The Brookings SD Family History Center will host a 25th Anniversary Open House on Saturday, April 22, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the meeting house of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 200 22nd Avenue in Brookings (northeast doors). There will be displays, demonstrations, and individual help stations.

You can receive assistance in looking up ancestors in a variety of free online databases (such as Ancestry, American Ancestors (NEHGS), Fold3, British and US Newspaper archives, Obituary data, Specialized Swedish records, and much more). If you would like to make digital scans of a few old photos or convert data from 3.5 PAF discs to an online format, bring photos or discs and a flash drive.

Beginning through advanced help will be available, as well as basics of FamilySearch.org and family history apps. You can learn how to transcribe parish records or photos of grave markers into searchable databases. Videos of Five-Minute Genealogy and Rootstech 2015 and 2016 will be available on demand.

The Open House is free and all are invited to attend. Cake and homemade artisan bread will be served.

For 25 years, the Center has helped patrons research and preserve their family history by providing free, one-on-one assistance and access to records.