PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FAMILY GENEALOGY … Pam Lash (above), president of the Williams County Genealogical Society, talks about preserving family genealogy through various ways at the “Beginning Genealogy Workshop” held on Thursday, October 23, at the Montpelier Public Library.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
For those who want to begin discovering their own family genealogy, the Williams County Genealogical Society hosted a “Beginning Genealogy Workshop” on Thursday, October 23, at the Montpelier Public Library.
Participants had an opportunity to learn about genealogy and why it is one of the most popular hobbies today.
The two-hour workshop focused on the best practices for filling out family group sheets and five-generation charts using resources that are available online through the library.
“I would say somebody who doesn’t know anything about genealogy, and it also could be a refresher for someone to get their feet wet and then go from there,” said Pam Lash, who is the president of the Williams County Genealogy Society.
The first area for someone who is in the beginning stages of preparing a genealogical chart is a study of their family, lineages, and ancestral lines.
“I would say start with what you know and write it down using a form or not,” said Lash.
“Then check around your home and see if you have, for example, your grandmother had a scrapbook and had also kept letters and work on from that.”
Once started, someone could employ oral traditions, historical records, or genetic analysis, followed by tracing and documenting one’s family tree.
“It’s a study of you and your people,” commented Lash, who then questioned the audience if they had their DNA analyzed and asked if they were not surprised by the results.
Using such historical records as vital records, census, church, land, newspaper archives, and court proceedings helps to learn about your family.
Lash pointed out that vital records are very important in beginning a genealogy tree.
She noted three types of vital records: hatch (birth), match (marriage), and dispatch (death) as the three areas important for genealogy research.
The main focus of studying genealogy, according to Lash, is connecting with your heritage and family.
“You might want to look at it from a religious or socio-economic viewpoint,” said Lash. “We want to get a deeper understanding of personal and family history. How you relate what you do as a hobby might be something that an ancestor did.
“My dad collected coins, and then he would make jewelry out of them. Going through the process of working on his family, and we found out that his great-great-grandfather was a jeweler. Coincidence, but I found it quite interesting.”
It also gained a deeper understanding of personal and family history for Lash, who has been involved in genealogy for over 40 years.
Not only does it preserve family stories and tradition, but it gains a new appreciation for history by seeing its personal impact. It becomes an engaging activity that stimulates the mind and teaches new skills.
Genealogy is an expensive hobby, but there are many free and low-cost resources, which are the two most important tools.
The workshop provided several ways family history can be preserved. Among them are writing a family history book or memoir; creating a heritage scrapbook or photo book; digitizing photos and documents to protect items; recording oral histories by interviewing older and younger people and donating a collection of your findings to a local genealogical society, library, or history archive.
Organization of genealogical information begins with a five-generation chart or pedigree chart, which serves as a road map for generations. Family group sheets with information about a couple, which includes parents, children, and sources.
“It’s such a joy of researching my own family, and I want them to experience it too,” admitted Lash.
The Williams County Genealogical Society is a chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society and is a non-profit organization established in 1981. They promote family history research and work to collect, preserve, and disseminate genealogical data and records.