By: Ann Marie Megoulas, Information Services Supervisor
Interest in family history has grown dramatically in recent years, thanks in part to the internet and to genealogy websites like Family Search, MyHeritage, and Ancestry.com. This is certainly true among an increasing number of visitors to The Library, who like millions of Americans, have become interested in exploring their roots and in uncovering connections to the past.
Libraries have long been a trusted source for genealogy research. Offering both traditional research materials (print books, published family history accounts, local church records, newspaper archives, and more) and free access to modern genealogy databases like MyHeritage and Newspapers.com, The Library is an ideal place to begin or expand your genealogy journey.
This October, the Dauphin County Library System is hosting two fun, informative genealogy events that give you even more reasons to plan a visit.
Discover Genealogy Resources at Your Library, and Beyond will take place on October 8th at the William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library. This program will offer a tour of the free genealogy resources available here at The Library. Registration is required. To learn more, click here.
Our second Annual Genealogy Fair will be held at the East Shore Area Library on October 10th. The Genealogy Fair begins at 10:00 AM and will include two presentations from outside experts as well as opportunities for personal genealogy consultation appointments with knowledgeable staff. To learn more about the various sessions, please view their full descriptions on our website or on page 10 of the Compass, our program guide. You can find a link to the digital copy of Compass at the bottom of our website homepage.
I am especially excited that our first speaker is Rhonda R. McClure, a senior genealogist with American Ancestors. She will be introducing the genealogy resources that are available here in Pennsylvania. As one of the original thirteen colonies, Pennsylvania has a wealth of resources available to those lucky enough to have ties to this area.
Our second speaker is 
, a genetic genealogist and public historian. He will be discussing genealogy’s use in solving crimes and will explain how it has been used to help solve some of Pennsylvania’s oldest cold cases. Whether you are more interested in the true crime or genealogy aspect of this discussion, it is sure to be an intriguing event.
Please note that each Genealogy Fair session has its own description and separate registration, so be sure to register for all sessions that you wish to attend. You can register online at https://www.dcls.org/events-programs/, or click here to view an itinerary that includes registration links. These sessions may fill quickly, so do not wait too long to register.