Wednesday, February 7, 2018

SDGS Meeting on Saturday, 10 February Features Jean Wilcox Hibben

The next San Diego Genealogical Society meeting is Saturday, 10 February 2018 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in San Diego (8350 Lake Murray Blvd,San Diego CA 92119, at corner of Lake Murray and Jackson Drive).

The speaker for two presentations will be Jean Wilcox Hibben, Ph.D:


Jean's presentations will be:

*  Session 1:  America: Land of the Farm, Home of the Plow

Farmers have been the backbone of America from the first settlers until present day. Without these important people, and their families, there would not be food to eat . . . yet genealogists frequently use the phrase, “My ancestors were JUST farmers.”  Just farmers? Then they were the necessary part of the population so everyone else could survive! Learn some about the farming occupation along with how to locate records of these important people; understand the vital role of your farmer forefather (and foremother . . . and all the forechildren!). Included: Some history of how America and its language have been influenced by this occupation.

*  Session 2:  City Directories: More than an Address Book

While many are familiar with researching ancestors via City Directories, the wealth within their pages can shed light on many additional bits of information about the lives they led, the occupations they held, the organizations they belonged to, and even the cemeteries where they are buried, among other things. Find out the hidden treasures in these books, now more accessible than ever!

Jean's biography:

Jean Wilcox Hibben has been involved in family research for almost 40 years. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Genealogical Speakers Guild (where she serves as secretary), various societies in the areas where she does research, the Association of Professional Genealogists (serving as president of the Southern California Chapter), and the Corona Genealogical Society (where she serves as president).

Jean has been playing guitar for over 40 years, learning a variety of other folk instruments along the way. She sees a connection between family history and music because, in learning about our forebears, we try to piece together the various elements of our ancestors' lives in an effort to create a complete (or as complete as possible) picture of who they were in their homes, families, occupations, religions, and activities. Their musical interests/involvement should be considered part of this whole picture, or circle, of their lives.

Jean is a volunteer at the Corona California Family History Center where she trains Family History consultants. A native of the Chicago suburbs, she moved to Southern California in 1973 and obtained her bachelors and masters degrees in Speech Communication. She worked as a professor in the field for 13 years before leaving academia to pursue her passions, family history and folklore, and holds a doctorate in the latter (her dissertation was on Family Stories gathered from genealogists across America). Jean is a national speaker and is known for her entertaining, as well as informative, presentations. She is a frequent writer for various genealogy publications, was lead researcher for the first season of Genealogy Roadshow and has worked on another television program as well.

With Gena Philibert-Ortega, Jean is involved with Genealogy Journeys, a project of podcasts, classes, writings, and other means of communicating the importance of Social History to the genealogy world as well as to the general public. Their blog promotes their latest projects and can be accessed at http://genaandjean.blogspot.com.

Jean, who lives in western Riverside County, California, maintains that “who we are is a compilation of our experiences and associations as well as our biological connections. When we understand our ancestors we can better understand ourselves. By doing this, we can begin to complete our personal family circles.” This connects to her mission statement: “My goal is to assist others in their efforts to connect generations (past to present), completing the family circle.” More about Jean, her presentations, CDs, projects, etc. can be found on her website www.circlemending.org.

Note:  There is no 9 a.m. education hour this month.

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Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. Seaver


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