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.

California State Archives

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.

California State Archives

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

CALIFORNIA STATE ARCHIVES, co-sponsor of Family History Day

It is a pleasure to introduce the State Archives – California’s attic - and the host site for Family History Day.

The California State Archives, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, collects, catalogs, preserves, and provides access to the historic records of state government and some local governments. The Archives collection is primarily composed of records from California state agencies, the governor's office, the state legislature, and the State Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. The records are organized under the name of the agency or office that transferred the records to the Archives.

The collection also includes Spanish and Mexican Land Grants; Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation Records; Local Government Records; Supreme and Appellate Court Records; Elections and Political Campaigns Records; Oral Histories; and Photograph Collections. As of January 2009, the collection consists of millions of paper documents, maps, photographs, three–dimensional artifacts, and records in other formats such as audiotape and videotape.

Public education and outreach are also important elements of the State Archives' mission. In October of each year, the State Archives hosts these events:

Archives Month Open House

Saturday, October 2, 2010

4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The public is invited to enjoy a behind–the–scenes tour of the facility and learn more about the archival profession and other archival repositories in California.

Family History Day

Saturday, October 9, 2010

8:30a.m. to 4:00p.m.

Together with Root Cellar- Sacramento Genealogical Society and the Genealogical and Historical Council of Sacramento Valley, the State Archives hosts Family History Day to introduce the public to the exciting world of genealogical research.

We look forward to seeing you!

California State Archives

1020 O Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

Contact the Archives

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