People who are searching for their family history often turn to the internet to find answers, but sometimes those answers can be found much closer to home.
In Timmins, the local genealogy group has officially turned over an extensive collection to the library for some up close browsing.
“This section is helpful to anyone who has ancestors in Canada because it covers a lot of communities in Ontario and a very large part of Quebec, and also some of the eastern provinces,” said Claude Poirier, Timmins Genealogy coordinator.
The collection of books is worth more $50,000 and it spans 1,400 volumes; covering marriages, baptisms and burial records, as well as genealogy dictionaries and notary records.
The records may provide answers for people who have questions about their family history.
"It’s a mystery that unfolds,” said Michael Doody, Timmins Public Library board chair.
“Sometimes it takes you days, weeks and months to find out, and I think it's the type of puzzle people like to get involved with and try to come up with an answer."
A variety of genealogy websites exist and the library even offers free access to Ancestry.ca, but like with anything on the web, you have to be careful.
"They estimate that 50% of what's put on the internet in regards to genealogy is false,” said Poirier.
“Ancestry.ca is a very good resource, but you need to how to maneuver through it, and by having someone that has experience in genealogy, by meeting some of our group members, they can teach you how to navigate through those records."
The newly donated collection of genealogy materials is the largest in the region north of Sudbury. It's not for borrowing; just browsing.
“Our library is always open to anyone who wants to come and use it in-house, so you don't need a library card to be looking through these resources,” said Carole-Ann Churcher, Timmins Public Library CEO.
Eventually, the library said it will upload all the information to the internet.
