Breathing Life Into Those Who Have Gone Before

Most of us know who our parents and grandparents are, but beyond that the family picture often gets a little fuzzy. Thanks to the Indian River Genealogical Society, that picture can start to become much clearer. Just ask Marg Putzke, Diane Macgowan, Chuck Bainus and Cynthia “Cindy” Hineman, who are walking, talking advertisements for the nonprofit that provides instruction on how to research, retrieve, organize, index, preserve and disseminate genealogical information through programs, classes, workshops and seminars.

Meetings, held the second Tuesday of the month at the Indian River County Main Library, not only educate and inspire, they also offer opportunities to share family history stories and research tips. Information one member has discovered could well be just what another had been hoping to find. Genealogy interest groups, GIGs for short, focus on a specific ethnicity such as Swedish, Irish, Polish and French Canadian. The society also works closely with the Indian River County Main Library Genealogy Department and Archive Center where members volunteer to help out.