Video: Columbus Genealogy Workshop

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – What’s in your history? Columbus residents got the chance to explore the branches of their family tree through a genealogical research system.

Folks are getting a crash course in digging…for family records and extended blood lines. A handful of local groups sponsored the event at the Columbus Lowndes Public Library to get people more involved in their family history.

“This is your history and you need to get it and theses ladies are here to help us. Billy Bleedlove from Batesville Mississippi is talking right now on genealogy to help people with their DAR papers as well as people just with their genealogy,” said organizer Alice Lancaster.

Participates were able to access computers during the workshop to do research on multiple websites. For some, learning new alternatives could help them find a missing family member.

“We have a missing relative and I don’t know whether we can’t find him because he was a horse thief or something strange like that but we’re certainly going to look for him and I’ve got new sources now,” resident Betty Bryan.

But finding information can be a bit tricky. Genealogical research includes looking through estate records, wills, marriage license, church records and much more.

“I’ve learned a lot about different ways to prove things when you don’t have exact information and that was something I ran into not being able to find a death certificate. So it was really helpful to learn how you can actually research other relatives that maybe weren’t in the line but their information would collaborate what you were trying to prove,” added resident Becky Maurer.

For more information on how to find out your families history you can visit www.dar.org.