As noted in one of my earlier posts, I attended the Discovering Your Roots conference in Los Angeles on February 25th. The conference workshops were very informative especially the one conducted by genealogist, Marjorie Sholes. Sholes is retired, is a mother, grandmother and graduate of UCLA and was born in New Orleans. Sholes made her presentation exciting and interactive. She utilized slides and is an effective story teller. Some interesting facts and tidbits of information that I learned from the conference overall were; Quakers played a role in the anti- slavery and abolitionist movement. Another is when researching a county, also find out if the county was renamed or a part of another county initially. Thirdly, is to utilize the local library of the county being researched and check out books that focus on the local history of the county as well. Sholes actually discovered a photo of one of her ancestors by looking in a book on plantations in Louisiana ! Don’t leave a stone unturned. Check out everything and anything. I had the opportunity to ask her some questions regarding genealogy and here’s what Marjorie had to say:
Jackie: Why the interest in genealogy ?
Margaret: I was told my grandfather had 23 siblings and I was determined to find them and with the help of an uncle to have a family reunion uniting them all together.
Jackie: Discuss a memorable moment/discovery concerning genealogy or someone else's.
Margaret: My most memorable discovery was the civil war pension records of a great grandfather and to know that he is listed on the Civil War Memorial for the USCT.
Jackie: How do you assist individuals in researching their roots ?
Margaret: I teach beginning genealogy classes and volunteer at the local family history center here in Los Angeles.
Jackie: In your opinion, what's the first step to researching family history ?
Margaret: There are several first steps and the first is to write down everything you currently know about the family and interview the oldest family members.
When asked on when she stops regarding research, Sholes reply was “never.” Sholes reads to relax and is currently concentrating on her maternal line.
If you want to know more about the genealogical services that Sholes provides contact her by
email with the subject being GENEALOGY RESEARCH. Any other subject may be put aside or even deleted.
One night when I returned from out of town, I checked my email. I noticed an email from someone named Raymond Cullen. The name wasn't familiar to me. Cullen found out about Kings River Blues from a flier that I sent one of my aunts. Cullen displayed encouraging enthusiasm towards Kings River Blues and come to find out he knew of and interacted with some of my deceased ancestors. Cullen provided some information about some of my relatives that I wasn't even aware of. Cullen is a retired educator and currently resides in Hanford. I am grateful for generous and amiable individuals like Cullen.We have similar interests when it comes to the history of Kings County and also the San Joaquin Valley. Cullen will be providing the afterword for Kings River Blues. Stay tuned...
