Digging Up the Family Roots

One of the treasures left to me by my father was a thick notebook with his research into his family history.  I bring it to family gatherings and it becomes the center of attention.  People enjoy learning about their family background.  When did great grandpa come over from England? How did he get to Newport?  Wasn't there an aunt in New York?

My dad did his research the old fashioned way.  He started with the records in a family bible and worked from there.  He pored over micro-film at Mormon Church centers.  In his files were dozens of letters requesting information from town clerks, churches, historical societies and even school boards.  My dad spent hours in libraries that featured genealogical resources. Needless to say he made trips over to England and Ireland to visit cemeteries and research records not available in the United States.  When databases became available online, my dad rejoiced.  He learned to use a computer when he was in his 80's just to work on genealogy. 

I became the keeper of family genealogy when dad died.  I've tried to make sense of my dad's notes, questions, and especially the mysteries he couldn't quite solve in his lifetime.  Researching the Irish side of the family was a real puzzlement to my father. We still don't have a reliable birthdate for my grandmother Canole and we are not quite sure how her family came through Canada to arrive in Newport.

As much as I would like to get back to these family mysteries, I need help.  I'm trained as a librarian, so research is second nature to me.  Genealogical resources, however, are something else.  The wonderful TV shows make it seem so easy to make those connections to the past family members. Trying on my own has not been so successful.  Lots of information out there is not reliable. My dad was an experienced researcher, but we found out he had the top of the family tree wrong all those years.  He relied on information from a family bible, but everything has to be verified.  A family researcher was able to get to church records in England that were not available in databases, so now we have made the change.   I need to know the best resources and how to use them.  

Fortunately there is help coming.  The Rhode Island Genealogical Society is providing a trainer for beginning "root diggers" like me. The presentation is July 15th at the Portsmouth Free Public Library at 6:30.  The event is sponsored by the Portsmouth Historical Society and the Portsmouth Free Public library as part of the 375th Celebration.  Want to join me?  Sign up at the library.