SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is recognizing Family History Week from April 1-6. The campaign is designed to help people trace their roots and learn more about their communities. Libraries, museums, genealogical societies and other groups are hosting activities and informational events across the greater Sacramento region.
The Center for Sacramento History tells the history of the Sacramento region through photographs, film, audio and artifact collections. The center was founded in 1953 to educate all.
"We are the official archives for the city and county," said Kim Hayden, Senior Archivist at the Center for Sacramento History. "We have government documents dating back to 1849, from immigration records to property records, business records, tax records, voting records, planning records, you name it. If the city and county created it, we have it."
The center hosted free genealogy presentations Friday. It was all about teaching people how to research family history, businesses and properties using the resources available at the center.
"We also collect stuff from regular people, businesses, institutions and organizations," said Hayden. "We're just trying to tell a full historical story of Sacramento and its people."
Teeann Aldana Duncan participated in the event. She says her family has been in the Sacramento region since the 1850s and she wants to learn more about her roots.
"I find it fascinating, and I love going down rabbit holes and investigating history," said Duncan. "You never know what you're going to find and I'm hoping for something interesting."
Sandra Maier went to the event, too. She says she's digging for answers to family mysteries.
"I should have asked a whole lot more of questions when I was growing up," said Maier. "Researching them has been a lot of history that I've never learned in high school and some very fun stories about people who have lived before me. There's a lot we can learn from the past and a lot that we see that affects us and how we live today."
The event ended with a tour of the collection storage vault where the center keeps everything in a temperature-controlled space to help preserve history. By providing genealogical resources and more, the center hopes to inspire people to connect with others and learn more about their community.
To learn more about Family History Week or for a full list of other events, visit the Sacramento Regional Genealogical Council website.
We want to hear from you!
The Race and Culture team's mission is to serve our diverse communities through authentic representation, community engagement and equitable reporting. Accomplishing our goals of inclusive reporting requires hearing from you. Is there a person or place that you want us to highlight? Email us at raceandculture@abc10.com or fill out the form below.