![\"Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet\"](\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-YTvQg9Bg8dw\/UUe-mAOFmfI\/AAAAAAAAIXw\/h8-0GCLfYjM\/Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" "\\"Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet\\"")
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For 26 weeks I will take you on a family history journey through the alphabet, one letter at a time.\u00a0 I have decided that each post will be educational in nature, focusing on topics related to resources, methodology, tools, etc.\u00a0 Although the challenge is complete, there are still some people who are finishing up and Alona, the host, is encouraging others to participate anyway.\u00a0 Additional information on the challenge, can be found at Take the \u2018Family History Through the Alphabet\u2019 Challenge<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You do not have to live in the area of interest in order to become a member.\u00a0 In fact, many people join societies in the places where their ancestors came from.\u00a0 The people who serve the society, especially state, county, or town societies, usually have a good understanding of the area, the history, and the records.\u00a0 And as part of the society’s mission, their main goals are usually to educate others and preserve records.\u00a0 So by being a member, you benefit from this knowledge.<\/p>\n By joining a society, you are supporting its mission.\u00a0 Oftentimes, you get a variety of member benefits, a few of which I will mention below.\u00a0 But, you should consider giving back in some way, whether it\u2019s by indexing records, submitting an article to the society\u2019s journal or newsletter, serving on the board or a committee, or working on a special project.<\/p>\n Before I get into some of the benefits you might expect to find, I want to remind you that not all societies are created equal.\u00a0 While I truly believe that each society wants to fulfill its mission, sometimes they struggle due to a lack of volunteers and\/or funding, or they simply don\u2019t want to change their ways.\u00a0 But this an entirely different topic, which will not be discussed here.\u00a0 Just know that some societies do a better job than others.<\/p>\n I think the main reason people join a society is to get something in exchange for their membership fee.\u00a0 Usually that \u201csomething\u201d is educational in nature.\u00a0 They want to learn more about genealogy methodology and resources or the history and records of a particular area.\u00a0 And while most societies provide something along these lines, either with publications and\/or events, some societies provide additional incentive to become a member.<\/p>\n Below are some of the benefits you will typically see offered by a genealogical or historical society:<\/p>\n Here are some additional benefits I\u2019ve seen in more recent times that societies are using to further their mission and attract new members.<\/p>\n Access to Databases<\/strong> \u2013 Some societies are developing members-only sections on their website that give members access to a variety of databases created by the society, digital images, and even access to websites\/databases that you would normally have to access from your public library.\u00a0 For example, the New England Historic and Genealogical Society<\/a> has a ton of their own databases and offers free at-home access to Early American Newspapers.\u00a0 The Southern California Genealogical Society<\/a> offers free at-home access to NewspaperARCHIVE.<\/p>\n
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This week I want to talk about reasons why you should consider joining genealogical and\/or historical societies.\u00a0 There are plenty of societies to choose from, at all levels, including national, regional, state, county, and town.<\/p>\n\n