Area genealogist taking advantage of research classes at Haggard Library

The Jeanette Bickley Bland meeting room at Haggard Library reached maximum capacity Wednesday afternoon as novice genealogists near and far showed up to learn how to begin their genealogy search.

Focusing on where to go, what to look for and how to look through different databases, the class was geared toward those just beginning to search for their ancestors.

Rene Lopez has been tracking his family’s history for nearly four years. He came to the introductory meeting at Haggard Library to try to find different avenues of research to find his family’s roots.

“As a new researcher, you sometimes get stuck in a rut,” said the North Dallas claims supervisor. “The class definitely opened the door to many more methods for me to use.”

Lopez began his genealogy researching after being contacted by a distant cousin after two decades of no communication.

“That call got the ball rolling,” Lopez said. “After losing my grandmother in 1999, and my grandfather before that, I realized that I don’t know that much about myself or my family and was suddenly compelled to learn more.”

Researching into his family’s history has inspired Lopez to want to pursue a career in genealogy.

“It’s very fascinating,” he said. “I have traced my family back to the 1800s and am currently looking into a claim about roots in northern Spain.”

After stumbling upon an old photograph of his great-great-grandfather, Lopez did some digging and found another branch of the family tree. He recently took his mother and two aunts to visit descendants of his great-great-grandfather in Orange Grove, Texas.

“It was a great surprise for them,” Lopez said. “They got to meet distant family members that they didn’t even know existed.”

Plano resident Peggy McGhee has been dabbling in genealogy for several years, but hadn’t gotten the chance to dive into the researching head-on. After seeing the flyer for the class, McGhee thought it would be a good opportunity to find more ways to research her family’s roots.

“My mother passed onto me what she was told growing up, she had bits and pieces of her family’s history written down on scraps of paper here and there,” McGhee said. “But I’d like to learn how to really research and find the missing parts -- all the undocumented stuff.”

McGhee knows that some of her family tree comes from Native American descent and would like to find the exact origins. She and her mother had traced back to several generations and, like Lopez, McGhee would like to find other avenues of research.

After the class, McGhee left with many new ideas of how to find out more about her ancestors.

“I thought it’d be fun to keep up where my mother left off,” McGhee said. “I bet I’ll find all sorts of interesting things.”

Located in the remodeled basement of Haggard Library, the Genealogy, Local History, Texana and Archives provides genealogists with more than 36,000 items, including microfilm, print and other materials to conduct their genealogy research.

The comprehensive collection of research materials is provided through the Collin County Genealogical Society, who first moved their collection to Harrington Library in 1971, where it remained until the move to Haggard. Since then, along with the Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, the collection has been expanded and maintained largely through gifts, donations and fundraising programs.

“Both groups were responsible for the bulk of the collection,” said David Hardin, the Genealogy Library Supervisor. “Without the efforts of these groups there would be no genealogy in Plano. They are a joy to have and we’re happy to continue our relationship with them.”

The next scheduled class on Feb. 10 is to teach novice genealogists how to read land records in the United States. Genealogy classes are held once a month in the Jeanette Bickley Bland meeting room in the basement at Haggard Library. Registration is required for each class; call 972-769-4240 to RSVP.

For a complete list of programs and special events taking place at the five Plano libraries, visit www.planolibrary.org.

Contact Kim Nguyen at knguyen@acnpapers.com

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****