David G. Farragut
David G. Farragut
Once commander of the Mare Island Naval Yard, Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801 - 1870) is famous in U.S. Navy tradition for his order at the battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead".
Submitted by Member Linda Phillips:
Submitted by Member Linda Phillips:
Pictured here is my aunt, Nellie Lucille Rogers (1909-1998), who was on the girl's basketball team for Telluride High School of Telluride, Colorado. They were the district champions for the academic year 1926-1927. In this photo she is 3rd from the left ... the girl holding the ball. Besides basketball, she played the saxophone and performed in a band called The Gem City Gloom Chasers. Many years later, Aunt Lucille presented me with a 1969 Hallmark Date Book in which she had written family birthdays, wedding anniversaries and deaths. I have added friends and family to it and use it to this day.

Welcome

Build your family tree, research ancestral history, learn search skills, share ideas and tips with like-minded Northern California enthusiasts ...
A warm welcome to the Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia (GSVB)! We invite you to be part of our congenial group while we all learn and work together to build our family trees and to remember, research and document our ancestors.
Just as a genealogy research project often starts with a question, so did GSVB start as an organization when the question "Would you teach a genealogy class?" was asked on behalf of the Senior Center in Vallejo.  Betty Heryford answered "yes" and began her class in March 1993. From the very beginning, Betty and her 17 students wanted three things: they wanted to have a quiet, set-aside place to meet, to grow into a group that would embrace all level of experience, ages and family backgrounds, and to start a library to support their research goals.  Their dreams became the foundation of the Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia.  We now hold our monthly meetings in the comfortable, quiet Heritage Chamber of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum which is welcoming and comfortable for General Meetings, Guest Speaker presentations, and teaching lessons using Power Point and Video, or our meetings are held online via the Zoom platform. The Museum also provides GSVB members with a central meeting place to carpool for visits and tours of other museums, libraries and historical sites of interest to genealogists.  The original group's informal meetings at the Senior Center have expanded into a 501c Society which brings together people of diverse family backgrounds, ages, and experience levels interested in researching family history, not only in the United States but throughout the world.  Because of the wide ranging interest of our membership, we continue to learn about new search opportunities and techniques, how to use on-line resources and new software packages, and how to benefit from the new world of DNA testing. The few books collected by the original group has grown to a dedicated Genealogy Library of 2000 publications located in the Museum -- and a very helpful Genealogy Library Staffer to help with research.  The library collection includes general publications on building family trees and on how to research and document family histories.  It also contains a wide range of individual publications arranged by state, to help researchers to discover more about their ancestors' histories and "home place".  In addition to GSVB's library, the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum maintains a library of California, Solano County, Vallejo, and Benicia military and general histories.  Both libraries are very valuable to the family researcher. Beginning Saturday, January 7th, 2023, the Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia Reference Library will be open additional days and hours. 
The new days and hours are:
Every Tuesday: 1:00 - 3:30 pm
1st and 3rd Saturdays: Noon - 3:30 pm
2nd Thursday of the month: Noon - 3:30 pm
Our library is located on the 2nd floor of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum at 734 Marin Street in Vallejo, California.  Our librarian will be there to help with your research.  In addition to numerous genealogical publications, Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, and Fold3 are available for your use.
We invite you to join with us to search, discover and preserve your family history.
NEW: Some of our meetings are in person and some are on Zoom.  Please check listings carefully to determine which is the case for each meeting.  In-person meetings will not be zoomed or recorded.  All times given for events are Pacific Time (either daylight or standard, depending on the time of year).
 

Welcome from the Web-Managers!

 
It is February 2025 and we are celebrating Black History Month. The National Genealogical Society (of which the Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia is a member) recently sent out this guide to help people research their African-American roots. We hope that you will find some useful tools for adding to your own family tree.
 
Black History Month in the United States can trace its roots nearly 100 years back to a 1926 celebration of Black history held on the second week in February, which coincided with the birth dates of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Although the names and dates of the recognition have evolved over the past century, the purpose remains to honor the contributions of the Black community in American history.
 
Genealogical advances and the availability of records that were difficult or impossible to access in the past make this the best time in history to research African American heritage.
 
If you’re looking for help getting started, check out ConferenceKeeper.org for upcoming events that relate to African American research. This month there are many events spotlighting the importance and the how-tos of Black genealogy. There are also guides such as African American Genealogy on the FamilySearch Wiki and the African American category on Cyndi’s List.
 
Below are additional resources that may be valuable to family history research.
 
This list represents a fraction of what you can find for African American family history research. Remember, always check collections for new records and resources.

March 6
Finding the Women in Our History
Our speaker is Candice Buchanan. The topic is “Finding the Women in Our History”.   Ms. Buchanan is a reference librarian at the Library of Congress, ...
April 3
Scottish and Northern Ireland Genealogy Research
Speaker Mark McLaren will talk about "Scottish and Northern Ireland Genealogy Research".    The population of Scotland and Northern Ireland today is less than 7 million ...