2019 Family History Month: Alabama Historical Association President to Speak Saturday at Linn-Henley Research Library

Frazine Taylor, president of the Alabama Historical Association

The Birmingham Public Library’s Southern History Department’s 2019 Family History Month celebration is underway. The first week will culminate on Saturday, October 5, with a free workshop presented at 10:00 a.m. in the Linn-Henley Research Library by Frazine Taylor, president of the Alabama Historical Association. 

Taylor, who works in the archives department at Alabama State University in Montgomery, made history in May 2019 when the Alabama Historical Association elected her as its first African American president since being founded in 1947. The Alabama Historical Commission publishes a quarterly review and oversees a program of roadside historical markers across the state.

A Wetumpka, Alabama, native, Taylor was presented an award during the statewide meeting in Tuscaloosa recognizing her contributions to Alabama history. Chairwoman of the Black Heritage Council of the Alabama Historical Commission, Taylor is well known as an expert in genealogical research and African American history.

BPL is hosting 16 free Family History Month programs throughout October, with the highlight being a series of four workshops on Saturday, October 26, presented by nationally-known genealogy expert John Philip Colletta, who formerly served as a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University from 1996 until it relocated to Georgia in 2016.

Since being passed by Congress in 2001, Family History Month has been observed annually in the United States during the month of October to promote the importance of family and researching your family tree.

Here are details of Taylor’s workshop and other Family History Month programs taking place next week:

Saturday, October 5, 10:00 a.m. Arrington Auditorium, Linn-Henley Research Library
Presented by Frazine Taylor, President of the Alabama Historical Association 
Getting the most out of the Census: Finding Ancestry Clues in Census Records: 1790-1940 
Participants in this workshop will become acquainted with information reported in the Federal Census, and in state population and non-population census records. This workshop will include how to locate census records on microfilm, digitized and online, and how to identify and find local resources and repositories.

Monday, October 7, 2:15 p.m. RLCC, 4th Floor, Linn-Henley Research Library
Researching Your House History
This class will introduce participants to sources available at the library and online to help them research the history of houses in Jefferson County. Participants can learn when a house was built, who has lived there over time, and see historic photos of their house.

Tuesday, October 8, 2:15 p.m. RLCC, 4th Floor, Linn-Henley Research Library
Optimizing Your DNA Genealogy Experience, Part 3 
Gain useful information on testing companies’ services and websites, and get answers to your questions about them.

Wednesday, October 9, 3:00 p.m. Southern History Department, 1st Floor, Linn-Henley Research Library
Introduction to Genealogy
Want to learn how to do genealogical research? Come to this introductory class that will help get you started on your genealogical journey. The staff in the Southern History Department covers such topics as vital records, courthouse and church records, and the Federal Census.