Genealogy Week | March 3-9

Spring is on the way, and it’s a great time to start new projects or get back to some old ones! For the historically-minded, there is no better place than Omaha Public Library (OPL)’s Genealogy & Local History Room, opens a new window at 3020 S. 84th St., and no better time than Genealogy Week, March 3-9.

National Genealogy Day falls on the second Saturday in March (March 9 this year) and is a time dedicated to memorializing our families and recording their stories. As they did last year, OPL and the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society, opens a new window (GOGS) are joining forces to celebrate family history for the entire week leading up to National Genealogy Day with open-house activities in OPL’s Genealogy & Local History Room.

Visitors will enjoy a variety of family-history-themed activities including puzzles, scavenger hunts, crafts, free genealogy charts and other giveaways (while supplies last), unique displays, demos of specialized scanners—and door prizes! See what a real Sanborn map atlas looks like, or browse an early city directory; find your family in a 19th-century county history or local church records; or simply enjoy socializing and networking with other researchers.

What’s more, GOGS volunteers and expert library staff will be on hand to help researchers of all levels find new information about their families, making good use of the library’s extensive genealogical and local history collections and databases such as Ancestry Library Edition, opens a new window, MyHeritage Library Edition, opens a new window, the Omaha World-Herald, opens a new window and Omaha Star, opens a new window digital archives, Newspapers.com, opens a new window and Fold3, opens a new window. OPL’s genealogy collection includes books, periodicals, microfilm and archival materials spanning most of the United States and several other countries. Be prepared to get a sneak peek at some of the rare items from OPL’s archive!

Genealogy Week is the perfect time to learn about new resources, start or resume your family history research, make new genealogy friends and socialize with old ones.

Featured programs

Excess Baggage: Riding the Orphan Train, opens a new window
Sun | March 3 | 2 p.m.
Registration required

Between 1854 and 1929, thousands of orphans were sent on trains to the “Wild West” to be adopted…or used as free labor. Presenter Charlotte Endorf – who has written books on the topic and interviewed some of the last surviving Orphan Train riders – will share her knowledge of this fascinating piece of Nebraska history.

Humanities Nebraska (HN) provides major funding for this program. HN receives support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Nebraska State Legislature, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and private donations.

Music Evoking Stories: Love, opens a new window
Sat | March 9 | 2 p.m.

A small string or wind ensemble from the Omaha Symphony will perform music chosen around the theme of “Love.”