October is Family History Month
Only a family historian regards a step backwards as progress! Begin your family history journey by attending our Beginners' Genealogy Workshop on Saturday, October 23, from 9:30 to 1:00 p. m. at the Lake County Public Library in Merrillville. This workshop is co-sponsored by the Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society and the Lake County Public Library.
Lake County Genealogist, Marlene Polster, will kick off the Beginner's Workshop with pointers about where to start your genealogy research. You will learn that genealogy begins at home and starts with you. Begin your search by reminiscing with your living relatives. Visit again all the memories and mementos left behind by your ancestors. Search through old letters, scrapbooks, and photographs for genealogy material.
Sally Phillips, President of the Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society, will present three sessions. Sally will share tips for dealing with different spellings of surnames and reading old handwrtiting in her "What's in a Name" session. In her next session, Sally will cover the importance of source citiation and documentation. In her last session, Sally will tell you how to share your information with family, friends, and fellow genealogists through genealogical societies like the DAR.
Northwest Indiana Society Officer, Gerald Dupczak, will talk about using the basics of the United States Census to further your genealogy . Did you know that you can find birthdates, places of birth, dates of marriage, number of children, and naturalization information in the Census? Gerald will also introduce you to some of the most helpful genealogy web sites on the Internet.
At the end of the workshop, Lake County Public Library's, Indiana Librarian, will demonstrate the library's trio of Genealogy subscription databases: Ancestry Library Edition, Heritage Quest, and ProQuest Obituaries. Your ancestral chart will fill up fast as you learn how to search for your ancestors in these information packed databases.
Internet enthusiasts can visit our Indiana Room & Genealogy link at http://www.lcplin.org/ for information about our historical newspaper collection, and our local obituary database. Local obituaries can be obtained from Lake County Public Library through our Ask a Librarian service. Don't forget, you can always make a genealogy appointment with our genealogy librarian for personal help with your search.
If you want to learn even more about genealogy, there will be an opportunity to join The Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society at this workshop. Check out the Society's web site at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~innwigs
to learn about volunteer opportunities, upcoming meetings, and programs.
Discover why America's fastest growing hobby has intrigued your neighbors. There may be a little bit of Sherlock Holmes in you too! Please register online at http://www.lcplin.org/.
Use our new calendar under the Library Events link.
