email: [mailto:seminarfsgs@gmail.com seminarfsgs@gmail.com] to get on the mailing list.

Our website: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cafcgs/

Want to make a donation to the Church History Library? Contact Church History Library Donations;

Acquistions hotline 1-801-240-5696. Will accept journals manuscripts, books, letters, museum items with historical value with LDS content. E-mail inquiries to [mailto:churchhistoryacquistions@ldschurch.org churchhistoryacquistions@ldschurch.org]

"MORE NAMES NOW AVAILABLE WITH FAMILY TREE HINTING UPDATES", January 5, 2015 by Robert kehrer.

On Tuesday, Dec. 23rd, Family Search released a new update of the hinting data viewable on an ancestor's detail page and in the descendancy view in the Family Tree. In this data update, newly added or changed persons in the Family Tree have been hinted using all the newly available information. It also includes important new record sets, such as the Find-A-Grave collection, that have been recently published.

Additionally, engineers and architects have made numerous advancements in the software algorithms which makes it possible for more than 14 million new hints to be identified. Users of the Family Tree may wish to visit their ancestor pages again and see if any new hints are displayed.

We are excited as our users are about the accuracy and efficiency that these new tools provide., both the task of doing research, as well as the quality of the information found in Family Tree. In the days since this data release, users have set new daily highs in the number of sources they have attached to the Family Tree and the number of new persons added to the tree from historical records. With the vast number of daily additions to the Family Tree tied to historical documents, the Family Tree is becoming one of the largest and most accurate genealogical trees in the world. These new tools enable many new peiople to become engaged in Family History Work. We invite all who have used the new tools and hints to share their skills and love of this work with other friends and family members so that we can help accelerate this great work.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH FAMILY TREE HINTS: I have been searching for years the names of other siblings of my great great grandfather, Samuel Mecham. I knew from the 1820, 1830, and 1840 census records of McKean Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania that his father Elam Mecham and his second wife Sarah had at least three daughters and two sons in this second family for Elam, including my ancestor, Samuel Mecham, but I had been unable to locate any records of these other siblings. In June of 2014, I went to the family tree page of Elam Mecham Sr. and there was a hint for me to check the 1855 New York State Census of Charlotte Township, Chautauquia County, New York. It had never occurred to me to check the census records of this county, though it was a neighboring county of Erie, Pennsylvania, just across the New York state line. I had never come across any links in Ancestry.com directing me to check this particular census record [primarily because Ancestry had not yet uploaded this particular collection in their vast census collections.] To my great joy, I found as I openned up this particular record, I found the names of Elam Mecham Sr. and his second wife Sarah, residing in the home of Joseph and Betsy Gillett. This particular census record stated that Elam and Sarah Mecham were the inlaws of Joseph Gillet. Upon subsequent review of records in this region, I found the marriage record of Joseph Gillet to Betsy Mecham.

Subsequent research in other historical documents has led to the discovery of another daughter, Mehitabel Mecham Horton, residing in the Charlotte Township regions. I have since submitted the names of these two newly found families for temple work. Had it not been for the family tree hint that I came across on the family tree page of Elam Mecham Sr., I would have not been led to this important census record, which yielded so much more important information on the identity of these two missing sisters to my great great grandfather, Samuel Mecham. ~Submitted by Steve Mecham, Jan. 17, 2015

Links
https://www.lds.org/new-era/2014/10/25-cool-ways-to-connect-through-family-history?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/new-era/2014/10/a-menu-for-a-great-interview?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/10/missionary-family-history-and-temple-work?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/10/whats-a-family-tree-gathering?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/new-era/2014/10/family-history-i-am-doing-it?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/11/sunday-afternoon-session/the-book?lang=eng

LDS Church Members~ Create your own personal accounts with "ancestry.com: ; "find my past"; and "my heritage" for free. Family History is more than a hobby. It is an activity that that blesses both the living and the dead. Connecting generations with the blessings of the Temple serves ancestors, safeguards individuals, and strengthens families. See https://familysearch.org/partneraccess

Alison Shaw Knudsen had been looking for her father’s great grandmother for many years.

In fact, many people had tried for more than 40 years to find her. Her father had spent his entire adult life searching, without success. It seemed like a lost cause. Sister Knudsen felt a very strong impression to try again to find her great great grandmother. She and her husband began their search with a prayer.

They searched again through aa their family history books, looking for a clue. Finally they turned to ancestry.com.

Latter Day Saints receive now receive free subscriptions to Family Search partner websites, such as ancestry.com. For more information, go to FamilySearch.org/partneracess. “Ancestry.com gave us a massive list of possibilities, “ said Sister Knudsen. “For some reason, I was prompted to click on one amongst hundreds of options- and there she was! We found this great great grandmother in an English workhouse at the bottom of a census record. We also found her father and mother on this record. The Spirit was electrifying at that moment in the room. No words can describe our joy at making this connection.”

Sister Knudsen had the privilege of performing her great great grandmother’s endowment and sealing to her parents and children. “I felt her spirit finally happy. She had lived a life of poverty and abuse with her family in an English workhouse. But in the temple, I felt the generations of our family present, now all eternally connected.”

Download your own free copy of "48 Ancestry.com Research Tips" in available PDF file: http://ftu.familytreemagazine.com/free-ancestry-search-tips/

BYU Relative Finder~ https://roots-fb.cs.byu.edu/ Relative finder is a place where you can find how you are related to the world. Discover connections between you, presidents, prophets, and your families.

A little known program of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides genealogy information that may be difficult or impossible to obtain elsewhere. The records include anturalization files, visa applications, and citizenship tests, and may reveal family secrets and mysteries. In addition to relatives, historians or researchers can also request files.

Under the USCIS Genealogy Progam, which started in 2008, requests are usually completed within 30 days. The government will run a search of the name, as long as the person is deceased. If there are records available, the government charges additional fefes for the files. The fee for a record copy from microfilm identified as (M) is $20 per request. The fee for a copy of a hard copy file identfied as (HC) is $35 per request. More information about the fees associated with each file series may be found at http://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/historical-records-series-available-genealogy-program.

The documents typically include immigration information, often (but not always) including exact hometowns in tehir ancestors native countries. The files often have information on brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles. Many times it is useful to obtain the records of your uncles, aunts, and cousins who also immigrated from "the old country."

If the immigrant applied for American citizenship, the details are also included in these files. For anyone of Japanese, German, or Italian origin who lived in the United States during World War II, the documents often include FBI reports about the person's activities, including friends, family, and political activities.

For more information about the program, check out http://www.uscis.gov/genealogy.

FamilySearch's Top Databases for 2014 provide Resources for Family History Work~ https://www.lds.org/church/news/familysearchs-top-10-databases-of-2014-provide-resources-for-family-history-work?cid=HPFR010115602&amp;lang-eng

Using Free Message boards in Genealogy Research~ http://genealogyrevelations.com/2013/09/09/using-free-message-boards-in-genealogy-research/

The National Archives~Resources for Genealogists~ http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/

Making family History Fun for children:

https://www.lds.org/friend/2011/02/family-history-fun?lang=eng

http://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/lds-magazines/friend-march-2012/2012-03-08-extra-extra-read-all-about-it-eng.pdf

http://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/magazines/friend-july-2013/2013-07-31-familysearch-sleuth-eng.pdf

https://www.lds.org/friend/2006/05/grandmas-trunk?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/friend/2009/10/my-family-tree?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/friend/1982/03/seek-and-find?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2002/08/sharing-time-the-heart-of-the-children?lang=eng

http://kids.familytreemagazine.com/kids/default.asp

Volunteer at the Center
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