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Hi, Folks!
I thought this article covered so much of what so many of us do that
I thought it would be nice to share it with you all. Some of you are
not quite into the research as much as the rest of us, but it might
help you understand us die hards a little better after reading this
article. It also illustrates that a family historian or genealogist's
work is NEVER done! :}
Ancestry Weekly Digest, 7 June 2003
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"LOOKING AT OUR FAMILY HISTORY WITH NEW EYES," by Juliana Smith
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When we become family historians, something seems to come over us--an
urge to collect and gather as much information as we can find on our
ancestors. While family members shake their heads in wonder, we save
every scrap of information we can find. We keep old birthday cards,
greeting cards, and letters for any clues they may contain.
Photographs of unknown individuals from the past are preserved,
because you never know--they might be related. Even envelopes are
saved because they have addresses and date stamps to place our
families in a particular place and time. We search databases until
the wee hours and request records from faraway repositories. We
collect books and photocopies of every scrap that we can find that
may lead us on, amassing huge piles--oops, I mean FILES of paper.
But all of this collecting is for naught if we don't take the time to
put together what we've found and take a close look at it. I hesitate
to use the word "analyze" because that makes it sound tedious and
boring, but that's what we have to do--but for the family historian
it's not at all tedious or boring. This is the fun part--taking the
pieces we've collected and turning them into family history.
I'm always on the lookout for quotes to include in the newsletter and
when I saw today's quote on a poster at my daughter's school, it
struck me as particularly applicable to this subject.
"The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in
having new eyes."
--- Marcel Proust
It's not that we physically need new eyeballs (although after long,
late-night sessions looking at census enumerations written in the
world's worst handwriting, trading mine in for a newer and clearer
set has crossed my mind). Rather, by gathering our findings and
giving our research a fresh look and a new perspective--a new set of
eyes so to speak--we can better analyze our findings, ensure that
we're on the right track, and clear the way for the next steps in our
search.
FIRST STEP--GET IT TOGETHER
Looking at the mass of data we've accumulated can be an intimidating
prospect, so it's best to focus. Working with one individual or
family at a time will make the project more manageable. Gathering the
pertinent records, it is helpful to put the information into some
kind of form. Inputting it into our genealogy software or just taking
the information from the records and writing it on forms like a
pedigree chart or family group sheet can be helpful.
>From there, we want to look at all the pieces of information and make
sure they fit. After all, we don't need any strangers in our family
tree. What we really need to do is play "devil's advocate" to our own
findings; questioning what we have found to ensure that we have the
correct pieces to our puzzle, and not someone else's puzzle. Here are
some ways those different "eyes" can come in handy.
EYES FOR DATES
Are the dates we have found corresponding? For example, was the
mother old enough to be bearing children or was she giving birth at
age 9? Arranging events in a chronological format and including ages
can help pinpoint this type of error.
Did they move from place to place, and if so, would they have needed
passage on the Concord to travel the distance they did in a
particular time frame? Rates of travel can be found in history books
and old newspapers and can be helpful for putting travel into
perspective.
Dates and places of birth should be looked at carefully. If one child
was born in Ireland in May 1816, and another was born in the U.S. in
June 1816, chances are there is a mix-up somewhere. Possibly the
dates and places we have are wrong or maybe we have combined two
families.
EYES FOR GEOGRAPHY
While we've all probably pinpointed an ancestral home on a map
before, have we really taken a look at the topographical features of
the location? What modes of transportation were available in that
area at that time? Were there natural hazards such as lakes,
mountains, or deserts that would have had to have been crossed or
avoided in order to travel or migrate? Where was the closest bridge
or ferry that would have taken an ancestor to worship, to his or her
work, or to visit family? If a parent or sibling was ill, would the
trip have required an overnight (or longer) stay? The answers to
these types of questions can lead us to new records, to discover
migration routes, and possibly even to locate those "disappearing"
ancestors.
It's also a good idea to get familiar with neighbors and the
neighborhood. Did they live in a predominantly ethnic neighborhood or
was there an ethnic neighborhood nearby where they may have gone to
shop, work, or worship? Who were their neighbors? They may have been
relatives or neighbors from the "old country."
Were there any changes in civil jurisdictions? Border changes
throughout the history of an area may dictate where the records for a
particular time period can be found.
EYES FOR HISTORY
Historical events left an imprint on the lives of our ancestors, just
as the events of today affect us. Wars, disasters, and economic
factors all had an effect and may have caused our ancestors to make
decisions that altered the course of their lives. Knowledge of the
events that took place during our ancestors' lives add interest to
our family histories, as well as giving us greater insight into the
choices they made and leading us to more records. Was an ancestor of
an age to serve during a military conflict? Were there battles fought
nearby? Did an economic downturn or crop failure cause your ancestor
to change professions or relocate? What disasters--natural or man-
made--might have impacted your family? Did society dictate when or to
whom someone should marry, or where someone could work or live? Did
the women typically leave home only to marry, or were they allowed to
work and be independent?
While there are always exceptions to the rule, a look at local
histories, newspapers, and social histories may provide some
interesting answers when you are asking yourself, "Why did they do
that?"
WHAT ELSE?
There are doubtless other "eyes" you'll want to don as you assess
your findings, including relationships, ethnic customs, legalities,
medical considerations, housing, etc. Where the questions we ask of
ourselves turn up more questions, more research should be done until
we are satisfied that we have answered them and reasonably explained
any discrepancies. If we are to discover who these people were and
what their lives were like, all of these factors should be
considered. Not only will it enhance our family history with added
interest, but it will also help ensure that we are indeed researching
our family history and not someone else's.
____________________________________________________________________
Juliana Smith is the editor of the "Ancestry Daily News" and author
of "The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book." She has written
for "Ancestry" Magazine and "Genealogical Computing." Juliana can be
reached by e-mail at: mailto:ADNeditor@ancestry.com. She regrets that
she is unable to assist with personal research.
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