The family history library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chattanooga held a genealogy session Tuesday entitled “Climbing Your Family Tree.” The event was held at Christ United Methodist church as part of a community outreach program sponsored by Boomers, Shakers, and Beyond.
More than 52 people attended the event, which was conducted by Mrs. Gloria Smartt and Tom Tosh, who serve as family history consultants for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the greater Chattanooga area.
Mrs. Smartt and Mr. Tosh were invited to introduce the free family history website, FamilSearch.org, and present research tips. Mrs. Smartt began the presentation by showing everyone how to create accounts in Family Search. “Family Search is all about families. It is a non-profit family history organization dedicated to connecting families across generations. FamilySearch believes that families bring joy and meaning to life,” Mrs. Smartt quoted from the site. “ Anyone can create a tree for free at familysearch.org,” she said.
Mrs. Smartt shared the pros and cons of a family tree in Family Search. Mr. Tosh discussed the pitfalls to avoid in genealogy such as things to do when saving old family photo, or assuming someone is buried in a particular place when there is no death date or tombstone. Mrs. Smartt and Mr. Tosh also held a lengthy question and answer session. The genealogy session was about two hours long.
The Family History consultants also informed participants that they could schedule individual appointments at the Family History Library located at 3067 Ooltewah Ringgold Road. The appointments and services are also free. Family History Centers are branches of the world-famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Church of Jesus Christ has more than 5,100 Family History Centers in 140 countries and one of the world’s largest collections of “free family trees, genealogy records and resources.”
“We were appreciative of the opportunity we had to talk about best practices for searching for our families,” Mrs. Smartt said. “Knowing who we are, why we are here, and the purpose of life is what unites all of us. We invite other organizations, churches and individuals in the greater Chattanooga to utilize the free resources provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and delve into family history. You can contact us through familysearch.org or by doing an online search for the Chattanooga Tennessee Family History Center.”