ROOT CELLAR - SACRAMENTO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY

Looking for great-grandma Ada
at the Root Cellar Library 

It is a pleasure to introduce the Root Cellar-Sacramento Genealogical Society Library and Sammie Hudgens, Root Cellar Librarian. The Library will be open for browsing and research at Family History Day at the California State Archives. Sammie and library docents will be on-hand to orient and assist visitors.

Sammie Hudgens has devoted many years to the growth and development of the Root Cellar Library (click on membership benefits). Her efforts speak for themselves – the Library is a treasure trove for family history researchers, for Root Cellar members and visitors alike. The Library contains over 5,000 volumes from nearly every state and many countries. There are more than 150 books on California alone, including the 1890 Great Registers for the whole state. The CD collection is well-over 150 and counting. Our online Catalog is a helpful tool for locating the title or topic of interest to you.

Sammie is currently overseeing the inventory of an extensive genealogical collection recently donated to Root Cellar by the Dorothy Williams estate. The collection portends to be a wonderful addition to the Library.

Below is a sampling of the research materials available to you at the Library:

• Revolutionary War Books
• Lists of Passengers, Emigration and Immigration for Germany, Ireland, Italy and Russia
• Periodicals from over 100 genealogical societies across the United States
• Root Cellar member-submitted materials such as Surname Cards, Pedigree Charts and Pioneer Certificates
• Publications containing data that Root Cellar volunteers have extracted from local records on subjects including state militia, coroner’s office, divorces, state prison convicts, and cemeteries. These extractions are also available for sale by Root Cellar.

The Library is maintained by Root Cellar – Sacramento Genealogical Society and is housed at the California State Archives on the 4th floor, the same location where Family History Day will be held. Be sure to come into the Library and browse awhile!

Root Cellar Library

1020 “N” Street, 4th Floor

Inside the California State Archives Building

Sacramento, CA 95814

Open 9:30am – 4pm Monday - Friday

and the first Saturday of each month

(except holidays)

and, currently, State employee furlough days

on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Fridays of the month.

OLD SACRAMENTO SCHOOLHOUSE MUSEUM

Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum

It is a pleasure to introduce the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum as an exhibitor at Family History Day at the State Archives.

The Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum is a learning center that allows students of all ages to explore California's early days of education. Located in the Capital City's historic Old Sacramento area, the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum is a living replica of traditional one-room schoolhouses found throughout America in the late 1800s.  The design and contents closely match those of the one-room Canon School, built in 1884 to serve students in the Northern California community of Brooks in the Capay Valley (located in Yolo County).  Costumed schoolmarms and school masters are available to tell about school life in 19th century California, and sometimes even lead visitors in a lesson. The one-room replica schoolhouse, established in 1977 by community volunteers, features a pot-bellied stove, vintage student desks and other furnishings typical of the period.

The Schoolhouse annually sponsors an essay contest for fourth grade students in California's public schools. Written on the theme of "A Day in School in 1875," the essays are first judged in their own schools and winners are selected. Those winners in both GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) and regular divisions are forwarded to the Schoolhouse for final judging. Cash prizes and other awards are presented to winners at the Schoolhouse.  Every child who writes an essay is sent a certificate of appreciation.

The Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum is open most weekdays and weekends to the general public, and weekdays by appointment for school field trips.

Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum

1200 Front Street (at L Street)

 Sacramento, California

(916) 483-8818

E-mail: info@oldsacschoolhouse.org

SACRAMENTO OLD CITY CEMETERY, Exhibitor at Family History Day

Adorned with beautiful statues, dramatic markers and lush gardens, Sacramento Historic City Cemetery is an outdoor museum recording California history from the Gold Rush Era through today.  It is the oldest existing cemetery in Sacramento. 

Since its establishment in 1849, the City Cemetery has become the resting place of many remarkable Californians, demonstrating the diversity of California history and culture. Visitors will discover the burial sites of Sacramento mayors and California governors as well as numerous group plots honoring members of the Pioneer Association, Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Volunteer Firemen, the Improved Order of Red Men, the state government, Donner Party survivors, Civil War and other military veterans, and the victims of the 1850 Cholera Epidemic.  A treasure trove of stories about the lives of these pioneers awaits the family history researcher, including their role in the history of baseball and the railroad in Sacramento. 

Keeping with the popular style of the times, the cemetery was designed to resemble a Victorian garden with monuments symbolic of Victorian funeral customs. Traversed by pathways and grand avenues, the cemetery provides a park-like setting for exploring history. Today, volunteers with the Adopt-a-Plot program take over the gardening of plots - a task once performed by long since departed relatives.

Could your ancestors be buried here?  Visit our exhibit at Family History Day and talk to the docents about accessing the burial index, guided and self-guided tours, and year-round events.

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery

1000 Broadway

Sacramento, CA 95818

(916) 448-0811

PAT JOHNSON, Family History Day Speaker

It is a pleasure to introduce Pat Johnson as a speaker at Family History Day at the California State Archives.

Pat Johnson is Senior Archivist at The Center for Sacramento History, formerly the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center. She has served the center since 1995. A native Californian, she received her B. A. and an M. A. in history from California State University, Sacramento where she focused her studies on western history and particularly California history. She received her archival training at both the California State Archives and at the Center for Sacramento History. She did her master's thesis on former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin’s papers held at the California State Archives.

At the Center, Ms. Johnson's duties include reference services, supervising student interns and volunteers, processing collections, conducting research in the collections, giving tours, doing outreach including workshops and seminars, preserving collections, and many other activities. She is a past president of the Society of California Archivists and remains actively involved with the society. Most recently, Ms. Johnson taught the graduate level class in archives and manuscripts for the history department at California State University, Sacramento.

Pat Johnson will be presenting Researching Your Family History at the Center for Sacramento History. This class will focus on how to use the resources of both the public records and the private manuscripts held by the Center for Sacramento History to tell the stories of Sacramento's past generations. As an example, a case study will demonstrate how a researcher can use these records to find the answers to genealogical questions.

Center for Sacramento History

551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd

Sacramento, CA 95811-0229
TEL (916) 808-7072