BOSTON – March 10, 2022 – The Boston Public Library today announced its Spring Genealogy Series, offering a range of workshops and lectures to help patrons uncover their family history. The events will be held virtually via Zoom. Patrons can learn more and register at the links below and at bpl.org/events.
The event series includes:
March 16: Family History at the Massachusetts Archives: Government Records as Genealogical Resources
The Massachusetts Archives exists to collect, preserve, and provide access to the records of the government of Massachusetts. Its collections date back to the foundation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and new records are added every year. This talk will introduce attendees to the collections that are useful for genealogists and family historians. It will be led by Catherine Perreault, a Reference Archivist at the Massachusetts Archives.
April 6: Sources and Methods for Researching Native American Ancestors
- This session is designed to share the basics of ancestral research for those with Native American ancestry and will be led by Paula Stuart-Warren, Certified Genealogist®, FMGS, FUGA. This one-hour introduction covers a variety of records and places to find records both online and off; it might be in the journal of missionary, a church christening record, a special, state, or federal census, school records, vital records, a bible, or your ancestor’s own words.
April 20: Genealogy: Researching Female Ancestors
- Researching female ancestors can be a difficult task. The practice of changing surnames after marriage can make women hard to track, and many historical records focus on men with women being listed only under their husbands’ names. This class will offer some guidance for researching female ancestors, including information about sources that attendees may not have thought to check.
May 12: Jewish Genealogy for Descendants of Holocaust Survivors
- This talk will explore the major repositories for Holocaust research, how to access these records online, and how finding both family who perished and those who survived the Shoah can be a resource for family research. This event will be led by Carolyn Lee Kohlman, the co-President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston.
May 19: Genealogy: Newspapers and Print Resources
- This class will provide information about how to use newspapers for family history research and give a basic overview of some useful print resources held by the BPL. Participants will be looking primarily at resources that can be accessed online, either via a BPL database or on the Internet.
June 16: Genealogy: Researching Adopted Ancestors
- Adoption has existed in one form or another for much of human history. Whether formal or informal, adoptions can play a significant role in shaping one’s family tree. This class will provide an overview of the history of adoption in the United States and some of the resources available to research adopted ancestors.
June 23: Putting Family History On The Map
- Join Ian Spangler and Megan Nally from the Leventhal Map & Education Center as they discuss the use of historic maps for genealogical research. They will provide a demo of Leventhal Center's Atlascope tool, which overlays historic maps on top of modern-day ones so you can easily compare past and present.
For a full list of genealogy events visit bpl.bibliocommons.com/events/search/q=genealogy, and for all BPL events visit bpl.org/events.
