Special Events & Meeting Notices

You will be in for a treat with our May Program. You will hear the bag pipes played and have the presenters dressed in kilts in celebration of the St. Andrews Society and Scottish heritage.

Learn about the St. Andrews Society and about researching your Scottish ancestors. Also learn what it was like in Scotland when your ancestors were there. There is rich history in the land of Scotland.

We will hear all about the wonderful research finds participants of the research bus trip to Salt Lake City found. Every year the trip is taken, wonderful experiences happen and some of those brick walls are breached. It is very interesting to hear about the wonderful things the participants found out about their ancestors on this fascinating trip. I am sure all of the participants will want to share their research discoveries with us and we will be anxious to hear about them.

August Program
Irish Cultural Society

You are in for a special evening, when the Irish Cultural Society pays us a visit. We will learn about their society, here in Modesto and throughout the world and also we will learn about Irish research. Do you have ancestors who came from Ireland?

You won’t want to miss this program! Ireland has much history and is a very beautiful country. Learn about the history, culture, dress and customs, as well as how to research our Irish ancestors.

On April 9, 1812, Randolph Barnes Marcy was born in Greenwich, Massachussetts. Twenty years later, he graduated from the Military Academy and began a long and distinguished career in the U. S. Army.

Much of this career was spent on the frontier. In 1846, he was promoted to Captain of Infantry and fought in the Mexican War at
the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. He was then assigned to duty in the West escorting emigrants, locating military posts, exploring the wilderness and accompanying Albert S. Johnston on the expedition against Mormons in Utah. It was during this period that Capt. Marcy led his men safely from Utah to New Mexico on a forced march through the Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter, an extraordinary accomplishment made even more amazing by their shortage of provisions in the harsh weather.

Shortly after his promotion to acting Inspector General of the Department of Utah, Capt. Marcy was recalled to Washington to prepare a guidebook on Western travel for the many emigrants heading west -- people poorly informed and ill-prepared for such a journey. His well-written military reports had attracted attention in Washington, and, at the direction of the Department of State, Capt. Marcy produced "The Prairie Traveler: A Hand-book for Overland Expeditions" in 1859.

A bestseller in its day, the book was essential to the westward traveler, and no doubt saved many lives with its practical and experienced advice. "The Prairie Traveler" also provides a unique insight into the character and personality of the author. Capt. Marcy was extremely well-read and observant, and he was more than willing to adopt any idea that would work: "The Prairie Traveler" describes portable Indian lodges, advice from French and British medical journals, Norwegian saddling techniques, Mexican pack practices, African methods for carrying rifles while riding, and so on. He also wrote concisely and plainly, but in painstaking detail on matters most important to survival out West. His dry sense of humor, his commitment to the military and the men who served under him, and his independence and clarity in assessing people and situations all indicate the kind of military officer, and gentleman, he was. Capt. Marcy also wrote two other books describing his Western experiences, on his own initiative, but both are unfortunately long out of print."