Before Sonia’s grandmother passed away, she passed along a host of family stories that Sonia has spent years researching. She has found marriage records, newspaper articles, and other documents that provide conflicting information — and has run into repeated brick walls, especially regarding her ancestors who were enslaved.
Sonia knew she needed some assistance with her research to uncover the truth. “I’m just trying to look everywhere I can to find more information,” she said.
Then she saw a poster at the Ballard Branch promoting a new free program between The Seattle Public Library and the Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS). Drop-in sessions with volunteers at three branches help patrons organize their family trees, focus their research, and find the right sources of genealogical information.
The program supplements and refers people toward the genealogy resources at the Library. As part of The Seattle Public Library’s Special Collections, patrons have access to a treasure trove of books, newspapers, records, microfilm, and online resources including free use of Ancestry.com and other family heritage sites. Patrons can also make free one-on-one appointments with specialized genealogy librarians.
The partnership with SGS expands this assistance into the community. Monthly sessions started last fall and are being held at the Ballard, Magnolia, and Northeast branches until at least May 2026.
No genealogy experience necessary
The drop-in sessions serve people interested in genealogy at any level. At Ballard one afternoon, SGS volunteers Betsey and Jenny met with a steady stream of interested patrons. Some were experienced researchers like Sonia. Others were like Bob, who arrived with a binder full of family immigration records that his parents collected decades ago, wondering what to do next.
“Many people start out with paper,” said Betsey. “And then they realize that they need more resources and more organization.”
Experts like Betsey and Jenny have plenty of suggested tools to streamline information and tricks to uncover hidden details. “You sometimes have to think outside the box a little bit,” said Jenny. She worked with one Ballard patron to locate a Revolutionary War service record he had been unable to find — and in the process discovered that she and the patron shared a distant ancestor from the Mayflower.
“Genealogy research is an act of discovery that can be really exciting,” said Mahina Oshie, one of the Library’s two genealogy librarians. “Researching our past humanizes history and can show us how interconnected we actually are.”
Explore Your Roots
- Find an upcoming drop-in genealogy session at the Ballard, Magnolia or Northeast branches.
- The Library offers free 30-minute appointments with a genealogy librarian at the Central Library that you can make online or by phone. Go to www.spl.org/genealogy to find out more, make an appointment, or explore online resources.
- Visit the Genealogy collection on the Central Library’s Level 9, which is the largest and primary genealogy resource in Washington State, with more than 40,000 bound volumes as well as periodicals, pamphlets, and microfilm.
The Library is grateful to the Seattle Genealogical Society for offering these sessions and to The Seattle Public Library Foundation for supporting many of the Library’s genealogy resources.
Article credit: This article is by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and reprinted with permission. Read the original article here.
Caption for top photo: Sonia (center) speaks with SGS volunteer Jenny (right) at the Ballard Branch. Photo courtesy of The Seattle Public Library Foundation.