ROOTS & BRANCHES

Maybe this installment of “Roots & Branches” should be titled “Travels, continued,” but it’s not about my manic pursuit of fall foliage that took me to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania as much as it is highlighting a couple of events at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia for which I did or will travel to see.

Both events—an exhibit and a signature lecture—are part of Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania’s status as one of five partner organization for the 200^th anniversary of HSP this year.

I have had a part in this since I was still interim executive director at GSP last year when it was initiated, but the real work for the exhibit, titled “Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection: Tracing Families in Social Services Records,” has been done by GSP volunteers headed by Valerie-Anne Lutz and Danielle Coverdale in collaboration with HSP’s Genealogy Director Katy Bodenhorn.

The exhibit opened on Oct. 17 and runs through Nov. 27 at HSP. It uses records from five groups that aimed to alleviate social ills within their communities to tell stories about the common people of the 19^th century:

• The Children’s Aid Society and Orphan Society, both organizations that served children without stable families.
• The Magdalen Society, which sourght to reform “fallen women.”
• The Home Missionary Society, a Methodist group that provided physical assistance to needy Philadelphia families.
• The Societatea Banteana, which offered social and financial support to Romanian immigrants in Philadelphia.

The records for all these groups were drawn from the enormous stacks of HSP, which is the largest genealogical library in the mid-Atlantic states. GSP, which began as the “genealogy committee” of HSP in the late 19^th century, has been chartered as its own organization for more than a century and helped create some of the materials in the HSP library.

The concluding event of the 200^th anniversary partnership on Nov. 20 will be top genetic DNA expert Blaine Bettinger presenting “Lost and Found: How DNA Helps Rebuild Ancestral Histories.”

Bettinger’s presentation will be delivered to a hybrid audience, but a perk of attending in-person is that HSP’s library is open starting at 1 p.m. on the day of his presentation.

The lecture explores the remarkable ways DNA advancements allow us to reconstruct the stories of forgotten populations—those affected by family disruptions and incomplete records.

This conversational presentation will highlight how genetic tools fill the gaps left by missing paper trails, using relatable success stories to show how DNA brings hidden histories to life. Attendees will gain insight into how DNA connects fragmented families and illuminates ancestral roots, offering a fresh perspective on the possibilities of genetic genealogy without diving into technical processes.

For more information, go to the URL, https://www.portal.hsp.org/200