Praise for Raking the Ashes
Highly Recommended
"...there’s a wonderful resource out there with the answers for anybody who’s interested in San Francisco research. Written by Nancy Simons Peterson, CG, the research director of the California Genealogical Society, this 242-page paperback takes the researcher through the issues of what did and didn’t survive, what workarounds exist for things that didn’t survive, what additional resources are available, and even what research techniques are particularly applicable to solving difficult problems of pre-1906 San Francisco. An appendix catalogs the availability of pre-earthquake newspapers."
Judy G. Russell, CG, CGL
The Legal Genealogist
Every Major City Should Be So Lucky
“. . . a unique work for genealogical research, this second edition extensively revises, updates and expands the previous edition, first published in 2006. Along with the records lost or extant is the historical context in which the records were created. There are numerous descriptions and lists of churches, cemeteries, funeral homes, newspapers, city directories, courts, fraternal organizations, and other resources, that trace the history of these institutions... In this book, Nancy Peterson has created a wonderful resource guide to help genealogists find the available pre-1906 records in San Francisco that define their elusive ancestors. Every major city should be so lucky!”
Randy Seaver
Blogger, GeneaMusings.com
A Social History of San Francisco
“Nancy Peterson emphasizes that Raking the Ashes is a guide but it is actually . . . a social history of San Francisco before and after the 1906 earthquake and fire. The sources that make up this guide are not presented alone but in the context of the historical era that produced them . . . Raking the Ashes is therefore quite useful not only to the genealogist but to anyone interested in the history of San Francisco. . .[It] breaks down some of the walls that have limited our sense of who is an American by including lists of records that pertain to non-whites, such as Chinese funeral home records for Americans of Chinese ancestry and an explanation and survey of Mexican era land and alcalde records that will be of use to anyone descended from early Mexican settlers or perhaps even neophytes at Mission Dolores . . . an essential tool for anyone with roots in San Francisco.”
David M. Rubiales
Professor Emeritus, Yuba College
Creative use of Substitute Records
“In Raking the Ashes, Nancy Simons Peterson, CG, provides a comprehensive look at pre-1906 San Francisco research alternatives. Using an assortment of unusual record groups . . . she gives concrete workarounds for a region devastated by record loss. Peterson’s creative use of substitute records is a lesson for anyone with a difficult genealogical challenge to solve, not just those impacted by the San Francisco earthquake.”
Marian Pierre-Louis
Fieldstone Historic Research
A Must for Anyone Interested in California Research
“The first edition of Raking the Ashes was an excellent guide to research in San Francisco . . . a city ravaged by a devastating earthquake that resulted in the loss of many of its records and also a city which housed more than a third of California’s burgeoning population during the Gold Rush, but was not included in the important 1850 census. This second edition updates the first edition with expanded discussion and new resources and also includes a very useful set of summary pages, listing in one place the resources that might help in locating birth, marriage and death information . . . a must for anyone interested in California research.”
Jim Faulkinbury, CG
California research specialist
Every City Needs an Indispensable, Comprehensive Guide
"Every city needs an indispensable, comprehensive guide to available genealogical records. Raking the Ashes is that guide for San Francisco. Nancy Peterson provides in-depth coverage and analysis for pre-1906 research in The City.
Ron Filion
SFgenealogy.com
"...there’s a wonderful resource out there with the answers for anybody who’s interested in San Francisco research. Written by Nancy Simons Peterson, CG, the research director of the California Genealogical Society, this 242-page paperback takes the researcher through the issues of what did and didn’t survive, what workarounds exist for things that didn’t survive, what additional resources are available, and even what research techniques are particularly applicable to solving difficult problems of pre-1906 San Francisco. An appendix catalogs the availability of pre-earthquake newspapers."
Judy G. Russell, CG, CGL
The Legal Genealogist
Every Major City Should Be So Lucky
“. . . a unique work for genealogical research, this second edition extensively revises, updates and expands the previous edition, first published in 2006. Along with the records lost or extant is the historical context in which the records were created. There are numerous descriptions and lists of churches, cemeteries, funeral homes, newspapers, city directories, courts, fraternal organizations, and other resources, that trace the history of these institutions... In this book, Nancy Peterson has created a wonderful resource guide to help genealogists find the available pre-1906 records in San Francisco that define their elusive ancestors. Every major city should be so lucky!”
Randy Seaver
Blogger, GeneaMusings.com
A Social History of San Francisco
“Nancy Peterson emphasizes that Raking the Ashes is a guide but it is actually . . . a social history of San Francisco before and after the 1906 earthquake and fire. The sources that make up this guide are not presented alone but in the context of the historical era that produced them . . . Raking the Ashes is therefore quite useful not only to the genealogist but to anyone interested in the history of San Francisco. . .[It] breaks down some of the walls that have limited our sense of who is an American by including lists of records that pertain to non-whites, such as Chinese funeral home records for Americans of Chinese ancestry and an explanation and survey of Mexican era land and alcalde records that will be of use to anyone descended from early Mexican settlers or perhaps even neophytes at Mission Dolores . . . an essential tool for anyone with roots in San Francisco.”
David M. Rubiales
Professor Emeritus, Yuba College
Creative use of Substitute Records
“In Raking the Ashes, Nancy Simons Peterson, CG, provides a comprehensive look at pre-1906 San Francisco research alternatives. Using an assortment of unusual record groups . . . she gives concrete workarounds for a region devastated by record loss. Peterson’s creative use of substitute records is a lesson for anyone with a difficult genealogical challenge to solve, not just those impacted by the San Francisco earthquake.”
Marian Pierre-Louis
Fieldstone Historic Research
A Must for Anyone Interested in California Research
“The first edition of Raking the Ashes was an excellent guide to research in San Francisco . . . a city ravaged by a devastating earthquake that resulted in the loss of many of its records and also a city which housed more than a third of California’s burgeoning population during the Gold Rush, but was not included in the important 1850 census. This second edition updates the first edition with expanded discussion and new resources and also includes a very useful set of summary pages, listing in one place the resources that might help in locating birth, marriage and death information . . . a must for anyone interested in California research.”
Jim Faulkinbury, CG
California research specialist
Every City Needs an Indispensable, Comprehensive Guide
"Every city needs an indispensable, comprehensive guide to available genealogical records. Raking the Ashes is that guide for San Francisco. Nancy Peterson provides in-depth coverage and analysis for pre-1906 research in The City.
Ron Filion
SFgenealogy.com