Column: Pat Mulso, Preserving the Past

By the time you are reading this article, the group from the historical museum that went to Salt Lake City, Utah, to the largest genealogical library in the world, will have returned from a week-long trip that gave them the opportunity to research their individual family lines all over the world.

This library is located in downtown Salt Lake City and has five floors. Each floor concentrates on different parts of the world or different types of records. The library has books, microfilm, computers and maps.

They have volunteers to help you with research questions and equipment. The library is constantly adding data bases and resources to their collections. You can look up census records, vital records, cemetery records, church records, county and city histories, immigration and passenger lists, newspaper articles and the list goes on and on.

To prepare for the trip you need to organize what you have and see what important facts are missing. Even the smallest notice in a newspaper can be the turning point in your research. For instance, I knew my great-great-grandfather moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1833, but there was some question as to where he had lived in Pennsylvania. I knew when he died in Ohio, and found a notice in the newspaper in Mifflin County, Penn., that stated Henry Beck, previously of Mifflin County passed away in Dayton, Ohio.

That information gave me the lead I needed to continue my search in Mifflin County rather than just randomly checking records all over Pennsylvania. Doing family research is like being a detective, and there’s nothing I like better than unraveling a mystery.

If you would like to hear what new information was found from this trip, join us at the Freeborn County Genealogical Meeting at 7 p.m. Monday in the lower level of the Freeborn County Historical Museum as the group shares their findings and experiences. Enter through the gates by the fairground arches.

This Friday the Freeborn County Genealogical Society is having a Swiss Steak fundraiser at the American Legion in Albert Lea from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The money raised helps to pay for the subscription to www.Ancestry.com that the society provides for the museum library. This is a great resource that we can offer to patrons using our library to do research worldwide. Please join us to support their efforts.

The museum is hosting a four-hour Defensive Driving Refresher Class from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 15. The cost is $19, and you must pre-register for the class. You will receive your certificate at the end of the class. You may register by stopping at the museum during our regular hours, which are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or by calling us at 507-373-8003. You will need your drivers’ license information to register. If you are a member of AARP we need that number also. You do not need to be a member of AARP or the museum to participate.

The museum is also hosting another Library Lock-In from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Oct. 21. This is an opportunity for you to have individual help with your family research. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Class size is limited, so call to see if there are any openings left.

The museum will be participating in the Power 96 Hotel Halloween Carnival from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 29, and we would like to say thank you to our 2011 sponsor, the Troy Thompson Agency Inc.

Later this month I will be attending a training for the traveling exhibit that will be coming to our museum the latter part of December through Feb. 12, 2012. The name of the exhibit is “Electrifying Minnesota.” Watch for more details soon.

Have you started that personal journal yet, are there facts that few people know about your past or a hidden desire that your grandchildren or great-grandchildren would love to hear about? Don’t put off writing them down. Even a paragraph will be a treasure when you are no longer here to share the stories. Remember, what happens today is history tomorrow. Have a great week!

Pat Mulso is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum in Albert Lea.