Explore your Ancestry.com

In this digital age, an inquiry posted to a website, social media or otherwise, can be deluged with responses in a matter of minutes. Ask a question, and answers are offered, stories shared, and conversations started. The asker of the question may be rewarded immediately with the information they sought or inundated with a flurry of answers that take patience to sift through. Through digital connections that occur faster than the blink of an eye, faded friendships are shined to new luster, extinguished romances rekindled, lost pets found, and, sometimes, criminals identified. All thanks to the Internet and a curious and informed, if information-saturated (but that's another blog entirely) public who can connect with one another across continents with the flip of a switch and click of a mouse.

Last week, a Library visitor excitedly told me about a growing band of relatives that she recently discovered through a "Why not?" venture into Ancestry.com. She had only one name of an ancestor from a few generations back to work with, but within moments had found an image in Ancestry.com of that person's signature in an Ellis Island passenger arrival record. A subsequent post to a social media account asking if anyone knew how to pronounce the name led to an answer and a journey to Scotland to explore the land, her heritage, and get to know her newly-found family members.

Why not you? Come to the Library and access Ancestry.com to start putting together your own family puzzle pieces. We offer introductory and advanced Ancestry.com classes taught by a certified genealogist at no charge to you. Space is limited and registration is required, so reserve your seat today for Introduction to Ancestry.com on March 4th and follow it up with Advanced Ancestry.com on April 1st. We offer these classes on an ongoing basis at the Library, so if you don't get a spot this time, keep your eyes on our newsletter and online calendar for upcoming class dates. We've got it all at the Library: a perfect blend of past, present and future. Explore yours today.