Programs designed for genealogy enthusiasts

The Tuscarawas County Public Library System has a lineup of programs for genealogy enthusiasts to attend.

“Genealogy enthusiasts enjoy monthly club gatherings, lock-ins and how-to-search classes,” adult and teen services manager Robyn Guedel said. “We are pleased to be offering these this fall along with two special programs.”

Genealogy Club meetings will include the lock-in on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. (arrive by 5:55 p.m.), the research evening on Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. and another research evening on Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m.

Genealogy classes will be Genealogy Websites for Beginners on Oct. 7 from 10-11:30 a.m. and Ancestry Library for Beginners on Oct. 7 from 1:30-3 p.m.

Special programs will include DNA Tested: An Introduction to Autosomal DNA Testing on Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. and Creating a Visual Legacy for Future Generations on Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m.

“Everyone is welcome at these club meetings and programs,” Guedel said. “There is no formal membership or charge to participate in club events. It is just people interested in genealogy coming together to learn new things and to learn from one another.”

Public service associate Gina Merrill oversees the county library’s genealogy and local history collections, teaches database classes, and facilitates the Genealogy Club. Merrill said the special programs are chosen from questions that have been asked or topics that have been discussed.

“We are especially excited about the Introduction to Autosomal DNA Testing program,” Merrill said. “So many Tuscarawas County residents are eager to learn their family heritage, and this is one way to trace their ancestry.”

Mary Jamba, a trustee of the Ohio Genealogical Society, will provide an overview of what one gets when purchasing a saliva collection kit and will give a comparison of the three main companies that offer them. Jamba has been a past president of the Greater Cleveland Genealogical Society and the DNA user group leader at the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group.

Merrill said new members are always welcome to attend Genealogy Club events and classes at the library. The county library offers online resources including Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest and Fold3 databases as well as census, marriage and cemetery indexes. The collection at the Main Library in New Philadelphia also includes yearbooks, maps, local village histories, war rosters and the Times Reporter along with its predecessors on microfilm.

In addition to local newspaper microfilm, the county library subscribes to Newspaper Archives, which is an online database that offers keyword search capabilities for articles and obituaries in newspapers across Ohio dating back to the 1800s.

While the collection at the Main Library houses the system’s most comprehensive genealogy and local history collection, each of the county’s four branches has a small collection unique to the individual village.

The fall genealogy program offerings will be held at the Main Library at 121 Fair Ave. NW, New Philadelphia. There is no charge to attend any of these offerings, but registration is required and may be done on the online program calendar on the library’s website at www.tusclibrary.org or by calling 330-364-4474 ext. 101.