On Saturday, April 21, 2018, from 10:00AM to 2:00PM, Ted Newman and I represented the Genealogical Society of North Orange County, California (GSNOCC) at the Orange County Historical Commission’s Jamboree.  The event was held at the Irvine Ranch Historical Park on 13042 Old Myford Road in Irvine.  We were joined during the day by GSNOCC President Lila Whiteford.
 
The park supplied a table, two chairs, a canopy and the space for the event.  Norma Keating supplied two green banners which highlighted the GSNOCC booth.  An information board, capably assembled by Norma Longmire, was also prominently displayed.  We also distributed fliers for GSNOCC’s events on May 16 (Letty Rodella) and July 28 (Kory Meyerink), plus the GSNOCC tri-fold application flier.  About ten of each were picked up by participants.
 
Other organizations present at the event are as follows:

• Orange County Historical Commission/Welcome Table
• Orange County Parks
• Orange County Archives
• Orange Public Library and Historical Center
• Orange County Public Libraries
• Orange County Historical Society
• Orange County Agricultural Commission
• Bowers Museum
• Brea Historical Society
• Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
• Costa Mesa Historical Society
• Dana Point Historical Society
• Genealogical Society of North Orange County California (GSNOCC)
• Helena Modjeska Foundation
• Heritage Museum of Orange County
• Irvine Historical Society
• Pacific Coast Archaeological Society
• Old Courthouse Museum Society
• Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research (SHHAR)
• Tustin Area Historical Society
• 70 Degrees

  

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 - Yorba Linda Community Center

In a democracy, access to public records – both past and present – is critical. Moreover, knowing our history is crucial to understanding our communities, where we’ve come from, and how best to plan for the future.  And preserving important information and images of the past is simply the right thing to do. The Orange County Archives helps meet all these needs. It is a research center for the preservation and study of local history and is charged with promoting knowledge and understanding of the origins and history of Orange County.

Located in the Old County Courthouse in Santa Ana, the Archives contains a unique collection of government records and other material documenting the rich history of our county, the majority of which come from county government, beginning with Orange County’s separation from Los Angeles in 1889.  However, the Archives also collects non-official historical materials which document the history of the county, resulting in a collection that is both extensive and diverse.  Staff members help visitors solve various historical, genealogical, and legal mysteries, and also organize historical exhibits, speak in public on subjects relating to county history, and sometimes help guide historical projects undertaken by county government organizations. The Archives is, in many ways, the hub of Orange County history.

Chris Jepsen is the Assistant Archivist at the Orange County Archives.  A life-long resident of Huntington Beach, Chris is also a local historian and serves as president of the Orange County Historical Society. He maintains a blog dedicated to Orange County history, The O.C. History Roundup, and also writes the “Ask the O.C. Answer Man” column for Orange Coast magazine. Over the years, Chris has been involved in a wide variety of historical endeavors.  He says he sometimes spends more time as a history evangelist and history enabler than as an historian.