A celebrity goes on a journey to trace his or her family tree in each episode of NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” The popular program has sparked new interest in genealogy and family history. I love this show, because searching for my own personal family heritage has been a lifelong passion. The lucky folks on “Who Do You Think You Are?” jet off to Paris or Bahrain to discover their ancestors, but you and I can find ours without ever leaving home. If you are just getting started, be sure to take time to read a guide to genealogy research.
Your DBRL card gives you access to two of the largest online genealogy libraries: Ancestry and Heritage Quest. Because of license restrictions, Ancestry is only available from inside a DBRL building. You can use one of the public computers, or bring your own laptop for wireless access to the huge Ancestry database. Heritage Quest, which includes all the United States Census from 1790-1930, Revolutionary War records, and thousands of local histories and genealogy books, is available from home with your library card.
Another useful DBRL database you can access from home is the Historical New York Times. It includes the full text of every issue from 1851 through 2007.
Are you a local researcher with roots here in Central Missouri? Browse DBRL’s Boone County history or Callaway County history reference collections.
This post is way too long, and I haven’t mentioned any of the fabulous primary sources you can find on the Web! Guess that’s a subject for next time.
