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Exploring your family's past can be one of the most rewarding journeys you'll ever undertake, as Shelby County's lead genealogist Sarahbeth Farabee demonstrates in her conversation on Kentucky Hidden Wonders. The thrill of discovery, the connections to history, and the deeply personal nature of genealogical research create an experience that transcends simple hobby status, becoming something akin to a spiritual practice for many who pursue it.
Sarahbeth shares her own story as a genealogical researcher, starting with simple letters to distant relatives in her twenties, collecting bits of family information before the digital age made such research more accessible. When platforms like Ancestry.com emerged, her casual interest transformed into a passionate pursuit, enabling her to follow document trails that connected her to fascinating historical figures and events. Perhaps most moving was her description of visiting her ancestor's pre-Civil War brick home in Ohio—a moment she describes as nearly spiritual, standing where her forebears once lived, touching fragments of pottery and marbles uncovered by rain the night before.
The Shelby County Public Library's Kentucky Room serves as a treasure trove for anyone interested in family history research. As Sarahbeth explains, this specialized section includes hundreds of family files, books authored by local researchers, historical maps depicting family farms from the 1880s, and microfilm records of newspapers dating back to 1841. What makes this resource particularly valuable is the fact that patrons can access premium genealogy websites like Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com for free within the library—tools that would otherwise incur substantial subscription fees. For Shelby County residents, Sarahbeth provides personalized assistance regardless of whether their ancestral roots lie in Kentucky or distant places like Wisconsin or Georgia.
For beginners wondering how to start their own genealogical journey, Sarahbeth offers practical advice: begin by interviewing older family members and documenting their stories and knowledge before it's lost. Start with what you know—your parents' information and, if possible, your grandparents' details—and work systematically through the available records. Resources like Find A Grave can provide unexpected connections between generations, while census records offer snapshots of family compositions, occupations, and living situations at specific historical moments. While online resources provide convenience, courthouse records, historical society collections, and cemetery visits often yield information not available digitally.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of genealogical research is how it transforms abstract historical events into deeply personal stories. Sarahbeth relates discovering her connection to Francis Scott Key, the poet who wrote what became America's national anthem, and finding an ancestor who was executed following the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War. Through diaries, pension papers, and military records, ancestors emerge not as names and dates but as real people who experienced illness, conflict, triumph and tragedy. As she eloquently puts it, "Their DNA is inside of you," making genealogy not just about the past but about understanding ourselves more completely.
The Carnegie Library in Shelbyville provides a fascinating historical backdrop for this genealogical work. Built in 1903 with funding from Andrew Carnegie's foundation, the library stands on ground that once held two Presbyterian churches and the town's second cemetery. Though many graves were relocated to Grove Hill Cemetery in the 1850s, some burials remain, with their headstones now preserved in the library yard. This physical connection between the library and the community's past creates a fitting environment for the genealogical research that helps residents connect with their own histories - proving that in Shelby County, the past isn't distant history but a living connection just waiting to be discovered.
