J.D. Potié
SHAWVILLE July 3, 2019
On July 3, around 30 local history buffs gathered inside the Pontiac Archives in Shawville for a one-hour presentation on the basics of genealogical research from an expert in the field.
Presented by local genealogist Gloria Tubman, the session consisted of a power-point slide-show where the Bristol-based archivist divulged into how she goes about researching history, family trees and bloodlines.
Organized by volunteers at the archives, the event served as an opportunity for local history buffs to learn a few tips from a specialist on how to trace back bloodlines all the way to their earliest ancestors and understand the story of the Pontiac’s earliest settlers.
With people packing every seat in the house and then some, volunteers were forced to add chairs to the seating room to accommodate the large crowd in attendance.
Throughout the session, attendees carefully listened to Tubman’s insight as they jotted down notes on little pads and asked questions to get a better understanding of the subject.
From knowing whether to check out the local library, a museum or other kinds of public institutions, to knowing which ones to avoid, or asking the right questions to narrow down specific information, learning the true tricks of the trade be very helpful with genealogical research, Tubman said.
While she doesn’t expect attendees to retain every bit of the information she presented, Tubman feels that if it benefits anyone of them with their own projects in any way, she’s done her job.
“Hopefully, at the end of the talk, a person has found one little gem, one little clue. That to me makes it a success. I don’t expect them to remember everything. But maybe when they’re researching in two months-time ‘Oh yeah, what is that that she said.’”
According to Tubman, the Pontiac Archives are a tremendous source of information that more locals should take advantage of.
Holding a unique richness of historical data on all subjects imaginable, she believes it has something for every individual to be excited about.
“Many people walk by the Archives door on by the street and they never venture in,” she said. “They don’t know what is in here to see. You never know where somebody’s going to be touched by something.”
Delighted with the amount of people who showed up, Crawford called the event a surprising success considering the blistering hot temperature at the time.
“It’s great to have everybody turn up because we expected nobody on this really, really hot day and here the room is full and we had to get more and more chairs and that’s amazing,” she said.
For Crawford, the high level of attendance was positively meaningful as it reminded her that her countless contributions and constant work volunteering at the archives is indeed well worth it.
“We’ve been working for so many years to gather all the information,” she said. “It’s nice to know that it’s now being used. People appreciate it and we keep gathering more.”
