Journals, Journals, Journals!

Reading genealogical journals is a wonderful way to learn more about history, techniques, records, and family stories, all of which can help you advance their research.  I really enjoy being the editor of three journals.  It gives me incredible opportunities to read fascinating stories, and I learn something from every submission.  But it does keep me busy!

I was a little behind schedule (again!; I have to stop getting sick), and the most recent issues of all three journals ended up being published in less than a month.  While I'm catching up on the intended publishing schedule, I realized I hadn't told everyone about the articles in these issues.  So now I'm caught up on that also!

The March 2014 issue of The Galitzianer actually went out in late May (oops!).  In addition to the outpouring of information in the research column, the issue also includes articles about efforts to preserve Jewish history in Bolechów, how Jewish refugees from Galicia ended up being stateless after World War I, how someone learned his mother's original given name and then visited the site of his uncle's former hat shop in L'viv, and some of the revelations learned during twenty years of research into a family.  (I am catching up on The Galitzianer, and the June issue should be out in July.)

The May 2014 issue of ZichronNote went out the first week of June (pretty close!).  The president's column took a strong stand on an issue affecting almost all Jewish genealogical societies.  Other articles discuss a World War II refugee camp created in upstate New York, the discovery of a long-lost relative still living in Israel (just in time, as it turned out), genealogy resources available at the Portuguese Fraternal Society of America, and a report from the SFBAJGS treasurer on how the society spent its money in 2013.  (The August ZichronNote should definitely be out on time.)

The Spring 2014 issue of The Baobab Tree just barely squeaked in on schedule (hooray!), because summer didn't officially start until June 21.  The lead article is a stunning example of using traditional genealogical research, oral history, and DNA to piece together a family history reaching back to the 17th century.  The rest of the issue includes articles about newly freed slaves in Indiana enrolling in Freedmen's Schools, a personal retrospective on Black History Month, and a mystery photo taken during the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and the popular Genealogy 101 column's take on the federal census.  (I"m going to try to get the next Baobab out in July; keep your fingers crossed.)

The only bad thing about these great journals?  You have to become a member of each society to receive a subscription.  If these article descriptions have piqued your curiosity, visit Gesher Galicia (for The Galitzianer), the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (for ZichronNote), and the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (for The Baobab Tree) to join and get your copies today!