Southern History Department Hosting Several Genealogy Workshops in September

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL)’s Southern History Department has resumed teaching hands-on computer genealogy classes with Ancestry.com this September, and is debuting its Fold3 class. The department also will be making genealogy presentations at libraries in Irondale and Homewood in coming weeks.

See details on Southern History upcoming workshops below. You can also find out more about Birmingham Public Library free workshops and classes by clicking on the calendar listings at www.bplonline.org.

Introduction to Genealogy
Tuesday, September 20, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Two simultaneous locations: the Southern History Department and Homewood Public Library)
Want to learn how to do genealogical research? Come to this introductory class that will help get you started on your genealogical journey. The first location is the first floor of the Linn-Henley Research Library in the Southern History Department and will include a tour of the department. The second location is the Homewood Public Library, room 101 on the lower level. This is the first session in the Genealogy 101 series the Southern History Department will be doing at Homewood Library over the next several months.

Ancestry.com Library Edition
Wednesday, September 21, 9:15-10:15 a.m.
Participants will be introduced to the Ancestry.com Library Edition database in which you can research your family history as well as learn how to search this database to locate your ancestors. This class will be held in the computer lab, 4th floor, Linn-Henley Research Library, and space is limited. To register, please call 205-226-3680.

Fold3
Wednesday, September 28, 9:15-10:15 a.m.
This hands-on class will introduce researchers to Fold3, the premiere genealogy database for U.S. military records. We will cover the different records which are included in Fold3 (military and non-military), how to do a basic search, and how to interpret your results. This class will be held in the computer lab, 4th floor, Linn-Henley Research Library, and space is limited. To register, please call 205-226-3680.

Genetic Genealogy Strategies for African American and Native American Research
Saturday, October 1, 10:00 a.m. (the final Beyond the Basics of Genealogy workshop for 2016)
There is no magic in genetic genealogy and no special tests for African American and Native American research, but there are choices you can make that may enable you to confirm and to go beyond the evidence of the paper trail. Workshops are free of charge, but registration is requested. To register, contact the Southern History Department of the Birmingham Public Library at 205-226-3665 or e-mail askgenlocal@bham.lib.al.us.