Know your heritage — October is Family History Month
Family history, also called genealogy, helps connect us with our past and with each other.
Family history refers to identifying and learning about your ancestors. Even before you were born, you were part of a family. You lived with God before this life. You are a child of heavenly parents and an important part of Their eternal family.
October is Family History Month. Researching your family history with other family members can strengthen your understanding of who you are and help you feel closer to one another. In the past year, individuals and families have become more interested in their own family history. Knowing our family history helps us learn about ourselves, where we came from, and how we are connected to history.
When my brother started looking into our ancestry, he discovered that our ninth great grandfather, Hendrick Andersson Coleman, married Wakusutome Leni Lenape. This marriage took place in 1666 in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Wakusutome Lenape was the daughter of Chief Big Thunder Leni Lenape and his spouse Wikusauwin Leni Lenape. How exciting to have Lenape Indian heritage. Just over 11 years ago, we moved to Pennsylvania. Little did I know back then that I was returning to my roots.
Family history used to be much more difficult. Many records, once only available on microfilm or through personal visits to courthouses and churches, are now digitized. Some digitized records are available on home computers at the free website, familysearch.org; while some are only available on family history center computers. FamilySearch.org also hosts free webinars to help you on your research journey.
We are fortunate to have a local family history center right here in the Lehigh Valley as well as a few others in surrounding counties. There are
many paper and microfilm records for Lehigh and surrounding counties at The Allentown Family History Center.
The center has some amazing collections including many German records, research helps and more. The center is
free to use (there is a small charge for printing copies), as is the use of familysearch.org. In the center, individuals can also access some subscription-only websites such as ancestry.com at no cost to them.
A local patron wanted to know more about his Austrian ancestors. He and several family members had visited their Austrian ancestral home. Despite being at the actual church attended by their family, they were unable to see any church records. He discovered the records had been microfilmed so he ordered the microfilm and came to The Allentown Family History Center to view it.
To his great joy, they were in the microfilmed records, the first of many wonderful finds. Since then, FamilySearch’s digital imaging has made it easier to find ancestors through the internet, mobile, and other technologies. Some records are only available through family history centers due to copyright laws.
The knowledgeable staff at The Allentown Family History Center would like to invite anyone to go in and begin their search for their own ancestors. If you do not know where to begin or even if you have already done quite a bit of research, they will be able to help you find what steps to take next and what resources you can use to discover more about your own family history. Please see their hours below. Family history can be a fun and fascinating hobby!
The Allentown Family History Center (located inside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
1881 Van Buren Drive, Whitehall, PA 18052
Phone: (610) 799-3522
Hours: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. — 8 p.m. Wednesdays, 9 a.m. noon Thursdays, 9 a.m. - noon first and third Saturdays. Walk-ins are welcome
For more information on FamilySearch, please visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/familysearch or their website at www.familysearch.org
Keith Wills is president of The Reading Pennsylvania Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and directs the spiritual leadership of 13 congregations throughout eastern Pennsylvania. President Wills can be contacted at wills.keith@yahoo.com. For more information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.comeuntochrist.org