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Join us this fall and learn the basics of genealogical research!

If you are already your family’s unofficial historian, if you have already started family research, or if you’re interested in the topic and are brand new, you are welcome to join us for this three-session class. Join us for just one class, or all three! 

Classes will include a lecture with Library Archivist Karen Urbec, followed by a question-and-answer period, and time to practice your new research skills with the library’s genealogical resources. Class members are also encouraged to attend our Monday night Drop-In Genealogy sessions each week, to further sharpen their skills.

Class Schedule

September 9: Getting Started Researching Your Family History; Vital Records

• This class will introduce the Genealogical Proof Standard, the importance of a reliable informant, and vital records–birth, marriage, and death records that are the starting point for most family history research.

October 7: Forming a Good Research Question; Census Records

• This class will briefly review the prior lesson, then we’ll learn how to create good research questions, and we’ll learn what can be found in U. S. Federal Census records.

November 4: Visiting an Archive; DNA Basics; Lineage Societies

• This class will briefly review prior lessons, then will tell what to expect when you visit an archive, the basics of DNA for genealogists, and will introduce lineage societies.

Registration is required for each class. Please register for each class separately.

Registration opens for all 3 classes on Monday, August 26 at 5:00 PM.