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BEYOND THE INDEX
"REACHING OUT TO EXTENDED FAMILY," by Michael John
Neill
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Have you thought about all the people who could
possibly help you in your search for family history?
Have you considered relatives not as distant as a
fifteenth cousin in Kalamazoo who is a genealogy
fanatic? Closer relatives may hold the clues you need
to extend your own lineage. After twenty years, I
finally located descendants of my great-grandmother's
half-sister. While they may know nothing about their
own family history, these relatives are an untapped
source that I had spent years trying to locate.
THINK--WHO MIGHT HAVE IT?
Henry Schulz is your great-great-grandfather, and he
died in the 1920s. If he had ten children and sixty
grandchildren at his death in 1920, today he could
easily have several hundred descendants spread across
the country. Any of these relatives could have the
family Bible, Henry's naturalization papers, or other
family memorabilia. Have you contacted as many of
these people as possible in your search for
information on Henry? Do not focus solely on your
immediate family.
A second cousin of my great-grandfather died five
years ago leaving no children. The executors of her
estate (who were not related) knew I was interested in
family history and gave me two large envelopes of
pictures, certificates, and letters. In the mid-1970s
this cousin had written all her first cousins
requesting family information. These letters contained
names and dates I did not have. The
deceased relative also kept each letter in its
original envelope providing me with the residence as
well. These return addresses were extremely
helpful as most of the letters contained names and
dates, but no locations. If others had not been aware
of my interest in family history this material likely
would have been eventually been put on the curb with
other discarded items.
SO HOW DO I FIND THESE RELATIVES?
This week we will look at a few ways to locate these
long-lost living family members who may be able to
assist you with your family history research. Readers
are encouraged to send additional suggestions to
mailto:mjnrootdig@myfamily.com for possible inclusion
in an upcoming column.
ESTATE SETTLEMENTS. Was there a deceased family member
who left no children? Estate records for these
individuals may contain information on long-lost
relatives, some of whom re-appear when an inheritance
is involved. My great-great-grandmother's sister died
in the 1950s with no descendants. This aunt outlived
many of her nieces and nephews and even some
great-nieces and great-nephews. The probate records
provided me with names and addresses of over fifty
relatives of my own great-great-grandmother, who had
died in 1888. Estate settlements of this type are a
great way to track down difficult to find family
members.
OBITUARIES. Do you have obituaries for all family
members? This can be a way to track down at least
towns of residence for the children of the deceased.
FUNERAL HOMES. The funeral home may have additional
information beyond what is in the death certificate or
in the obituary. Keep in mind that funeral home
records are the records of the funeral home, which is
not a public record-keeping agency. As a result,
funeral homes are not required to share information
with you. Be polite, gracious, and offer to reimburse
for copies. Remember that if you live a distance from
the funeral home that chances are you are not a
potential client either!
LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. If the family or person you are
looking for lived in a rural or non-urban area, have
you considered writing a short "letter to the editor"
regarding your family history research? A simple
paragraph explaining who you are looking for,
their years and locations of birth and death, and your
relationship to the person should be sufficient. A
five-page diatribe is not necessary, nor is it
necessary to include any "colorful" family stories.
Large urban daily papers will most likely not publish
letters of this type, but small weekly papers are more
inclined to include them. These county papers the way
that many former residents keep up with
news from "home" and can be a good way to track down
long-lost family members. I still subscribe to the
weekly paper from the county where I was born and
raised although at this point in my life I have lived
outside the county longer than I lived in it!
DO YOU HAVE ACCESS?
My cousin was located using a combination of online
databases, message board postings, and luck. Are there
online databases (particularly for more recent death
records and newspapers) to which you have access,
either at home or at your local library? Consider
asking your local reference librarian if there are any
databases at the library that could help with a search
for a living family member.
Have you contemplated a fourteen-day free trial to
Ancestry.com? Post queries to the appropriate state
and county message boards at
Ancestry.com
(
http://boards.ancestry.com). And keep your eyes
peeled. My biggest break on this cousin came from two
words someone had included in their signature line
(and it was not a surname!).
THE HOLIDAYS?
With the holiday season in full swing, many
genealogists take a partial break from their family
history research activities. For those who feel they
have to do "something" in December, consider asking
family members if they know of any relatives who have
"done family history" or who might have family
mementos in their attic or garage. If you include a
"newsletter" in your Christmas cards, consider
mentioning your genealogy research (briefly) and your
quest for family history items such as Bibles,
certificates, etc. Make it clear that you do not want
the items but would appreciate receiving copies,
digital pictures, scans, or other reproductions of the
items if at all possible. Provide an easy way for
relatives to contact you and offer to reimburse for
expenses or to take the pictures yourself if at all
possible.
BE DISCRETE AND RESPECTFUL
Relatives are more likely to share what they have if
they do not think you want to take the item and claim
it for yourself. I also would not mention in this same
letter that you have located all five of Cousin Bob's
children he had with his five girlfriends while he
lived in Las Vegas.
WRAPPING IT UP
Remember that the living may help you with your quest
to locate the dead. And that one scrap of paper or
photograph may have ended up in a most unlikely place.
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