OCTOBER IS FAMILY HISTORY MONTH Long Beach's Questing Heirs Genealogical Society is celebrating Family History Month by offering the family researcher a free consultation at the Long Beach Public Library, on Ocean Boulevard every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon from 1 PM to 5 PM. Help has been available at the library every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon throughout the year. However, during October a beginner's packet will be available and additional experienced researchers to help launch inquirers into the fun and educational opportunities of looking for grandparents and the history that surrounds them. October marks the 3rd annual celebration of Family History Month since the U.S. Senate unanimously approved legislation on September 26, 2001, just 15 days after world history was made on September 11. According to the PBS "Ancestors" program website, family history has become the second most popular topic on the Internet, and the third most popular hobby in the U.S. As of September 1, 2002, another top genealogy website, FamilySearch.org, had 8.8 billion hits and 1.7 billion page views since it launched in May of 1999. It is estimated that more than two million separate websites are devoted to genealogy. "This is a huge day for the more than 80 million Americans who are believed to be actively searching for more information about their ancestors. "Millions of Americans are researching the history of their families," said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, the Utah Republican who introduced the Family History Month resolution. "Experts say that in the United States, genealogy is now the second most popular hobby next to gardening." "It is only natural that we want to find out more about our ancestors," Hatch continued. "What better way to bring families closer together than by discovering more about the story of their own family? Like it or not, who we are today is in large part, a product of our ancestors." Hatch's bill (S.R. 160), which was co-sponsored by 84 other Senate members, commemorates October as Family History Month and encourages President Bush to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month of October with appropriate ceremonies and activities. "With the advent of the Internet, there has been an explosion of interest in family history," Hatch continued. "Last month alone, more than 14 million Americans used the Internet to research their family history. Genealogy Internet sites are some of the most popular sites on the World Wide Web. My church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has family history information on nearly 500 million individuals on its family history web site, FamilySearch." Resolution Designating the month of October each year as "Family History Month" Whereas it is the family, striving for a future of opportunity, and hope, that reflects our Nation's belief in community, Stability, and love; Whereas the family remains an institution of promise, reliance, and encouragement; Whereas we look to the family as an unwavering symbol of constancy that will help us discover a future of prosperity, promise and potential; Whereas within our Nation's libraries and archives lie the treasured records that detail the history of our Nation, our States, our communities and our citizens. Whereas individuals from across our Nation and across the world have embarked on a genealogical journey by discovering who their ancestors were and how various forces shaped their past; Whereas an ever-growing number in our Nation and in other nations are collecting, preserving and sharing genealogies, personal documents and memorabilia that detail the life and times of families around the world; Whereas 54,000,000 individuals belong to a family where someone in the family has used the Internet to research their family history; Whereas individuals from across our Nation and across the world continue to research their family heritage and its impact upon the history of our Nation and the world; Whereas approximately 60 percent of Americans have expressed an interest in tracing their family history; Whereas the study of family history gives individuals a sense of their heritage and a sense of responsibility in carrying out a legacy that their ancestors began; Whereas as individuals learn about their ancestors who worked so hard and sacrificed so much, their commitment to honor their ancestors' memory by doing good is increased; Whereas to encourage family history research, education and the sharing of knowledge is to renew the commitment to the concept of home and family; and Whereas the involvement of National, State, and local officials in promoting genealogy and in facilitating access to family history records in archives and libraries are important factors in the successful perception of nationwide camaraderie, support and participation: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate -- 1) designates the month of October each year as "Family History Month;" and 2) requests that the President issue a procla- mation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities. As Dr. John Daly, Director of the Illinois State Archives says in his article, "Genealogy Power," (Ancestry Magazine, May/June 1999) "Family historians and genealogists have replaced academic researchers as the principal users of public archives in the United States. The combined memberships of the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians today are twenty-eight thousand. A study published in American Demographics in December 1995 cited that 113 million Americans have some interest in genealogy, and that 19 million have a strong working interest in the field . . . If the administrators of public archives in the United States had to rely upon the use of archives by academic researchers alone to justify the existence of archives, they would find it extremely difficult to do so." There are numerous activities that the family could do to celebrate this month. Some of the suggestions are to identify everyone on the photographs; assemble and tell the stories behind family heirlooms; start a personal journal of thoughts, or beliefs; and join a local genealogical society to learn different research methods. Historically Healthy is also known as medical genealogy, it's important because many of the factors that determine our health today were inherited from our ancestors. To learn about yours, simply begin with what you know. Go generation by generation, noting when illnesses occur. Include dates of birth and death, ethnic background, patterns of ill health, birth defects, allergies, hearing or vision problems and general routines such as diet, and tobacco or alcohol use to flesh out details. What you learn now could save a family member's life tomorrow.