Columbia Maryland Family History Center



The Columbia Maryland Family History Center is convenient for people in Columbia, Ellicott City, and surrounding towns, but people from anywhere are invited to visit and use our facilities.

Center Contacts and Hours
Location Map:


 * Location Map

Address:


 * 4251 Columbia Rd Ellicott City MD 21042 United States
 * Located in the basement of the church building at 4100 St Johns Lane, Ellicott City, MD
 * Enter from the church's lower parking lot at 4251 Columbia Road, Ellicott City.


 * Languages: English, plus (at designated times) Spanish, Korean and Chinese

Phone:


 * 1-410-465-1642

E-mail: md_columbia@ldsmail.net

Hours Open to the Public:


 * Monday 9 am-2pm
 * Tuesday 9 am-2 pm and
 * 7 pm-9 pm
 * First Tuesdays Korean emphasis
 * Second Tuesdays Chinese emphasis
 * Wednesday 9 am-2 pm and 7 pm-9 pm
 * Thursday 9 am-2 pm and 7 pm-9 pm (First Thursday only)
 * Friday 7 pm-9 pm Spanish emphasis (Second Friday Only)
 * Saturday 9 am-12 noon

Holiday Closings for 2018:
 * May 28,       Memorial Day
 * July 4,          Independence Day
 * Sept. 3,        Labor Day
 * Oct. 31,        Halloween
 * Nov. 21,evening Thanksgiving Eve (closes at 2pm)
 * Nov. 22,       Thanksgiving
 * Dec. 16-1 Jan, Christmas break (Reopen 2 Jan)

The center will be closed when Howard County schools are closed due to inclement weather or when school evening or Saturday activities are cancelled due to the weather. If Howard County schools open late because of the weather, the Center may also open late; call 410-465-1642 before coming to make sure that staff members are present and say that the Center is open.

Get Help at Our Center
Any time that the Center is open, one of the volunteer staff members should be able to help you with most family history situations.

We highly recommend that you bring a flashdrive and a notebook with you to the Center to be able to take home what you find and keep notes on what you accomplish and what you would like to do next.

Appointments can also be arranged and are especially useful if you would like help with a specialized topic. Request an appointment by sending an email to [mailto:MD_Columbia@ldsmail.net MD_Columbia@ldsmail.net]. Specify if you would like to come on a weekday, Tuesday or Wednesday night, or Saturday. Choose any family history topic, and at least one of our Center staff members may be able to help you. Some options are:


 * 1) Getting started with family history
 * 2) Online resources such as FamilySearch and Ancestry.com
 * 3) Creating a family tree at FamilySearch Family Tree
 * 4) Putting a photograph on FamilySearch Family Tree
 * 5) Copying slides onto a flash drive
 * 6) Genealogy software such as Ancestral Quest, Legacy, and Roots Magic
 * 7) Adoption research--finding information about birth relatives
 * 8) Information about DNA testing
 * 9) Records at the Library of Congress, Maryland Archives, and National Archives
 * 10) Countries such as Canada (including French Canadian, Ontario, and Saskatchewan), China (including Chinese character records for Japan), England, Germany (including old German script), Ireland, Italy, Korea, Poland, Romania, Russian language, Scotland, Swiss-Italian (Latin) Switzerland, Ukraine, etc.
 * 11) Most U.S. states, including specialties such as California Gold Rush, Mennonite, early New England, Pennsylvania Dutch (German Baptist Brethren), Quaker, etc.

Databases and Software
The center's Family History Center Portal page gives free access to premium family history websites which generally charge for subscriptions, including Ancestry.com, Find My Past, Newspaper Archive, Fold3, and ProQuest Obituary Listings.

Hardware and Equipment
The center has ten personal computers with high speed Internet access, four laser printers, five microfilm readers, two microfiche readers, and a photocopier/scanner for microfilm and microfiche. There are also two flatbed scanners, one of which can capture 16 35mm slides at a time and copy the images to a flash drive. There is also a multi-purpose copier/printer/scanner that can copy pictures and documents directly into the user's gallery in FamilySearch or to a flashdrive.

FamilySearch Catalog: This center has about 3,500 microfilm and fiche from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. (See a list of our holdings by clicking on "Long term Microfilm and microfiche" below)

Reference Library:
The center has more than 1500 genealogy books, more than 1500 long-term microfilm, and more than 1800 microfiche. To search one of our center's collections, click on the link, then use "Edit Find Replace". Enter the search term, such as "Jefferson County", then search.

Books in the Columbia Maryland Family History Center

Books Here

Long term microfilm and microfiche in the Columbia Maryland Family History Center

Microfilm and microfiche

A more complete description of some of the microfilms and microfiche can be found by going to FamilySearch Catalog Search.

Staff Research Help
Several of our staff members teach college classes in family history research. Others have decades of experience with their own family history research and with helping others.

Resources in the Local Area
Howard County Genealogical Society Website Howard County Historical Society Website Howard County Library Website Genealogy Courses at Howard County Community College Continuing Education, Non-Credit Courses Website Maryland State Archives Website Maryland Historical Society Website Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society Website Anne Arundel Genealogical Society Website Baltimore County Genealogical Society Website Daughters of the American Revolution Library Website Library of Congress Website National Archives and Records Administration Website

Fun Links
Donald Duck Family Tree Greek Gods Family Tree Roman Gods Family Tree Stars Wars Family Tree Norman Rockwell Family Tree

Other Links

 * FamilySearch Research Wiki: What It Can Do For You!: A comprehensive video presentation explaining the Wiki, navigating it, and some especially useful pages. Case studies demonstrate using the Wiki for genealogical research. Editing and adding articles to the Wiki are covered.

New Links
Includes biographies of first 108 Pilgrims and a place for living descendants to register. Keep checking back as the project continues to document all US Marriages 17th - 20th Century.
 * Mayflower Project
 * Find My Past Marriages

In-service Newsletters

 * [[Media:ColumbiaMD April 2017 Newsletter.pdf | Apr 2017]]
 * New Titles for Consultants
 * Helper Numbers
 * New Consultant Planner
 * Self-paced Training
 * Find/Take/Teach
 * Discovery Center News
 * RootsTech Training


 * [[Media:ColumbiaMD May2017 Newsletter.pdf   | May 2017]]
 * Consultant Planner
 * "Pre-Search is the key to "Find, Take Teach"


 * [[Media:ColumbiaMD June2017 Newsletter.pdf  | Jun 2017]]
 * Discovery Center
 * Your Took Kit
 * When to Submit a Name to the Temple (and When Not To)
 * Be Proactive
 * Riverton FHC Weekly Hints


 * Jul 2017
 * Consultant Planner: Share It With Your Patrons
 * FamilySearch: Attaching Marriages and Census Records to Many People
 * When to Choose Which "Partner Program" to Use
 * Merging: Be a Tour Guide
 * End of Microfilm Era
 * Riverton Family History Center Hint: Census Substitutes


 * Aug 2017
 * What Microfilms are at our FHC
 * Home Programs to Try Out at the FHC
 * Why Attach All Census Records to the Members of the Family.
 * End of the Microfilm Era
 * Hints from the Riverton Family History Library


 * [[Media:Sep_2017_Inservice_letter.pdf       | Sep 2017]]
 * Things to Know About our Family History Center
 * End of the Microfilm Era
 * Who, What, When, Where
 * Teamviewer
 * TreeSeek.com and Filtered Queries in FamilySearch
 * RootsTech


 * [[Media:2017_Oct_Columbia_FHC_Newsletter_(1).pdf | Oct 2017]]
 * Fun and Help on the Wiki
 * Merging
 * Additional Sources of In-Service Training
 * Google Queries
 * RootsTech 2017 & 2018
 * Tips from Riverton FamilySearch Library


 * Nov 2017
 * TeamViewer
 * Riverton
 * Yippy.com
 * 1900 US Census
 * "Trolling for Hints"


 * Dec 2017
 * Tagging
 * Things to know about the Family History Center
 * Descendancy Chart
 * GPS and Triangulation


 * Jan 2018
 * Wiki Page Updates
 * Automated Pedigree Charts for Belgium and The Netherlands
 * Model Find/Take/Teach Lesson Plans
 * Model Lesson Plan: Possible Temple Opportunities


 * Feb 218
 * Recommending New Standardized Place Names in FamilySearch.org
 * Updated Procedure for Digitizing 35mm Slides
 * Helping People Start “From Scratch”
 * Continuing Education


 * Mar 2018
 * RootsTech 2018
 * MooseTracks.com
 * Riverton Family History Library Hints:
 * Fun Family History Game


 * Apr 2018 & May 2018 (not issued)


 * Jun 2018
 * Reminder: The Columbia Family History Center is NOT a Lending Library.
 * An easy and effective way to help others
 * Why Use the Consultant Planner?
 * Changes to FamilySearch “Consultant Planner” Helps
 * From the Riverton FamilySearch Library: Finding Elusive Records on FamilySearch


 * Jul 2018
 * Consultant Resources
 * New Training
 * New Sources
 * 360०


 * Aug 2018
 * When Someone Dies
 * Reason Statements in Family Search
 * Using “Recent Changes” in Family Search


 * Sep 2018
 * Family History Center Information
 * Family History Technology Lab
 * Reasons to get a FamilySearch account
 * How to help a patron get started in FamilySearch
 * Riverton FH Library Hint: Cemetery web sites


 * Oct 2018
 * Timeline
 * Maps
 * Sources
 * Collaboration = Notes + Discussions
 * Place Name Standardization Now Has Time Discriminators
 * Easy Copy of PID
 * Merge by PID
 * Possible Duplicates now in Research Help: “Data Problems” count
 * Tagging improvements (within the Vital Event window)
 * Home Page Improvements (hints and temple work needed)


 * Nov 2018
 * A Search Strategy


 * Dec 2018
 * New Family History Center Policy
 * Research Wiki
 * Rearranging Sources in Family Tree Profiles
 * Ordinances Ready Feature
 * Newspaper Websites

"How-To" Files

 * 1) How to set up an account for LDS kids 10-12
 * 2) [[Media:TeamViewer Instructions.pdf  | TeamViewer Instructions]]
 * 3) [[Media:Changing Language Settings.pdf | Changing Language settings in FamilySearch ]]
 * 4) [[Media:HP_4890_scanner_instructions.pdf | HP 4890 Scanner Instructions (for 35mm slides) ]]
 * 5) [[Media:Canon_Film_Reader_Instructions.pdf | Canon microfilm/microfiche reader instructions (with the FHC-SCAN computer) ]]
 * 6) [[Media:Record_Development_Flow.pdf | Record Development Flow ]]
 * 7) [[Media:Billiongraves and Findagrave.pdf | Billiongraves.com and Findagrave.com ]]
 * 8) [[Media:How_to_document_marriages_from_the_IGI.pdf | How to document marriages from the IGI ]]

Research in Maryland
Maryland Genealogy

Howard County, Maryland Genealogy

Volunteer at the Center
If you may be interested in becoming a volunteer at the Columbia Maryland Family History Center or if you have suggestions for our website, please send an email to md_columbia@ldsmail.net.