Posted by William Nunnelley on 2006-07-10

A dozen genealogy students from seven states are studying family ancestry in England and Ireland in Samford University's annual British Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research.

The students are researching their family roots in major genealogical repositories in London, Dublin and Belfast during a three-week session that began June 29. While in London, they are based at Daniel House, Samford's London study centre.

Professional genealogist David Rencher of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Samford library director Jean Thomason are leading the group. Students are enrolled from Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina, Utah, Arizona, Delaware and Alabama.

The program is an offshoot of Samford's annual Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, which attracts several hundred genealogy students from around the nation to the campus each June.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.