01/07/2008
Ancestry search
Liverpool people are being given a unique opportunity to delve deep into their past and find out the fascinating stories of their ancestry.
The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Steve Rotheram, is launching the 'Family Search on the Road' exhibition on Wednesday (2 July), bringing the world's biggest, free family history database to the city.
Joining the Lord Mayor at the launch event will be Pat McCoy from Neston, Wirral, who has used the system to trace her family tree from Merseyside back to a wealthy 17th century family in Sweden. She will tell guests all about her surprising finds and reveal some of the historical items she has uncovered during her research.
Volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are co-coordinating the event, will be on hand to give visitors all the information they need about starting their own family tree quest. And to add to the occasion a family will be dressed in Victorian costume!
The launch event will pave the way for a three-day exhibition at the Picton Reading Room, Liverpool Central Library, from 3-5 July. It will give people the chance to connect, via state-of-the-art software, to Family Search, a huge genealogical database based in Salt Lake City USA, containing more than one billion names.
With free computer terminals for the public to use, the exhibition will also feature fascinating displays, and give visitors the chance to have a family photo taken.
Local Church Leader, David J. Hoare of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Liverpool said: "Interest in family history and sometimes the curiosity about our ancestors has become a very popular hobby. The recent TV series "Who Do You Think You Are?" hosted by Tony Robinson has helped people to catch the bug.
"This exhibition gives people a great opportunity to find out all about the wonderful resources available to help them in their search. We are extremely excited and happy to be working in partnership with the Liverpool Record Office."
Church spokesperson Yvonne Runcie said: "We are delighted to be bringing this wonderful exhibition to Liverpool as part of Capital of Culture 2008. This year is the 171st anniversary of the arrival of the first Mormons in Liverpool. During those 171 years, countless members of the public have helped us in our quest to identify our ancestors. We now want to repay their kindness by helping others to use the database we have built and build their family tree too.
"This exhibition is free for all to use and enjoy, particularly those who have wanted to start their family history research but have not got around to it."
Every year members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints dedicate hundreds of thousands of hours of voluntary service to community and family-orientated programmes. With over 12 million members world-wide and 375 congregations in the UK, the Church runs a range of projects focusing on strengthening families, welfare and humanitarian aid.
The city council's executive member for libraries, Councillor Keith Turner, said: "Family history research can be incredibly rewarding, and a little digging into the past can unearth some fascinating stories. It tells us a lot about who we are, as well as revealing some fascinating tales from our city's past.
"We have a lot of resources available at the library to help people research their family trees, and we run a range of projects to get local people involved. We're delighted to be hosting this exhibition, which we hope will inspire many more people to delve into their family's past."
The Family Search on the Road exhibition is open to the public from Thursday 3 - Saturday 5 July 2008 (10am-6pm on Thursday and Friday; 10am-5pm on Saturday). Visitors are advised to bring with them a simple work chart available at www.lds.org.uk to help them start their research.
<< Back