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By Deborah Carl
Stamford Ward to Hold Family History Festival Saturday
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT -- Neil Thompson thought his relatives came from Great
Britain and the United States, but thanks to a helpful neighbor, he has
discovered the Family History Center and found ancestors in Australia, New
Zealand, and India. The 62-year-old English native knew there was an
enormous amount of information compiled by the Mormons, but he thought the
records were only in Salt Lake. Fortunately neighbor Sherry Young, mother of
former NFL great Steve Young, told Thompson he could access many of those
records at her chapel - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in
Stamford.
Now members are hoping for about 500 to 1000 visitors to the Stamford
chapel. They are holding a family history festival on Saturday, August 25,
where prominent historians will speak on such topics as "Where Do I Start?"
and "When the Records Are Wrong." There will also be workshops by local
historical societies. The is no charge for the festival and registration is
not required. The event is open to everyone and will not be a Mormon
proselytizing event. "We're doing it as a community service," Young said.
The Church recently released a CD-ROM of the 1880 U.S. Census. The database
allows users to search for an ancestor's name from among the 50,475,366
people living in the 38 United States and eight territories in June 1880.
"Because the 1890 census was destroyed by fire, there is no other federal
source like this for 20 years," said David Rencher, director of the Family
History Library in Salt Lake City. "It makes the 1880 U.S. Census of
tremendous value."
Source:
Church connects families to their roots
Greenwich CT Time 19Aug01 N6
By Cameron D. Martin: Staff Writer
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