Beginner Genealogy

Have you been thinking about your family’s history?  Want to know about your family’s journey that led you to here?  Well now is the perfect time to begin exploring genealogy. Genealogy is the study of families and family histories.  Stewart Bell Jr. Archives is happy to help you on this journey of discovery.  Archives Associate Joan Wood will lead a presentation explaining the five basics of genealogy including identifying what you already know about your family, deciding what you want to learn about your family, selecting a record to research, obtaining the records, and how to use the information gained.  Joan will also explain the genealogical resources available through the library to help you with your search. 

Joan Wood started her journey into genealogy in 1979 by researching her own family history. Since then, she has effectively researched records in the United States, Sweden, Scotland, and a variety of other places accumulating over 2,000 family names.  Working for almost fifteen years at the Stewart Bell Jr. Archives, she has enjoyed assisting patrons with a variety of historical and genealogical questions and teaching clients how to use the resources available to them. Joan also spearheaded the creation of the Family History Hunters group which meets once a month at the Handley Library to discuss genealogy tools and strategies.