Marco’s DAR learns how to climb the family tree

Chris Curle Special to the Eagle From left, genealogy experts Marie Overton and Arlene Maurer shared their knowledge with members of Marco Island's DAR at their February meeting at Hideaway Beach Club.

The Marco Island chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) got a crash course in genealogy at its Feb. 17 meeting at the Hideaway Beach Club.

The 35 members and guests heard from two Collier County experts in researching ancestry, Marie Overton and Arlene Maurer, both from the Genealogical Society of Collier County.

Marie Overton told the group how researching your family tree is evolving with technology. You still might have to write to churches, cemeteries, county seats, military record depositories, hospitals and townships for family records, but increasingly, those records can be found online.

Overton said she experienced the frustration shared by many people who try to track down their ancestors, only to be stymied by gaps in information. She also said she has felt the exhilaration of finding that “missing link” to family members of the past.

If you are interested in tracing your ancestry, Collier County has a wealth of resources to assist you.

Arlene Maurer said there is a special collection of books, periodicals and computer research databases in the genealogy room at the Naples Regional Library, 650 Central Ave. Volunteers are there to assist you. Visit http://public.collier-lib.org/genealogy/.

You can contact or join the Genealogical Society of Collier County. It meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 at the Moorings Presbyterian Church. For more information, visit www.thegscc.org.

To learn more about Marco Island’s DAR, call Kay Zeigler at (239) 642-0711.

Monthly luncheon meetings are at 10:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Potential members and members from other chapters are welcome.

The DAR works to preserve the spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence.