Submitted by Member Pat Innes:
When he was around 11 years old, my grandfather Nathan Graboyes left for the United States on the S.S. Volturno with his mother and older sister. Everyone knows the story of the Titanic and its outcome, but not many people know the story of the Volturno. A week into their voyage which began October 2, 1913, the Volturno caught fire, burned at sea, and sank. The lesson had been learned from the sinking of the Titanic the previous year, and the Volturno had sufficient lifeboats. However, it was Autumn, the weather was stormy, and when they tried to lower the lifeboats, the boats hit against the ship, broke up, and dropped people into the freezing water where they drowned. Nathan’s family was in steerage so they became aware of the fire early on and my grandfather heroically went around waking people from their cabins to tell them about the fire. His mother dressed him like a girl so they would not be split up on the lifeboats, and then she found them a safe place where their feet would not burn while they waited for rescue. They were eventually rescued by other ships and returned to Europe before finally completing their journey to New York on the S.S. Campanello. Coincidentally, Nathan’s father, Charles/Seidel had come over in March 1913 on the same ship that eventually brought his wife and children to the United States.
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!
Welcome to 2024! It's difficult to believe that the COVID pandemic started 4 years ago. We are all trying to figure out what works best for us in a changed world. For genealogy societies, we are struggling with how to engage our current members and attract new ones. We are here to help you in your genealogical journey. How can we best do this? Do you prefer meetings in person or on Zoom? What subjects would interest you most? Do you need one-on-one help or do you prefer a more collaborative approach? Are there places of historical or genealogical interest that you would like to visit on a field trip? Maybe serving on the board would spur you into devoting more time to your family tree. We have several positions available. Contact our President at president@gsvb.org for more information. Resolve to make 2024 the year you get more involved in genealogy and let us help you keep that resolution!
