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The genealogy volunteers at Will Rogers Library are available to help patrons research their family histories.

Will Rogers Library genealogy volunteers Farrell Prater, Glenda Hensen and Jan O'Brien are preparing their 2014 schedule.

The genealogy volunteers at the Will Rogers Library in Claremore began their 2014 schedule on January 27. They meet on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., except on days when the library is closed for holiday. This service is free to the public and offered by a group of volunteers to assist beginners or advanced researchers in their quest for their heritage.
    Often, a researcher wanders in to the genealogy area asking for assistance without bringing any data with them, just to find out how to get started. Others bring a stack of unorganized papers. The volunteers provide a complimentary beginning genealogy folder and assist the researcher in organizing their material. The beginning packet has two different forms that are used to organize the information. This can be done at home or while at the library, but it is the key for the volunteers to assist the patron. Once the forms are completed, it is much easier to find information at a quick glance and progress is much faster. The packet has additional information on other web sites to search.
    The library has two subscription sites that patrons may access through the library, Ancestry.com and Fold 3. There are other websites that are free and some that you can access from your home with an Internet connection and your library card. The purpose is to teach researchers how to do their own research. It is in finding that lost ancestor, or learning of their life in history, that the individual finds excitement and satisfaction in the search. “We teach a new way of looking at material simply by doing an analysis and assessment, then knowing what is available in books or on the Internet to get the researcher closer to their goals,” said Glenda Hensen, genealogy volunteer.
    Two computers are dedicated to genealogy on Monday nights; however, you may access this area any time the library is open, not just on Monday nights. Laptop computers are also available for use in the library with Legacy Software to begin to enter data in a software program. The volunteers can help you begin. When you are through for the session, you will need to save your data to a flash drive that you bring with you. The laptops also have access to Ancestry.com for searching, as well as other free sites on the Internet.  
    In addition to the computer, there are a number of books in the genealogy section on Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Mayflower Society, Cherokee Heritage, and many how-to books on searching genealogy regions for helpful societies and further research. Three of the volunteers specialize in Native American genealogy.   
    The public is invited to a Beginning Genealogy Seminar on February 8 at 10 a.m. at the library.

For more information, contact

Will Rogers Library

(918) 341-1564