Coon Rapids genealogist has long helped nurture family trees

For many years, Lucille Elrite tried to learn the details of her dad's journey as a baby from Russia to the U.S. in 1893.

"I wanted to know what port his family came into, on what ship and the exact date. I was curious," she said.

Finally, last month, after plenty of trial and error, the Coon Rapids woman got hold of a copy of the passenger list that gives a bare-bones account of the family's 32-day voyage.

That's just the latest chapter in Elrite's ongoing effort to fill out her family tree. For Elrite, 85, genealogy has been a lifelong interest, but she got serious about it in the 1970s, around the same time the Anoka County Genealogical Society originated.

Since then, Elrite has volunteered on a weekly basis at the Anoka County History Center, helping other people trace their lineage. She has compiled all kinds of reference materials for both the genealogical society and the Historical Society, information that can be found in the history center's archive.

Her many contributions over the years earned her recognition from the National Genealogical Society in 2007, and she has picked up other honors from various local and state groups, as well.

Today, Elrite continues to do all of her research the old-fashioned way — without using a computer.

That helps when she's guiding others, even though in recent years, the number of people requesting information by mail or in person has slowed quite a bit, with so many resources now available online. That said, "Genealogy has always been a big enterprise. I got in at the bottom of it," she said.

Darlene Levens, another volunteer at the history center, met Elrite more than 30 years ago. The two became fast friends and they've worked on a number of projects, many with fellow volunteer Linda Mundle.

One major undertaking involved copying by hand a century's-worth of births, deaths and marriages in the county, gathered from the local newspapers.

They've also put together records of men from the county who were killed in action in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. An 1888 plat map book is another of their achievements. It's labor-intensive work dealing with all kinds of nitty-gritty details, but that's what makes it fun, Levens said.

Todd Mahon, who leads the historical society, said Elrite is like an unofficial member of the staff. Whenever questions come up about the area's historic homes or gardens, he sends them her way.

Vickie Wendel, the historical society's program manager, offered an example: Years ago, Elrite helped a couple "break through a genealogical wall that had stopped them for years," she said. The couple wrote her a thank-you note, with a $100 check enclosed as a donation to the center.

In the pre-Internet days, people would often call the center to confirm that Elrite was in that day, "as they claimed only Lucille could help them," Wendel said.

Linda Yudka, who lives in Las Vegas, said Elrite went above and beyond when she stopped by the center a handful of years ago to learn more about her mom's upbringing.

Elrite helped her track down things she never would have known to look for. "I was so impressed with how helpful she was, especially with someone like me, who had no clue what I was looking for," she said. "She took so much time with me, I've never forgotten her."

Elrite said her passion for genealogy started at age 12, when she asked her dad about the burial place for the grandmother she never knew.

Her efforts eventually led her to Stuttgart, Ark., to see her grandmother's gravesite in person.

Genealogy has brought Elrite everywhere from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., to her grandpa's homestead in Tigerton, Wis. The latter had special significance. "I stood there and thought, 'this is where I began,' " she said.

She's also sent countless letters to relatives, courthouses, churches, schools and others. She still corresponds with friends she made along the way, decades ago.

Elrite has hung onto newspaper clippings, marriage certificates, death notices, letters, photos and other ephemera, organizing them into binders. They contain information that may not wind up in history books but bring family histories to life across generations, often in rich and personal ways.

For example, Elrite notes that one newspaper clipping shows that "my dad's second or third cousin was bowling at 90," she said. Another shows that "my dad worked on the railroad as an 18-year-old." On a copy of a 1930 census from North Dakota, she found her own name.

This is history, which "should be important to every generation," she said.