For some time I have wondered why I wasn't able to acquire the parish records from Saint Mary's Parish in East Bay. The parish priest is a techie and had them digitalized I understand. The following article which appeared in a Canadian newsletter probably answers my question.
The 2 May 2008 issue of the Catholic News reported that the Vatican has directed Catholic dioceses throughout the world not to give information in parish registers to the LDS and to prevent their microfilming and digitizing information contained in those registers. The directive is an effort to prevent the LDS from using information in the registers to posthumously baptize by proxy ancestors of members of the Catholic Church.
This directive has the potential of preventing a great many future family researchers from finding out information regarding their ancestors. For many years the Church of the Latter Day Saints has negotiated agreements to microfilm and record the records of many varied institutions, be they church or civil records. They have done so without any cost to the institutions whose records they preserve, and have provided access to those records without charge for those researching their family ancestry. In many instances, had the LDS not microfilmed the records, they may have been forever lost due to fire, flood, or simply the natural deterioration of the media on which the information was previously recorded."
The author goes on to say,"It is my understanding that the LDS do not perform posthumous baptisms en mass, and frequently caution their members against baptizing anyone that is not of their own family. As such, it is to be hoped that through negotiation the LDS and the Catholic Church might come to a meeting of the minds that will once again permit the microfilming and preservation of Church registers."
According to Wikipedia: "Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is a religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of an individual who is dead; the living person is acting as the deceased person's proxy. So it is with this practice, an individual is baptized to give those beyond the grave the opportunity of baptism by proxy. It has been practiced since 1840 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where it is also called temple baptism because it is performed only in dedicated temples. Advocates of this practice believe it is referred to in The New Testament (1 Cor. 15:29); it was forbidden by the Orthodox Church in the 4th century as an aberrant practice of heretical groups, and is not practiced in modern mainstream Christianity. Baptism for the dead is also practiced by several other groups in the Latter Day Saint movement."
According to another author,"For those of us who are not Mormons (such as myself - I am a non-practicing Catholic) and have a passionate interest in genealogy and the study of our family history, we have benefited greatly by the LDS belief in baptism by proxy. It is this practice that forms the basis for the Mormon's interest in genealogy. Members of the LDS Church are encouraged to seek out their genealogy. This genealogy research is then used as the foundation for their research in the Church's efforts to perform temple ordinances for as many deceased persons as possible. If the LDS had not shown such generous openness in sharing the records that they have collected and cataloged and made available through their Family History Library (FHL), modern genealogy would not be what it is today - it would still be a pastime pursuit of the privileged.
Yet it appears that this practice does bother some people and it is not only Catholics. It seems that in 1995 the LDS promised to remove Jewish Holocaust victims from its International Genealogical Index, but a few years later independent researchers had discovered that many well known Jews had been vicariously baptized, including Maimonides, Albert Einstein, and Irving Berlin, without a system in place to ensure permissions were obtained.
Independent researcher Helen Radkey, who prepared a report for [Ernest] Michel [chairman of the World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors], is certain the agreement has been broken. In her research of the church's extensive genealogical database, she found at least 20,000 Jews -- some of whom died in Nazi concentration camps -- were baptized after they died. (see CNN article from December, 2002)
This then begs the question: if 'modern mainstream' religious groups (including the Roman Church and members of the Jewish faith) do not "believe in" nor accept the efficacy of baptism by proxy then really what harm is being done by the practices of the LDS?
The way I look at it the real losers here are the genealogical community at large. If the LDS is ready, willing and able to take on the task of collecting, cataloging, and making available to the world-at-large the parish records of our ancestors, then I am all for it and really do not care what goes on inside a Mormon temple. To me the collection of the records are far more important than chancing the perceived insult of having the name of one of my devoutly Catholic ancestors being mentioned in a Temple Ordinance ceremony."
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In 1850, two years before California achieved statehood—a mere 130 years ago—the total population of San Luis Obispo County was 336, exclusive of the Indians. Lieutenant George H. Derby was ordered to make a topographic report to headquarters of the Tenth Military Department in Monterey in April of 1850. Said report was to examine the area east of Mission San Miguel. The purpose was to learn whether there was a practicable route for loaded wagons from the Coast to the King's River inland. His description is included here as it is an early description of the area where Michael and Loughlin were to settle and it also tells how primitive times really were only twenty years before their arrival.
Keeping the bank of the stream we passed through a beautiful and fertile valley over an excellent road arriving at Estrella early in the afternoon. The distance at this point from San Miguel we found by the diameter to be 12.7 miles; it is a beautiful spot covered with large oaks and with a little cultivation the soil might be rendered extremely productive. Four valleys diverge from this point through the South West, one of which leads to the road from San Luis Obispo, entering from the main coast near the Rancho De Robles. The peculiarity of the divergence of these four valleys and then corresponding ridges forming a point resembling a star has given it its name—Estrella.” (I recall viewing this star formation on a PSA flight from San Diego in the 60s.)
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* The fastest part of your commute is down your driveway.
* You were born somewhere else.
* You know how to eat an artichoke.
* The primary bugs that you worry about are electronic.
* Your car has bullet-proof windows.
* Left is right and right is wrong.
* Your monthly house payments exceed your annual income.
* Your mouse has only one ball.
* You need a new TV, you can run down to the local riot and pick one up.
* You dive under a desk whenever a large truck goes by.
* You can't find your other earring because your son is wearing it.
* You drive to your neighborhood block party.
* Your family tree contains "significant others."
* Your cat has its own psychiatrist.
* You don't exterminate your roaches, you smoke them.
* You see 25 lawyers chasing an ambulance.
* More than clothes come out of the closets.
* When "the Dead" are best live.
* You go to a tanning salon before going to the beach.
Your blind date turns out to be your ex-spouse.
* More money is spent on face lifts than on diapers.
* Smoking in your office is not optional.
* You pack shorts and a T-shirt for skiing in the snow, and a sweater and a wetsuit for the beach.
* When you can't schedule a meeting because you must "do lunch."
* Your children learn to walk in Berkenstocks.
* Rainstorms or thunder are the lead story for the local news.
* You'll reluctantly miss yoga class to wait for the hot tub repairman.
* You consult your horoscope before planning your day.
* A glass has been reserved for you at your favorite winery.
* When all highways into the state say: "no fruits."
* All highways out of the state say: "Go back."
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In 1874, church services were held at the San Miguel Mission twice a month by Reverend James Pratt, a visiting priest from San Luis Obispo. In October of that year, the Mission celebrated the centennial year of its founding with a gala event including a “Bull vs. Man Fight”, (They wanted to have a Bull vs. Bear fight in the old California tradition, but the group of gents that were sent out to capture a grizzly accidentally strangled it with their rope!) The grizzly bear was common in early California. They were awesome creatures 8 to 10 feet long and weighed up to 1200 pounds. They roamed all the major foothills and were particularly prevalent in San Luis Obispo County. When the Portola expedition moved through the area in 1769, many grizzlies were killed. George Nidever, a California trapper, claimed to have shot 45 grizzlies in San Luis Obispo in 1837. One early California historian commented about the grizzlies. “ The loss of sheep by wolves, bears and rattlesnakes is quite an item. . We are in a bear region. Three men have been many killed within a year near our last camp by grizzlies.”
On discussing the tradition of bear and bull fights Kevin Starr, former California State Librarian said, “this amusement bespoke the underlying barbarity of the era”
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Build It and They Shall Come
(as published in Everton's Genealogical helper)
I have been a genealogist for twenty three years and during that time I have stumbled through many old cemeteries fighting off mosquitoes and nearly tripping on long stringy weeds. I have strained my eyes to the limit attempting to read endless roles of blurred US Census microfilm and I have traveled great distances in order to uncover deeds, naturalization records and vital statistics housed in some ancient county courthouse.
Now much of that reaching out to find relatives is past and cousins are contacting me instead. I receive, on the average, twenty hits a day on my web page
In addition, The Cape Breton Genealogical Society has scanned a 300+ page family history that I have written and I have made it available as a link on my web page so that people can do detailed searches of my ancestry. I also have a Family Tree Maker gedcom link which people can search.
I have a list of cousins "I Met on the Net." This list currently contains the names of fifty six "new" kinfolk. This past week I found someone on Gen Forum, a genealogical bullletin board, a rooter who is also researching Gillises on Prince Edward Island. I contacted her and learned that her great great great granduncle, Duncan Gilles, and my Donald Gillis I were brothers. This contact, Clair Bigelow, lives in Boston and has provided me with names and vital statistics for 145 additional relatives. Information I am still entering into my database.
I have built this comprehensive infrastructure and, even though Shoeless Joe Jackson may not be with them, a bunch of cousins are coming regularly to play in our ballpark.
