Print Version (PDF)

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
October 23, 2017

MEDIA ADVISORY

State Archives Special Speaker Event: Bill Cole to Discuss Bullion Bend: Confederate Stagecoach Robbers,
Murder Trials, & the California Supreme Court

As part of Family History Month, the California State Archives is hosting a special speaker event on Thursday, October 26, with genealogist Bill Cole. He will discuss a Confederate stagecoach robbery in California that gripped the state and nation during the final year of the Civil War. Bill Cole, a relative of one of the perpetrators, dug deep into the California State Archives to uncover the full story and the treasure trove of information he found tells an amazing story, where fact is truly stranger than fiction. He will also discuss tips for using the archives to conduct family history research. 

Bill is a passionate genealogist who has vigorously pursued his family history since 1980. His genealogy exploits include being the first person to document the English parents of his immigrant 8^th great grandfather from the 16^th Century. He has uncovered ancestors born at sea, a shipwrecked survivor pardoned from a death sentence who survived Jamestown, two Mayflower ancestors, multiple Revolutionary War patriots on both sides, and  other fascinating characters – including one involved in a California stagecoach robbery. Bill is a member of the Mayflower Society and the Vice President of the Sacramento German Genealogical Society. He recently served on the International German Genealogical Partnership’s International Conference Executive Committee.

This is a free, but ticketed event. 

Tickets: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/public-events/family-history-month/ 

The event is open to media, but an RSVP is strongly recommended.