| Family
History Research Library
What is the program about?
The Heritage Center Family History Research Library is a genealogy
program provided by the City of Winter Park's Unity Heritage Festival.
The Family History Research Library is home to an impressive collection
of family history resources, donated by the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, known for their massive collection of public
and private records. The Family History Research Library provides
a step-by-step and one-on-one help with your family history, including
internet research, letter writing, and organizational software instruction
by a family history research specialist.
In addition, the library provides a children’s
program, Me and My Family Tree. Through this program children learn
to appreciate the lives of those who came before them and understand
more about themselves, keeping a diary, story telling, presentations
by special guests, hands-on research exercises encourage children
to communicate with parents, grandparents, and others.
If your ancestors settled in this area or lived
in West Winter Park for a time, the Family History Research Library
may already have some information about them. The family histories
of many of those who lived and worked and, in essence, shaped the
West Winter Park community is stored in our database.
What is family history?
Family history is the study of your unique family history. It is
a personal record of your ancestors – when they were born
and where they lived, who their children were and who they married,
and where you belong in your extended family tree The Heritage Center
Family History Research Library is a program provided by the City
of Winter Park’s Unity Heritage Festival.
Learning about your family history usually starts
at home by talking with relatives and friends, and recording information
about your ancestors.
Why research your family history?
Beyond the obvious reasons of discovering who your ancestors were,
there are other, more subtle but powerful reasons for conducting
genealogical research. Anyone who has delved into the history of
their family knows that, the more information they uncover about
their ancestors, the more real these people become, and the more
fascinating. The researcher begins to learn more about the times
these people lived in: the social, religious, and political situations.
The expression “Those who are unfamiliar with history are
doomed to repeat it” demonstrates itself in every generation
and therefore can be applied by the researcher to their benefit.
But history is not the only facet of knowledge gained by family
history research.
As one researches their ancestors, now passed away,
they learn about the strengths as well as the idiosyncrasies of
these relations, their likes and dislikes, their friends and their
enemies. Though the spirits of these people have moved on, their
personalities remain...in their descendants. By researching one’s
ancestors, one may come closer to understanding oneself, ‘the
noblest undertaking of Man,’ according to Socrates. |
