52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 8 Prompt - Letters

2025

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 8

Prompt – Letters

This is a letter written by Bill's maternal grandmother, Ida Anna Jahnke (nee; Bachmann). She wrote this congratulatory letter on the occasion of the birth of Bill's younger sister, Norma Ruth Hoffart. Norma was born on 7 Jul 1963.

Ida and Arthur Jahnke lived in the small town of Killaly, Saskatchewan. Killaly is 367 Kms. Southeast of Saskatoon. Bill feels that his grandparents moved off of their Killaly farm into the town in the early 1950's. Bill's parents were married in Killaly and then moved to Saskatoon right after their honeymoon. Clara had told me that her mother mailed her a letter every week after they moved to Saskatoon. I asked her what she wrote about and she said anything and everything. Weather, small town gossip and church news. Clara went on to say it was one of her greatest regrets that she threw them out. I felt a pang of regret as well. There would be so much information in those letters.

Among the photographs, cards, and documents of Clara I found the following letter.

  I never knew that in 1963, Ida and Arthur Jahnke did not have a phone of their own. Winnie was Clara's best friend and her bridesmaid and lived across the street from Ida and Arthur Jahnke. I am not sure what she meant about the mail not being the same and if I was to guess I believe all mail would have reached it's destination within 1 day and that was not happening then.

January 8^th was a Monday. It was sweet that Ida and Arthur were ready to go to Saskatoon to help if needed or just to visit the newest granddaughter. I'm impressed that she let Clara decide on when she should come.

Being farmers the inclusion of weather information in relation to how the crops and gardens are doing would be very appropriate. It has been so long since I thought about picking berries. She would put up her preserves based on what they could find “in the wild” so to speak.

Clara did tell me that the whole family loved fishing. So it was not surprising that they caught fish when out for a few hours. I learned that Ida could catch fish easily and knew how clean them. I'm sure that would have been a few meals for them. She ordered the eggs from her son-in-law's farm. It never occurred to me how self sufficient they were. I guess living in a small town within acres of farmland would make it that easy. It wasn't a chore but more of a result of a fun outing.

I haven't thought about hanging clothes out to dry in a very long time. Not that I ever did that but mom did. Brought back many wonderful memories such as playing with clothespins and bringing in frozen clothes in the winter time.

The Doreen she talks about is Ida's daughter-in-law. Her husband was Ida's son and he died of Cancer in 1962. So at this time Doreen would have been between her two marriages. She had 3 daughters. Doreen and Bill's mother were quite close. Doreen's maiden name is Graff. Ida must have wanted to let Clara know about Doreen's parents news of moving into a house after selling their business. Small town where everybody know everybody. Or small town gossip.

Churches and religion in general were a big thing for this family and i might add probably for most of the town. Ida and Arthur's home was right behind the church property. as Bill says just across the ditch. I found it funny that she was relieved that the Summer Vacation Bible School was at the school and therefor the noise would be much less near her home.

I know how much Bill's family loved to dance. They were good at it too. I still can't get my head wrapped around the connection to the bride but then in a small community I think there would be many people at a wedding and dance who knew each other.

I think the farm where she was going to look after her potatoes and cabbages had to be Ida and Arthur's old farm. As I understand, Doreen and then husband Herb (who died of Cancer in 1962) were owners of the farm. So I gather she would have made a supplemental garden at that farm.

So as Clara said her mother would write about anything and everything. Bill's grandmother, Ida Jahnke died in Oct of 1972. Bill and I were just starting to date. I never had a chance to meet her. I would have loved to. This letter gives me a glimpse into a few days of her life in July of 1963. 

June 1967 Arthur and Ida Jahnke on 50th Anniversary

                                                                   
 

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Weeks 6 & 7 Prompt - Surprise

2025

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Weeks 6 & 7

Prompt – Surprise

Robert and Mary Sullivan - 11 Apr 1921

Twenty some years ago I started genealogy to find out who my biological maternal grandfather was. At the time my siblings and I knew him as “Pat Sullivan”. And various other derogatory names. My mother and indeed my grandmother chose never to speak of him. We knew he was of Irish descent. Mary and Pat had two children – my mother (born 1922) and a boy who died in infancy in January of 1927. Actually I did not know about the boy who died in infancy until my sister told me about him.

Sometime after their infant died they parted. The family folk lore was that he was a bigamist while married to my grandmother. They charged him and he was sent to Stony Mountain Penitentiary. The lore went on to say that while he worked as a chef on a train that travelled between Winnipeg (where Pat and Mary lived) and Saskatoon, he had a wife at each end. It was an interesting story. And for my first 10 years I found no evidence to support this story. I was speaking to my grandmother's daughter-in-law lamenting how I could not find anything to prove this story and told her I surmised that it was just family folk lore. She was more than adamant that it was true and I should continue to look.

In 2007 I ordered a genealogical copy of Mary and Pat's Wedding from Manitoba. I learned from this certificate that he was “Bob Windsworth Sullivan” and was 29 years old in 1921 when they married. Thus his birth-date would be circa 1892. The certificate said he was born in Pittsburgh, PA. His father was William Sullivan born in Dublin, Ireland and his mother was Mathilda Olteri. That was all new information and yet in my searches I never found a family with their names and Pat as a son. His second name, Windsworth was new to me but because it was so different I was sure it would help find him.

In 2010 my aunt Phyllis sent me all of the papers, photographs and certificates of grandmother for me to keep. The only thing I found was the church certificate of their marriage and it had been ripped in half. Again information on the church certificate was slightly different from the genealogical copy I had. It listed him as Robert Windsworth Sollivan (with an O) and my grandmother was listed as Mary Krikow instead of Krikau.

A year or two later I found a Robert Wentworth Sullivan in a British Columbia on-line death index. I decided to order it. When I got it I could not determine whether it was my grandfather or someone else. Some of the information was the same and some was not. His birth-date was listed as May 29, 1887 and that he was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. I put it aside and it wasn't until 2015 or so that I looked at it again and I was still not sure that he was my biological grandfather.

In 2017 I was working on my mother's genealogy I decided to order her birth certificate from Manitoba. When I received it I was in for quite a surprise. On my mother's official notice of birth her father was listed as Patrick Sullivan and his residence was listed as “Stony Mountain Penitentiary”. His profession is listed as “prisoner”. It also said he was born in Los Angeles, California – his 3^rd place of birth. However the stunning surprise was that he was in jail. The family legend or folk lore was true. What the heck! I was so sure that it was not true.

Fast forward to spring of 2020. I had subscribed to Newspaper.com. It is a compilation of newspapers from around the world. It is a very fascinating read even if you are not looking for some specific article. In the search I entered Pat Sullivan and was surprised with an article dated 10 Apr 1922 in The Winnipeg Tribune. Another piece of his puzzle came up.

The Winnipeg Tribune wrote all about Patrick Sullivan and his excuse for marrying a second women while still married to my grandmother. He was given a 2 year sentence.

As the family story goes on, grandmother forgave him and took him back and they relocated to Saskatoon. In the fall of 1924 they had their second child and this son only lived a few months. Sometime after that they parted ways. At the time I could not find a divorce record for them but just put it down to the times and no need for divorces. My grandmother remarried 1 Apr 1932.

This made we wonder if Robert W Windsworth ever remarried.

In 1921 while I was perusing my newspaper.com which I do from time to time I put in a search for Robert W Sullivan. What I discovered was an announcement of his wedding to a “Jean Walker” in Saskatoon on 7 Aug 1930. The first thing was the name of Jean Walker because as it turns out that is the name of his spouse mentioned on his 1952 death certificate. And secondly this proves without a doubt that the Robert W Sullivan who died in Chilliwack is indeed my biological grandfather. One more piece of the puzzle was solved.

Since then I had decided that this was all that I would ever find for him. I have been looking into his life pre-marriage to my grandmother. Things such as, where exactly was he born and exactly when. When did he come to Canada?

A few weeks ago I had been notified by Artificial Intelligence (AI) that Robert Sullivan had another hint to check out. This was in my Ancestry family tree. I quickly looked at it and saw the words “bigamist” and thought 'oh yes I know about this already.' A day or two later I decided to look at the newspaper's articles to check it out. The Saskatoon newspaper date was Jan 1928. Wait a minute, I thought, that is not the same as the Winnipeg newspaper article of  April 1922. 

5 Jan 1928 - Saskatoon Daily Star

This is about my grandmother and grandfather, Mary and Robert Windsworth Sollivan. He also had an alias – Paddy Southland!

Mrs. Mary Sollivan accused him of marrying another women in March of the previous year, in 1927. And her name was Jean Walker. Oh my how the plot thickens. This is the woman that he eventually marries in 1930. And I guess in March of 1927. They remanded him in the Saskatoon Cells until Friday morning.

The next article was written on 6 Jan 1928 – Friday.

 

On the 3^rd page and across the top in bold enlarged type

In this article we learn so much more information. The second marriage to Jean Walker was 8 Mar 1927. His first incarceration in Winnipeg was 10 Apr 1922 when he bigamously married a Pearl Tuson. We learned that he was an American who has been in Canada about 20 years. Mr Sullivan offered an excuse for his 1^st bigamous marriage that he was intoxicated, doped and robbed. His excuse for his 2^nd bigamous marriage that he understood his wife had gone to America, married another man and had a child. Thus he didn't expect to see him again.

It was picked up by no less than 4 newspapers across Canada. It was newsworthy. No wonder my grandmother never wanted to talk about him and her marriage to him.

 

Jan 7, 1928 The Ottawa Journal

 

Jan 7, 1928 The Vancouver Sun

 

 

Jan 7 1928 - The Edmonton Journal

The last newspaper article I had was the announcement of Grandmother's divorce. Dated 6 Oct 1928 from Saskatoon Star where it says Mrs. Sollivan was granted a “decree nisi”. 

 

Wikipedia explains this way: “A decree nisi or rule nisi (from Latin nisi 'unless') is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding.”

In my opinion I believe this was her divorce from Robert Sullivan. These articles provided surprising information I had never heard of.  It provided some clarification on the time line of Mary and Robert Sullivan after parting ways in 1925 until Robert Sullivan remarries in 1930. I now know he was an American and that as of 1928 had lived in Canada for 20 years. I can start looking for immigration / border crossings around this time.

Piece by surprising piece I am learning about my maternal biological grandfather – Robert Wentworth Sullivan. By the time I hang up my genealogy laptop I hope to find out where he was born and when his real birth-date was and when did he come into Canada. Who were his parents and did he have siblings? It would be a bonus to find out more details of his time during these years.

Call me surprised!!!!

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 5 Prompt - Tariffs

 2025

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 5 

Prompt - Tariffs

No this is not a coincidence that the blog prompt is the same as the current news - I changed the prompt. This past week a gentleman (Arnold Neufeldt - Fast)  posted on Facebook in The Mennonite Genealogy and History group a story on Tariffs and Taxes in the late 1700's in the Polish - Prussian area.  An area that Mennonites were working on farms on land that was not theirs.  I have blogged about this and the reasons why my German heritage both Mennonites and Lutheran Germans left for Russia.  Arnold Neufeldt - Fast explains it so well that I have decided to post it here.  

Tariffs and taxes: The Mennonite Experience, late 1700s

Everyone in the world is talking about tariffs these days—even of economic warfare to acquire other lands. This is hardly new. Tariffs and taxes in 17th and 18th century Polish-Prussia is something, I believe, Ingrid Peters-Fransen is doing some work on. But here are a few things I am recalling this week that may be of interest.

With the First Partitioning of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by Austria, Prussia and Russia in 1772, 2,638 Mennonite families in the Vistula River delta came under the rule of King Frederick II in Berlin—but not the Mennonites of Danzig. The Free City of Danzig was able to defend its independence.

In Prussia, Frederick kept an exceptionally strong military which was financed through a modern state bureaucracy. Mennonites in the Delta areas sought to negotiate some concessions on military conscription. At the ceremonial honouring of their new king at Marienburg near Heubuden in 1772, two Mennonite representatives came with a gift of two fat oxen, 400 pounds of butter, 50 ducks, 50 hens, and 20 cheeses (note 1). As is well known, Mennonites were eventually offered an exemption from military service in exchange for a large annual lump sum tax—enough to pay the majority capital portion and annual operating costs of a new military cadet school in Culm. Frederick's strategy: exert only enough pressure on Mennonites to successfully increase their military tax obligations and to curtail their rates of land ownership, but not so much as to lose them as productive citizens.

Unlike his successors, Frederick was convinced that these subjects served the state better as taxpayers and producers of goods than as soldiers. With Frederick William II, and especially Frederick William III, however, the view in Berlin had turned toxic towards the “slothful and useless” Mennonites, and the benefits of expulsion were seriously weighed (note 2).

Things were different in Danzig (not yet annexed by Prussia). In July 1786, Russian land agent Georg von Trappe arrived in Danzig and “spoke indiscriminately to all people he met on the streets, dispatched his staff everywhere, and drove into the villages surrounding Danzig [but belonging to Danzig] to persuade farmers to move to Russia” (note 3). On behalf of Catharine the Great, he could offer large parcels of settlement land, religious freedom and military exemption, as well as transportation and settlement support, and multi-year tax relief. While Danzig city officials tolerated the presence of Russian recruiting agents—assuming that good terms with Russia might check Prussian repression—they were furious that the Russian offer was promoted by Mennonite clergy.

To work around this, sixty Mennonite family heads signed a power-of-attorney document (Vollmacht) to send a scouting delegation—Jakob Höppner and Johann Bartsch—with Trappe to Russia to scout out land and to negotiate conditions for immigration (again, a well-known story).

Danzig officials were very anxious when they heard Trappe was returning with “significant financial resources” and Mennonite eyewitnesses, Höppner and Bartsch. The city stood to lose cheap labour and, if the wealthy Mennonites should emigrate, they could also lose considerable tax revenue (note 4).

This would be yet another blow to the city. Crippling Prussian tariffs on Danzig were already bringing it to its knees. Polish imports and exports had always travelled along the Vistula River through Danzig—a large shipping hub. Now exorbitant tariffs by Prussia on goods crossing in and out of the city were wearing down its trade and industry (note 5). Danzig’s population had dropped from a recent high of 60,000 inhabitants to 40,000 in 1787. In the same year, the city had 1,900 deaths compared to little more than 1,000 births, and the nearby city of Elbing—now under Prussian rule—had surpassed Danzig in shipping trade. That “even the industrious Mennonites” in Danzig and the surrounding region planned to accept the “very advantageous offers from St. Petersburg … if they choose to concentrate on agriculture” only confirmed Danzig’s rapid economic and political decline, according to one international press report, and was a “great embarrassment” for Danzig’s magistrate (note 6). For this reason, Danzig city councillors were furious at the Mennonite congregations.

In 1793 with the Second Partition of Poland, after some years of punishing and crippling tariffs, Prussia easily acquired and annexed the City of Danzig. From one perspective one might say, "tariffs work."

---Notes---

Note 1: Heinrich and Johann Donner, Orlofferfelde Chronik, transcribed by Werner Janzen and Merle Schlabough, 2022, pp. 23, 24. From MLA-B, Prussian-Polish sources (online).

https://mla.bethelks.edu/.../ok63/orlofferfeldechronik.html. English: Heinrich Donner Diary (Tagebuch), 1774–1803. Translated by Elfriede Rempel and Glenn Penner. Winnipeg, MB: Mennonite Heritage Archives, 2023.

https://www.mharchives.ca/.../Heinrich-Donner-Diary-12...

Note 2: Cited in Paul Karge, “Die Auswanderung ost- und westpreussischen Mennoniten nach Südrussland (nach Chortiza und der Molotschna), 1787–1820,” Elbinger Jahrbuch 3 (1923), 70.

http://dlibra.bibliotekaelblaska.pl/dlibra/doccontent...; https://media.chortitza.org/pdf/0v760.pdf.

Note 3: S. D. Bondar, Mennonite Sect in Russia [1916], transl. by Jacob Rempel, ed. by Peter Rempel and Glenn Penner (Winnipeg, MB: Mennonite Heritage Archives, 2021), 13. https://www.mharchives.ca/download/3344/. (Russian original: Sekta mennonitov Rossi, v sviazi s istoriei nemetskoi kolonizatsii na iuge Rossii. [The Mennonite Sect in Russia: In the Context of the History of German Colonization in South Russia]. Petrograd, 1916.

https://media.chortitza.org/pdf/Buch/Bondar.pdf

Note 4: Grigorii G. Pisarevskii, Izbrannye proizvedenija po istorii inostrannoj kolonizacii v Rossii [Selected works on the history of foreign colonization in Russia], ed. by I.V. Cherkazyanova (Moscow: ICSU, 2011), 174.

https://bibliothek.rusdeutsch.ru/catalog/860. [English: https://www.mharchives.ca/download/3422/

Note 5: For a contemporary description of Danzig harbour custom houses and outside the city gates, see William Guthrie, A New System of Modern Geography: Or, A Geographical, Historical, and Commercial Grammar; and Present State of the Several Nations of the World, vol. 2 (Philadelphia, 1795), 8.

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433000988588...

Note 6: Augspurgische Ordinari Postzeitung, no. 47 (February 23, 1788), 2.

https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:384-susba000018...

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 4 Prompt - Overlooked

2025

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 4

Prompt – Overlooked

Lately I have been looking at other branches of my family tree. I started looking at The Doering Family. This is my maternal grandmother's paternal grandmother. My Grandmother McLaughlin mentioned her in her oral history and said she lived to the age of 81 and died of starvation due to the “the Russian Revolution”. I have blogged about her previously showing that due to this information I figured her date of death as 1921. Up til then there was never any date of death in any place, I looked including other Doering Family Trees. Her name was Elisabeth Barbara Doering and she was born 13 Feb 1840 in Warenburg, Samara Province, Russia. She married Johann Andreas Krikau in 1875, I have always followed the Krikau side of the family and left the Doering line alone. It was not so much overlooked as I couldn't find much information about The Doering's. I was surprised that coming back to investigate her again (a few years later) that much progress has been made on The Doering's through other family trees.

This is what I found.

Hans Wolff Doering

der jungere

[1600 -1673]

 l

father

l

 Adam Doering

[1629 - 1716]

l

father

l

Valentin Döring

[1663 - 1730]

l

father

l

Adam Doring

1703 - 1762

l

father

l

Johannes Döring 

[ 1748 - 1798]

l

father

l

Johann Magnus Döring

[1778 - 1844]

l

father

l

Johann Friedrich Döring

[1818 - 1887]

l

father

l

Elisabeth Barbara Krikau (born  Doering)

[1844 - ca 1921]

l

mother

l

Andreas Krikau

[1879 - 1946]

l

father

Maria Katherina Sullivan (born Krikau)

[1903 - 1989]  

 mother

l

Lydia Vivian Peters (born Sullivan)

[1922 - 1987]

l

mother

l

Wendy Kathleen Hoffart (born Peters)

[1954 - Living}

11 Generations dating back to 1600. Or my 9th great-grandfather.  Hard to believe this.  It is awesome.

Wendy

  

 

 

 

 

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 3 Prompt - Nickname

2025

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 3

Prompt – Nickname

I can't really think of any ancestors that had a nickname which would have suggested his size, hair colour, or occupation. In this blog I will list a few ancestors or relatives who go by names other than the “legal” name given at birth. However I would like to remind you that it is a German tradition to name children with two given names and use the second name as the one that they go by in everyday life.

I will use my paternal grandfather's family as an example.

 My grandfather is Franz Peters however more often than not he was known as Frank.

He married Elisabeth Dueck and I found in multiple sources that she went by Lizzie or Elizabet.

Their first son was Franz Peters and went by Frank in most of his documents. John's wife was Helena Penner but was often called Helen.

Their second child was Helena Peters who went by the name of Helen and on a few sources as Lena. She married Gerhard Heide. I knew them as Aunt Helen and Uncle George.

Their third child was David Peters but he died young under the age of 3.

The fourth child was Johann Peters and he was known as John Peters. He married Anna Penner.

The fifth child was David Peters. Dad called him Dave.

The sixth child was Jacob Peters and again he died very young.

The seventh child was Wilhelm Peters. He went by William but more often Bill. He married a Gertrude Schellenberg who was called Gertie by all who knew her.

The eighth child was Katharina Peters. She was known as Aunt Katie or Aunt Shirley. And this has caused some problems in the above family source. They thought that Katharina and Shirley were two different children (as noted by identical birth dates!). Shirley married a Bernhard Royce Noxel and he went by Bernie Roy or for whatever reason as Jack.

Their ninth child was my father who was Jacob Peters. Most people knew him as Jake but at his place of employment he was known as Jack Peters. My mother's name was Lydia Vivian Peters. She did not like the name Lydia and thus was Vivian Peters but she was often called Viv.

Their tenth child was Mary Peters and as far as I know that was her legal name.

The last child was named Abraham Peters but was known as Abe.

And more random examples from family are. My sister is Mary Elizabeth but is known as Betty. My brother is Robert Peters but is known as Rob and sometimes Bob. My other brother is Donald but is most often known as Don. My younger sister's legal name is Bonita but is known by Bonnie or Bonnie-Lou by grandmother.

My maternal grandmother was Maria Katherina but was often called Mary McLaughlin. Also she was called Mrs. Mac by her boarder or was referred to The Mac's in my mother's diary from 1942. In that same diary she called her husbands' parents “The Old Folks”.

My husband's name is William Kenneth but like most Williams, he goes by Bill.

His father's name is Anton Hoffart but went by Tony. Tony's father was Rochus Hoffart but was known as Roy Hoffart. Bill's Uncle Henry Hoffart was known to us as Uncle Hank.

Bill's maternal great-grandfather was Friedrich Wilhelm August Bachmann and was known as August. August's wife was Wilhelmina who was often called Minnie.

The shortened names are many and sometimes can trip you up when researching people. It is always prudent to keep in mind alternate names or even nicknames.

Wendy

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 2 Prompt - Favourite Photograph

 2025

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 2

Prompt - Favourite Photograph

 

This photograph came forward last month as we reminisced about Christmas and Santa. It is hands down my favourite Mall Santa photograph. This Santa picture was taken Christmas time 2009. These are my two granddaughters. Kelsey was screaming because she was too close to this scary stranger even though her older sister, Alanna was holding her to protect her and sat between Santa and Kelsey. Kelsey was about 14 months old and Alanna was 11 years old and trying her best to keep this together. Even Santa seems surprised. Jill was given the choice between this photograph and another one but Jill wanted this one. It seemed to capture a moment in time that was not duplicated again.

I love my granddaughters. I love this photograph and the many memories it brings.

Wendy

2025: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 1 Prompt - In The Beginning

2025

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 1

Prompt – In The Beginning

I realize that I have dabbled in genealogy for 19 years now. In 2006 I took a Beginner's Genealogy Course. At that time I was interested in finding out more about my family tree, but I really didn't know where to start.

The Golden Rule of Genealogy is always start with yourself and what you know. The key items you need to fill in are, names, places, dates and relationships. Expand outward as you go. For example, I have 6 siblings and I would next fill in their data such as birth, christenings, marriages etc. Always work from the known to the unknown.

Your initial information can be found at home such as documents, bibles and certificates. I have a photocopy of my mother's bible which included the births of my siblings and me. 

 

 

 

The next source of information is interviewing the family. My 3 sisters and I got together one weekend and with my trusty pen and notebook I began to take down notes. I was quite surprised by how much information I was able to get from putting our heads together. It was a great start to some vital information plus as a bonus we told a few stories that we remembered. For example Betty told us that she remembers dad's first car which was a 1949 apple green Ford. And I always thought dad was a Chevy guy

The use of computers for gathering together our work was just at it's beginning when I first started. Initially I found a free online tree template that I put my family tree information into. Eventually I bought the program called Legacy which I still run as the main family tree. I add new mostly sourced information to this tree. It is private and only what I share is available to the public.

Again back in the early 2000's most genealogy researching took place at a library where information such as a census would have been stored on their database or microfilms. And now the home computers, network access and a few paid software sites provide much information. I use Ancestry and My Heritage to find many pieces of my family information. There is a free database made by the Mormons called Family Search. It is quite useful. These programs offer the opportunity to connect to fellow researchers. Most often new information.

Genealogy has come such a long way since I started to do it as a hobby. I rarely go to the library for research. Computers and programs make this possible. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is just starting to be used in finding hints for your families. I am on the fence about AI as a genealogical tool. AI is actually quite scary to think about. DNA is still my nemesis. So many genealogist swear by its usefulness. I know its there but haven't put the effort into learning more about it. 

Wendy