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Youngstown library branches offer genealogy programs
CANFIELD
Ancestry DNA testing and the future of cemeteries are the topics of free public library-sponsored genealogy and local history programs in April.
“Genetics and Genealogy” is the topic of a 6:30 p.m. Monday program at the Canfield branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, 43 W. Main St.
The program will cover the basics of testing of DNA, which is the unique genetic code that determines everyone’s characteristics, for purposes of determining one’s ethnic origins and finding related people who have taken the test.
“It’s used as an adjunct to documentary research,” on one’s genealogy, said Tim Seman, genealogy and local history librarian at the main public library in Youngstown, who will give the ancestry and cemetery programs.
“It’s another tool in your tool box,” Seman said of ancestry DNA testing.
“This is a topic of great interest to the general public. People want to understand their own heritage, and the library has so many resources that can help them do that,” and it can direct them to resources outside the library, said Josephine Nolfi, the library system’s programming director.
“We have expert librarians, who can navigate them through the process and find sources they would never have thought of,” said Janet Loew, library marketing and public relations director.
The library has many resources that would be costly for patrons to buy or use on their own, she noted.
The DNA testing program will cover the three major testing companies, AncestryDNA, 23 and Me and Family Tree DNA, and the GEDmatch.com website, where researchers can compare results obtained from the three major companies.
Those who submit saliva samples for DNA testing should be prepared for the possibility of being surprised by the results, Seman said.
A DNA test may show that one’s biological origin differs from the culture in which one was raised, he said.
Such tests can help adoptees find their biological parents, Seman noted.
Finding them is important, not only for genealogical reasons, but for health reasons concerning diseases that may run in a family, Seman added.
“Will Cemeteries Die? The Future of Burial Rites” is the subject of a 6:30 p.m. April 11 program at the Poland branch, 311 S, Main St.
This program will discuss the impact of land scarcity and increasing use of green burials and cremation on cemeteries, whose tombstone inscriptions and records offer permanent sources for researching genealogical information.
Other research tools include birth and death certificates from the local health department’s vital statistics bureau; church, funeral home and crematory records; obituaries and coroner’s reports, Seman said.
“Despite the fact that some cemeteries are struggling and that many people are choosing not to be bodily buried, it is still a very important place for culture and history,” Seman said of a cemetery.
To register for these programs, call 330-744-8636 and ask for the information services department.