La Roche draws crowd with genealogy courses

They have different backgrounds and come from different destinations, but they all share a common interest — genealogy.

More than 160 Americans from 32 states and one person from Canada gathered last week at La Roche College in McCandless for the semi-annual course offerings of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh.

During their weeklong stay, participants attended genealogical courses such as “Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper” and “Refresh, Rebuild and Recharge Your Genealogy Career,” which offered steps to building a career in professional genealogy.

Amy Steele, director of Northland Public Library in McCandless and amateur genealogist, belongs to the 30member North Hills Genealogists, a group of people interested in genealogy and in researching their family histories. She was the presenter at the gathering on July 23.

She said she “recognizes the importance that their group offers to the community through the library’s various programs, such as the after-hour program here where all of our computers are available for research for one hour after closing time.”

“It’s been one interesting learning experience after another, especially the indepth explanations of genealogical topics,” David Egelston, president of North Hills Genealogists, said.

Elissa Powell of Marshall, a co-director of the event, said her involvement in the group “makes me happy to provide the education opportunity to the Pittsburgh area. And grateful to be in the friendly atmosphere here at La Roche College.”

Debbie Deal from Ohio, who also co-directed the gathering, said that staying on the serene suburban La Roche campus really made the visit enjoyable. She was dubbed, “the dorm mom” by the delegates.

Curiosity, friendliness and camaraderie are the elements that have given the group a hold on the past that they hope will continue into the future.

Information: www.northhillsgenealogists.org and www.gripitt.org