Tracing a family history takes years of research and dedication. One piece of valuable information could open a search to a whole new path of exploration.

Just ask 13-year-old Caleb Gregory who has been researching for two years. When his teacher assigned his fifth-grade class a project on family history, he called his aunt in Chicago and learned facts about his grandfather he never knew.

"Ever since then I thought I'd start looking into my family history," he said.

Genealogy, or the study of family history, is a lot like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle, said Tony Burroughs, an nternationally known genealogist. At first there's no way to see how the enormous task will be accomplished, but as it proceeds connections between people and events begin turning up, he said.

Burroughs, who teaches genealogy at Chicago State, presented a seminar on "Tracing the Family Tree" Saturday to about 25 people at the Shenango Campus of Pennsylvania State University in Sharon.

Tracing lineage for generations back takes time and patience, said Burroughs, who is now 28 years deep in research. He has seven file cabinets and 28 drawers full of information.

"As you grow, your system can grow. I have one file drawer just on one ancestor. I also have maternal and paternal cabinets," he told participants.

Burroughs began researching after attending a lecture by famous "Roots" author Alex Haley while in school at Southern Illinois University. That was six years before Haley's book was published. Then in November 1975, Burroughs was reading a newspaper and ran across a quote that said "give thanks to your ancestry and trace your family tree." He thought back to the time he was in school and heard Haley speak, and obtained a copy of the Boy Scouts manual about genealogy for a merit badge to begin his search. He has since traced two family lines back seven generations.

At Saturday's session, he offered several ways to obtain ancestral information. The use of oral history is important, he said, not only with interviewing older relatives but with cousins, aunts and siblings as well. Burroughs regrets that he was never able to interview his mother. At the age of 61 she developed an ulcer and died in the hospital. "I never got her story," he said, "That was the biggest mistake I ever made."

But there are limits that oral history provides, in addition to some being exaggerations or not quite accurate.

"Don't accept everything (as) a fact. Test the statements, talk to other relatives and search for other sources," he said.

When interviewing, it's also important to ask about family archives, such as newspaper death records and funeral programs. In the black community, many funeral programs contain a descriptive obituary about the deceased -- a tradition that began as blacks, historically, either were denied newspaper obituaries or couldn't afford the fees for them and took it upon themselves to write their own.

Other sources, like birth and death certificates, can also lead to valuable information, he added. Neatly transcribing the discovered information is also important. Burroughs also stressed the importance of organizing research early into the project and keeping original documents tucked in a safe place.

Burroughs' book, "Black Roots," is a step-by-step guide on how to trace your family history and contains much of the information he talked about on Saturday. His book will be on sale at the Penn State Bookstore through Friday.

Cheryl King, youth education director at the Shenango Valley Urban League, purchased Burroughs' book Saturday after the session motivated her to begin her own research. She said she's looking forward to her next family reunion. She, along with parents and children from the center's Urban Village Mentoring Program, attended the seminar.

Transfer resident Yvonne Frantz said she attended with the hope that she'll be able to find out more about her father and other possible siblings and locate them. Attending the seminar was a valuable and "amazing" experience, she said.

"I'd really like to find a brother or sister," she said. "I'm a grandma now and I want an ancestor for my grandchildren."

Emily Davis, president of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogy Society in Pittsburgh, attended the seminar along with vice president Marlene Branson, a friend of Burroughs and author of the book "Early African-American Life in Waynesburg, Pa., Greene County."

Ms. Davis said that as involvement grows, research becomes a passion. "Once you begin, you don't want to stop. You will know that you're hooked when every conversation you have with someone is about genealogy."

Burroughs, a fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association, co-authored the African-American Genealogical Sourcebook and has been interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning, CBS News, ABC World News Tonight and BET Nightly News. He also has had six appearances on the PBS television series Ancestors 2.

Penn State Shenango Minority Affairs Community Advisory Board and the Offices of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs presented the seminar.

Burrough's Web site is: www.tonyburroughs.com

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharonherald.com