Step back into the Sierra gold fields in the early 1860s. Our guides will be historical novelists Terry Meekins and Richard Hurley from Grass Valley who will present "California and the Civil War" based on their novel the Queen of the Northern Mines, set in Nevada City in the early years of the Civil War.  The novel was inspired by the famous Bullion Bend stage robbery near Placerville in 1863, where Rebel partisans held up a Wells Fargo shipment and left the driver a receipt for $52,000 from the Confederate States of America. Meekins and Hurley will illustrate California’s sudden leap from sleepy colonial outpost to pivotal player in the great national conflict. How close did California

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter can be a wealth of information for the family historian. Oftentimes the information discovered using these new tools is not available in standard research repositories, such as archives and courthouses, or on websites.  Learn more at the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society program on Wednesday, March 14, 2012. Guest speaker Lorenzo Cuesta will provide examples of great finds others have made using social media for genealogical research and provide step-by step instructions to get you started with Facebook and Twitter.  Free, visitors welcome. 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Citrus Heights Community Clubhouse 6921 Sylvan Road, Citrus Heights. Contact Sa

You have your great-grandma's thimble collection. Someone else has their great-grandpa's high chair he used as a baby.  Yet another has the family bible dating back to the early 1800's.  The fancy word for these items is ephemera.  Put simply, they are your family's keepsakes, heirlooms and momentos.  Family historians in particular place a high value on these treasures because of the story they tell about the ancestor who owned, perhaps even made, them.  As moving as it is to possess such history, be sure you have a thorough inventory of your collectibles.  Help teach your descendants where they came from.  On Wednesday, February 8, 2012 bring your family keepsake or collection to Show a

Family history researchers can find valuable information about births, deaths, marriages, moves, business, naturalizations, court cases, and more in newspapers.  Millions of pages of the world's newspapers are now accessible online, but there is no one place to find them all. Learn more about newspapers at the next Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society meeting featuring Janice Sellers who will provide an overview of what newspapers are available and how to find them, and teach some techniques for finding your ancestors in the newspaper.  All are welcome to attend this free event. Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Place: Citrus Heights Community Clubhou

On Wednesday, September 14, 2011, Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society will host Linda Johnson, Senior Archivist at the California State Archives. Linda will describe county records held there and answer audience questions. A brief membership meeting will precede the program. We welcome your questions in advance! Email them to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com. Questions will also be taken at the meeting. All Root Cellar membership meetings are free so bring someone with you. 7pm-8:30pm Citrus Heights Community Clubhouse 6921 Sylvan Way Citrus Heights Contact Sandi Benward 916-412-3511 Website: http://www.rootcellar.org Blog: http://rootcellarramblings.blogspot.com October Datebook: Sat