Our featured February 2nd speaker is Brendan Riley. He was raised in Vallejo and had a 39-year career as a writer and editor with The Associated Press. In retirement, he returned to his hometown and has produced two books focusing on the history of Vallejo, Mare Island and other areas of Solano County. He writes a "Solano Chronicles" history column for the Vallejo Times-Herald and has served on the boards of the Vallejo and Mare Island museums. Brendan also has spent many years researching his own family history.

 

Mr. Riley will be talking about General Vallejo and city of Vallejo history. California historian H.H. Bancroft once wrote that Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was not "strict in his relations with women." Today's researchers have provided the details: Vallejo fathered five children with women other than his wife, with whom he had 16 children. Vallejo's relationships reflected a socially stratified, male-dominated machismo culture of his time. It's an understatement to say that genealogists have a challenging time sorting out his family tree.

 

This meeting will NOT be on Zoom. The event location is at Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum at 734 Marin Street in Vallejo California. Masks are encouraged but not required. The meeting starts at 1:30 pm PST on Thursday afternoon February 2nd.

Nancy Calhoun has been doing genealogy for 45 years and worked as a genealogy librarian for 15 years. Has attended many national conferences, received scholarships, and won writing awards. Presented for societies in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. Received her BA, BS, MS. Member of several societies, DAR, 1812, Mayflower, UDC, Oklahoma Genealogical Society Board, and First Families of the Twin Territories.  Runnin’ Down Granny:
Researching Female Family Members

John V. Robinson (born 1960) is an American writer and photojournalist who specializes in photographing heavy construction work with a focus on bridge construction and the men and women who do the work. Robinson goes onto construction sites and does detailed photo essays of the iron workers, pile drivers, carpenters, laborers, and crane operators who do this demanding and dangerous work. He frequently collects oral histories of the workers.  Robinson also does freelance photography work and his construction shots are frequently published in San Francisco Bay Area newspapers, used in calendars, and used in advertising campaigns of construction and engineering firms. John Robinson's photo-essays on bridge construction and history have been published in nine books and his articles and photographs regularly appear in professional and trade journals like The Ironworker^[5] and Engineering News Record.

 

 

This meeting will NOT be on Zoom. The event location is at Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum at 734 Marin Street in Vallejo California. Masks are encouraged but not required. The meeting starts at 1:30 pm PST.