Troy Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors joined the LHGC and TMCPL employees, as well as Troy Historical Society representatives for the ribbon cutting at LHGC’s new location at 510 W. Water St., Suite 210, Troy. The Troy Historical Society is in a partnership with LHGC. The new location offers approximately 3,000-square-feet of space.

“It’s easy for people to browse,” TMCPL Director Rachelle Via said. “We have staff able and willing to help people find what they need. ..We have library staff, but we have people that are very good at genealogy.”

Via said the building is handicapped accessible, has an elevator, additional parking space and features climate controlled storage, which she noted is very important for old documents and photographs. She said LHGC not only focuses on Miami County history, but goes outside of the boundaries of the county a little bit.

LHGC staff includes Patrick Kennedy, supervisor and archivist, who has 25 years of experience; Sandy Gurklies, a retired teacher, who has expertise in genealogy; as well as Megan Bradshaw and Brian Ganger, all of whom can assist patrons in finding information.

Via said they have a joke at LHGC, “Everyone seems to be related to Sandy (Gurklies), somehow, the further back they do their genealogy. She’s got relatives all over.”

Gurklies said the new location is very organized and “we have a really good collection.” She noted the collection is still being set up, which is a “huge job.” and that it is a combined collection of the library and the Troy Historical Society.

“This is the gem that is hidden,” Gurklies said of LHGC.

Gurklies said as they are setting up the new center, they are “discovering things we didn’t know we had. We’re hoping people will come back … again.”

One thing Gurklies is anxious to see start again is the Genealogy Junction program, where people begin to work on their genealogical history.

She explained that the program “is a good way to explore and have fun.”

There are also cemetery walks that are open to the public and held at various cemeteries in the area.

In addition to books, documents, microfilm and access to computers for research, Gurklies said, “Another thing we have are the digitized Troy newspapers.” The papers date back to the 1830s and visitors can research old news stories.

Gurklies, who enjoys helping people learn their family history, said on one occasion it was particularly rewarding. She explained that a woman visited the center who was very shy and hesitant to ask for help, but finally said she wanted information on her great-grandfather. The woman wanted to learn about him because the family “kept secrets” since he had been in prison for killing another person over a 50 cent debt.

Gurklies said she began helping the woman expose the secrets of her great-grandfather’s past.

“We got back into slave times. We found Freedmen papers. We found so much more. She (the woman) went on to research more,” Gurklies said, noting the woman was initially embarrassed by her great-grandfather’s past. “I think there was shame. I said, ‘You don’t need to be ashamed.’ We got to be good friends.”

Gurklies, who has worked at the LHGC for 10 years, said, “Genealogy has changed my life.”

She explained her father was adopted and as a result of genealogical research, she found her father’s birth family, including her father’s halfbrother, who is now 96. Although her father passed away before she could find his family, she has been able to visit with them and was able to make a scrapbook for them.

While those new to genealogy might find it overwhelming, Gurklies said, “We try to help them navigate the obstacles. … The rich, rewarding parts come when they know their history and they know the struggles (of their ancestors and see how they overcame them.) There’s a quote we (LHGC staff) like. ‘History remembers the famous. Genealogy remembers them all.’”

Via said she hopes the public will come and see what LHGC has to offer, “I think it’s a great resource for the community. I hope people stop in and check it out.”