New exhibit at Constitution Center lets visitors explore family ties to U.S. history

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- With the nation marking its semi-quincentennial, interest in personal genealogy is surging, and Ancestry.com says one-third of Americans are digging into their family archives.

That growing curiosity is behind a new free experience debuting at the National Constitution Center, designed to help visitors see how their own roots may connect to the country's broader story.

The interactive exhibit, called "Stories of US", allows guests to enter the name of a grandparent or great-grandparent at a kiosk and search census records from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s - the most recent census data available.

The National Archives will then link those personal records to historical narratives about the United States.

Jennifer Utley, a family historian with Ancestry.com, said the goal is to highlight everyday Americans rather than well-known historical figures.

"You know, what we wanted to do is we didn't want to emphasize the people that you've heard about before, right? We wanted to show individuals in family history, because this country was built by everybody, right?" she said.

Utley added that seeing an ancestor appear in an official record can be a powerful moment.

"You might think, you know, I didn't come from anything special, but when you see your ancestor captured in that record, you realize that they were worth talking about," she said.

"So I hope that people have an emotional reaction to it."

Ancestry also partnered with the city to digitize about 20 million historical documents including birth, marriage and naturalization records to make them more accessible to the public.

The Stories of US experience will remain open at the Constitution Center through Aug. 31.