Board Member Honored
By Pamela Baird
MVHA President The newly formed Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance hosted an evening of recognition May 21 at San Jose History Park . Awards were given to 16 different individuals from various historical associations in a first ever award presentation .
Marina Marinovich ( center ) with fellow MVHA Board Members Emily Ramos ( left ) and Robert Cox ( right ). at the awards event .
Mary Kay “ Marina ” Marinovich , a long-time board member and history activist , was selected by the MVHA for her work in saving the Immigrant House . The award notes the following :
The Mtn . View Historical Association is proud to recognize our board member Mary Kay Marinovich for her tireless work and leadership to preserve Immigrant House . It is a true monument to past and future Mtn . View immigrants , as well as our agricultural history . Built in the 1880s and now the centerpiece in our City ’ s Heritage Park , Immigrant House serves as a reminder to our community of our core value of welcoming people of all backgrounds and cultures to Mtn . View .
Ms . Marinovich advocated and raised funds through her organization Friends of Immigrant House . This modest former farm-laborer cottage , where her Croatian ancestors once lived , was preserved and moved to its current location . The support of the Mtn . View City Council , Mtn . View Kiwanis , City of Mtn . View Firefighters , Google and the Old Mtn . View Neighborhood Association aided in the success of the project . The city of Mtn . View is fortunate to have a dedicated member of the community like Mary Kay .
Asked about her thoughts regarding the evening , Marina replied “ It was a fun event , with lots of political luminaries present . Robert Cox ( vice President of MVHA ), and a longtime supporter of Immigrant House , gave a wonderful introductory speech . MVHA treasurer Emily Ramos handed the award to me . Mountain View Mayor Lucas Ramirez was there to show his support as well as Carol Lewis from the Kiwanis Club of Mountain View . David Lewis , president of the Old Mountain View Neighborhood Association took photos . I felt very well supported !”
MVHA appreciated the opportunity to recognize an important local community member and dedicated volunteer .
Financial Report
By Emily Ramos MVHA Treasurer
Checking Account Balance as of 1 / 01 / 2022 : $ 21,204.06
YTD Income : $ 1,772.36 Majority Sources : Memberships and Donations YTD Expenses : $ 864.89 Majority Sources : Reimbursements and Newsletter printing and shipping
Checking Account Balance as of 6 / 26 / 2022 : $ 22,111.53
Finding Your Family History
By Robert Cox MVHA Vice President
The 1950 USA census has just been released ! A census release is a major genealogical event which occurs once every decade . There is a 72 year hold on census data to protect the privacy of most living individuals .
For those of us who have at least one family line that reaches back in the USA before 1900 , the census is the best first place to look for data . Before 1900 , most states did not register births and deaths . But there has been a USA census every decade since 1790 .
This is particularly useful for tracing your family during the time between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War . During this time , many Americans left the original 13 colonies to move west . Local records are particularly sparse during this time . It was also common for courthouses , where the records were kept , to burn down . When this happened , all chief legal documents , like wills , property , and court records were lost .
The information in each census varies from decade to decade . Early censuses listed only the head of household by name . Starting with 1850 , each free person is listed by name and each enslaved person by age . Starting with 1880 , the family relationship of each person to the head of household is listed . Most censuses include the state or country where a person was born , and occasionally where their parents were born . The person ’ s race , occupation , property value , and disability status are also often included . For 1900 , the month of birth and number of years married is also included . The 1880 census , unfortunately , was in a warehouse that was burned and no longer exists . There was a census of Civil War veterans in 1890 that can sometimes fill in the information gap . Some states also held censuses , usually in years ending in 5 .
You can access census records for free on the Family Search website : www . familysearch . org . Select “ Search Historical Records ” and type in the name of the person you are interested in .
Next time , I will talk about what additional information you can get by using paid services .
Former Mtn . View Mayor Mike Kasperzak
Mtn . View Family History Fun Fact !
Ronald Kasperzak , the father of former Mountain View mayor Mike Kasperzak , founded Calaphon Cookware in 1963 . Calaphon , now a division of Rubbermaid , is a popular supplier of highend cookware . There is a Calaphon saucepan in the Julia Child exhibit in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington , D . C . The photos show Ronald Kasperzak and Mike Kasperzak with his personal Calaphon cookware collection .
Certificates of Deposit Balance as of 6 / 26 / 2022 : $ 60,562.38 Ronald Kasperzak
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