SONOMA COUNTY HISTORY & GENEALOGY LIBRARY
 
 
NEWSLETTER JUNE 2019
Volume 1 Issue 3 

Staff Highlights
Sonoma County Library staff in front of van decorated with roses
 
Annual Luther Burbank Rose Parade, May 18, 2019, "Celebrating 125 Years"
Keeping up with the historical theme, the Sonoma County Library van shows Luther Burbank, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford as "Innovators of Yesterday" next to the new generation of "Innovators of Tomorrow", framed by over 2,500 roses, on a very rainy Saturday morning. Displayed on six book carts is a selection of services offered by the Sonoma County Library, including our digital photo collections. History Genealogy book cartStepping courageously forward, our team braced the inclement weather and won first place in the group "Novelty Non-Profit"! Find the historical photos we used and many more here:
Sonoma County History and Culture Digital Collections.
 
Photo, left to right: Catherine Greco, Kerri Bailey, Kim Dargeou, and our teen volunteers Maccie, Christine and Shianne.  
 

"Wednesdays at Hospice: A Road Map to Learning about H&G", May 8 & 15, 2019
As part of the St. Joseph Health Hospice Services’ 2019 Education Series, Special Collections Librarian Joanna Kolosov gave an interactive presentation about Sonoma County Library services. The well-attended 2-hour overview provided information on how to get the most out of your library card with a focus on the resources at the History & Genealogy Library - city directories, maps, photos, digitized newspaper and genealogy databases, free obituary requests, and one-on-one genealogy assistance.
 Joanna Kolosov during her presentation
Did you miss Joanna's presentation? Check out some of the library services highlighted in her talk: Get free parking and trail guides with the Regional Parks Discovery Pack, discounted tickets to Bay Area museums with Discover & Go, and connect to mobile WiFi hotspots with the new service SonomaFi. Using the library’s website as a guide, Joanna also demonstrated how to search Digital Collections and how to place an InterLibrary Loan request for those obscure genealogical titles. 
                                                                                                              Photo by Alison Leras

"I just wanted to let you know how much my two friends and I enjoyed the Wednesday night at Hospice Petaluma presentation. All three of us were so impressed and didn't know so much was available. Joanna did a marvelous job, and was incredibly helpful and made everyone feel at home, so that we all asked all kinds of questions. Very friendly and kind. So informative." - attendee Binky Thorsson                          
 
 
Special Collections Librarian & Archivist, Zayda Delgado presented at the Annual General Meeting for the Society of California Archivists about increasing access to archival material and outreach to K-12 students and educators: Building Belonging: Inclusive Strategies on Collection Development, Inreach, Outreach, and Teaching. Alongside Robin M. Katz, Primary Source Literacy Librarian at UC Riverside, and Craig Simpson, Director of Special Collections at San Jose State University, their panel presented ideas for attracting new users of local history materials. 
 
LGBTQ+ Pride Month 
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan which were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation movement in the United States.
   
Researching LGBTQ+ Ancestors
Mattachine Society members John Timmons, Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell and Randy Wicker being refused service by the bartender at "Julius" in Manhattan, April 21, 1966. Begin your research with three excellent articles by genealogist Thomas McEntee:
 
Have you Outed your LGBT Ancestors? (2018)
Hiding Out In The Open: Researching LGBT Ancestors (2014)
The Hidden - LGBT Family Members and Genealogy (2007) 
 
Do some background reading on the history of LGBT people and associated subcultures in the United States - Study terminology and code words to understand letters, diaries, obituaries and sometimes even artifacts - Apply the "FAN club" strategy: trace friends, associates and neighbors - Know neighborhoods and professions - Study the research for historical figures who either self-identified as gay and lesbian or who are generally accepted by historians as being gay.
 
Need more information? Go to "Rainbow Prism. Looking at Family History through an LGBTQ Lens", a presentation by Stewart Blandon Traiman at the Sutro Library in San Francisco on June 28, 12 PM - 2PM. 
 
Photo, left to right: Mattachine Society members John Timmons, Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell and Randy Wicker being refused service by the bartender at "Julius" in Manhattan, April 21, 1966. Gift of The Estate of Fred W. McDarrah.
 
Events and Resources
The Sonoma County Library booth with two staff members at the Santa Rosa Pride Celebrations
The Sonoma County Library booth at the Pride Parade & Celebrations in Santa Rosa, June 1, 2019.
 
Ask our librarians for resources and pick up curated LGBTQ+ book lists for children, teens and adults at Sonoma County Library branches. 
  • LGBTQ+ Resource Guide - provides perspectives on LGBTQ+ rights, history, experiences, relationships, and culture.
  • LGBTQ+ Materials List - offers opportunities to dig deeper into the topic.
  • LGBTQ Connection, Napa & Sonoma - an initiative fueled by youth and other emerging leadership, fosters a more vibrantly diverse and inclusive community.
  • LGBTQ+ Support Groups
  • Trans Support Groups 
  • Hotlines 
  • The Trevor Project 24/7 Lifeline - offers the largest safe social networking community for LGBTQ+ youth, best practice suicide prevention educational trainings, resources, and advocacy initiatives.
Photo by Simone Kremkau.
Out of the Stacks - Featured Collection
William F. Heintz: The Geysers of Sonoma County (1993)
By Kim Wallis 
 
Working as a substitute librarian I was asked to re-house this three-volume collection [ANNEX R 979.418 GEYSERS] and place any fragile documents into protective sleeves. I could not help but notice what a thorough and interesting collection of interview transcriptions, photos and photocopied newspaper and other print articles had been compiled.
 
Mr. Heintz stated on the content page that he copied every newspaper article on a Xerox machine, at a public library, and he was thankful libraries had copy machines – even if the quality of the copy was sometimes poor. The clippings cover the time period of the 1850s to 1981. Most of these newspapers are not digitized – making this an exceptionally valuable resource.
 
The Geysers are the world's largest geothermal field, currently containing approx. 22 geothermal power plants and drawing steam from more than 350 wells. They are located in the Mayacamas Mountains, 45 miles northeast of Healdsburg.
 
Explorers in the mid-1850s recorded Native Americans using The Geysers for healing purposes and ceremonies. Tourism started in 1848 and construction on the Geysers Resort Hotel began in 1854. In 1890 mineral water was bottled and shipped around the world. In 1923 the first successful well generated the first geothermal electricity in America. Pacific Gas & Electric began operation of their plant in 1960. The tourism industry came to an end in 1980 when the Geysers Resort Hotel was razed, but power plants are still operated, currently by approximately six different corporations. Since 1997 the steam field has been “recharged” by injection of treated sewage water.
 
The transcribed interviews offer a wealth of first-hand information about The Geysers. Louis Foppiano, the son of one of the original investors, and Glen Truitt (both worked at the Geysers in the 1920s) share their recollections. L. Courtney Decius, Alf Hansen, Albert W. Bruce, Lee Engelke, Wallace St. Clair and June Kissak provide eye witness accounts of the initial pioneering work in drilling, rebuilding generators and designing plants. Some of the interviews also provide background for anyone interested in the individuals who were America’s leaders in geothermal energy development. 
 
Photos by Simone Kremkau.
Volunteer Spotlight
Donna Williamson, SCH&G genealogy volunteer since 2016Volunteer Donna Williamson sitting at a table with papers
 
Donna, how did you get involved with volunteering at the SCH&G Library?
I had been researching my own family with Barbara McFarland, a volunteer at SCH&G, and thought that this would be fun to do. I had already done a lot of my family genealogy and was looking for a new volunteering opportunity at the time, so I left my information.
 
What do you wish people knew about the SCH&G Library?
The location! Most people do not know where it is. Second, the people working and volunteering there. They are so helpful! And third, I wish more people would know about the great resources they have. Not everything can be done online.
 
What do you do when you are not volunteering?
Right now I’m in the midst of rebuilding my home which was destroyed in the Tubbs Fire. I’m a huge Giants fan, and I love knitting, crochet, and gardening.
 
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I was a championship baton twirler from the age of eight to the age of eighteen. National Champion Czarina Holland taught my sisters and me in Oklahoma, and I entered competitions and won first-place medals (and lesser honors). My mother always said: “Don’t twirl in the house!”
 
Do you have a favorite ancestor in your personal genealogy?
I’m the ninth great-granddaughter of John Chandler, who came from London, England to Jamestown, Virginia in 1610 when he was nine years old. He was the servant of Thomas Willoughby and sailed aboard the Hercules of Rye, the third and smallest ship in Lord Delaware’s fleet. He was the youngest person in the colony at the time, and later became a landowner and influential part of the political government. 
 
Volunteers provide free genealogical assistance at the SCH&G Library
Wednesdays & Fridays 1 PM - 4 PM. Appointments not required.
 
Interview by Simone Kremkau. Photo by Katherine Rinehart.
 
Sonoma County Library Adult Summer Reading Challenge
Through August 10, the Sonoma County Library is hosting the Summer Reading Program: a range of free activities for children, teens and adults to encourage a love of reading. This year’s program theme is It's Showtime at Your Library and those who participate can earn free books and virtual raffle tickets for prizes. 
 
Visit the Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library and earn 25 points!
 
Get started with your family tree - Check if your family owned property in Sonoma County - Explore the history of that mysterious house down the street - Get acquainted with GenealogyBank (only accessible here) - Find out about local people and places - Drop in and let us show you our print collections and digital databases.
Read five books and get a free book and a raffle ticket for 500 points. Start with some California Women's history!
 
No rooms of their own : women writers of early California by Ida Rae Egli
More than petticoats. Remarkable California women by Erin H. Turner
They saw the elephant : women in the California gold rush by JoAnn Levy
Women trailblazers of California : pioneers to the present by Gloria G. Harris
Testimonios : early California through the eyes of women by Rose Marie Beebe

Local Events
McDonald Avenue Tours
June 8, 10:00, 10:20, 10:40, 11:00 AM
Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery
Franklin Gate
WSCHS
Stacey De Shazo, M.A.
"Rediscovering Sebastopol's Forgotten Chinese-American History"
June 15, 12 PM - 3 PM
Burbank's Experiment Farm
7777 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol

 
 Big Idaho Potato Truck Tour
 
This visit to Sonoma County commemorates Luther Burbank’s development of the Russet Burbank potato. In 6 months the truck will travel 25,000 miles and visit more than 60 cities.
  
June 26, 10 AM - 2 PM
Burbank Home & Gardens, Santa Rosa
June 27, 10 AM - 2 PM
West County Museum, Sebastopol
 
Genealogy at the Sutro Library, San Francisco

Sonoma County Library Events
Wednesday at the Hospice Flyer

The Sonoma County Public Library Foundation invites you to a fundraiser for our library system.
The new Director of the Sonoma County Library, Ann Hammond, will give her vision of the future of the library system. We will share exciting projects the Foundation is funding and innovative new ideas from Library staff, including an electric piano, blender bike, and more! Come play the piano, ride the bike, drink some beer, nibble some appetizers, and enjoy your local public library.
 
Unique artifacts related to Sonoma County beer history will be on display, courtesy of John C. Burton. Mr. Burton is a SoCo native, bar management consultant, and leading authority on the Grace Brothers Brewery (1897-1966) and pre-prohibition Sonoma County breweries and soda bottlers.
 
We'll see you there! Ticket prices include entry to the event along with beer and appetizers. General Admission $75.00.
https://booksandbrewssantarosa.brownpapertickets.com/
 
Welcome, Geyserville History Museum!
  
 
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Email the editor: skremkau@sonomalibrary.org           
Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library
Mailing Address: 211 E Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Physical Address: 725 3rd Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Phone: (707) 308-3212 
Mo,Wed 10 AM - 9 PM; Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat 10 AM - 6 PM 
Read about us in the Press Democrat