Monday, August 2, 2010

Thank you California State Archives


Be sure to extend your appreciation to the staff of the
California State Archives on Family History Day.

These State emplyees have volunteered their time to tell you about the wonderful world that is
California's attic - the State Archives.

Thank you all!

Stephanie Hamashin
Linda Johnson
Sebastian Nelson
Jessica Herrick
Juan Ramos
Kevin Turner   

JUAN RAMOS and KEVIN TURNER, Speakers at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Juan Ramos and Kevin Turner who will host 40-minute tours of the California State Archives Preservation Lab and answer general questions regarding preservation of documents and bound volumes.

Hinging in the Preservation Lab



Juan Ramos has been a Document Preservation Technician for the California State Archives Preservation Lab since 1997.




Sewing in the Preservation Lab



Kevin Turner has been a Document Preservation Technician for the California State Archives Preservation Lab since 2005.


1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246
Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743
Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

SEBASTIAN NELSON, Speaker at Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce Sebastian Nelson who will be a speaker at Family History day at the California State Archives.

Sebastian Nelson is an Archivist at the California State Archives and a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists. He has a Master’s degree in history from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree in library science from San Jose State University. Sebastian studied heraldry and coats of arms as a graduate student in Great Britain. He also enjoys studying the American Civil War, researching the largest Union veterans’ organization, the Grand Army of the Republic, and watching the Antiques Roadshow on PBS.

Sebastian will be presenting Coats of Arms: Heraldry for Genealogists.  Discover how Coats of Arms can reveal clues about one’s ancestry. Learn how to find out if you have a Coat of Arms and what it looks like. Find out about records created by heralds that contain a wealth of genealogical information.

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246
Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743
Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

JESSICA M. HERRICK, Speaker at Family History Day

Checklist for Successful Archives Research
It is a pleasure to introduce Jessica M. Herrick who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Jessica M. Herrick is an Archivist at the California State Archives. She joined this repository in 2006 after spending more than five years as a historian for a private historical consulting firm. While working in the private sector, Jessica traveled throughout California researching in a wide variety of archives, libraries, historical societies, county and city offices, and state facilities. This extensive experience has served Jessica well as an archivist, giving her a unique perspective while assisting the public with their research needs. Jessica’s love of history was instilled in her first by parents fascinated with the American West, and subsequently during her schooling at California State University, Chico, where she received her B.A. and M.A. in History.

Jessica will be presenting The Wonderful World of Archives: A Primer. Getting started with historical research can often seem daunting and overwhelming. Drawing upon her years as a professional researcher, Jessica will give valuable tips and tricks to make visits to any archival facility easier and more efficient. How to get started, what to expect in general at an archive, and how to best use your time are topics that can benefit budding family historians and seasoned genealogists alike.

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246
Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743
Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

LINDA JOHNSON, Speaker at Family History Day

Ask Minerva
It is a pleasure to introduce Linda Johnson who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Linda Johnson began her own family history search in 1988 when enrolled in an undergraduate class at CSU, Sacramento. She went on to receive her Master of Arts degree in Public History in 1993. As a graduate student, she interned at the California State Archives for three years and at the San Joaquin County Historical Society for 6 months. After graduation, she worked as assistant archivist at the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center, now known as the Center for Sacramento History. In 1996, she accepted a position as collections manager for the manuscript and archival collections at Shields Library, UC Davis.

In October 1997, Linda accepted a position at the California State Archives, where she has worked in a variety of program areas. She is currently the Reference Coordinator and has responsibility for all activities related to the Reference Program. Linda has participated in the annual Family History Day since its inception in 1999. In addition to the Family History Day engagements, she has been a presenter at several local genealogical and historical societies.

Linda Johnson will be presenting two sessions:

Genealogical Resources at the California State Archives will include a description of the millions of paper documents, maps, photographs, three–dimensional artifacts, and records in other formats such as audiotape and videotape held there.

Cussin' Cousins will be an open forum in which Linda will help beginning genealogists break through brickwalls.

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246
Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743
Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

STEPHANIE L. HAMASHIN, Speaker at Family History Day

The Stacks at the State Archives
It is a pleasure to introduce Stephanie L. Hamashin who will be a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Stephanie L. Hamashin is an Archivist at the California State Archives. She joined this repository in 2000, after having performed archival work and projects at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, National Maritime Museum Association, Golden Gate National Recreational Area, Presidio Park Archives and Records Center (San Francisco), and the Treasure Island Museum Photographic Archives.

Stephanie will be presenting Mini-Tours of the California State Archives on Family History Day. Tours will take you behind-the-scenes of the California State Archives facility rarely seen by the public which include the stacks area, security vaults, processing area, preservation and microfilm labs. In addition, you will see the current exhibit in the Archives Gallery called "California In Focus" which is located on the 4th floor. Tours are limited to twenty guests only, and will last forty-five minutes.

1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Reference Desk Phone: 916-653-2246
Reference Desk Fax: 916-653-7743
Reference e-mail: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov