Napa County Newspapers in Color or Black and White

SONOMA COUNTY HISTORY & GENEALOGY LIBRARY

NEWSLETTER JULY 2020

Volume 2 Issue 7

Historical Research Databases

Local History & Genealogy Research

Remote access while branches are closed. Genealogical collection including U.S. census data; birth, death, marriage, immigration, court, church records; directories, and more.

U.S. census records, full-text family history books and city directories.

Digital collection of over 2100 color fire insurance maps, real estate atlases and similar land use maps covering 523 cities in California dating back to the 1870s.

Primary source material from 296 archival collections covering topics of importance to U.S. and California history.

Historical Newspapers & Magazines

Remote access to Sonoma County titles while branches are closed. Includes the Press Democrat 1923-1997, Petaluma Argus Courier 1899-2018, Santa Rosa Republican 1904-1948, Sonoma West Times and News 1895-2016, Cloverdale Reveille 1879-2004, and others.

Articles from over 2,800 newspapers and other publications from around the world, including the Press Democrat 1994 to the present.

Full page articles starting with the first issue.

Select magazines dating from the 1800s forward, including the Architectural Digest 1922-2011, The Atlantic 1857-2014 and Life 1936-2000.

Sonoma County Library Digital Collections
Find a variety of digitized historical materials - including over 45,000 historical photographs of Sonoma County - from our Special Collections locations, theHistory & Genealogy Library,Petaluma History Room, Sonoma County Wine Library,and theSonoma County Library Archives.

Select California Historical Research eResources

Digitized California newspapers, from 1846 to the present, including the Sonoma Democrat 1857-1897, the Press Democrat 1883-1922, and the Healdsburg Tribune 1888-1990.

Primary resource collections maintained by more than 200 contributing institutions including libraries, special collections, archives, and museums throughout California.

Over one million photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements and musical recordings reveal the diverse history and culture of California.

Sonoma County Library Special Collections - Updates

H&G Library Building Do you have a reference question or do you need help with your research?

Find out how to reach us while we prepare to safely reopen our buildings!

Email theSonoma County History & Genealogy Library at history@sonomalibrary.org.

Call at (707) 308-3212, Tuesdays to Thursdays 10 AM - 5 PM.

Contact Connie Williams at thePetaluma History Room on Mondays and Tuesdays 10 AM - 6 PM and on Wednesdays 9 AM - 1 PM, by phoneat ( 707) 763-9801 x0722, and by email at cwilliams@sonomalibrary.org . Starting August 6, days will change to Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays - please call for details.

The Sonoma County Wine Library is offering curbside pick-up for most of their books and magazines. Place a request on materials in the catalog and pick them up at your nearest library branch. For wine research questions, book recommendations, or for more information on accessing Wine Library materials please email Megan Jones at mjones@sonomalibrary.org or call (707) 433-3772 x0416.

Meet Local Author and Librarian Alexandria Brown

Alexandria Brown was raised in Napa and has spent most of her life living there. She is a teen
services librarian at the Sonoma County Library, a local historian, writer, and author of two books, Hidden History of Napa Valley (2019) and Lost Restaurants of Napa Valley and Their Recipes (2020) . For over four years she was the archivist and head research librarian at the Napa County Historical Society, and later served on the Board. She has a BA with honors in Anthropology and Sociology, a Master's of Library and Information Science, and a Master's in US History, specializing in Black history in California. She writes about science fiction, fantasy, and other topics for Tor.com and blogs about bookish and historical things on her website bookjockeyalex.com.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion set the foundation of all her work.

What motivated you to write Hidden History of Napa Valley andLost Restaurants of Napa Valley?
While working as an archivist and research librarian at the Napa County Historical Society I realized that regular Napa County histories focused predominantly on the male, white, and European experience. I wanted to challenge this traditional narrative, push it aside, expose and record the intentionally forgotten history of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), and talk about issues of racism and capitalism at the same time: how marginalized communities shaped the county and made it what it is today.

Both books are impressively researched. How did you find the resources and uncover the records?

All Napa County newspapers have been digitized and are available for free through the Napa County Library newspaper database. The Huntington Library and the California State Library in Sacramento let me access otherwise unobtainable issues on microfilm and local history master's theses and doctoral dissertations provided valuable on-the-ground original research. I also conducted phone interviews, in particular with descendants of Italian and Chinese families forLost Restaurants.Naturally, I came across quite a bit of gossip and conjecture but I tried to verify as much as possible, triangulate the information and confirm the facts through other records like Sanborn maps and census records.

What challenges did you face in your research?

ForHidden History, it was difficult to find the information to begin with, especially for people of color. Virtually no original descendants of early Black residents exist in Napa County today and very few personal records, letters, diaries, photos, and other original documents remain. For Lost Restaurants,it was just the opposite; the Napa Valley has been historically food-orientated and I had to narrow down a lot of information. I tried to include places that I felt tell the story of Indigenous food and early California life and at the same time could serve as a launching pad to explore bigger issues like racism and demands for social reform.

Are there sources you wished existed, but don't?

Definitely primary sources. There is material in attics, basements and drawers, but it is difficult to know where to look and whom to approach. Often people didn't see the value of it, didn't care too much, or simply didn't have the time to keep their personal records. This can be seen as a larger local history problem and a challenge for historical institutions, libraries and museums to step up and raise awareness for the preservation of personal and cultural collections.

Is there a story that stands out for you?

Two! The first is contained in a newspaper ad for the "California Restaurant," operated by two Japanese American men, serving 'regular' food in downtown Napa in 1902. I tried, but couldn't find any additional information on the two men except their last names and first name initials, C. M. Kitoku and J. Naukagawa. Second, the story of William Rice, a farmer from North Carolina who came to California around 1855 and freed five of his enslaved people - Aaron Rice, his wife Charlotte, his parents Robert and Dilcey, and his youngest son Lewis, but not his teenaged son Nathaniel. William Rice was arrested, but because state law barred all people of color testifying in court, the case was thrown out. William Rice not only forced Nathaniel to work through the remainder of his indenture contract, but also brought perjury charges against Aaron, claiming he had lied about being coerced into a bondage contract. This stands in stark contrast to the official and often cited "only example of slavery in Napa County," the story of Virginia slaveholder Charles S. Carrington.

Interview: Simone Kremkau. Photo: Henrik Meng.

New! Overhead Scanner at the H&G Library

New overhead scanner at the H&G Library Introducing our latest addition – an overhead scanner for staff and public use. This scanner makes quick contactless copying possible for books and documents. No more awkward attempts at flattening books on copiers. ScanSnap will extend the life of our books while allowing you to get the copies you need. Save your copies in PDF or jpg to a flash drive or email them. While the H&G Library is closed to the public, staff are offering this additional service to help you access the collections. Email us with your scanning request at history@sonomalibrary.org.