genealogy

08 10, 2021

Join Mentor Public Library’s genealogy club

By |2021-08-10T06:00:57-04:00August 10, 2021|

Research your family history with our new Back to Your Roots Genealogy Club.

Research your family history with our new Back to Your Roots Genealogy Club at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.

Our Back to Your Roots Genealogy Club is back, and it’s open to anyone who’s curious about their family history.

We’ll be meeting in person at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at our newly renovated Lake Branch. You can share tips on researching your genealogy, exchange information, and talk shop. All levels of genealogy expertise are welcome.

You can RSVP on our website or by calling us at (440) 257-2512.

By the way, did you know that your library card gives you access to not one, not two, not three, but four different genealogy websites? For free.

They are:

  1. Ancestry — Search for your family’s history through censuses, cemeteries, city directories, military and immigration records, and more public records.
  2. Fold3 — Fold3 allows you to research your family’s military history going back to the Revolutionary War.
  3. HeritageQuest — Similar to our Ancestry database. Browse public records, including censuses that go back to the 18th Century, US Indian census rolls, mortality schedules and more.
  4. African-American Heritage — A genealogy database that specializes in African-American heritage, complete with state-by-state guides and a volunteer-staffed forum.

You don’t need to know much to get started on our databases—a name, somewhere that person lived and it helps to know his or her approximate birth year. And, frankly, if you don’t know your great-grandfather or great-great-mother’s birth year, it usually only takes a single search to find out.

These databases search through millions of public records: census and immigration information, birth/marriage/death certificates, and more. Not only can you view these documents, but you can email them to yourself and your family members.

Give them a look, and share what you find at our Back to Your Roots Genealogy Club!

05 20, 2021

Genealogy Research: Using Secondary Sources

By |2021-05-20T19:00:46-04:00May 20, 2021|

We have a special presentation to share!

Ms. Lisa, one of our library associates and leader of our Back to your Roots Genealogy Club, explains how you can use secondary sources to answer tough questions in your family’s history.

By the way, your library card gives you access to several genealogy websites, including Ancestry. You can search for your family’s history through censuses, cemeteries, city directories, military and immigration records, and more public records!

You don’t need to know much to get started on our databases—a name, somewhere that person lived and it helps to know his or her approximate birth year. And, frankly, if you don’t know your great-grandfather or great-great-mother’s birth year, it usually only takes a single search to find out.

These databases search through millions of public records: census and immigration information, birth/marriage/death certificates, and more. Not only can you view these documents, but you can email them to yourself and your family members.

And each document that you discover provides more information that you can use to hone your search.

So start searching and explore that family tree!

08 4, 2018

Learn about your genealogy & family history with our databases

By |2018-08-04T06:00:01-04:00August 4, 2018|

Research your family's history with HeritageQuest, Ancestry and other databases at Mentor Public Library.

Research your family’s history with HeritageQuest, Ancestry and other databases at Mentor Public Library.

How far back do you know your family’s history? Do you know your great-grandparents? Do you know their great-grandparents?

Do you want to?

It’s amazing what you can learn about your family history with the databases available at Mentor Public Library.

Your library card gives you access to not one, not two, not three, but four different genealogy websites. For free.

They are:

  1. Ancestry — Search for your family’s history through censuses, cemeteries, city directories, military and immigration records, and more public records.
  2. Fold3 — Fold3 allows you to research your family’s military history going back to the Revolutionary War.
  3. HeritageQuest — Similar to our Ancestry database. Browse public records, including censuses that go back to the 18th Century, US Indian census rolls, mortality schedules and more.
  4. African-American Heritage — A genealogy database that specializes in African-American heritage, complete with state-by-state guides and a volunteer-staffed forum.

You don’t need to know much to get started on our databases—a name, somewhere that person lived and it helps to know his or her approximate birth year. And, frankly, if you don’t know your great-grandfather or great-great-mother’s birth year, it usually only takes a single search to find out.

These databases search through millions of public records: census and immigration information, birth/marriage/death certificates, and more. Not only can you view these documents, but you can email them to yourself and your family members.

And each document that you discover provides more information that you can use to hone your search.

So start searching and explore that family tree.

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