At first glance, you might think it a bit odd that a British-born genealogist would be so invested in the California Pioneer Certificate Program and all things related to early California records. But you would be mistaken. Our April guest speaker, Colin Whitney, a retired physics professor who worked in the California aerospace industry. He became interested in genealogy when he discovered his step-grandmother’s DAR application. As happens to many of us, that one spark ignited a quest to fill in his genealogical blanks. It eventually led him to focus on California history.
Colin’s presentation began with an overview of early California history beginning with Spain’s control of the west between 1542 and 1821. Spain’s California Mission system was started in 1769. Twenty-one missions, from San Diego to Sonoma, were eventually founded in order to colonize the western coast of California, convert the native people, and secure a stronghold in New Spain. When Mexico gained its independence in 1821, they took over the missions, but lost control when California achieved statehood in 1850. Two additional major events in California history were the Gold Rush of 1849 and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Remember these dates, they are important factors when determining whether or not you can qualify for Pioneer status.
What is the California Pioneer Certificate Program, you ask? It is a lineage program that helps you navigate the eligibility requirements to document your family’s early California history. The program assists you with locating records in their database of over one million pioneer records. They assign a free genealogical guide to help with both digital and physical repositories, including old Mission records, census records, mining claims, etc. If your research has discovered an ancestor who resided in California during any of the above-mentioned time periods, this is the place for you to start.
Colin’s slide presentation contained an enormous amount of valuable information pertaining to the evolution of this program. The plethora of data contained in Colin’s slides can seem overwhelming, but if you are seriously interested in documenting your early California heritage, this is the place to start. Be sure to check out his fabulous slides for details.
In my case, my earliest California resident was my 2nd great-grandfather Henry William Doerges who arrived in Los Angeles in 1888. With the 1906 birth of his granddaughter and my grandmother, Dorthis Ruth Doerges, I can proudly claim that I am a third generation Angelino. I may not qualify for the California Pioneer Certificate Program, but I can state that I am proud to be a Californian.
Do you have an early pioneer in California?