Tucson Arizona Family History Center

The Tucson Family History Center serves the Tucson area. Established in the 1980's, it houses a large collection of family histories and genealogy books donated by the Southern Arizona Genealogical Society and Pima County Library.

Center Contacts and Hours
Location &amp; Map:
 * 500 S. Langley Ave., Tucson, AZ 85710-4834 United States
 * The free standing building is located on the north east side of the Tucson East Stake Center parking lot, south of Palo Verde Park. There is ample parking and handicap accessibility.
 * Location Map

Phone: 520-298-0905

E-mail: [mailto:az_tucson@ldsmail.net az_tucson@ldsmail.net]

Facebook: Search "Tucson Family History Center" on Facebook to join our group to receive updates and information on Center events.

Open Hours:
 * Tuesday 10 am - 9 pm
 * Wednesday 10am - 2 pm
 * Thursday 10 am - 9 pm
 * Friday 10 am - 5 pm
 * Saturday 10 am - 5 pm
 * Closed: Sunday and Monday
 * Closed for Holidays - Christmas: December 19 through January 1 (reopen Jan 2, 2018)

Family History Fair 2018 - Saturday, February 3, 2018
Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 3, 2018 for our next Family History Fair. To see the class schedule click here. We are excited to have Bob Ives, Executive Director of The Family History Guide (see information on the Guide below), present "A Digital Revolution in Family History" at the 8:30am opening session. We will be posting class summaries and handouts here in the future (reminder that we don't have handouts at the fair). The flyer for the event can be found here if you would like to share it with others. Watch this site and join our Tucson Family History Center Facebook group for more information in the future.

'''What Do I Do Next? 5 Tips for Using FamilySearch Partners :''' Not sure what to do with the Family Search Partners that now appear on the Person page of the FamilySearch family tree? Have you clicked on one of them for fun and been completely overwhelmed with the amount of information you see? Or were you underwhelmed with the lack of relevant information returned? Learn how to take advantage of these high powered programs and take your research to the next level. (handout)

 Getting Organized: One Paper at at Time : Are you the lucky recipient of your family's genealogy? Do you have a box, a barrel, or maybe even a suitcase full of letters, documents, photos, family group sheets, etc? You are probably feeling overwhelmed with either joy or despair. Go ahead and be ecstatic that you inherited priceless stuff. Don't despair because you'll learn how to take care of your papers, one step at time. (handout)

 Irish Genealogy Research : Irish genealogy research has unique challenges due to destroyed and missing records, multiple jurisdictions and family naming patterns. Discover why most Irish research starts in the U.S. and how Irish migration patterns can provide clues to your ancestor’s origins. Also, learn what Irish records do still exist and where to find them, including many online sources. An example of tracing a family using available Irish resources will be included.

''' Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Ins and Outs of Newspaper Research :''' Newspapers are a great source of family history details. Newspapers give facts and tell stories of our ancestor's lives. We will look at different facts one can learn about their ancestors in newspapers, as well as see how newspapers share the stories about our ancestor's lives. We will also look at some of the newspaper databases one can use to help our family research.

 The Ins and Outs of Jewish Genealogy : How does one go about researching their Jewish ancestor(s)? We will look at different ways to do this, as well as learn about different aspects about Judaism that will help one research. There are tips and tricks one can use to find out more information on your Jewish ancestor. We will explore some of these during this presentation.

Family History Story Time for Children
Story time for children (up to 5 years old but all children are invited) is held on Monday's from 10am to 11am in six block sessions at various times throughout the year. For the latest information, including the schedule, please click here. Parents can spend time working on the Center computers while the children enjoy the story time activities.

NEW! - Visit The Family History Guide
Go to www.thefhguide.com for a free learning, resource, and training center for genealogy.

The Family History Guide Mission Statement: "Our mission is to greatly increase the number of people actively involved in family history worldwide, and to make everyone's family history journey easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable."

Here are some of the unique features you'll find on the site:
 * Over 1,200 Goals for learning, supported by over 2,300 flexible Choices
 * Step-by-step instructions to make learning easier
 * Links to over 2,400 videos and articles from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and more
 * QUIKLinks that take you to record searches from multiple sources, with a single click
 * A Vault full of additional resources not included in the learning goals
 * Project Tracker sheets and Training materials for self-study or group instruction
 * Family history resources for children and for LDS interests

Past events
Family History Fair 2017 - Click here for the list of courses and links to class handouts.

Family History Fair 2016 - Click here for the list of courses and links to class handouts.

Family History Fair 2015 - Click here for the list of courses and links to class handouts.

Family History Fair 2014 - Click here for the list of courses and links to class handouts.

Family History Fair 2013 - Click here for the list of courses and links to class handouts.

Collections

 * The Cox Collection: This microfilm collection contains copies of US county histories published in newspapers in the 1875-1900 period, as well as city directories for major cities of the time.
 * Tucson FHC catalog Several thousand donated books, film and fiche as well as webinars are part of our holdings.This User guide explains how to search it.
 * FHC Portal: This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions. Websites available are:
 * 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive
 * Alexander Street Press (Civil War)
 * American Ancestors (New England Historic and Genealogical Society)
 * Ancestry.com
 * Create your "Who Do You Think You Are?" story for free
 * Find My Past (UK)
 * Fold3.com (military records)
 * Geneanet (NEW)
 * Historic Map Works
 * Kinpoint
 * MyHeritage / World Vital Records (all content has been added to MyHeritage.com)
 * Access Newspaper Archive
 * Paper Trail
 * ProQuest Obituary Listings
 * Puzzilla.org
 * ArkivDigital Online - Swedish church records
 * Scottish Records (DOS program version)

Periodicals and Magazines

 * Internet Genealogy
 * NGS quarterly
 * American Ancestors (NEHGS online magazine)

Computer Software Programs and Resources
We have deluxe versions of the following genealogy management software for you to "test drive."


 * Ancestral Quest 15
 * Legacy 9
 * Roots Magic 6 and 7 (software programs that interact with Family Search and My Heritage)

Additional computer resources include:
 * Genealogy Bank
 * Family Tree Maker disks (some--check catalog)
 * Some Pedigree Resource File disks
 * PAF 4 and PAF 5
 * Genelines Universal Edition
 * Generation Maps Consultation Software
 * Charting Companion for FamilySearch
 * Map My Family Tree
 * MagiKey Family Tree

Family Search Compatible and Verified Programs
 * Many interesting and helpful programs that tie to information in Family Search can be found at FamilySearch.org/apps

Hardware and Equipment

 * 10 patron use computers
 * microfilm digital copier
 * scan pictures directly to FamilySearch (NEW)
 * flatbed scanner

Individual Consulting

 * Center staff are available for personal consulting with no appointment needed and at no cost

Staff Research Specialties

 * British Isles: Saturday, 10am - 2pm
 * US: Thursday, 10am - 2pm
 * Other specialty times and languages available; send your request to az_tucson@ldsmail.net

Presentations

 * Center staff are available for presentations to community and religious groups. Please send an email to the address above with your request.  There is no charge for such presentations.

Volunteer at the Center

 * Community volunteers with an interest in family history, a desire to serve others, and are willing to commit to a weekly or bi-weekly shift for at least one to two years are invited to join our staff. Training will be provided.  More information can be found on the justserve.org website.  Contact the temple and family history consultant - center through our email above for specific opportunities that fit your schedule.