Researching your family tree? Check out April Events at the Birmingham Library

Researching your family tree? The Birmingham Public Library’s Southern History Department is hosting several new genealogy workshops in April.

 BPL’s genealogy workshops are free of charge, but registration is requested. To register, contact the Southern History Department of the Birmingham Public Library at 205-226-3665 or askgenlocal@bham.lib.al.us. For more information about BPL’s Southern History Department, go to http://www.bplonline.org/locations/central/southern/ or like its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SouthernHistoryBPL.



The workshops are as follows (more will be announced this summer):

Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Southern History Department, 1st floor, Linn-Henley Building

  • Introduction to Genealogy - Want to learn how to do genealogical research? Come to this introductory class that will help get you started on your genealogical journey. 

Sunday, April 15, 2:30 p.m., Central Library Arrington Auditorium

·       Understanding DNA Ethnicity Test Results - Discover how DNA testing companies determine ethnicity percentages and what these estimates mean in terms of your genealogy. This is a Beyond the Basics of Genealogy Workshop.

Monday, April 16, 2:15 to 3:15 p.m., Central Library Computer Training Center

·       Fold3.com - This hands-on class will introduce researchers to Fold3.com, the premiere genealogy database for U.S. military records. We will cover the different records which are included in Fold3.com (military and non-military), how to do a basic search, and how to interpret your results.

Tuesday, April 24, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Central Library Computer Training Center

·       Preserving Family Recipes - In this webinar, patrons will learn how to care for their family recipe books and sheets, how to translate sketchy, illegible, or unwritten food traditions into usable information, and how to interpret family recipes from a historical perspective.

Sunday, May 20, 2:30 p.m.  

·       “Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier”: Military Records in Family History Research - Did one of your ancestors go to war? Explore the major repositories and databases for military records and discover how they can contribute vital information for your family history research.

About the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)
For additional information about the programs and services of the Birmingham Public Library, visit our website at
www.bplonline.org and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BPL. The mission of Birmingham Public Library is to provide the highest quality library experience to our community for life-long learning, cultural enrichment, and enjoyment. This system—with 19 locations and serving the community for 130 years—is one of the largest library systems in the southeast.