History matters and it matters most when it comes to your own family. Genealogy continues to be a popular hobby with sites such as FamilySearch.org with 13.9 million registered users and 7 million page view daily, and Ancestry.com with more than 3 million paying subscribers and more than a billion searches monthly.
Interested in getting started or want to learn more? Danelle Erickson, executive director of the Meeker County Museum at the G.A.R. Hall, is hosting "Researching Your Family Tree Using In-Person and Online Resources" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at the museum, 308 N. Marshall Ave., Litchfield. Admission is free for members and $3 for nonmembers.
"We're doing it because it's definitely a popular hobby, lots of people are interested in it," Erickson said.
It's also one of their first evening programs, something they hope to build on in the future.
Erickson will give an overview of in-person resources. These are resources typically available if a person goes to a museum or historical society for information. She'll also provide online research using sites such as Ancestry or Family Search, as well as highlight some of the different newspaper sites.
It's not surprising with the interest in genealogy that the Meeker County Museum offers research help.
"Call or email us and tell us what you're looking for," she said. "An obituary can be a quick turnaround. Something more obscure may require more back and forth and more digging." Rather than a direct charge, Erickson said it's more of a donation. "I think that's pretty standard in a lot of places."
If you have specific questions you would like Erickson to address during her presentation or want more information about the program, call the museum at 320-693-8911.
— Kay Johnson
