Returning from my 18-month Family History mission in Utah, I walked into the Carlo M. DeFerrari Archive in Sonora wondering, “What’s new?”  Directly in front of me was a huge painting called “The Hunter’s Dream.” To my left were several more paintings and artifacts, and to my right sat County Historian Carlo De Ferrari and
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Those who have dug gold in the Mother Lode – day after day for hours on end – know just how hard it is for a placer miner to earn an honest living, which is probably why so many 49ers chose to make their “pile” by shady and perfidious dealings. Take Mr. Fletcher and his
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Their 1950s love story went something like this: Genevieve was shy and quiet. She fell hard for Michael, an older boy who had a mature manner and a great smile. Their dates involved a lot of walks and talks – there wasn’t much money to spare back then. They got engaged on her 18th birthday
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California has always been part reality and part fantasy. Since the days of the Gold Rush, it has been known as the land of infinite opportunity – and home to some of the world’s greatest hoaxes. A classic instance of the latter happened in 1936, when – according to the most popular version of this
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“I can’t say for sure, but just keep working. Just go along, do what you can do, and be happy.”

~ Sonora native Eva Bonavia Savateer

Genealogy miracles small and large have been experienced by most family history researchers … and recently, I watched one unfold. Have you ever bumped into a good friend while in a distant city – what a thrill to see them – someone from home!  And if that doesn’t happen, the next best thing is to
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What a great time to be a genealogist! The records being collected and digitized are appearing online faster than we can keep track of them. At the time of this writing, there are 475 collections on beta.familysearch.org, and several more will have been added as you are reading this. For instance, those of you who have
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It was called “nu na hi du na tlo hi lu I” or the “Trail Where They Cried.” In 1838, the U.S. government forced nearly 20,000 Cherokees from their homes in Tennessee, Georgia, the Carolinas and several other states under the Indian Relocation Act of 1830. Increasing demand for land by white settlers and greed
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“When I was a little girl my mother would not allow me to tell anyone I was Cherokee because people would look down on you,” says red-headed, blue-eyed Millie Batchelor. “But,” she adds, “I’ve been proud of it all my life.” Six years ago, Millie gathered with an enthusiastic group of friends to form the
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“Overalls! Oh my Lord,” says Erma  Giussi. “You had to wash every day or you’d never keep up.” From her cozy Sonora living room, Erminia Paradisa Girardi Giussi is looking back to 1926 where she can still see herself washing the family clothes on the back porch of her childhood home behind the old Tuolumne
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