May 9, 2002 For: fcec@lvcm.com F A M I L Y T R E E M A G A Z I N E U P D A T E Essential news and tips for family historians. http://www.familytreemagazine.com _________________________________________________________ CALIFORNIA SLAVE INSURANCE RECORDS MADE PUBLIC Hundreds of slaves and slaveholders are listed in insurance records that were released last week in California. Though California never allowed slavery, it is the first state to require the release of slave-related records held by insurance companies doing business in the state, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. More than 1,000 slaves and slaveholders are named in the records, provided by a dozen firms. The records have been posted online at http://www.insurance.ca.gov/docs/FS-SEIR.htm and put on display in San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."