ROOTS & BRANCHES

It’s not for nothing that Shamele Jordon, show runner of the biweekly “Genealogy Quick Start” program on which I appear as a regular, can motivate me to participate in just about any event.

She was the one who got me involved in “PARK(ing) Day Philadelphia,” first in 2017 as a project related to an earlier iteration of “Quick Start” and for the last two years in her capacity as a vice president of Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (A reminder that I’m currently interim executive director at GSP).

PARK(ing) Day Philly describes itself this way: “The number of parks throughout Philadelphia increases dramatically each year on the third Friday in September, when activists, artists, architects, and other citizens transform metered parking spaces into temporary public parks.  Known as PARKing) Day, this annual event re-imagines the possibilities of 160 square feet of public space.  The event celebrates parks and other public spaces in cities across the country, and raises awareness of the need for more pedestrian-friendly spaces in our urban areas.”

Jordon’s twist on PARK(ing) Day is to offer what she calls “Street Genealogy,” giving passersby the opportunity to talk about family history and even have a few database lookups done if they have the time and their interest level is high enough.

This year, the parking spaces for “Street Genealogy” were right in front of Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St., and that organization was a co-sponsor, contributing coupons for a free research day at HSP, along with tables, chairs and HSP’s genealogy director, Katy Bodenhorn.

Maybe it was the aura of being right outside HSP—the premier mid-Atlantic genealogy research facility with some 21 million documents in its collection—but the 2023 version of “Street Genealogy” resulted in some 50 percent more people having sit-down lookups than in 2022, when construction at HSP required the parking spaces for “Street Genealogy” to be a couple blocks away.

GSP and HSP were assisted by volunteers from the African American Genealogy Group of Philadelphia for “Street Genealogy.” In addition to the sit-down lookups, we had conversations with dozens of people.

A real highlight of the day was when Dean Henry, a board member of both GSP and AAGG, showed Dawn Cates, a GSP member who stopped by, was not only his cousin but also a descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier, making her eligible for the Daughters of the American Revolution!

PARK(ing) Day was founded by Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, in 2005 to raise awareness of the need for green spaces in urban environments. Philadelphia celebrated PARK(ing) Day for the first time in 2008 with over 25 installations for relaxing, cycling, creating art, education, and socializing.

With two consecutive years of “Street Genealogy” under its belt, GSP and its partners can’t wait until the next PARK(ing) Day on Sept. 20, 2024.