Meet Sara, a curious patron who recently embarked on a transformative journey of self-discovery using MyHeritage Library Edition. As a fervent lover of history, Sara had always been intrigued by the intangible tales of her ancestors. Where did they come from? How did they meet? What did their home look like? However, like many of us, the names and stories of her lineage beyond her grandparents had faded with time — that is, until she found MyHeritage Library Edition through her local library’s website.
With history on her mind and heritage tourism on the rise, Sara was excited at the prospect of uncovering her ancestry and sparking connections with the people and places she knows — as well as those she’s never heard of. MyHeritage Library Edition is one of the largest, most internationally diverse genealogy databases of its kind, making it the best place for her to start her research.
From the comfort of her home, and with a cup of tea by her side, Sara began her exploration by logging into MyHeritage Library Edition with her library credentials. She simply entered the names of her grandparents on the MyHeritage homepage, and with the click of a button, she soon found herself diving headlong into an ocean of historical records, photographs and family tree profiles, all pertaining to her loved ones. Sara was astounded by how seamlessly MyHeritage Library Edition connected her with this wealth of information. In a sea of 20 billion records, it brought to light the particular tales of her ancestors' military service and gravestone photographs — she never knew she had a great uncle buried in Arlington cemetery! More innovative features, like the unique Record Detective™, took her research a step further by recommending additional relevant records for key records that she discovered. Sara was not just exploring a genealogy database; she was stepping into a time machine that was connecting her present with her family's past.
Using the advanced search feature, Sara began to designate additional relatives and broaden the family tree, but she could not quite recall the family name on her mother’s distant side. (Was it Coen, Cohan, Cohen, Cohn…?) This was no matter using MyHeritage Library Edition, however, as when she put in “Coen,” the search engine was able to automatically include spelling variations and even names that sound similar based on sound-matching technology. (It was Cohen, by the way.) Sara began to find records from Israel, too, as MyHeritage Library Edition automatically recognized the name in other languages, like Hebrew (כֹּהֵן). Her research blossomed into a tale of immigration to the United States and old family phone numbers from Haifa — her distant relatives began to feel not so distant, after all.
As Sara uncovered ancestors and their stories, she couldn't help but share these fascinating discoveries with her family. Her investigations sparked a wave of nostalgia and a flurry of conversations among her family members. Group texts and kitchen table discussions were filled with reminiscences about long-lost relatives, the echoes of laughter from the houses they grew up in, the businesses they owned, and the old addresses that were once called home.
Sara's experience with MyHeritage Library Edition is just one example of the power of modern technology in connecting us with our roots. Today, she not only knows the names of her ancestors but understands their lives, the times they lived in, and how their stories have shaped her own. The mystery and intrigue of her family's past have unfolded like a riveting novel, thanks to MyHeritage Library Edition and to her local library that provides it.
