BACGG

Session Details 12/3/2024, 10AM – 1:45PM, Doors open at 9:30  FamilySearch Center, 4766 Lincoln Ave,Oakland, CA, Downstairs Meeting Room

Register for BACGG – Chinese Surname Search Symposium

Chinese Surname Search Symposium: Chan Family Case Study. A Chinese surname is not just a name. It comes with thousands of years of history, dreams and desires. This four hour symposium, with multiple speakers, will teach you how to find your surname history, research your ancestors, and even help you find your village in China. Plus use Chinese Association resources right here in the Bay Area may potentially break through genealogical barriers. There is also a premier of a short movie on the history of the Chan family, and tutorial on how it was produced so you may create the same. No matter what surname you have, you will learn from the “Chan template” of how to weave your surname history into your own. You are welcome to bring a brown bag lunch when we take a break. Please take advantage of your trip to the Oakland Family Search Center as after this session there are docents that can assist with online research, and/or full (and free!) use of a comprehensive digital lab for scanning photos, slides, negatives and video.  Guest speakers are Huihan Lie, Founder and CEO, My China Roots; George Chin, Founding Director of CHCA (Chinatown History & Culture Association, Dr.Kenneth Chan and Ron Chan, Founder and Executive Director, BACGG. 

10:00 – 10:15 Ron Chan, BACGG Executive Director, Welcome

10:15 – 11:00 AM, Huihan Lie, Founder & CEO, My China Roots. From Surnames to Records: Find your Chinese American Ancestors with My China Roots. Discover what tools and resources are available on the My China Roots platform to explore your Chinese family history! In this talk, My China Roots founder Huihan Lie will demonstrate: How to build your (Chinese) family tree. How to search records of your ancestors. How to find your family tree book (zupu/jiapu). To make the most of the workshop, we encourage you to create a FREE family tree on My China Roots in advance: https://www.mychinaroots.com/familytree/ and add as many ancestors as possible. Participants will also learn about My China Roots’ bespoke field research and roots trip services, for those who wish to travel back to their ancestral home in China. Attendees will also enjoy a 15% discount on My China Roots online subscriptions and bespoke research services. 

11:00 – 12:15PM, Dr Kenneth Chan, The Chan Clan Chronicles Project The Chan/Chin/Chen/Chun Family has a long, proud, and rich history.  The Chan Clan Chronicles is best described as a kaleidoscope of Chan/Chin/Chen/Chun family history, mythology, culture, ancestral roots, and family stories. The project contains a library of 15 video chapters, which gathers together all available information about Chan/Chin/Chen/Chun family history, and organizes the materials into a comprehensive resource for family historians and genealogists researching their family roots. During this session, you will preview video highlights of the Chan Clan Chronicles, learn about your name, ancestors, ancestral home, and place of origin, receive a behind-the-scenes look at the genesis and development of the Chan Clan Chronicles project, and gain ideas and strategies for creating or augmenting your own Chan/Chin/Chen/Chun family history project.

12:15 – 12:45PM, Brown bag lunch and general discussion

12:45 – 1:45PM, George Chin, Founding Director, Chinatown History and Culture Association, Getting to Know Your Family: Exploring Chinese American Heritage and Impact. Chinese Americans have made remarkable contributions to shaping local and regional histories across the U.S., and their stories are deeply inspiring. This presentation spotlights the rich legacies of four extraordinary family lineages—李 (Lee), 陳 (Chan), 黃 (Wong), and 鄺 (Kwong)—whose descendants have profoundly influenced Chinese American history over the past century.

Through an in-depth exploration of the roles these families have played, we will also highlight the power of family associations in San Francisco, with a special focus on the Chin Family Association. Far more than social groups, these associations act as guardians of cultural heritage, uniting communities, preserving traditions, and providing essential support networks.

Join us on a journey through generations of resilience and triumph to discover how these families have not only shaped history but continue to enrich our cultural landscape today. This presentation is also a call to action—an invitation to explore your own family associations and celebrate the unique stories within your own heritage. Together, let’s honor these legacies and inspire the next chapter of our community’s history!

FamilySearch Library, 4766 Lincoln Ave, Oakland, CA, Oct 19, 11AM – 1PM 

Registration: Click here to register: Digitize and Document Your Family History

The FamilySearch Center, in conjunction with the Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group, will be hosting a free seminar.

How To Digitize & Document Your Family History 
This session takes you into the physical and virtual world on how to build a multimedia family library. We will demonstrate and teach “how to” create an oral history using artificial intelligence, scan and restore photos, reveal free/cost effective multimedia conversion resources, and demonstrate a digital family history book. You will walk away knowing key resources, best practices, and tips on how to create your own family legacy.       

About The Speaker: Ron Chan

Ron has lectured on the principals of documenting family history at nine consecutive Genealogy Workshops, presenting and teaching how to create novel and compelling ways to bring family history to life. He is Founder and Executive Director of the Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group, whose mission is to share, educate and tell the story and struggles of the past, so future generations may know their roots.      

National Archives Operations

As local public health metrics allow, research rooms will open on a limited basis and by appointment only. You must have a virtual consultation before the on-site visit. Staff at all locations will continue to respond to emailed requests for records. Further information is in this press release. 

The Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and some Presidential Library museums are open with limited capacity.

Reopenings and operations will rely on local public health metrics. Check the specific facility page for updates. More information about the National Archives’ response to coronavirus can be found at archives.gov/coronavirus.

[chineseamericanfamilyhistory] National Archives Announces Limited Reopening of Research RoomsInbox Marisa Louie Lee 6:37 AM (3 hours ago)to chineseamericanfamilyhistory Hi everyone: Sharing the news about NARA reopening most research rooms starting August 2! I don’t yet have an appointment on the books for our local facility in San Bruno (the National Archives at San Francisco) but I’m looking forward to returning after so many months away.  ———- Forwarded message ——— From: National Archives <public.affairs@nara.gov> Date: Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 11:21 AM Subject: National Archives Announces Limited Reopening of Research Rooms National Archives Announces Limited Reopening of Research Rooms WASHINGTON, July 16, 2021–The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is starting to resume research room operations. Several locations have already begun pilots to test research room policies and procedures that promote social distancing, while otherwise allowing us to serve records in a secure manner, and starting Monday, August 2, most National Archives research rooms will reopen for research on a limited basis. NARA services will look very different from the services provided prior to COVID-19. Research visits will be by appointment only and will require a virtual consultation prior to the onsite visit. Boxes of records will be pulled in advance and will be waiting at an assigned table. Research appointments will initially be for 4-5 hours total, depending on the location. In addition, we have implemented a number of measures to ensure the safety of our researchers and staff: Requiring that unvaccinated visitors wear face coverings during their visit. Limiting the number of people in each research room. Requiring that those who are sick or do not feel well stay home. Implementing safe social distancing through stanchions, physical barriers, floor markings, one-way paths, and directional guidance. Chairs will be removed and workspaces will be blocked to promote physical distancing between researchers. Following CDC cleaning guidance. In addition, researchers will contribute to sanitizing procedures by cleaning their assigned tables and equipment before and after their research. Researchers should wash their hands thoroughly before entering and after exiting research rooms and regularly throughout their visit to the facility. Hand sanitizer will be readily available outside of the research rooms. Records quarantine: All record material accessed by a researcher will be quarantined after use for three full days, and the records will not be available to other researchers during the quarantine period. Contact tracing: If a researcher or NARA employee experiences COVID-19 symptoms while in a NARA research room or later reports symptoms, a diagnosis, or a close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, NARA will use contact information collected during the researcher registration process to notify other researchers of a potential exposure.Please email the relevant facility using the contact information on their facility page to request an appointment. Researchers should check the specific facility page for details and updates, as the situation can change quickly. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to reopen our facilities in a careful and deliberate manner that prioritizes the safety of staff and the public. We look forward to welcoming you back to our research facilities.#  #  # For press information, contact the National Archives Public and Media Communications staff at public.affairs@nara.gov. 21-50NARA locations nationwide Our mailing address is: 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington DC, 20408

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Lets Start Writing Our Stories!

World War Two was a climatic period for our families, who are members of the ‘greatest generation’ ^link . Our Operation WWII Chinese American GI webinar aired on 8/29th ^link focuses on those who have served in our armed forces. But genealogy is about family history, and everyone in our family has an important contribution to our passion as BACGG members.

Because of the 75th Anniversary celebration of the end of World War 2 on 9/2/2020, I have set up a page ^click for BACGG members to write something about our relatives who lived during that period. Contrary to the 8/29th webinar, I have expanded the remembrances, including not only those who have served in the armed forces, but also on the home front, in the industrial war effort, and those interred by the tragic decisions of our leaders.

Your remembrances can be elaborate like Ron’s site ^click on a 3rd party website, or they can be a simple paragraph(s) like Doug’s site ^click . For Leona and Susan, they formatted their stories as a PDF, exported to an image, and we imported Leona’s page ^click and Susan’s page ^click.

Members of BACGG, lets return to our roots. This is an opportunity to practice writing our family history and share your family’s stories to publish on our site. These remembrances will be permanent pages on BACGG website. Members will be able to access their page at any time to change or update. Membership has it privileges.

Next year Ron will pay tribute to our veterans in the Korean Conflict, and the year after to veterans of the Vietnam war. As you gather your family history, remember to collect information on relatives in those two conflicts.

Contact Doug ^{email me} or email bacgg.doug@gmail.com