A Jamboree of Ancestor Hunters

Virginia and Bob Emrey blame their genealogy habit on an earthquake that shook Glendale about 40 years ago.

The quake so upset a neighbor that the Emreys offered their help. During the resulting friendship, the neighbor, who was a genealogist, “proved to me that I was related to her late husband,” said Bob Emrey. “That’s how we got mixed up in this mess.”

Southland genealogists will be swapping similar tales during the 21st annual Genealogical Jamboree sponsored by the Southern California Genealogical Society from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Pasadena Center in Pasadena.

An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 family tree tracers are expected to pack the center’s Exhibit Building. More than 150 tables of genealogical books and supplies--including on-site photo restoration services--will be available. Also, free beginner’s and advanced genealogy classes and lectures will be offered on subjects such as pre-1820 Kentucky sources, Revolutionary War research, the British Isles and vital records sources prior to 1910.

Once the Emreys got started on their ancestor search they--like most genealogy buffs--were hooked for life. While hunting for their ancestors, the Emreys have made their way through musty church documents in Canada, chilly cemeteries in Vermont and shelves of library books in Burbank.

“We’d always wondered who in our ancestry couldn’t spell (the surname Emrey) and we still don’t know and we’ve been at it 40 years,” says Bob Emrey. “It’s taken us 25 years to find four generations and it’s taken (Virginia) 40 years to find her Revolutionary War ancestor.”

The Emreys have populated their family charts with several Mayflower ancestors and a London town clerk circa 1300, but the thrill, they say, is the adventure genealogy provides.

“This puzzle . . . I find it very intriguing,” says Virginia Emrey. “I don’t think you’d ever be satisfied. I don’t think you’d ever get through.”

Since author Alex Haley’s book “Roots” was published in 1976, genealogy has become one of the most popular hobbies in the United States--so much so that some federal vital records offices have limited access for genealogists and libraries have had to catch up with demand by expanding their genealogical holdings.

One of the most popular local resources, the Los Angeles Family History Center in West Los Angeles, recently increased its operating hours and may expand its building to accommodate both patrons and its sizable microform collection.

The Family History Center, a branch of the Salt Lake City Family History Library run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), had more than 5,400 visitors in March and almost 53,000 in 1989, says center president John Vidmar.

To begin a search at the Family History Center, start at home with the basics, says George Ryskamp, a Riverside attorney whose genealogical hobby has turned into a side business called Hispanic Family Research.

“Gather everything you can about your family members. Then go to one of the (Mormon) family history centers. You’ll get advice on how to start and access microfilmed records.”

The family history centers are open free to anyone wanting to trace their family roots. The Family History Library has nearly 2 million microfilm rolls, microfiche and books containing records of state and U.S. censuses, naturalizations, births, deaths, marriages, ship passenger lists, land deeds, wills and church documents of all denominations.

For instance, about 90% of Mexico’s Catholic parish records prior to 1920 have been microfilmed by the library, as have some records from Spain, says Ryskamp, who wrote a how-to book on Latino research. His book and Marie Nordhoff’s two-volume set on California’s founding Mexican families are available at the Southern California Genealogical Society library in Burbank.

Getting information on your family should first include writing for vital documents such as birth, death and marriage certificates. The addresses for the state and county offices that oversee these documents are listed in a U.S. government publication available at most public libraries.

Interviewing your oldest living relatives should also be a priority, says Jan Jennings, an SCGS past-president who began her own family search 14 years ago.

“Get it while they’re still here,” she says.

You also can get free help on starting your search by attending a beginner’s class given by local genealogical societies, suggests Jennings. There are more than 80 such societies in Southern California with memberships ranging from 25 to more than 1,400 people.

Most groups also offer workshops, seminars and newsletters. Large genealogy library collections have been established by many societies, making Southern California a coveted place to pursue ancestor hunting, says Jennings, who is also coordinator of the SCGS’s Genealogical Jamboree.

The Jamboree will offer information on tracing almost every type of family tree. Perhaps the only ethnic group that will not be represented at the Jamboree are Asians, says Jennings, because their histories are extremely diverse.

For Japanese-Americans, however, Yoshida Kamon Art in Gardena can research the history of the Kamon or family crest. Every Japanese family has a Kamon, says Nina Yoshida, and it can be used as a device to begin a family tree search.

The annual SCGS event is where Long Beach genealogist Bernice Gunderson got her idea to start a Durkee family surname newsletter that is legendary in genealogy circles.

The 9-year-old newsletter, with 400 active subscribers, has provided Gunderson with the means to continue her venture of updating and publishing an 111-year-old manuscript on the Durkee family.

“I just feel like I was destined to do this,” says the semi-retired nurse. “I’ve waited all my life for the right thing to come along and this is it.”

While family tree enthusiasts like Gunderson take cross-country research trips, genealogy does not have to involve such expense.

“You can spend as much or as little as you want,” says Jennings. Except for obtaining copies of vital records, a search might involve only your time and photocopying expense. On the other hand, hiring a professional researcher can cost up to $50 an hour, she says.

Then there are the genealogy fiends who plan their lives around organized research trips to faraway libraries in foreign countries. Ann LeBlanc Barillas is one such person.

Barillas began her search seven years ago after learning she was half French-Canadian and that her maiden name “White” was actually “LeBlanc.” She has since traveled with an SCGS French-Canadian research group to Quebec and France.

Genealogy is “much more than going through libraries and books,” says Barillas.

“A whole change came in my life when I really knew who my family was. I’ve gone to see where they’re from. I believe that you’re not your real self until you know what your heritage is.”

The 21st annual Genealogical Jamboree, Southern California Genealogical Society, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Pasadena Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Wheelchair access and interpreters for hearing-impaired will be available. For more information, call (818) 843-7247. Admission: $5, parking $4.

Here’s Help in Tracing Your Roots

Here is a sampling of genealogical societies in Southern California. Write for information on meetings and projects:

* Afro-American Genealogical Society, c/o Afro-American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Calif. 90037.

* Antelope Valley Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1049, Lancaster, Calif. 93534.

* Conejo Valley Genealogical Society Inc., P.O. Box 1228, Thousand Oaks, Calif. 91358.

* Genealogical Society of Riverside, P.O. Box 2557, Riverside, Calif. 92516.

* Hispanic Family Researchers, (714) 894-8161 or (714) 773-5160.

* Immigrant Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 7369, Burbank, Calif. 91510.

* Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles, P.O. Box 25245, Los Angeles, Calif. 90025.

* North San Diego County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 581, Carlsbad, Calif. 92008.

* Orange County California Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1587, Orange, Calif. 92668.

* Palm Springs Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 2093, Palm Springs, Calif. 92263.

* Pomona Valley Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 286-T, Pomona, Calif. 91769.

* Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1303, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93116.

* Southern California Genealogical Society, P.O, Box 4377, Burbank, Calif. 91503.

* Whittier Area Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 4367, Whittier, Calif. 90607.