The question has been raised among longtime genealogists as to whether the proliferation of television shows related to genealogy — “Who Do You Think You Are?,” “Genealogy Roadshow” and those programs presented by Henry Louis Gates Jr. — help or hinder genealogical research.
We are seeing more and more people who never darken the door of a library or archives thinking they can find anything they need online. Television advertisements by ancestry.com help fuel that view, urging folks to click online to quickly find your ancestors.
Well, I wish someone would do that and find all of mine. With name changes, adoptions and out-of-wedlock ancestors, they certainly aren’t all there with just a mouse click.
There are also folks who don’t seem to understand the need for documentation (sources) for their finds. Even if found online, you need to record the website or family genealogy page. Records can’t be created if they are not out there, if a courthouse is burned or not being taken care of properly.
The 2012 campaign to keep the Georgia Archives open was needed because that one repository is the place to go to do research into Georgia’s county courthouse records — short of visiting a dozen courthouses a zillion times.
Only a small percentage of any Georgia county courthouse’s records are online. No Georgia deeds are online at FamilySearch or Ancestry, so how can you research those valuable records without going to either a courthouse, the state archives or one of the few public libraries that have county records on microfilm?
Supporting local genealogical societies, attending training sessions and learning how to do research can help anyone getting into genealogy, no matter where your roots are located.
March events
"The History and Preservation Treatment of Savannah's Historic Torahs" by Kim Norman, conservator at the Georgia Archives, and members of Mickve Israel Congregation in Savannah is the subject of the March 13 Georgia Archives Lunch and Learn seminar. It's at noon and is free; bring your lunch. Check georgiaarchives.org for further details.
The Gainesville Public Library has Sitting Up With the Dead scheduled for March 13 at the library in Gainesville. Hours for the special genealogy time are 5 p.m. until midnight. Cost is $12 for snacks. Registration deadline is March 9 at hallcountylibrary.org under Adult Programs. Call 770-532-3311, Ext. 116, for more information. This is a good chance to use their genealogy collection after hours.
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