A photo of a U.S. airmen B-29 crew before they were killed by a Japanese kamikaze during World War II will be on public display Tuesday evening at the Missouri River Regional Library art gallery. Standing by that photo will be Carolyn "CJ" Cornelius, whose uncle, Staff Sgt. Gail Cornelius, is one of the 11 men pictured and died alongside his fellow soldiers Nov. 21, 1944.
Knowing some of the background and crew members' names that were written on the back of the photo, CJ researched more about her uncle and the airmen by participating in the Ancestry.com class offered every Wednesday at the library. She was able to retrieve a declassified military file and find other vital information that helped solve some of the mysteries surrounding her uncle's final war mission.
CJ is excited to share her more than year's worth of research on her uncle and other family tree connections from the class, along with more than 20 other class participants and their genealogical findings, during the library's inaugural Ancestry Expo from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Outside of receiving handouts about tips and a variety of resources like Ancestry.com and Family Search, expo visitors will learn about American, Missouri and local history through class participants' genealogical research and chat with them about their discoveries.
"It is going to be casual but knowledgeable," said Laura Loyborg, the library's volunteer ancestry class instructor since the program's inception two years ago. "My slogan is 'Family is world history.' And you learn a lot about history doing this."
Loyborg experienced that firsthand when digging into her own genealogy, which will be on display during the event. Her father didn't know his grandfather, and curiosity encouraged her to find out who he was. Thirty-plus years before Ancestry.com, Loyborg wrote letters, viewed microfilm at the National Archives in San Francisco and even hired a genealogist. She was hooked.
"I thought the genealogist found my (great-grandfather). Until we got internet, I thought that was him. Then, after the internet, I found out he died at age 6 and the person I thought was my great-grandfather was not," she said. "I did find the real one and found out he went to prison. It was just fascinating."
With her great-grandfather wrongfully imprisoned for stealing money from clients, Loyborg was able to find arrest records, legal filings, newspaper articles exposing a sting operation and a fake telegram that proved her relative's innocence, letters townspeople wrote to the governor for his pardon and many other factual documents, all using Ancestry.com and other credible online resources.
"I have all his pardon papers. It still gives me goosebumps," she said.
Loyborg's passion for studying her own ancestry led her to take an interest in helping others trace their family heritage. She started working with library IT coordinator trainer Brian Bray and his team, who helped purchase a public use Ancestry.com program that allowed people to do searches for free at their library computers.
Guests pre-register to one of about 16 computers during the weekly Wednesday Ancestry.com class, leading to a beginners Absolute Ancestry.com course every Thursday and monthly to bimonthly evening classes for those working during the day.
"People want to know their relationships with little or no information, and we are able to do that. People come here for the hobby of their family tree, for gifts, for welcoming different family members. But other times, people come for detective work," she said. "That is available with all free resources."
Praising Bray and his team for their continued technological efforts to keep searches ongoing for its increasing class participants, Loyborg also lends a big hand in helping them navigate through their continued searches, providing important lessons on resources, records and factual proof, and even further investigating genealogical paths of participants at home, all of which earned her an Outstanding Volunteer award at the library last year.
"When people are really stuck and there is not time or you can't get anywhere, I will do homework (pulling out a pile of folders from her suitcase). I sometimes don't know when people may come back, so I have the information I have found waiting for them," she said, noting she is working to get her professional genealogy certification through Boston University. " What is really thrilling is when somebody gets a breakthrough, we share those moments."
Finding out Howell Smith was class participant Jim Davis' great-great-grandfather was a vital discovery to the family story he was researching. He came to the class a few months ago with a story of a ruthless outlaw Cullen Montgomery Baker who had murdered at least 85 people, including a man he believed to be his great-great-grandfather Howell Smith. He also knew his great-grandfather Old Joe Davis lived next door and later shot and killed Cullen Baker, with his rifle now at the Texas State Archives.
"I never knew that Howell Smith was my great-great-grandfather until this class. I wondered but didn't know for sure. I learned that I descended from him through Ancestry.com and the census information," he said. "That is what I'm trying to find now are records of people who lived in the same neighborhood at the same time. There are a lot of missing parts to this story and ones that are not clear."
Even though there are still mysteries to solve with newer class participant Valerie Campbell's family project, she has been amazed to see the results come so quickly.
CJ, who had worked with Campbell for many years, bought a 1920 friendship quilt top from a local guild auction. Knowing its historic value and having more than 25 names embroidered on top, she posted it on Facebook in hopes someone might know who any of the local women listed were. Campbell responded within less than 24 hours, saying her grandmother's name, Hilda Rice, was a block on the quilt.
"I asked CJ if she would consider selling it to me, and she texted back, 'No.' and I thought 'Oh my goodness,' my heart sinking. But then she quickly responded, 'No, it is yours.' I started crying," Campbell said.
CJ encouraged Campbell to come to an Ancestry.com class to research the names on the quilt, doing so in February. Within the last few months, Campbell found information through Ancestry.com and U.S. census records for more than two-thirds of the names on the quilt and a new cousin in fellow classmate Faye Forbis, who also will have a display at the expo.
Campbell is still trying to find information on some ladies listed from the Cedar City and Summit area of Callaway County, Missouri, including "EJ," "GJ," "Gladys" and "S.E. Transbarger." She hopes to finish the quilt with relatives and friends using the materials and style from when it was first constructed.
"I am so glad I found out about this class; it is so interesting. You meet people, find connections," she said. "You might be working on the same family trees."
Even though Campbell and CJ haven't found a direct connection through their ancestry, she is excited about her friend's project to research her family ancestry. Her uncle's story continues to spur interesting finds, hoping to give the crewman's name to the Japanese townspeople who erected a memorial for both their pilot and the crewman several years later, not knowing their names.
"I am hoping to get all this correct and get them to add the names on the memorial and the other 10 families will know. Their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids should know and carry that on in their family history," CJ said.
Detailed posters that include shared heritage recipes, DNA findings and interactive ancestry activities will be part of the event, including a computer area where guests can access the library's Ancestry.com research engine, among other resources with the help of volunteers. The event is free and open to the public, and no reservations are needed.
For more information, call the library at 573-634-2464 or visit mrrl.org.