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RUTHERFORD, NJ, APRIL 22--Last evening's program on genealogical research,
with special reference to Civil War documentation, was very well received by a
substantial audience in this New York City suburb.
The staff of the Rutherford Public Library, which is part of the Bergen County
Cooperative Library System, strongly supports genealogical research. Access to
many good databases is offered to patrons via its website. The staff was
extraordinarily supportive of this program, providing posters, refreshments, laptop
computer and projector, lobby displays of Civil War books, and the like.
Jonathan Hall spoke on the purpose of genealogy, gave an overview of methodology
and sources, and then focused specifically on issues regarding the Civil War. He
shared family discoveries on both sides of the conflict, using multimedia to make his
points.
Hall's American roots go very deep. He descends from the earliest settlers of
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey as well as
Virginia and North Carolina. Genealogy has become a genuine passion for him, and
he thoroughly enjoyed sharing his ideas with an appreciative audience in Rutherford.
Genealogy, he says, is above all a quest for personal truth. The point, he asserts, is
not to find "kings and queens" in one's family tree, but rather to find one's personal
place in the great sweep of history. Whatever place that may be, it is honorable and
worth discovering.
with special reference to Civil War documentation, was very well received by a
substantial audience in this New York City suburb.
The staff of the Rutherford Public Library, which is part of the Bergen County
Cooperative Library System, strongly supports genealogical research. Access to
many good databases is offered to patrons via its website. The staff was
extraordinarily supportive of this program, providing posters, refreshments, laptop
computer and projector, lobby displays of Civil War books, and the like.
Jonathan Hall spoke on the purpose of genealogy, gave an overview of methodology
and sources, and then focused specifically on issues regarding the Civil War. He
shared family discoveries on both sides of the conflict, using multimedia to make his
points.
Hall's American roots go very deep. He descends from the earliest settlers of
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey as well as
Virginia and North Carolina. Genealogy has become a genuine passion for him, and
he thoroughly enjoyed sharing his ideas with an appreciative audience in Rutherford.
Genealogy, he says, is above all a quest for personal truth. The point, he asserts, is
not to find "kings and queens" in one's family tree, but rather to find one's personal
place in the great sweep of history. Whatever place that may be, it is honorable and
worth discovering.