Researching family history — also known as genealogy — has quickly become a popular American pastime. Getting the full family story may require extensive research using dozens of resources, but area libraries have been rising to the challenge.
About two years ago, Beth Parker, Mokena Public Library technical services clerk and local historian, and author Matt Galik saw a need to support the library patrons in their quest for ancestry answers.
“Once you get started, you get hooked” Parker said,
Obsession can become frustration when research hits a “brick wall,” but Parker said group discussion and some guidance can make a big difference in moving forward.
Parker and Galik started a Genealogy Club which meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month, Parker said, and anyone who is interested is welcome to attend the meetings. With guidance, members research a specific topic, learn about a variety of available resources and share their personal genealogical progress. Parker said the atmosphere is “pretty relaxed.”
Patrons have plenty of help available when the club is not in session, Parker said. There are more than a dozen online resources available at the Mokena library, some which can be accessed at home and a library edition of Ancestry which can be used only at the library.
Parker said a dedicated genealogy room contains local history books, yearbooks, newsletters and microfilm, among other resources that would be helpful to anyone in the area researching family background.
“I would say the majority of it is local history,” Parker said.
Frankfort Public Library reference and readers’ services librarian Jill Ganeshan began developing genealogical services at the Frankfort library in 2009. Ganeshan oversees the library’s Open Genealogical Lab and the Frankfort Area Obituary Index.
The open lab meets from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the second Tuesday of most months, Ganeshan said. Meetings will resume in March this year.
The format is casual, she said, and members are invited to share genealogical findings and ask questions and Ganeshan said “conversation is an important part of the class,” noting that “we are valuable resources for one another.”
“I really like seeing those ‘aha’ moments,” Ganeshan said. “It’s more about feeling validated. It’s more about feeling part of something larger. I’ve seen people stand taller when they find something…”
The Frankfort Area Obituary Index is a cooperative effort of the library and the Frankfort Historical Society, Ganeshan said, in an ongoing process of indexing obituaries from seven newspaper publications, some dating back to the early 1900s, Ganeshan said.
Other resources are an archival room, which has some family histories, narratives and books by local authors and dozens of online resources which can be found on the library website.
Ganeshan said that the library subscribes to the popular Ancestry website, but she cautions those doing a serious genealogical search about using only one source.
“I would say without a doubt the most-used resource would be Ancestry,” Ganeshan said, but she said she does not want to “convey the myth that you can find everything about your ancestry online or that everything can be found on Ancestry.”
“There are many more resources out there.”
Pam Taylor, genealogy facilitator at New Lenox Public Library, echoed Ganeshan’s warning. Taylor said although the internet is a good resource, “to get the story or your family, you have to dig further.”
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“So many new people to genealogy and younger people think that simply by going to the internet they can find everything they want on their family, and that is so untrue,” Taylor said. “You have to dig into archives. You have to get into libraries. You have to check those local histories. You have to read journals and newspapers and microfilm, and that’s where you get the good stuff.”
The New Lenox library is working to provide those resources for its patrons. Taylor holds a Genealogy Club from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month. The program is typically presentation of a topic during which members may ask questions and hold discussions. Taylor is also available every other Saturday to answer questions in one-on-one sessions, she said.
Additional genealogical resources at New Lenox Library are Heritage Quest, the baiduhai Historical Archive and nine sources of local history records which have been digitized, including those from schools, churches, servicemen and Will County records.
Taylor said a dedicated local history section is “in the works” at the library.
More information is at www.frankfortlibrary.org, www.mokenalibrary.org or www.newlenoxlibrary.org.
Ginger Brashinger is a freelancer.