Posted on | January 18, 2013 |
In some ways it was like a family reunion of 7th cousins, nine times removed.
Chances are good many of the more than 100 people who attended 15th anniversary celebration of the Temecula Valley Genealogical Society on Monday, Jan. 14, are linked somewhere on their family trees.
And, if they?re not sure exactly how they?re related, they?ll keep digging until they find out.
The society was founded in 1998 by four women, Jo Peck, Toni Perrone, Barbara Russell and Terrie Scheele, who originally met with a few other members at Peck?s home at The Farm in Wildomar.
Once the ground work for the nonprofit group was established, an open house was held to gauge local interest in family research.
?We didn?t know if anyone would show up,? said Perrone, who teaches and lectures on genealogy across the country.
More than 100 people attended that original open house and now, 15 years later, the society has about 150 active members from across Southwest County. The group meets on the second Monday of each month in the Community Room at the Temecula Civic Center.
Genealogy is a hobby for many people (like me) and an obsession for some. The growth in the number of people tracing their roots in recent years can be traced to availability of information on the Internet.
No longer do people have to search through dusty old records and traipse through graveyards to dig up information on their forefathers and foremothers.
This apparently is seen as both a blessing and a curse in serious genealogy circles as the Internet makes researching the past more accessible. However, the information posted into family trees by casual researchers, and then picked up by others, may contain errors or be incorrect.
The Temecula Valley group ? the Lake Elsinore Genealogical Society pre-dates the Temecula society in Southwest County ? has come a long way in 15 years.
In addition to the monthly meeting, which typically includes a guest speaker ? this week the subject was researching military records ? there is a genealogy room at the Temecula Public Library with dedicated research computers. The society provides volunteers to assist researchers at the library several times each month.
On Monday, Perrone ? always a genealogist ? spent part the meeting detailing the family tree of the organization. Current president Barbara Perez then introduced the founders who are still in the area along with the current officers. Then, before the evening?s presentation, everyone had cake. It?s a fun group.
Getting started in genealogy can be as easy asking your grandmother about her family.
There are websites available to help and provide information. Many charge a fee but some, like familysearch.org ? run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ? are free.
The public is also invited to use the local LDS Family History Center in Murrieta. Call 951-698-4983 for more information.
There are also groups the like the Temecula Valley Genealogical Society which welcomes new members and are willing to help you both get started and find a long lost relative.
Find out more at ? tvgs.net ? and happy digging.
Reach John Hunneman at 375-3733 or jhunneman@pe.com.
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Source: http://blog.pe.com/john-hunneman/2013/01/18/hunneman-finding-family-at-genealogical-society/
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