A free Genealogy Expo will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 28, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.
Michelle Bell Boissiere, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, Xavier University, and Jari Honora, family historian in the Williams Research Center of the Historic New Orleans Collection, will speak at the fair.
At 9:30 a.m., Boissiere will talk about genetics for genealogists.
Genealogists will learn basic genetics concepts to provide them with a better understanding of consumer genetic testing, such as 23andMe and AncestryDNA (among others).
Boissiere holds degrees in biology from Xavier University of Louisiana, and from Tulane University. Her dissertation research focused on the function of human sperm membranes. She has been a faculty member at Xavier University since 1994.
At 11 a.m., Honora’s topic will be “Questions of Identity and Relationship in the Ancestry of Pope Leo XIV.”
On May 8, 2025, the world was surprised by the rapid election of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, an American, as the 267th supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Soon after, it was uncovered that the 69-year-old Chicago native had deep maternal roots in New Orleans dating back to the 1720s.
His New Orleans roots include ties to France, Guadeloupe, Cuba, Prague, Italy, Acadie and colonial Saint-Domingue; and ancestors who were colonial officials, free people of color and enslaved people.
As with any genealogical adventure, defining and attempting to solve questions of identity and relationship helped to extend the lines of his family tree.
Honora, a certified genealogist, is a New Orleans native and proud Louisiana Creole with roots dating back more than two centuries along Bayou Lafourche and the German-Acadian Coast. He is a graduate of St. Augustine High School and Tulane University.
The fair will feature display tables staffed by various genealogical organizations, including the Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans, the Jefferson Genealogy Society, Williams Research Center of the Historic New Orleans Collection, City Archives and Special Collections of the New Orleans Public Library, St. Tammany Public Library, Algiers Historical Society and CreoleGen.
Also, the German Acadian Coast Historical and Genealogical Society, The Descendants Project, Le Comite des Archives de la Louisiane, Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies, Plaquemines Historical Association, and the River Road African American Museum.
Also, many lineage groups will be present, including various chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
JIGSAW EXTRAVAGANZA: The Jigsaw Puzzle Extravaganza will occur from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 28, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.
There are three elements to this event.
- Patrons may bring used puzzles to swap. Each puzzle should have all of its pieces. Puzzles that remain untraded can be donated to the Friends of the Jefferson Public Library.
- The Jigsaw Puzzle Contest occurs at 2 p.m. and involves 25 teams of two people who will complete or come close to completion of a 500-piece puzzle by 4 p.m. The contest is limited to adults 18 years of age and older. The first three teams to finish win gift certificates to the Friends’ Big Book Sale at Pontchartrain Center.
- Members of the Friends of the Jefferson Public Library will be present to sell puzzles that have been donated by patrons. Puzzles will be sold for $2 to $6 each. Sales are cash only.
WAREHOUSE SALE: In addition to the jigsaw contest, the Friends of the Jefferson Public Library will sponsor a warehouse sale beginning at 9 a.m. Feb. 28 in the hallway outside the meeting rooms at EBR.
Customers are encouraged to come early to purchase the boxes of books, CDs and DVDs, since past sales have sold out in the first hour.
Boxes are labeled as to what category they contain and sell for $5 each. They cannot be opened prior to purchasing. They include CDs, children’s books (E and J, fiction and nonfiction), young adult, cookbooks, romance, and regular fiction (paperback and hardback). DVDs will be sold for $10 per box.
AUTOMATIC RENEWALS: Effective immediately, the library will automatically renew most library materials that have been checked out by patrons.
Items will now automatically renew up to three times, in keeping with our current renewal policy. After three automatic renewals, patrons can ask for extensions but it won’t be automatically done.
Automatic renewals will not apply to: any item with a hold on it — those must still be returned on time to avoid a fine; interlibrary loan items; items from the Library of Things; music LPs; and hot spots
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
