How well do you know your family history? Not just your parents, siblings, and children, but all the second cousins twice removed and great uncles too. And even your parents, where did they come from? What were their parents like and what did they do?

Thursday's Smart Talk examines genealogy. The study of a family's line of descent and a family's history first began in royal and wealthy families who had power and wealth to preserve. However, as time went on more and more families from every class and nationality developed an interest in where they came from.

Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to research one's genealogy because of the number of branching paths the family tree can take as well as the amount of records available. Everybody has a 1 in 4 chance of having a grandparent's surname and a 1 in 8 chance of having a great grandparent's making it even more complex.

Joining us on Smart Talk are Jonathan Stayer, the Supervisor of Reference Services for the Pennsylvania State Archives and Cara Curtis, Archives Library Manager with the

Cumberland County Historical Society.

They'll be able to tell you more about genealogy, specifically in Pennsylvania and what resources are good starting points for researching a family's past.