For Genealogy Buffs, Past Has a Hold on Their Hearts

If you live in the South Bay, but find yourself rummaging happily through 19th-Century land deeds from Howard County, Mo., it probably means one of two things: Either you’re over-preparing for an appearance on “Jeopardy!” or you’re a member of the South Bay Cities Genealogical Society.

For Torrance resident Beth Wilson, a founding member of the 16-year-old genealogy group, her happy excursion into obscure land records is rooted in an intense curiosity about her ancestry.

“My husband says I collect dead ancestors,” said Wilson, who admits that she plans vacations to accommodate her research.

But Wilson is not alone in her admittedly obsessive pursuit. Genealogy ranks as the nation’s third most popular hobby behind stamp and coin collecting. Locally, about 200 members of the South Bay genealogy society avidly track down centuries-old marriage licenses, courthouse records, diaries--even graveyard headstones--to piece together their family histories.

Wilson credits Alex Haley’s book and television miniseries “Roots” with igniting the enthusiasm, both locally and nationally, for genealogy. Initially, most of those sleuthing family bloodlines were more than 50 years old.

The reason, genealogists say, is that older and retired folks can devote the time needed for the demanding research. For example, it took club member and retiree Glenn Moberly eight years to trace a portion of his family line to a 17th-Century resident of a small Swiss village.

Although he learned that this same distant relative later moved to France, North Carolina, Kentucky and Missouri, Moberly isn’t satisfied with the scant information. Like most genealogists worth their salt, his quest for knowledge never ends.

“What you’re trying to do is to keep pushing, you get so curious,” said Mel Brittnacher, a retired aerospace engineer. “Once the bug bites you . . . you’ve had it.”

Wilson is even more emphatic: “It’s going to take more than my lifetime to finish.” Such dedication carries its rewards, say the faithful. The acquired knowledge brings a powerful connection with the past, sometimes bridging enormous generational gaps.

Wilson, for instance, is convinced that she inherited her penetrating voice from her great-great-great-grandfather, who was nicknamed “Leatherlungs” Lynn. Operating a horseback ministry in Kentucky during the 1830s, the elder Lynn’s voice, Wilson says, could be heard up to two miles away.

“You get the feeling you know these people,” Brittnacher said. “And there’s a lot of peculiarities you run across.”

Some unearthed family facts are peculiar indeed. Brittnacher discovered one his wife’s forebears was sold into indentured servitude at the age of 8 in Essex County, England, in 1641. The boy was sold to a farmer in Hartford, Conn., with the stipulation that he be taught to read and write and be given two suits of clean clothes upon his release at age 21.

Others have similar odd tales to share from their family’s past. One society member learned that his great-grandmother operated a house of prostitution. Another found out a relative was burned at the stake during the Salem witchcraft trials.

But it isn’t just the senior citizens who are uncovering family secrets. Wilson says her genealogy class is evenly divided between older and younger people these days.

“The baby boomers are finally getting to an age when they are thinking about their growing-up years and their childhoods,” Wilson said. “I think they are, like anyone else, looking for the reason they are the way they are. Why do I look like this? Why do I act like this?”

And society members are eager to introduce beginners to the joys of genealogy. Volunteers such as Brittnacher and Moberly regularly staff a study room in the Torrance Civic Center Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. The volunteers assist about a dozen people a week who want to know how to learn more about their past.

“We find people who rush in at noon during lunch and want to know who their great-great-grandfather was,” Brittnacher said. “Often we can’t give it to them, but we steer them in the right direction.”

The society is looking to expand its collection of 1,500 books and secure more space in Torrance’s library. Renovation plans call for a much larger room in the library’s basement, but city budget restrictions may put the project on hold.

The society meets at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the library. Usually, there is a featured speaker, but time is allotted for members to compare notes.

“It’s like putting a puzzle together,” Brittnacher said. “And that’s what’s exciting about it . . . to fill in the missing pieces.”

Moberly, however, offers a reminder to his fellow member. “But there will always be pieces missing,” he said.