SALISBURY — One of the treasures of the Eastern Shore is found in an unassuming, red brick building at 106 Greenlawn Lane in Salisbury.

The Familysearch Center, housed in the local building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has records, books, and microfiche about Eastern Shore history not found elsewhere. These records are available to the public to peruse and search for family ties to the past.

Besides looking into Eastern Shore history, one of the center’s volunteer workers, Carol Cole, says, “The public can come and get free access to paid subscription sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, and My Heritage.”

“They can, of course, bring their own laptop,” Cole says, but a wider availability of resources can be accessed through the Center’s tools, including books and other restricted volumes and records.

Any level of researcher is welcome to work independently, or basic instruction is offered for those just beginning.

Cole says what’s really exciting is once someone gets past researching their grandparents, their family tree can really open if their tree connects with others who’ve submitted records through these paid genealogical sites.

The Salisbury Center is free and open to the public two nights a week: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-8 p.m., and by appointment by calling 410-742-9431.

If you’d rather explore genealogy at home, the largest genealogical conference in the world, RootsTech, is this online from Feb. 29 - March 2, 2024. It is free and open to the public.

RootsTech just announced their final keynote speaker, Emmy® and Tony® Award winning actress and singer, Kristin Chenoweth.

Chenoweth will join a variety of other speakers and presenters as they share their stories and expertise in creating and finding their genealogy stories.