Genealogists may be surprised by records now available online

AJC file photo

AJC file photo

Here’s a message to the genealogists who think they exhausted all research resources years ago: look again.

Online material, especially from genealogy websites, has grown exponentially in the past decade. Any research done in the past 10 years should be revisited. I hear all the time from people who decided to examine a particular subject again and found many more sources digitized and online via FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, or especially at newspaper sites such as Newspapers.com or GenealogyBank.com.

A few years ago, during the World War I Centennial, I picked back up on my great uncle, who was from New York City and had been stationed at Camp Gordon (off Peachtree Road). He met my great aunt from Columbus on a weekend pass. The family had been stumped, as had I, after 25 years of researching. Only slim details were known about his early years. Researching him again using newly posted records on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch helped me verify details about his parents. It took a while, but records were finally available.

So don’t think you have covered all the bases. Also, whenever possible, leave a query on a site, as someone else might just know the answer you are seeking.

IGHR EXPO July 20 in Athens

Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research courses will be offered in Athens the week of July 21-25. On July 20, there will be an IGHR Expo from 10 a. m. until 5 p. m. at the University of Georgia’s Center for Continuing Education and Hotel, 1197 S. Lumpkin St., Athens. The event is free, and there’s a parking deck is next door. There will be a number of lectures given by FamilySearch.org during the day related to family trees, finding records on the site and understanding the research Wiki. A number of genealogical organizations and vendors will have booths in the exhibit. Books and Things bookstore also will be operating upstairs during the Expo, as well as during the week of IGHR. For more on the bookstore, see mygenealogybooks.com. For more on the IGHR, see ighr.gagensociety.org.

East Lake Golf Club book topic of Lunch and Learn on July 16 in Decatur

Linton C. Hopkins, retired Emory neurologist, will speak on his new book, "East Lake — Where Bobby Learned to Play," at the DeKalb History Center, Lunch and Learn event, July 16. The free lecture will be at the old Courthouse on the Square in Decatur. Bring your own lunch. For more information, see dekalbhistory.org or call Marissa Howard, 404-373-1088, ext. 20. The center's archives is open by appointment.