My Grandma was a very young city bride. She grew up in Oakland, California. While her parents kept some animals, it was very much city life. During the depression, my Grandma and Grandpa made the decision to leave Oakland for the Salinas Valley. Grandpa could find work on one of the sugar beet or other…
Political Affiliation of Our Ancestors
As I’ve been going through the voter registration logs, I’ve noticed a couple of things. First, my ancestors belong to alot of different political parties. I’ve noted Democratic, Republican, Socialist, Progressive, Libertarian, Independent, and the non party “Declined to State”. Remember all those black and white movies depicted women as too silly and naive to…
Did my great grandmother commit voter fraud?
I have been working fervishly in the voter registration indexes for California. What a surprise to find my Great Grandmother registered to vote in 1936. It’s a surprise because she wasn’t a US Citizen. She wasn’t even in the country legally. My great grandfather contracted leprosy while they still lived in Hawaii. He avoided deportation…
Tips for Researching Ancestry.com’s Voter Registration Index
Ancestry.com added the California Voter Registration indexes awhile back. They are excellent resource for anyone searching for ancestors between 1900-1950 or so. If you are researching Portuguese Hawaiians who left for California, these records may help you locate where they were residing. The indexes can be tricky to search. Surname searches are too convoluted. First…
Sanborn Maps and Google Street View
I’ve been having a heck of a time identifying which houses on E. 25th Street my ancestors and cousins lived in. Since most of the family lived on the street sometime between 1905-1960, it’s a safe bet that each house held someone I knew. But who lived where? I ran into trouble trying to figure…