Local Genealogy Classes
by Robert Cox, MVHA Vice President
I’ m a person who has always found it easiest to learn new things by talking to an experienced person. I first learned the nuts and bolts of family history research by attending a genealogy class sponsored by my local community college in Dallas, Texas.
If you are just starting your genealogy journey, a great way to do that is by attending one of the classes offered by the Los Altos Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution( DAR) through the Los Altos Recreation Department. They are held at the Los Altos Community Center at 97 Hillview Avenue near downtown Los Altos.
These Introductory classes are offered 2-3 times a year at no cost. They are open to all members of the public. The DAR also hosts a Genealogy Lab that meets biweekly during most months. At the labs, attendees work in partnership with other family history researchers and make progress on their individual projects. There is no instruction, but attendees offer each other peer support.
I attended the introductory class that was held on Saturday, January 11, 10AM-12PM. Donna Santistevan, Martha Wallace, and Liane Jensen, all DAR members, were facilitators for the event. Members of the DAR have an ancestor who provided patriotic service to the American Revolution.
The class started with each of the attendees talking briefly about what they had done so far on their family history research and from which countries their ancestors had come. After that, class facilitators presented slides on genealogical basics, including birth records, census records, materials available online for free and through subscriptions, and genealogical societies. They also gave helpful hints on noting the spelling variances in ancestor’ s names and how to deal with potentially inaccurate and conflicting information in records. After the lecture, they answered questions from those attending and then paired off with the attendees to help them get started on their family searches.
Although this was billed as an introductory class, there were still some new things I learned from the facilitators. Ms. Wallace informed us about“ Chronicling America,” a Library of Congress website with searchable newspaper articles. I tried some searches on this site when I got home and found several articles which included info about my ancestors’ friends and relatives that I had not found before. Ms. Wallace also introduced us to“ Cyndi’ s List,” a website with links to over 300,000 genealogical sites.
If you hope to travel to another city to conduct research, she advised us to contact a local genealogical society. Getting to know its members online is a great way to prepare for a visit to that society’ s locale. It’ s best to know some knowledgeable people in an area before you make a trip.
The next beginner’ s class at the Los Altos Community Center will be held Saturday, May 17, from 10AM-12PM. You can register for it by contacting the Los Altos Recreation Department at 650-947- 2740. You can also use this number to register for a Genealogy Lab.
Many thanks to these DAR members for helping make our family history accessible!
Mountain View Family History Spotlight
By Robert Cox Former mayor Leslie Nichols has the distinction of also having served as a Judge of the Superior Court of California for over 25 years. Born in 1941, Leslie is the son of Robert Rollan Nichols and Leone( Burns) Nichols.
Like many Americans of Scottish descent, Leslie’ s Burns lineage passes through Ireland on its way to America. Patrick Burns, Leslie’ s immigrant ancestor, was born in County Cavan, Ireland around 1830, after the death of his father. He was named after a neighbor who was particularly helpful to his widowed mother. Around 1850, Patrick left Ireland for America, settling first in Dutchess County, New York, where he met his future wife, Mary Kavanaugh. From there, they moved to Oconto County, Wisconsin, to be near relatives, while
Patrick Burns
Patrick worked as a cook in a lumber camp. When the Civil War broke out, Patrick enlisted in the Union Army, sending the bulk of his soldier’ s stipend back to Mary.
After the war, they used this money to purchase a farm in Richland Center, Wisconsin. At the time, land was going for 50 cents an acre. They had five children, one of whom, Frank Leslie Burns, married Martha Jane Berryman and became a Protestant minister. Leslie Nichols is named after this great-grandfather.
As a clergyman, Frank Leslie Burns moved to various congregations in the Midwest, as was the custom. He eventually ended up in Portland, Oregon, with his large extended family, which included his son Richard Robert Burns( Leslie’ s grandfather) and Richard’ s daughter Leone( Leslie’ s mother). Leslie’ s parents met and married in Portland. They came to the San Francisco area when Leslie’ s father, who worked for United Airlines, was transferred there. Leslie was born and grew up in Burlingame.
Leslie served on the Mountain View city council from 1977 to 1984, and as mayor in 1979. He recalls the revitalization of the city’ s downtown, the dedication of Shoreline Park, and the forty-day strike by the firefighters as notable events during his tenure.
Leslie and his wife Anita just celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary in June of 2024. Their son, Richard, is a high school teacher and jazz musician living in Brazil. Their
Rev. Frank Leslie Burns and his wife, Mary Jane Berryman Burns
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