Josh Goldstein
BURBANK -- More than 20 years ago, then-amateur genealogist Doug
Miller helped his daughter earn a Girl Scout merit badge by helping her
trace their family roots. Though the badge is in mothballs in a memento
box, Miller has not stopped researching family history, uncovering
generations of stories, relatives and the past.
For Miller, president of the Burbank-based Southern California
Genealogical Society, and many others who enjoy genealogy, tracing one's
family tree is a deep-rooted endeavor. "To some people, this becomes a
compulsion," said Miller, a retired IRS agent. "They have to find that
next generation."
As the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island
released its massive index of names through the Internet last week,
several local genealogy centers offered tools and expertise to locate
one's lineage.
Miller joins about 1,400 members of the society who scour through
state census records, birth and death certificates, church histories and
military documents, trying to link one relative to another.
Miller's detailed family tree is displayed at the society's research
center. He has meticulously traced his roots to the mid-1600s, stopping
only because he ran out of room on the chart.
Genealogy is a hobby typically taken up by senior citizens, Miller
said, adding, "As you get older, it becomes more important to leave
something behind for your descendants."
Researching family history is a tedious hobby, because regardless of
how much detail familymembers recall, every fact must be verified before
moving to the next branch.
This area is rich in family history resource centers, said genealogist
Joan Phillips, a volunteer at the Southern California Genealogical
Society's library.
Phillips sometimes refers people to the Los Angeles Public Library in
downtown Los Angeles, which boasts a vast genealogy section. Other
abundant resources are the various libraries maintained by the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The church's main center in West Los Angeles is a local mecca for
genealogy buffs and is open to the public.
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Here is a list of libraries and a genealogical research sites that can
assist anyone tracing family roots. Most centers don't charge a fee to
use their materials, but donations are always appreciated.
* Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library
417 Irving Drive
Burbank
(818) 843-7247 * Immigrant Genealogical Society and Library
1310 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank
(818) 848-3122
* Los Angeles Public Library
The History & Genealogy Department
630 W. 5th St.
Los Angeles
(213) 228-7000
* Family History Center
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
10777 Santa Monica Blvd.
Westwood
(310) 474-9990
* American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island
www.ellisislandrecords.org
