A Look into a Family History Center
By Alison Forte

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The main role of a volunteer is to help point people in the right direction and to help them make use of every available source that we may have that will help them. I have done a little bit of research for some patrons, but usually there is not enough time to get so involved. I do get very excited though when a researcher does make a discovery!

I only work one 3-hour shift per week, but it always goes by so fast that my head is left spinning. I have always gone home with at least one thing that I didn't know before. Sometimes I have found something that will help a patron with their research and have come to realize that it could possibly help with mine as well. I believe that working at the center has prompted me to look in unexpected places for new information. I have found my great uncle, who I was sure would be lost forever. I have even found things I wasn't even looking for such as my 8th great grandmother who was charged with witchcraft, but the charges were dropped in the early 1700's. Imagine that! Half the fun in doing genealogy is the journey you have and what you find along the way.

In working at the FHC I have found that there are a couple of misconceptions that many visitors have. One is that you have to be a church member to use the facilities, which is not true. The centers are open to the general public. You just need to check with a center in your area about the hours that they are open. The other one is that they seem to be under the impression that we have everyone's family tree and all we have to do is press a button and there it is. They are a little disappointed at first, but after we get them going and they make their first discovery they are happy that it's not really just a button click away after all.

I remember my first days as a newbie researcher. The first time at the FHC I discovered my Grandfather in the England birth indexes. I was hooked. I kept coming back for more. I was so surprised at how helpful all the volunteers were. I remember thinking at the time that when I knew more I would have to volunteer too, and give back everything that they gave to me. I just didn't think it would be so soon. I thought it would be 20 years or more before I could help out. I had spent over five years doing my own research and completed three genealogy courses by correspondence, each of them taking me about a year to complete, when I was invited to join the staff of the Family History Center. The next thing I knew, my youngest was ready for grade one and I was ready to help others like I had been helped so many times before.

The Family History Center Series