No doubt your Thanksgiving table conversation may have included the Pilgrims. Did you know that 2020 is the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing? Genealogy enthusiasts everywhere are in a frenzy trying to see if they are related to William Bradford, Miles Standish, or anyone else who came over on this famous ship.
Luckily, the genealogy collections at the Venice, Elsie Quirk, and Selby libraries can lead you on the right path, and have knowledgeable volunteers who can assist you in this process.
The genealogy collections include a series of books called Mayflower Families Through Five Generation which takes each person and lays out the descendants of that person.
There are also many other titles on Mayflower ancestors that can be helpful in your searches.
In addition, the online database from the New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors, has Mayflower publications on it. Access it at Venice Library with either staff or volunteer assistance to login.
Let us also say that you don’t have to be related to someone from the Mayflower to do genealogy research or get help from our volunteers, so come on in and see what you can find!
Submitted by Melanie Odom
William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library
