By Ann Zydek
Warsaw Community Public Library

This is a perfect time to explore your family “roots” and possibly talk with family about your shared heritage, history and ancestry. “Family History Detective: A Step-by-Step Guide to Investigating Your Family Tree” by Desmond Walls Allen can help you uncover clues about your family’s past and learn more about yourself. If you hope to write your own family history, view existing family histories in the library’s genealogy.

I treasure many family keepsakes. Between my husband and I, we have photo albums, baby shoes, school souvenirs, hand-made afghans, china, antique books and furniture. My first keepsakes container was an old metal lunch box. I quickly outgrew it as my mother passed along saved childhood art and mementos. My “paper” keepsakes include my father’s poetry and adventure stories he wrote to entertain his children along with my mother’s illustrated stories, diaries and family genealogy charts.

Have you inherited boxes of family papers, photos or artifacts? Are you prepared to organize them? Explore “How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn How to Preserve Family Photos, Memorabilia and Genealogy Records” by Denise May Levenick. It will help you decide which family heirlooms to keep or toss and how to organize and protect what you retain. Marie Kondo’s new book, “Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life” offers organizing suggestions for what you keep.

The Warsaw Community Public Library has many resources to help you build your family genealogy records. Try, “First Steps in Genealogy: A Beginner’s Guide to Researching Your Family History” by Allen, “Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com: How to Find Your Family History on the #1 Genealogy Website” by Nancy Hendrickson or “The Family Tree Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Uncovering Your Ancestry and Researching Genealogy” by Kenyatta D. Berry, the host of Genealogy Roadshow.

May your new year be bright with memorable family feasts, conversations and activities. Enjoy 2023!