Discover Your Roots at the Heritage Quest Research Library

Have you heard of? Not many people had, until the genealogy research library and bookstore moved to their new location at 1007 Main Street about a month ago.

For 14 years, HQRL was located behind Alley on Main, accessible by a nondescript doorway leading to a long hallway. Almost no one stopped by.

“We used to have maybe one [customer] a month, and now we are getting maybe five to 10 a day,” said HQRL Director Jim Johnson.

The new location helped the visibility so much that 26 new members joined in the last month. They have almost reached a membership of 200.

One year of membership with HQRL costs $30. Members can make full use of HQRL’s library, which includes court records, military yearbooks, marriage certificates, books with tips on how to go about your search and more.

There are thousands of options and resources available for those interested in tracing their family or regional heritage.

“Well over 10,000 books,” said Johnson. The books date as far back as the 1800s.

The library began when American Genealogical Lending Library bought the collection of genealogical research materials owned by Leland and Steven Meitzler, brothers who lived in Orting, along with their magazine Heritage Quest.

In 1996, the library became the Heritage Quest Research Library it is today, a nonprofit organization run by volunteers. The library has grown with donations made by its members and purchases made with the revenue from memberships and bookstore sales.

Members of HQRL also have access to seven databases: the American Civil War Database, Ancestry Library, Footnote, New England Ancestors, Paper of Record, Paper Trail and World Vital Records. Access to Ancestry Library alone costs $700 a year, so members get a pretty good deal for their money. 

Even if you aren’t a member, you can log onto hqrl.com, click on catalog on the left hand side, and check to see if the information you want is in the library before you pay to access it.

A one-day access pass costs $5.

HQRL also holds classes. Each class costs $10 and anyone who takes a class can use the library for the rest of the day. The next class is July 16, called "Getting Started with Legacy."

Johnson hopes to get people interested in their histories early on, by arranging to send volunteers into the local schools to get kids excited about the past.

“My dad died in 1996, and like a lot of other people, I started asking questions,” said Johnson. According to him, the death of a parent is when a lot of people start looking into their past.

 Johnson has traced his family history back to the “thirty-two.” That is, as far back as his great-great-great-great-grandparents. He can name all 32 of them.

 Heritage Quest Research Library is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.