CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE 2003

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Rosemarie Capodicci has been researching her Italian and Portuguese genealogy since 1979, and since 1991 has been publishing Portuguese Ancestry, a quarterly newsletter for Portuguese genealogists with a readership of over 200.

Rosemarie has lectured on Portuguese research at the 1995 National Genealogical Society conference in San Diego, at the DAR/FHC Seminar in Seaside since 1991, at the San Francisco History Fair, and the Annual S.H.H.A.R. Conference in Southern California. Rosemarie is also a librarian for the Seaside (CA) Family History Center.

Helen M. Chrisman is a native of Denver , Colorado , and is a graduate of the University of Denver . She is retired after a long career with United Airlines, during which time she was primarily involved with employee training. She also taught travel industry courses at Canada College in Redwood City for many years.

Her interest in genealogy began at an early age. Her father passed away while she was still too young to remember him. The only surviving relative from his side of the family was his sister. One year, she gave Helen a set of Hall's History of Colorado as a birthday gift. These books included biographical sketches and photos of her grandfather and great-grandfather, both early Colorado pioneers. That was the “hook” that got her started. After many years of research Helen has managed to track down a long lineage of humble origins.

Since her retirement she has pursued her interest in genealogy as a volunteer at the National Archives in San Bruno, helping new researchers learn how to use federal and state census records and other NARA resources. She was actively involved in helping NARA prepare the 1930 census for release in April of 2002, and has made presentations on this subject throughout the Bay Area. She is past-president of the San Mateo County Genealogical Society, a member of Silicon Valley PAF Users Group, and active with the San Francisco Bay Area Genealogical Consortium.

Pamela Bell Dallas is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and has served on the board of several societies. She currently serves as Vice President of the Genealogical & Historical Council of Sacramento Valley, Education Chair for the Roseville Genealogical Society, Regional Director of the California State Genealogical Alliance and Past President of Placer County Genealogical Society. This year she is serving as Deputy Local Host Arrangements Chair for the National Genealogical Society's Conference in the States, Sacramento 2004. Pamela has appeared on local television talk shows and radio shows discussing genealogy and has written and appeared on several genealogy instructional videos aired on local television.

George C. Garrison has been involved in genealogy for sixty years. Over the past twenty-five years, he has been developing methods of identifying people in photographs from the Diamond Age of Photography (1850-1910) - sixty years when the paper photographic processes forever changed communication. His passion for acquiring, matching, and sharing photographs with families and friends led directly to the development of TimePast.

George is Executive Vice President and Computer Data Supervisor for the world's largest intermodal household goods and electronics display moving agency. He received his education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and DeKalb Teacher's College in DeKalb, Illinois. He is an award-winning author in national trade magazines and newspapers.

John Hedger is an archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration-Pacific Region (San Francisco) in San Bruno, California, a position he has held for twelve years. John’s specialities include records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Natural Resources Record Cluster. He has researched his own family history extensively and is a life member of several historical societies.

Caroline Wolfgramm Irwin is originally from New Zealand, and has lived in Hawaii, American Samoa, Europe and several states in the western USA region. As an avid family history researcher, Caroline is quick to remind her children that she is their immigrant ancestor on the Wolfgramm line. She was instrumental in creating the Utah German Genealogy Society and at the first meeting greeted everyone wearing a muu-muu, a flower in her hair and a big “aloha” - now that broke the ice!

Caroline is married to Dwight Arthur Irwin and they are the parents of five children. Dwight's position as the Forest Service Wildlife Biologist took them to Saguache [Sar-Watch] Colorado in the summer of 2002.

Caroline is a Harry S. Truman National Scholar and received her MBA from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. Service has been part of Caroline's professional and community life. She currently serves as a grant writer for a non-profit organization.

Caroline is currently the Public Relations Chair, a board member, and the April 2003 Conference Chair for the Utah Genealogical Association [UGA]. She dislikes balancing checkbooks, cars that don't work, being told “You can't do that!” and seeing people being unhappy. She enjoys anything German, talking family history and climbing family trees - even if they aren't hers.

Melinda Shackleford Kashuba, PhD has over twenty years experience in genealogical research. She is a professional public records researcher whose specialties include problem solving, analysis, organization of client research and writing. She writes for several national genealogical publications. Dr. Kashuba lectures at national conferences on a number of genealogical subjects including migration and geography. Her research area of expertise is nineteenth and twentieth century records in California . Dr. Kashuba received a doctorate in geography from UCLA.

Rose Mary Kennedy was born in California and is a first generation American whose parents came from Ireland. She graduated from the College of Notre Dame, Belmont, with a B.A. in English and History. She has an Elementary Teaching Credential from the College of Notre Dame.

In 1979, after several years of teaching, Rose Mary entered into government service, working at the Federal Record Center. In 1981, became a permanent staff member of the National Archives - Pacific Region. Currently, she is the Reference Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator. She teaches many of the workshops that are offered at the National Archives, and is often a guest speaker representing the National Archives.

Chuck Knuthson has been studying and conducting genealogical research for over twenty-five years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration degrees. For the last nine years he has instructed beginning genealogy classes in the community education departments of two Sacramento-area community colleges. Chuck is a fourth generation Californian, his German immigrant great-great-grandfather arrived in 1859 to participate in the gold rush. Chuck recently retired as a police captain after thirty-two years of service. He has five children and fourteen grandchildren.

A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Chuck lectures locally, regionally, and nationally, and has presented classes for the Utah Genealogical Association, the Federation of Genealogical Societies national conference, the California State Archives, the California Genealogical Society, and most recently, for eGenConference, the first Internet-based international virtual genealogy conference, sponsored by Family History Radio. He is the president of the 1,300 member Sacramento German Genealogy Society. He is working toward certification as a professional genealogist.

Martha Loeffler was born in Oakland , raised in Berkeley , and educated in the Berkeley public schools. She graduated from U. C. Berkeley in 1941, receiving an advanced degree in Social Work in 1942.

Martha's late husband was an agricultural chemist for Shell Oil Company, and head of the research team that developed the flea collar for dogs and cats. His career led the family to seven transfers around the U.S. - meeting relatives for the first time and developing an interest in family history.

Martha is the mother of identical twin sons, one an attorney, and the other a research scientist. She is the grandmother of four. After a career as a social worker, she began a writing career late in life, 1981, to preserve father's story as he approached his 100th birthday.

Martha is the author of two books, Boats in the Night (1999), and Journeys from there to here (2001), and feature articles in newspapers and magazines. She has won many national awards from the National League of American Penwomen for her columns in the Modesto Bee. She lectures on subjects relating to Judaism and the Holocaust.

Martha was named “Outstanding Pioneer Woman of 2002” by the Stanislaus County Commission for Women, and in 2003 she was given the “Excellence in Literary Art Award” by the Stanislaus County Art Commission.

Jeanie Chooey Low is the child of immigrants, born and raised in San Francisco. She is the author of China Connection: Finding Ancestral Roots for Chinese in America, a compact guide for those interested in doing Chinese family history and those interested in Chinese Americans. She has included background information on historical and economic factors influencing early Chinese immigration to the United States stemming from California's Gold Rush in 1849. He book's emphasis is the period of the Chinese Exclusion Acts from 1882 to 1943 which severely curbed Chinese immigration to the United States.

She is a consultant specializing in Chinese American genealogy and 20th century immigration and naturalization records. Her interest in family history started several years ago when she realized that the Chinese traditions and language of immigrants were gradually being lost with each succeeding generation of Chinese Americans. She wrote her book to aid those needing bilingual aids and wish to collect unique family stories.

Jeanie Low is a seasoned lecturer and encourages her audiences to be detectives in uncovering their unique family stories. She infuses her workshops with humor, brief historical background and audio visuals of records she has found. She holds a B.A. in Chinese Studies and a degree in Library Technology.

Carol Hodge March is a third generation Californian who was “hooked” on family history, California history and overland trails early. She went to schools named for famous pioneers, David Lubin and Kit Carson, and after graduating from Sacramento High School, she entered Stanford University, earning a BA in History and a MA in Education. There she also met Hugh March, her husband of now 46 years.

In 1961 Carol visited Newbury, Massachusetts where her husband's immigrant ancestor landed in 1638. That experience inspired her to research her family history which has become a lifelong avocation. In addition to her research, Carol wrote and published a family history newsletter, The Herrell/Herrill/Harrell Messenger, for ten years. She enjoys giving family history and overland trails seminars to local groups.

A member of several local genealogical and historical societies, Carol is also a member of the Oregon California Trails Association, dedicated to preserving the emigrant trails west. With OCTA she has followed many sections of the trails to walk in the dusty ruts where her ancestors and perhaps yours also walked. Today she'll share with you, “Researching Ancestors on the Overland Trail to California.”

Daniel Nealand is the archival operations director at the National Archives and Records Administration-Pacific Region (San Francisco) in San Bruno, California. A certified archivist, Daniel has worked at NARA for thirty years, mostly in San Francisco, but he also served as the assistant archives director of the Rocky Mountain Region in Denver, Colorado. Bay Area genealogists are fortunate as Daniel is very supportive of local societies and of genealogical research efforts.

Cat Nielsen interest in genealogy began in 1970 when she met a branch of her Danish family that was not suppose to exist. Cat has a BA in Geology and a MBA in Marketing and Science and Technology Management. She took advantage of her extensive business travel throughout the US and Europe to continue her genealogy and family history research. Cat has lectured at several local societies, is past President of the Contra Costa County Genealogical Society, and a member of NGS, CGS, and several other local societies.

Sheila Prader began researching Hispanic genealogy in 1985 while working for a professional researcher. She has conducted considerable research in the records of Spain , Portugal , Mexico and early California . Sheila continues to research her own ancestry and maintains a great interest in the local history of Santa Cruz , Monterey , San Benito and southern Santa Clara counties. She is a former member of Los Californianos and has been a volunteer at the Santa Cruz FHC for twelve years. Most recently she has been working as a community local history consultant, teaching students how to reconstruct the historical cemetery in San Juan Bautista.

Sheila earned a BA degree in philosophy, psychology and urban studies and has completed graduate work in counseling psychology and cultural anthropology.

Sandra Shafer, CGRS is a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in Washington, D.C. She has been a full time researcher for ten years and is past president of the Santa Clara County Historical &

Genealogical Society. Sandra has taught online genealogy courses for Ziff Davis University and is an author and lecturer. She is a member of several genealogy

Societies and has attended numerous local, regional and national conferences, seminars and institutes. Sandra has a BS in psychology.

James R. (Jim) Smith is a fifth generation Californian and a fourth generation native of the City of San Francisco. He's an experienced genealogical and historical researcher with published credit in the books When All Roads Led to Tombstone by W. Lane Rogers and Wendy Lawton's Almost Home and Ransom's Mark.

Jim maintains membership in the California Genealogical Society, the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogy Society, the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, the California Historical Society and remains an active member of the CASANFRA and CA-GOLDRUSH Mailing List groups. He has extensive experience in San Francisco history and genealogical research and has assisted many people here and abroad in the search for their San Francisco ancestors.

San Francisco's history as our families lived it remains Jim's focus and he continues to search for city ancestors as well as understanding their roles and the environment they lived in. He is currently under contract with a local publisher for a book on one facet of San Francisco's rich history and much of his time is spent researching the people, places and events that made San Francisco what it is today.

Cath Madden Trindle, CGRS is a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in Washington, D.C. As Publication Chair for the San Mateo County Genealogical Society she has helped compile and edit over ten publications and is currently managing the indexing of the Schellens Collection. She is treasurer of the California State Genealogical Alliance.

While still actively running a business services company, she is also delving into professional genealogical research and has made presentations on both the local and national level.