Family history preservation station opens at Tabernacle to help people record their stories
October 3rd, 2009 Posted in Arts and Life
Byron Ray, director of the Logan Regional Family History Center, perusing a microfilm repository. The center has over 17,000 physical volumes and even more on microfilm.
LOGAN — Though it deals with all things ancient, the Logan Regional Family History Center is really getting with the times. Located in the basement of the historic Logan Tabernacle, the center is using the latest technology to preserve family histories. Director Byron Ray said the center will open an “oral history preservation station” to the public to use free of charge starting in about a week. The station uses a video camera set up in a small room to allow people to record their personal or family histories.
“Some people call it family history, some call it genealogy,” Ray said. “I like to distinguish between the two and say that genealogy is the listing of names and dates and places, (but) family history gets into what experiences did you have as a kid, where did you meet your wife, how many kids did you have and what was it like being a father, what kind of work did you do … it’s amazing how much stuff you can go back and retrieve from people.”
Ray said the oral history station works best when an interviewer asks questions of the person telling the family history. The interaction between two people brings out details that may get passed over if a person tries to tell the story just to the camera. Each session lasts an hour, after which a DVD is made to take home. Multiple sessions are available if needed, Ray said. Afterward, users can edit the video using software available at the center’s computers, Ray said.
Also available at the center is a photo-editing station where visitors can scan old photos, fix spots, stains and wrinkles, then print out a restored version. Visitors pay a small fee for their printed photos to cover materials and ink.
Ray said he wants people to know that everybody is welcome to visit the center and use its facilities free of charge, regardless of religious background. The center’s main collection consists of over 17,000 volumes of historical material, including court records, birth and death records, and family histories. There are even more volumes on microfilm and dozens of computer stations where visitors can access online document repositories for free, Ray said.
“Through the next three months we will have 30 to 40 classes where anyone can come and learn basic genealogy or advanced research techniques,” Ray said.
The center is staffed by a pool of about 130 volunteers and full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ray said.
Allen Emch is an LDS missionary spending part of his two-year mission serving in the Family History Center. From Seattle, Wash., Emch said he has had some successes helping visitors find and document their ancestors. One man has come back several times to ask for help.
“The first time he came, I was just grasping for straws,” Emch said. “Every time he comes in it seems like a little more falls into place. It’s really cool.”
At a computer terminal with her three grandkids standing behind her, Linda Christiansen uses a Web site to show the kids how to do a search. “They’ve all done their family group sheets and five-generation charts,” Christiansen said.
“It’s fun,” said 11-year-old Kyler, who is working on his genealogy merit badge as a young Boy Scout.
Standing near the computer terminals, Ray gestures toward the dozen or so visitors studying. “All of us here love to do the work, and we love to help others do it.”
For anyone interested in starting their own family history project, the center will host a weekend family history and genealogy conference Saturday, Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the USU 5th Stake Center at 1230 N. 600 East. There will be 35 different classes held, including five classes in Spanish. Lunch will be served for pre-registered participants. Visit the Logan Regional Family History Web site for more information: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~utcfhc/.
Tags: family history, genealogy, Logan, tabernacle
One Response to “Family history preservation station opens at Tabernacle to help people record their stories”
By Lady R. Kelleher on Oct 12, 2009
What a great job you are doing.Congrats to Byron Ray!