By Marlene Robertson
ElderCollege and I have been on the move, and it has definitely been a learning experience.
I was quite the tomboy when I was young, and climbing trees was one of my favourite pastimes, but this was a whole new kind of tree climbing.
If you miss a branch, you don’t go plummeting to the ground and straight to the emergency ward. No, if you miss a branch or bark up the wrong tree, you keep climbing and searching and never give up.
Climbing Your Family Tree – An Introduction to Genealogy, presented by Carol Wells, was great fun.
Even though I was just visiting the class for an afternoon, I can see how one could get caught up in tracking down ancestors.
Who wouldn’t want to know if great uncle Harry was really a horse thief or why your father emigrated from England on his own when he was just 16?
When did the Eastern European branch of your family first arrive in Canada and where did their ship dock? Did your grandfather arrive not speaking a word of English? What was his first job and how long was it before he could send for his wife and children?
Questions, questions, questions, but the good news is that Wells has the answers, or can certainly help you find them.
During the class there was one “yea” and two “yahoos”, which quickly caught the attention of everyone.
After much searching, one lady had finally found her great grandmother; a gentleman located his wife’s family; and a hard working couple found an elusive relative. It was pretty exciting, even for me.
There are so many places to search for your ancestors – birth and death records, military archives, census documents, immigration records … the list goes on and on.
My first thought is what triggers the search and where do you start?
I soon found out it can be something as simple as looking through family photos and wanting to know more, or the need to leave a family history for your children and grandchildren so they can say “this is who I am”.
Almost everyone in the class I spoke with had a different reason for starting their search, but without exception, they were all enthusiastic and totally dedicated to their projects.
Wells spends time with each individual, walking everyone through the maze of getting started, organizing, and how to research on the Internet.
It’s a long and winding road, climbing your family tree, and it takes hours of research. But what a thrill when you find the records of that missing family member.
It’s such a high it will have you swinging through the branches and make all of your hard work worthwhile.
The class is popular, so keep your eye out for the new ElderCollege fall course catalogue and sign yourself up for the adventure of a lifetime.
For more information please call 1-866-734-6252 or e-mail pqcampus@viu.ca.
