GADSDEN COUNTY, FL — Libraries across Gadsden County are hosting genealogy workshops to help residents explore their family history through historical records, official documents and free access to one of the world's largest genealogy databases.
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Participants in the workshops will learn how to search historical records and use official documents to trace their family history. One of the primary tools available is Ancestry.com, which is free to use at any Gadsden County library.
Deanna Ramsey, the genealogy workshop leader, said the desire to know more about one's roots is something she hears often.
"And I can't tell you how many people have come into the Gadsden County libraries and have said I want to know my people. I said yes, that's what we're going to do in class, we're going to find out. It might not all be in one place. I show them other places they can go, and I say call your auntie up and ask her some questions, or, you know, call a cousin. Everybody had a different set of knowledge, put it all together, you have a story."
The workshops go beyond online searching. Attendees are encouraged to bring old family photos, letters, important documents, and anything else they may already have at home related to their family history.
During each session, participants will begin creating a personal scrapbook to organize those memories while keeping track of the family history they discover along the way.
Ramsey said the scrapbooks have a way of bringing even more stories to the surface.
"And then it never fails when you do have a scrapbook, some aunt or somebody in the family says, ' Oh, I have a story and they will tell a story about that person, and then you can add that to what you found."
The genealogy workshops will be held at libraries throughout Gadsden County, and organizers say anyone interested in learning more is welcome to join. Residents can check the Gadsden County Public Library's Facebook page for dates and locations.
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