This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Genealogy Research Group Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

The Family History Interest Group meets at Bernards Library and provides support for those wishing to delve into their families' past.

Yesterday, The Family History Interest Group (Genealogy) celebrated its 10th Anniversary of helping local residents research their families' past. 

"Then, Now, and Looking to the Future!" sums up the success achieved by the group over the past ten years by providing the means, the support and the knowledge to participants' pursuance of family histories.

Inclement weather did not keep an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 55 people from gathering Tuesday night, February 23, 2010, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Family History Interest Group (FHIG).  FHIG has been meeting monthly at Bernards Township Library since February 2000, when the first invitation beckoned, "Come, Learn, Enjoy!"  Since then many have done just that and the group continues to thrive today.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

FHIG provides opportunities for those interested in family history and genealogy to meet and share information and experiences.  Information gathered can help participants in their genealogy searches leading to successful results.

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history.  The pursuit of family history tends to be shaped by several motivations, including the desire to carve out a place for one's family in the larger historical picture and a sense of responsibility to preserve the past for future generations.   

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tuesday's event was a night of celebration, recognition and fun.  The meeting began with a family history ice breaker.  The first ten participants to complete their ice breaker were awarded door prizes which ranged from books, to travel bags, CDs and calendars.  Other door prizes were awarded randomly.  Finger foods and drinks were also served along with a toast to FHIG's history with an anniversary cake.

A number of notes of congratulations were read.  The night's presentation, titled "10 Years of FHIG," was a reflection of the group's history, the change in genealogy research since 2000 and the future of genealogy.  The presentation was moderated by Ruth Lufkin and given by Dick O'Malley.  Ruth is the reference librarian at the Bernards Township Library and has been directing FHIG since its inception.

During the past ten years, over 110 monthly presentations have been made.  While some well-known individuals from outside the group have made presentations, most presentations have been made by FHIG participants.  The topics of the talks were categorized by Dick and Ruth as the following: (1) General Interest; (2) Methodology/How To: (3) Technology; (4) Places to Visit; (5) Old Country and (6) Roundtable Discussions.

A chronological listing of all meeting topics since February 2000 was distributed.  In addition, other free materials were available such as a 1954 "Know Your Town Handbook" of Bernards Township; "How Do I Start My Family History" brochure, and various historical registers and quarterlies from northeastern United States.  These and other materials, including the handouts from most of the group's ten years of presentations, can be viewed or received by visiting Ruth at the library's Reference Desk.

2010 looks like the beginning of another exciting decade for FHIG.  The topic for the March 23, 2010 meeting will be "Using Finder Grade," an online genealogy tool.  Upcoming topics will also include a presentation on "How to Get Started" for those wanting to learn how to trace their family roots.   So join in!    

The FHIG meets the fourth Tuesday of every month.  The meetings begin with coffee and informal discussion at 6:30 p.m., with the presentations running from 7 through 8:45 p.m.  The once a month meetings are held at the Bernards Township Library.  The meetings are open to all and no prior experience in tracing genealogical roots is required or necessary.

To learn more about the FHIG visit the Bernards Township Library website at: http://www.bernardslibrary.org/ and signup to receive the FHIG newsletter.  The FHIG Newsletter is the place to find information about upcoming FHIG meetings, intriguing articles, ideas and encouragement for your own genealogy searches.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?