Blair County Genealogical Society Celebrates 40 Years

Everywhere we go can be a lesson in history, all it takes is a little imagination and a willingness to look behind the surface of the present.

Blair County is 173 years old and filled with stories of those who came before us. Whether tucked away in a family Bible or packed away in a long-forgotten box in the basement, the written history of our ancestors is important reminders that the lives of those long gone don't have to be forgotten.

Fortunately for us, a group of volunteers met 40 years ago to establish a system for preserving the records of the past for current and future generations.

The Blair County Genealogical Society Celebrated its 40th anniversary with an open house at the Roller Hojeth Memorial Library in Hollidaysburg on Sunday, Nov. 3, to showcase its vast collection of historical documents and deeds dating back as far as William Penn.

Jim Snyder Jr., president of the Blair County Genealogical Society, says preserving documents allows people to discover more about their ancestors.

"People are history, and history is people," Snyder said. "You can come here and do historical research. We have a little bit of everything."

From deed research to family history, the genealogical society meticulously catalogs every document for easy access.

"Our volunteers are what makes it work," Snyder said.

Snyder said 40 volunteers put in about 10,000 hours a year authenticating and cataloging the documents and clipping stories from local newspapers for preservation.

"On Tuesdays we meet and go through a week's worth of papers," Snyder said. "Births, deaths, marriages and generation pictures are saved and kept in the library."

Tyler Price of Duncansville visited the genealogical society for the first time on Sunday and said he was amazed at everything they have.

"It is great," he said. "There is a lot to see."

Price said he is interested in the history of the county and finding out about his own heritage.

"I looked up our family names and found some things I didn't know before," he said. "I think it is important to have a place like this to preserve history because if you don't document it, it will be lost forever."

Linda Frederick of Roaring Spring has been volunteering at the genealogical society for about two years and said her love of history is what got her involved.

"I started looking into my genealogy and came in here to do some research and got hooked," she said.

Frederick said it is a labor of love to preserve the documents that tell stories of the past.

If we don't do it, who is going to?" she asked. "If we don't do it, it will be lost."

Frederick said that while a lot of research can be done online, it does not take the place of looking through the original papers.

"A lot of people think that everything is online, but it's not," she said. "Unless you are looking at bonafide records, alot of what is online is put there by people through word of mouth and I can't say it's false, but it's not verified by real records. The internet is a good place to start, but you need to be careful.

Frederick said another benefit of coming into the library as opposed to just researching on the internet is the thrill of holding a document in your hands that someone generations before held in theirs.

"I especially like seeing letters from the Civil War, and World War I," she said.

Blair County Commissioner Bruce Erb said the genealogical society is a county gem.

"The genealogical society is a true treasure for the county," he said. "Whether it is local history or important county records, the society has the sources of information along with the trained volunteers to help you find the answers you are looking for."

Erb said county government is a big supporter of the genealogical society and looks forward to many more years of collaboration.

"Blair County government has been proud to be a partner with the society and we look forward to many more years of working together," he said.