Bessie Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson
Bessie Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson
When Wallis (1896 - 1986) was married to her first husband, career Navy officer Earl Winfield “Win” Spencer Jr., they had a brief stay of approximately six weeks in Vallejo during the summer of 1920. Spencer’s ship was docked at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard at the time. Wallis and Win stayed in the Collins Apartments, now called the Duchess of Windsor Apartments, at 524 Georgia Street. The apartment building was given this name because of Wallis' title after marrying her third husband, the Duke of Windsor. "David" (as he was called by friends and family) ruled the United Kingdom very briefly as King Edward VIII before giving up the crown for the woman he loved. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
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Scottish and Northern Ireland Genealogy Research
Thursday, April 3
Scottish and Northern Ireland Genealogy Research  (Speaker Series)
1:30 pm
ZOOM Presentation
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 combined. Yet, the number of people worldwide with an ancestry from those areas is estimated between 70-90 million. Chances are you or someone’s genealogy that you are working on has roots from there. This presentation will provide information to assist in Scottish genealogy research and will cover the origin of Scottish surnames and naming conventions, the intertwined history of Northern Ireland and Scotland, the impact of Scottish emigration throughout the British empire, primarily to Australia, United States, and Canada, and more.
 
Mr.  McLaren is originally from the Philadelphia area. Mark attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he graduated with a B.S. in Business. He is recently retired from a career in the medical supply distribution business where he held a number of executive level positions.
 
His interest in genealogy began in the early 2000s and has expanded over the years. His current areas of focus are genetic genealogy and Scottish research. He is currently a member of the National Genealogical Society, California Genealogical Society (CGS), and the San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society (SRVGS). In SRVGS, he is a board member and treasurer. He is a Fellow in the Society of Scottish Antiquities (FSA) and a member of the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. He is also a member of several Scottish Clan societies; Clan MacLaren Society of North America (CMSNA), Clan MacLaren Society of Scotland, Clan Douglas Society of North America, and Clan Ross America. In CMSNA, he served as treasurer for 12 years and currently as its President.
 
In 2017, he developed an “introduction to genetic genealogy” class and has taught it for numerous genealogical societies in the Bay Area including SRVGS, CGS, Mt. Diablo Genealogical Society and Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society. He also established and leads a DNA SIG (Special Interest Group) at SRVGS and CGS. He currently is an administrator for three projects at FamilyTree DNA, including the MacLaren surname project with over 1,400 participants.  Additionally, he manages or supports over 35 individual DNA kits for both family, friends, and clients.
 
GSVB Members will automatically receive a Zoom invitation that will be sent out a couple of days before the meeting. 
 
Non-Members: If you are interested in attending, please send an e-mail to GSVBzoom@gmail.com to request a Zoom invitation. 
 
The Zoom meeting time is at 1:30 pm Pacific Time. The event is FREE.  All are welcome.


Visit the Solano County Genealogical Society Library in Vacaville
Thursday, May 1
Visit the Solano County Genealogical Society Library in Vacaville  (Field Trip)
9:30 am
Old Town Hall 610 East Main Street in Vacaville
 
On Thursday May 1st the Genealogy Society of Vallejo-Benicia will be going on a special field trip to visit the Solano County Genealogical Society's Genealogy Research Library located on the 2nd floor of the historic Vacaville Old Town Hall. 
 
The Society's Library has a wonderful collection of research materials for genealogists. There is a fantastic helpful volunteer staff available to help assist you in achieving your family history goals.
 
Please go to their website Library Page for more details. Please note to get to the 2nd floor there are stairs and no elevator.
 
By special arrangement with The Vacaville Heritage Council we will also have a special tour of the first floor of the 118 year old building including the jail.
 
If you want to carpool, we will meet at 9:30 am the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum -  in the back parking lot  - to drive to Vacaville. Please let our President John Watson (Genealogyguy94590@gmail.com) know you want to car pool  so we can be on the lookout for you.
 
Otherwise feel free to meet us at 610 East Main Street in Vacaville at about 10:15 am. There is plently of parking in the rear of the building.
 
This event is FREE.  All are welcome.
 
 


Geography of Genealogy
Thursday, June 5
Geography of Genealogy  (Speaker Series)
1:30 pm
Via Zoom
 
Glen Holstein holds a PhD from U.C. Davis and is retired from a career as a consulting landscape ecologist. While his professional career primarily concerned the geography of plants and animals, Glen also has a strong interest in patterns of human movements across landscapes, which is the geography of genealogy.
 
Many of our ancestors were part of groups that left homelands at particular times and moved together to specific regions in America. For example, many people left Ireland during a blight that destroyed their potato crop and then moved to American places where they could make a living without growing potatoes. About the same time political upheavals caused many Germans to settle in quite different American regions. Such migrations are just two of many that will be discussed.

Together, they are the geography of genealogy. Your ancestors are part of this geography. (Please note, there are no handouts for this presentation. The talk includes many map slides. A bibliography of the books from which the maps and  content of the presentation were procured will be provided)
 
GSVB Members will automatically receive a Zoom invitation that will be sent out a couple of days before the meeting. 
 
Non-Members: If you are interested in attending, please send an e-mail to GSVBzoom@gmail.com to request a Zoom invitation. 
 
The Zoom meeting time is at 1:30 pm Pacific Time. The event is FREE.  All are welcome.