The Mariemont Branch Library will host a free genealogy workshop at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, on using library databases to research family history.
The one-hour session is the first in a lineup tied to National Family History Month in October. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) announced the series in a blog post written by Jessie Ludwig, a library customer specialist.
Ludwig shared her own experience using the library's Ancestry database and local history books to trace her family. She discovered that her great-grandfather, John Ludwig, helped maintain the land that became 5 Way Park in Delhi Township in the early 1900s.
"Census records show his rejection of the family trade, noting that he was the groundskeeper for local cemeteries and the town constable for 32 years," Ludwig wrote.
The Sept. 14 session will walk attendees through example searches and offer tips for exploring the personal side of their heritage.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, the library's Genealogy and Local History Department will host a "day with the experts." Representatives from genealogical and historical societies, lineage societies and public records offices across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky will be on hand. Library staff will lead tours of the department at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
All resources and classes are free with a library card. Available databases include Ancestry Library Edition, Heritage Quest, FamilySearch, Fold3, the Cincinnati Enquirer Digital Archive and the Cincinnati Post Digital Archive covering 1882 through 1969.
The library has additional sessions planned through November. An introductory workshop on Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest is set for Wednesday, Oct. 14. A Genealogy Lock-In at the Downtown Main Library runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m., with entry through the main door on Vine Street. A Saturday, Nov. 14, session offers a tour of the Downtown Main Library's genealogy resources on the second floor of the South Building.
The branch reopened Jan. 3 after a $2 million renovation that added a new meeting room, a dedicated teen area and a reading nook with a fireplace.
Residents can find more information at chpl.org/genealogy-history/ or by emailing [email protected].
Upcoming genealogy events
- Monday, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m.: Genealogy database workshop, Mariemont Branch Library
- Saturday, Oct. 3: Day with the experts, CHPL Genealogy and Local History Department (tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
- Wednesday, Oct. 14: Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest intro
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 6:30–11:30 p.m.: Genealogy Lock-In, Downtown Main Library
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Genealogy resources tour, Downtown Main Library
