Amador County Ancestry

06/09/2026

🌳 I shared awhile back that one of the local organizations I volunteer for took me to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in the Fall (see prior post). In April, that same organization took me again to Preston Castle in Ione. My great grandmother Ruby SHEALOR Watt, and my great grandfather Milton Watt both worked at Preston. Milt dedicated his entire career to Preston, serving as the Head Blacksmith and blacksmithing teacher there for over 40 years.

For Christmas a couple of years ago, I purchased a brick to benefit the Preston Castle Foundation,Ione, as a gift for my mom. I had not yet seen the brick installed in their brick garden, so I grabbed the opportunity to hunt for it. So touching to see their names displayed in a place of honor, right in front of the place where they spent so much of their lives. A full circle moment.

Lots of great photos here, see captions under some of them.

06/09/2026

🌳 One of my favorite things about the monthly board meetings for the Amador County Historical Society, are the stories I get to hear, and the things I get to see. One recent example was this old whiskey bottle donated to the County Archives, originally sold by E(nrico) Ginocchio & Bro. in Jackson.

I had already learned a little about the Ginocchio family when I dug into my brother-in-law’s family history in the Middle Bar area (the Giannini’s, see prior post)… but since I always love to be able to make tangible connections, I looked just a tiny bit deeper to help visualize the people and lives behind this simple bottle.

See captions under photos.

06/08/2026

Don’t forget to get your tickets to join the Amador County Historical Society for their Annual Barbecue, this Sunday!

📅 Sunday, June 14
⏰ 4:00 pm
📍 Amador County Museum, in Jackson
🎟️ Tickets are on sale now, click here - https://www.amadorcountyhistoricalsociety.org/

06/08/2026

🌳 In March, I had the opportunity to attend another historical talk put on by the Sutter Creek Community Benefit Foundation. This one featured JoAnn Levy, local author of the 2 books pictured here. She had some fantastic stories to share about women in the California Gold Rush, and I had been wanting to add these books to my collection!

06/08/2026

🌳 In March, I had the opportunity to attend another historical talk put on by the Sutter Creek Community Benefit Foundation. This one featured JoAnn Levy, local author of the 2 books pictured here. She had some fantastic stories to share about women in the California Gold Rush, and I had been wanting to add these books to my collection!

04/26/2026

Join the Amador County Historical Society for their Annual Barbecue!

📅 Sunday, June 14
⏰ 4:00 pm
📍 Amador County Museum, in Jackson
🎟️ Tickets are on sale now, click here - https://www.amadorcountyhistoricalsociety.org/

04/24/2026

Looking forward to this, this Sunday!

Step inside history ⚙️📜 Join us this Sunday, April 26 for the Knight Foundry Archives Open House at the Kennedy Mine Archive Building! Explore rare historical drawings, get an up-close look at the archives and learn how these incredible pieces of history are being preserved and digitized for future generations.

Whether you’re a history buff, engineering enthusiast or just curious, there’s something here for you.

🕛 12–4 PM
📍 Kennedy Mine Archive Building, in Jackson, CA
🎟️ FREE & open to all

Stop by, bring a friend and experience the stories behind the Foundry!

04/24/2026

03/12/2026

🌳 After emigrating from Cornwall, my 3rd great-grandparents were married in Rough & Ready before eventually settling in Amador County. They weren’t Shealors (my mom’s paternal side), but Keverns from her maternal side - a branch of the family I haven’t touched on here, yet. 💕

02/14/2026

Love this 💕