Violet Denelsbeck began with a name: the Rev. Erastus Harvey.

Then, through her great-grandfather and a class offered through a senior program in Wayzata, Denelsbeck traced her lineage back to 1345 -- and found royalty in her past.

The seven-week genealogy course offered at the Boardwalk Residence, a senior housing complex in Wayzata, is scheduled to repeat this fall for seniors.

And to think: It was all inspired by some tough financial times.

The genealogy sessions grew out of the City of Wayzata's volunteer program. They were created in January when city budget cuts affected the Boardwalk activities director's salary, and city volunteers stepped in to start new programs.

Lynn McCarthy, the volunteer coordinator, pulled together volunteers interested in running activities and classes for seniors, all at no cost to them.

One was the genealogy course taught by volunteer instructor Lois Spurlin, a Hopkins resident.

Spurlin offered to teach the class based on her hobby experience in genealogy, after a friend told her of the need for volunteers.

"I said, 'The only hobby I have is genealogy,' and they jumped on it," said Spurlin.

Spurlin, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1976, has been teaching genealogy classes to her congregation for 10 years.

Taking what she knew of genealogy to Wayzata, she and four other volunteers were able to help six seniors trace their lineage back as far as they could go.

Spurlin didn't require any research experience for her students. "I didn't suggest they bring anything," she said -- though some came with family tree outlines in hand.

On laptop computers, Spurlin guided their research.

Through websites, county historical societies and public records, the class participants were able to find birth, death and marriage records. In addition, the group took a field trip to the Family History Center in Crystal, which the Mormon Church offers as a resource to anyone interested in tracing family lineage.

To Spurlin and the Mormon Church, tracing a family's history has spiritual significance. But for Denelsbeck, 87, it was a chance to gain a greater appreciation for her family.

"I think I have more respect for my ancestors," she said.

The class allowed Denelsbeck to navigate on one of the computers provided for the class through free websites. She was able to find one of her distant relatives, Turner Harvey, who was born in 1485 and was a henchman for King Henry VIII.

Further along the line, Turner Harvey's descendent, William, was appointed King of Arms during the reign of King Edward VI.

She also found that in 1557, William was deputized by the first Queen Mary to go to France to declare war.

While the classes are held at the Boardwalk Residence, McCarthy said all Wayzata seniors are welcome to attend.

Denelsbeck's finds made her eager to research the other side of her family.

"If they're allowing the same people to do it again, I will."

Joy E. Petersen is a Minneapolis freelance writer.