FamilySearch.org<\/a> as well as a collection of historical books, records and other resources. Visitors also can access several subscription genealogy websites, including Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage, at no cost while at the center.<\/p>\nThe center also provides something an online search can\u2019t always offer: people who can help researchers navigate the process and point them toward resources they might otherwise overlook.<\/p>\n
Additionally, some historical records are available only through FamilySearch Centers because of agreements with the organizations that own them.<\/p>\n
The Whitehall center has a collection of family history books focused on Lehigh and Berks counties, along with resources for researching German and Austro-Hungarian ancestry.<\/p>\n
Ann Thompson, the center\u2019s coordinator, said the resources can help people who may arrive with little more than a name or two and leave with a much deeper understanding of their family.<\/p>\n
She recalled one visitor who came in knowing only the names of their grandparents. With the help of center resources, Thompson said, the person was able to trace their family back to the 1700s in about two hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur job is to show them how to do it,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n
The process has changed significantly since Thompson began working with the center. When she arrived in 1989, researchers relied on microfiche and film. Today, much of that work can be done digitally, though some records still require researchers to visit a FamilySearch Center.<\/p>\n
Thompson said the center\u2019s resources are particularly useful for people researching ancestors from the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas. Its collection includes local history books and older records that can be difficult to find elsewhere.<\/p>\n
For Regina Sanders, who\u2019s been researching her family history for more than two decades, the center became a gateway to a hobby that has taken her from researching ancestors in Poland to tracing her husband\u2019s family back to the Mayflower.<\/p>\n
A seminar at Bethlehem Area Public Library introduced Sanders to genealogy, she said. She was encouraged to visit the center and work with Thompson and other volunteers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started my research with my family and did many years in Poland,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cAnd then I decided to jump into my husband\u2019s family, which goes back to the Mayflower.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders said the center has helped guide her through difficult searches, including an ongoing effort to find ancestors on her Polish side who lived in an area that is now part of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Genealogy, she said, comes with its share of dead ends, but the process has become easier as more records have moved online.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of brick walls, and you just have to find ways to get around them,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n
The center\u2019s connection to America250 is intended to encourage more people to begin that process, particularly by recording their own stories alongside those of their ancestors.<\/p>\n
FamilySearch\u2019s America250 initiative encourages people to explore their family trees, preserve memories and learn how their ancestors fit into the broader story of the nation.<\/p>\n
Snyder said that effort is especially meaningful in Pennsylvania, where she\u2019s noticed many families have remained in the same communities for generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have found, in particular Pennsylvania, there are so many people here that have stayed here for generations and generations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The center hopes the America250 celebration will help more people discover the resources available in their own backyard.<\/p>\n
The Allentown FamilySearch Center is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, and 9 a.m. to noon Thursdays and Saturdays. It\u2019s closed on holidays.<\/p>\n
The center is one of several FamilySearch locations serving the region, with additional centers in Reading and Pottstown.<\/p>\n
A banner hanging above the center captures the spirit of the initiative in a simple message: \u201cCelebrate your family\u2019s place in history during America250.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, a Lehigh Valley church is inviting people to look…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259290,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,182,139,432],"class_list":["post-259289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}