Tracing Your Family History -- Thoughts from the Field

In a very nice comment quite some time ago, blogger Elizabeth said she wouldn't begin knowing how to chase down her family history as her living relatives have been dead for many years.

I'm no genealogy expert though I seem to learn more and more about it every day. But it's something I've heard others mention when I get all excited about my family history search, so I thought I'd share a couple of quick ways to start in case you decide to pursue the family history road  at some time.

I found the land where my great grandfather's farm was and where my grandfather was born.

All I had when I began my search for ancestors was the names and dates on the family tombstones. I knew a few family stories that might add some depth to what I found or maybe point me in a direction but not much hard data.

All I started with were the dates on my family's tombstones

I also had some family photos, some of which were identified, others I was able to figure it out based on resemblances to those who were identified in other photos. I also found a few funeral handouts that had birth/death dates and cemetery information. (When you are from a family of "keepers" you have these things.) Look in old family Bibles, too. Sometimes tidbits are stashed there, especially if you happen to have Bibles belonging to your grandparents.

Ironically, the best "hard data" I had, documentation from my dad's grandfather regarding his immigration, was about as far back as I've been able to go so far because of the Scandinavian connection and how names change from generation to generation. Granted, most of my time has been spent working on mom's family because that's where I have generations in the future that may appreciate what I dig up. Still, my dad's side is tougher.

Then I did it the hard way. I started googling. (This is helpful later; in the beginning, not so much!)

But I did land on a "hit" via one of the many genealogy sites -- in this case, "My Heritage." Someone had been doing work that included my family. Because that's the first I found, that's the one I signed up for. Free. (To actually contact people, you have to pay.) From there, I found the names of my great grandparents.

A page from the City Directory told me where my mother and grandfather worked in a given year

Once I had better information, I was able to google more effectively. I also discovered familysearch.org, which is run by the Latter Day Saints and is a massive genealogy database. I could also access our Michigan Education Library data base, including heritagequest.com. Between these two, I could find census data, city directory data, agricultural summaries. It was through family search (and the detective work of a woman at the historical society that my friend Barb discovered) that I found my great grandfather's commitment papers to the insane asylum and my second great grandfather's immigration data, along with christening records and much more.

This is the asylum where my great grandfather spent the last 13 years of his life. We never knew.

The Mormon Church in my town has a genealogy library open to anyone. Many universities or community ed programs feature classes or groups related to genealogy and they are all too willing to help you learn your story.

There are also online tutorials that can help you get started. And once you get started -- well, it's hard to stop!

Sites like Ancestry and My Heritage also offer "hints" and some of these are right and some wrong. But you can check to see if you can go deeper by really assessing these hints. You have to be careful of pitfalls here -- many people would name a child after a deceased sibling (which might also have the name of a father or an uncle). One of my relatives had three children named John. Sometimes it's hard to pick the right one!

Agricultural Census

And often, when a wife would die in childbirth or as a young mother, the husband would marry her sister. So, was your fifth great grandmother really your aunt? Or a stepmother with no biological link?

Immigration record of my second great grandfather

The mystery is part of the fun. Much data carries interesting facts, such as religion, occupation or property value. You may be able to find a ship manifest or town history. Many families have written histories as well (some very old) and if you get far enough back in your line to recognize an Erb or a Wismer or an Oberholtzer, you might find interesting stories and more data in books that are available online.

Many families have history books written on their lineage and many of these are available online. They often reveal interesting stories

For me, part of the fun isn't just knowing the dates and places. That's actually pretty dull stuff. But when I learned my great grandfather had a farm in Michigan in the 1800s, I started looking into farming in Michigan during that period and learned so much about what he and his family had to do to maintain a farm long before there was motorized equipment to help with plowing and sowing. Another great grandfather worked in the Buffalo, NY, confectionery business and it was fascinating to discover how candy making came of age in the second half of the 19th century.

My great grandparents on my grandmother's side -- I never even knew her name -- but I still have my great grandfather's recipe book from his time as a confectioner.

Suddenly, these people aren't just old photos or names on a chart, names whose DNA has passed across oceans through generations and now lives in you. They are real people who had real jobs and life challenges. Their courage, their sense of adventure, their quest for freedom and their tragedies are the things that are part of us and part of what shapes us into who we are today, who our children will be tomorrow.

At my great grandmother's grave -- I didn't even know her name before I began my search.

I've realized it doesn't matter if we discover that we are related to Marie Antoinette (I'm not) or just some guy who lived a humble but good life, it is all part of our story. My favorite Christmas gift was a DNA kit from Rick. I can't wait to get the results!

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