by Gretchen Beilfuss Witt Rowan Public Library
Genealogy
is addicting, ask anyone who has spent time pursuing it. Finding one intriguing fact leads to another,
then another. Just one more item to
check and it is three hours later.
Great-grandpa so & so came over on a boat from Liverpool, but the
family story is that he’s from the Netherlands.
Why England then? Each family has
its own set of stories and secrets although some begin to sound very
similar. There were three brothers who
came over in 17??.... Interested yet?
A
good place to start might be taking a look at the PBS production “Faces of
America” on DVD. Hosted by Henry Louis
Gates, Jr. and exploring the family trees of twelve well-known Americans, it
blends the individual family stories with historical world events. Steven Colbert’s great-great grandfather came
over from Ireland in the time of the great potato famine in Ireland. Eva Longoria’s folks came over to the New
World settling along the Rio Grande in what would eventually become Texas well
before the Pilgrims landed on our Eastern coast. Kristi Yamaguchi’s families had to face the great
prejudice against emigrant Japanese even fighting in World War II for the US
yet not able to become naturalized citizens until after the war’s end.
The
library also has the first and second season of “Who Do You Think You Are,” a
show tracing the heritage of many celebrities among them Emmitt Smith, Susan
Sarandon, Steve Buscemi, and Ashley Judd.
Other episodes of “Who Do You Think You Are” explore the patriot
ancestor of Rob Lowe and the rebellious ancestors of Martin Sheen in two
different countries. Each celebrity’s
ancestry is carefully researched with official documentation, visits to places
of origin, and some world and US history as well.
Genealogical
puzzles also feature in quite a few murder mysteries available at the
library. Torie O’Shea, the town
genealogist, local historian and costumed tour guide of New Kassell, Missouri
is the delightful heroine of several Rett MacPherson novels. “In Veiled Antiquity”, while digging up
information about the baffling and seemingly accidental death of a relative
newcomer to the small town, Torie
unearths some unusual letters. Written
in French beginning around the 1700s, these letters lead to some of the town
fathers and a possible treasure. While
unraveling the mystery by figuring out the family tree of the dead woman and
all its hidden connections, she has to deal with her two little girls, the town
gossip, and her mother’s amour with the sheriff who thinks Torie is a meddler. Full of interesting characters and
fascinating clues, these cozy mysteries are worth a peek.
Tom
Morrisey’s “Deep Blue” also involves a long kept family secret. It is a thrilling tale of a young graduate
research assistant, Jennifer, who enlists the aid of former marine diver Beck
Eaton. While researching a young Civil
War widow’s diary and family papers, Jennifer believes an object of great
historical significance has remained hidden in a spring water cave in Florida. Can she and Beck remain alive long enough to
determine the truth?
From
cozy mysteries and exciting thrillers to inspirational fiction and documentary
film, tracking family history has something for everyone.
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