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12 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Luzerne County; 1 more death

We genealogists are as excited as anyone else as the reopening of society progresses. Many of our favorite sources of information closed in an attempt to control the covid-19 pandemic, and we&rsquo;ve probably fallen behind in the pursuit of our elusive ancestors.
				What every genealogist now needs is a plan to get going again as facilities and contacts return. Of course, everyone&rsquo;s plan will have to be different. But here are some suggestions.
				Get serious about DNA: If you have not taken a test, do so. The various testing companies have websites telling you if they offer general purpose testing, Y-chromosome (male) testing or testing for a specific region.
				Regardless of your choice, understand that a DNA test gives probabilities &#8211; not answers &#8211; about your ancestry. You still have to do the research, though the test can help guide you. Understand also that, while you&rsquo;ve pushed your genealogy back probably no more than a few centuries, your DNA test gives you information from thousands of years ago. If they don&rsquo;t seem to match, that&rsquo;s probably why. Keep extending your genealogy research back through the generations until patterns line up.
				Join the regional research organizations: Your two major windows to the past are the Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society and the Luzerne County Historical Society, both in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Watch their websites and Facebook pages for reopening dates. Then sign up.
				They have immense resources &#8211; everything from out-of-print local histories, censuses and old city directories to massive cemetery and church listings. Many of your questions will be answered right there with a little work.
				Same goes for the smaller historical societies with research materials &#8211; such as those of Nanticoke, Plymouth and Pittston. Other groups, such as Kingston&rsquo;s, do not archive but focus on significant projects. Public libraries often carry historical materials for their towns.
				Check out online sources: A lot of material is readily accessible online, sometimes free and sometimes behind a paywall. Many use newspapers.com, a subscription service for old papers from all over. The huge site familysearch.com adds millions of records every week to its free data base. There are many more such sites.
				If you search for specifics online, you&rsquo;ll find everything from Pennsylvania mining records offered by the state to privately operated Civil War regimental rosters to foreign historical material. Just keep looking.
				Volunteer: This is a great way to help your fellow genealogists. You can catalogue photos and records for an historical or genealogical group or museum, serve as a guide or set-up person at historic homes, or cut weeds and restore head stones at an old cemetery. You can assist with fund-raisers, help set up museum displays or volunteer hours at a library or association to do look-ups for family historians needing information.
				News Notes: Congratulations to the Luzerne County Historical Society on receiving a $30,000 federal grant that will help with costs of personnel and digitizing of materials. It comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities Cares Act. The office of U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Moosic) announced the grant. The digitizing will make materials more available to researchers.
				Additionally, the LCHS is preparing an exhibit on the 19th Amendment, the one that affirmed the right of women to vote. Information on opening the museum to the public will be forthcoming, the society said on its Facebook page.
				Just 61.9 percent of U.S. households have responded to the 2020 U.S. Census, the Bureau of the Census announced this week. Pennsylvania is a bit ahead of the average, with a response rate of 65.1.

Searching for ancestors as society reopens