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Raking the Ashes--Genealogical Strategies for pre-1906 San Francisco Research

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Perhaps nothing is more frustrating for a family history researcher than contending with the destruction of records. Historic disasters were devastating to our ancestors & were not kind to the records we depend on to trace our families either. With this year's centennial anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake & fire, the California Genealogical Society has published Nancy Peterson's timely "Raking the Ashes: Genealogical Strategies for Pre-1906 San Francisco Research".

"Raking the Ashes" is an exceptional how-to guide for overcoming the record losses from the great San Francisco earthquake & fire. The 222-page volume is a treasure trove of concise information with all of the "good stuff" easily accessible for the researcher. The accompanying 44 maps, photos & illustrations provide excellent visual examples of the records discussed in the adjacent text. The book's expertly written advice provides the following for San Francisco records with genealogical value:

* definitions of records (why they were made);
* survival of the records during & after the quake and fire of 1906;
* informational value of the records (what they contain);
* exactly how & where to locate these records (available locally, via the Family History Library, the Internet, etc. - all with exact reference numbers or web addresses).

An extremely valuable section of the book is the "Research Techniques, Tips & Cautions" where the author shares her vast experience of research successes and potential problems to help the reader jump-start their own research.

For those who do not have research in San Francisco, "Raking the Ashes" provides an ideal outline for how to go about dealing with records destruction in any locality. If you have a "burnt county" or similar losses of historic records in your research, this book can act as a guide to other records which may have survived. Use the book's inventory of San Francisco-specific records as a checklist for finding the surviving records in the locality you are researching.

The author, Nancy Peterson, is an outstanding writer & expert genealogist. She has won the prestigious National Genealogical Society's Family History Writing Contest. She has had her numerous scholarly & general interest articles published in a variety of prominent genealogy periodicals. "Raking the Ashes" is an extremely useful research guide and an outstanding example of good genealogical writing.

Most of the difficulties in finding pre-1906 San Francisco genealogical research are conveniently laid on the great earthquake and fire. Any information prior to that event seems blocked by burned municipal records, lost vital records and relocated cemeteries. Raking the Ashes - Genealogical Strategies for Pre-1906 San Francisco Research presents the truth regarding what remains and offers workaround strategies for what's missing. It puts all the strategies for researching San Francisco genealogy concisely in one easy to follow reference.

I've read this book twice--once last April when I was graciously allowed to read a draft and now reading the final product. Raking the Ashes is the ultimate resource for pre-1906 San Francisco genealogical research. It's also a great guide for post quake research. It defines the types of files and records that can be found, how to use them and what can be expected from them. The clear illustrations offer the opportunity to see what the records look like with tips on how to use them.

Racking the Ashes is comprised of three parts - (1) what did and did not survive with possible substitutions, (2) additional resources and (3) Research Techniques, Tips and Cautions. The book is well written, very readable and logically organized.

It's been nearly two decades since I began my San Francisco genealogical research, looking for information on my ancestors who arrived in San Francisco in the mid 1850s, the 1870s and the late 1890s. This book offers new avenues of research and expectations of new breakthroughs. Raking the Ashes knocks down the brick walls that plague researchers with San Francisco roots. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more of their San Francisco family or those with an interest in good genealogical research strategies. Raking the Ashes belongs on every genealogist's desk.