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Polish Genealogical Society of California

Presents a

Family History Seminar

GUEST SPEAKER:  Ceil Wendt Jensen, CGRS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2007

Weingart Senior Center, 5220 Oliva Avenue, Lakewood, California

(Located 2 miles north of the Long Beach Airport,

near the intersection of Lakewood and Del Amo Boulevards)

Check-in:  9:00am         Seminar:  9:00am to 5:00pm

Lectures:

1.    Strategies for Locating Ancestral Villages:  Four Case Studies

2.    Understanding Migration and Immigrant Communities

3.    Professional Techniques for the Family Genealogist

4.    Planning a Trip for Polish Research

Registration fee includes a morning snack                   Members PGS-CA  . . . . $40.00

and a delicious catered Polish luncheon                  Non-Members . . . . . . . . $50.00

Late registration [after July 28] . . . . . add $10.00

Send check payable to PGS-CA, with registration form to:   PGS-CA  Seminar

Info - Phone:  310-378-0877 c/o Janice Lipinski

Email: President@pgsca.org 5319 Via del Valle

Website: www.pgsca.org Torrance, CA  90505-6239

A confirmation letter, map and directions will be sent in July.

Registration Form

Name ______________________________________________    Member #____________

Address __________________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip __________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________  Email:________________________________

Check our website if interested in PGS of California Membership information.

Strategies for Locating Ancestral Villages: Four Case Studies

Four case studies are presented that use different finding aids and techniques to locate the village and parishes. While many traditional research techniques were employed, this lecture also addresses online tools that can help you in your quest. The case studies are from West Prussia, East Prussia, Congress Poland, Poznan and Galicia.

Understanding Migration and Immigrant Communities

Enhance your research by taking a break from seeking individual records and widen your scope. Learn about the patterns of migration, the immigrant villages left behind and the new communities they created. Learn how to locate online sites and repositories that hold information and clues to long sought information. Regional groups publish photo albums, databases and histories of the early communities and immigrants. Someone may have already published what you are looking for.

Professional Techniques for the Family Genealogist

Research and organizational techniques used by professional genealogists that can easily be used by the family researcher. An overview of who, what, where, when, why and how of recordkeeping.  Brickwall solutions for North American and European research problems will be investigated.

Planning a Trip for Overseas Research

We’ll cover how to successfully hire a European photographer, researcher and / or guide via the net. Practical examples and suggestions to keep you within your genealogy budget as you buy online from overseas resources. Learn to write effective email to English as Second Language speakers and how to post to find distant relatives. This session is based on 25 years of travel experience leading overseas tours, as well as private research in Europe. Learn how to plan ahead, get the most for your dollar, travel light and bring home the research you went for!

CEIL WENDT JENSEN  - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

A Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, Ceil Jensen will dispel myths that records were destroyed during the World Wars and that language barriers make research difficult. She will present practical examples and suggestions on how to use records, databases and archives to start or advance your genealogy research.

Ceil Jensen has thirty years teaching experience in traditional and electronic art, art history, and social studies. She began the transition from public education to her avocation of genealogy in 1998. She has documented her ancestry back to the 1600s in East and West Prussia, Galicia, Congress Poland, and Posen and has done on-site research in Europe. She is a volunteer at the Family History Center in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  Her studio now develops online sites, video, CDs, DVDs and databases for genealogists of all ages. Website:  http://mipolonia.net

[We first met Ceil Jensen at a Chicago conference in 2003, and again at the United Polish Genealogical Societies Conferences in Salt Lake City.  She has spoken at conferences for UPGS, PGSA/Chicago, PGS of Minnesota, Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies (FEEFHS) and the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS). This is Ceil’s second appearance for PGS-California and we are privileged to have her back.  You will be inspired by her knowledge and enthusiasm!     Janice and Paul Lipinski]

PGS - California Seminar 2005
by Janice Lipinski and Art Lang

This year’s seminar was held at the Orange Family History Center, a very gracious and accommodating host, on Saturday, August 20.  We’ve heard from several members that this facility has a large collection of films, many covering Poland.  The handouts included a list of these films, which was compiled by Jennie Bonday. Jennie also was a top-notch assistant for the entire seminar. There were many helpers. Setting up on Friday and taking down on Saturday were Marvin Blaski, Art Lang, Kevin Roznowski, Mel and Glen Wasz and Jennie. Noella and Roger Benvenuti handled the check-in Saturday morning and Nancy Stiefeling, Pat Prieve and Karen Harris worked the sales table. All their help created a comfortable atmosphere for everyone and made my job much easier.

Ceil Jensen, our Seminar Speaker

Ceil Jensen was our speaker in her first appearance in California. Everyone felt she was exceptional and that we were treated to one of the best.  Comments on the evaluation forms were so overwhelmingly positive, we’ve asked Ceil to return in 2007. (She is also scheduled to speak at UPGS 2006 in April in Salt Lake City).

The lectures featured were “Roast the Scribe, Brick Wall Solutions Using the Internet and Family History Library, Researching Your International Heritage Online, and The Palace and the Peasant”. They covered research techniques for reading script records, finding solutions on the internet and in the Family History Library, and finding records for families who worked on estates. For those who missed this seminar, you can access the information covered on Ceil’s website -- it will be there for about three months: 

http://mipolonia.net/pgsc_05

Attendees will be glad to hear that many of the future topics suggested on the evaluation forms are covered regularly in our classes and meetings.

There were several new faces in the audience and we added seven new members.  It looks like our publicity in the Orange County area paid off. I think everyone there was energized and encouraged to tackle the road to their ancestors. “Bardzo Dziękuje”, Ceil Jensen, until we meet again!

[Following are additional comments from an enthusiastic attendee, Art Lang]

Having exhausted all my excuses to Jennie Bonday who’s the closer for Janice, and procrastinating as long as possible, I shall attempt this seminar report. For the people who attended, please excuse all my errors.  For the other members who didn’t make it, please excuse my feeble effort at reporting.

After being a member of three other out-of-town PGS Societies for twenty-some years, and reading of their different seminars and famous speakers with envy, it was great to be able to attend a real-live one, although this is my second one with PGS-CA. It was also great because the Orange Family History Center was within ten miles of my home. Heck, I even volunteered to put out tables and chairs – didn’t know I’d have to take them down afterwards, too, but that’s okay.

Seminar crowd at a break

You’re probably wondering when I’m going to get to the report, huh?  Okay, here goes.  The Orange FHC has a great facility and we were given a large room with a stage and screen to use. It also included a kitchen where Teresa Turek and her husband warmed up the “Smaczny” Polish food. I complimented them on the fantastic gołąbki, the like of which I haven’t tasted in many years; also, the kapusta and mushroom pierogis, along with the “to-die-for” blueberry cake! I was in “świnia” heaven [pig heaven]. I asked them to put out their business cards so others like me could use them in the future.