Genealogy 101

It happens to everyone at least once in their lives. \nFor some, it starts the day they type their last name into a search engine, wondering what it means, or the day they finally take interest in their Uncle Bob's old story about the great-grandfather who might have been a bootlegger during Prohibition. Whenever or whatever might have triggered their desire, at that moment people start tapping into a need that afflicts millions of Americans every year -- the desire to know more about their family history. \nGenealogy is considered to be one of the fastest-growing hobbies in North America, and unearthing family genealogy is a simpler and more rewarding project than it used to be, mainly because of the Internet, said Elaine Kuhn, a librarian for the Allen County Genealogy Department in Fort Wayne, which houses the second-largest collection of genealogy records in the nation. In 2001, the U.S. Senate found that in one month, 14 million people were strolling the Internet to research their family history. \n"The Internet's made making connections with other researchers a hundred times easier," Kuhn said. "We're seeing younger people because they put a name in a search engine to check it out and end up coming to the library because they realize they need to do more research."\nCollege students are prime candidates for becoming family researchers. At no other time in a student's life is research considered a primary job and at no other time will so many older relatives be alive to tell all of the important stories that will enrich the family history. \nAnd no other university town, with resources like the Monroe County History Center and IU's Herman B Wells Library, has such excellent facilities to start tracing family trees, added Kuhn, an IU alumna. \n"Genealogy research starts with yourself," said Liz Knapp, the director of the Monroe County Historical Society's Genealogy Library and a member of Bloomington's chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, also a good source for genealogy research. \nDAR is a prominent national historical society whose members can trace their ancestors back to veterans of the Revolutionary War. The society, along with other national organizations like the Sons of the American Revolution, are dedicated to assisting others in the search for family history and promoting historical education.\nAccording to various genealogy Web sites, drawing a family tree quickly on a piece of paper just to see how far back the family tree can be traced is a good way to start researching. Grandparents and parents can usually help fill in the gaps. Often, there is already a genealogist in the family who can be an invaluable source for pre-existing information. So can the attic. A trip to visit the old boxes gathering dust in the crawl spaces of the house often reveal a wealth of information, from birth, marriage and death records to old photographs and maybe even a scandalous divorce paper or two. \n"You have to be somewhat of a detective," Knapp said. "It's a puzzle. The longer you (do it), the more knowledgeable you become."\nWhile a library is still the best source for researching relatives, Kuhn said, the Internet can find information about relatives on whom the family doesn't have much information. \nWww.Rootsweb.com is one of the major Web sites that plays host to millions of family trees. Its WorldConnect family tree Web site can find all sorts of information about a relative who might have fought in the Revolutionary War or been an English nobleman. Knapp advised people to focus on one family at a time. Having a name and knowing the story that goes along with that family member can be the key to opening up an entire avenue of research and even brand new family trees, she said. \nTracing family history is a rewarding hobby because people are researching their own history, Kuhn said. Many people find common traits cross several generations when they begin doing genealogy research. From physical characteristics found in photographs to common occupations found through the generations, learning about family history can not only help people connect with their family history but can help them in their search for lost relatives and teach them about family illnesses that could one day save their lives, Kuhn said.\nDAR will be hosting a workshop Saturday, Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. for everyone interested in tracing their genealogy or in learning more about how to join DAR. For more information, visit www.monroehistory.org.