Using the genealogy databases are fun and they can be accessed from your home computer or at your local MCPL branch. I used the FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Services database to research the family tree of one of my great-great-grandmothers and found many interesting relatives. I found descendants that were kings and queens and one line going all the way back to Adam and Eve!
Mid-Continent Public Libraries has access to an overwhelming amount of databases that most of our lovely patrons know very little about. Being that MCPL's specialty is genealogy (Thank you Midwest Genealogy Center), one very useful but slightly unknown resource is the Archive Finder database.
As an avid genealogist, I have always been fascinated with the history of the towns where my ancestors lived. What was life like for them? Where was the land they lived on? Why/how did they arrive at that particular destination? There are many reasons why your ancestors settled where they did. Sometimes, it was convenience - that’s where the trains stopped or the boats docked. Other times, it was your relatives moved to the places where others they knew from the “Old Country” had already immigrated. I have traveled to many locations wher
Are you just starting on your genealogy quest? Maybe, you’ve been at it for years and have just hit a roadblock. Perhaps, you used to do genealogy and are trying to get back into the swing of things. If you fit into any of these categories, then you might consider attending a Beginning Genealogy class at the Midwest Genealogy Center. Most of our staff members teach the beginning course, and everyone teaches it a little bit differently. But no matter which class you attend, you will learn (or perhaps re-learn) the basic principles of genealogy.
MCPL is sponsoring NPR’s StoryCorps MobileBooth, which will record interviews in Kansas City from September 9—October 2, 2010. These stories are being sent to the Library of Congress and will eventually be available online. To learn about recording your own story, a Recording Oral Histories workshop will be held at the Midwest Genealogy Center on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 1:30 p.m . The speaker, Mark Meisenheimer, is a professional producer of recorded family histories and will teach participants techniques for taping their own oral history.
You may have watched this TV series earlier this year, where a celebrity goes place to place to trace their family ancestry with help from genealogical experts. Did you know that there is a book by the same title, written by Megan Smolenyak, who was the chief research advisor for the TV series?
Dearborn Area History Has Been Gathered By Mrs. Lu Durham
The Dearborn Branch has a unique collection of information on area families gathered by Mrs. Lu Durham. A number of the genealogies start with early residents of the area, as long ago as the 1840s. These are organized into notebooks with the families in alphabetical order.
Need help with your German genealogy questions? We have some classes that can help! On Saturday, October 9 at 9:30 a.m., we have Introduction to Exploring German Civil Registration Records with Bob Howe (this is a 2 hour class). You can register online or by calling MGC at (816) 252-7228. Then on Saturday, January 15 at 9:30 a.m., we will have part 2 of this class - German Civil Registration Records - Birth.
I love doing research in the library. Answering reference questions is my favorite thing, if a little rare these days. But, I am not a genealogist. Still, I was curious about some people who were important to me when I was a child, and I found some of the answers I was looking for by using online resources available to me through MCPL.
A short time ago, I was asked to teach a class on Beginners Genealogy for the women’s organization at the church I attend. I had some thoughts on how and what I would present, but decided to see what ideas and information the Mid-Continent Genealogy Library (better known as the Midwest Genealogy Center or MGC) had online. I was pleasantly surprised to see all the information I found for beginners – there were some similarities to my own thoughts, but I gleaned much more than I had anticipated.
