President's Message
April 2003
You might think the passage of time would make it harder and harder for organizations such as ours to locate objects dating back to the very birth of our town. Not so. The Internet has made the world a smaller place, and through it, the Society has been able to recover images and artifacts that have been tucked away in attics all across the country — in volumes never before seen.
It was through the Internet this past month that we met and hooked up with Janna Harriss, a collectibles dealer in Littlerock, Calif., who had acquired something that, to us, was a significant piece of history. Ms. Harriss had purchased a beautiful, turn-of-the-(last)-century photo album at an estate sale in Lancaster. It wasn't so much the album itself as the inscription inside it that made it priceless. Written in hand was the name of its original owner: "Judge John F. Powell, Newhall, California."
Now, J.F. Powell was justice of the peace in these parts all the way from 1875 to 1923 (with about a 12-year break in the middle). Some sources cite him as Newhall's first official resident, following Henry M. Newhall's purchase of a large portion of our valley in 1875.
The photo album contained only a few images, but any one of them, such as a ca. 1890 tintype of one of Powell's children, was something we'd never seen before. Ms. Harriss was familiar with our museum in Heritage Junction and graciously donated the album and its contents to the Society.
Coincidentally, another recent "find" over the Internet, from a completely unrelated source, was a photograph of the Powell home in Newhall. The hand-written caption on the back somewhat altered our understanding of the ownership of the house and the family's tenure here.
The month of March tends to be big for us in terms of expanding our St. Francis Dam archives. This year was no exception as people marked the 75th anniversary of the disaster and came forward with new images and stories. Some have been posted to our digital archives at scvhistory.com, and more are on the way. Also, we've produced two new episodes on the dam for SCVTV Channel 20 in Santa Clarita so far this year (videotapes are available online and at the Gift Shop), and I want to thank Carol and Frank Rock for once again organizing an informative and successful talk and tour.
I also want to extend my special thanks to Society member Gordon Glattenberg, who stepped up to the plate and took on the editorship of the Heritage Junction Dispatch.
There are many more people to thank for their contributions to the Society, but rather than do it here, we'll do so in person on April 9 at our annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner. See you then!
— Leon Worden, President
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Genealogy Group News
April 2003
The genealogy group met on March 6 with Bonnie Petrovich giving the program on "How to Use the Family History Catalog" with a video she had purchased. The video provided us with information on how to use the catalog, showed us what subjects were included in the Family History Catalog, and provided us with many tips on information that was available for finding our family roots.
For example, one can use the "Surname" search to see a listing of the books that the Salt Lake Mormon Church Family History Center has received from people who donated books on different family surnames. These books usually list several allied lines along with the main family name. One can use the "Place" search to find the listings of census records, city directories and cemeteries. The "Author" search can help you find churches, information on government, and more. The "Subject" search is based on Library of Congress subjects. Most important to all of us, this catalog was available for us to use online, so that we could go through it at our leisure and see what was available for our particular need in our own home, using our own computers.
The Family History Catalog online provides us with information on just where we can find the items needed. Some of the items can be sent for right here at the local Valencia Mormon Family History Center. Some can be viewed in the Santa Monica Family History Center. Some items can be viewed only at the Salt Lake Family History Center. Some items can be found in other libraries, such as the Los Angeles City Library.
After the video and a discussion period, we all felt that we could use the on line catalog with ease at the following address: www.familysearch.org.
Our next meeting will be held April 3 at 7 p.m. at the Saugus Train Station. The subject of the meeting will be a video on using the Legacy Family Tree Program. Eileen Keating will bring her portable computer and demonstrate how to put your family pictures in the Legacy Family Tree Program. Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings.
— Helen Blancher
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