Family Artifacts and Genealogy

Remember those old trunks and boxes you saw when playing around the attic and basement as a child? When you asked, Mom said they were just “family things.” Ask Mom to go through the attic with you. Make sure you have plenty of time. Don't hurry her. She hasn't seen these things for a long time, and as they are lovingly removed from boxes, memories will come flooding back. Have a pencil and paper to make notes. Get the stories behind the items.

Have a tape recorder handy as you go through the boxes and trunks. Record descriptions and ask questions regarding the objects. Be sure to announce on the tape the date, location of the interview, your name, and whom you are interviewing. Leave it running; you don't want distractions caused by turning the recorder on and off.

The little doll—who owned it? It was wrapped with such care—it had to be very important to a little girl at one time. The little toy soldiers at the bottom of the trunk; they are sure to stir memories of the little boys who played with them endlessly. Who were they?

The Objects with Tales to Tell

What about the objects that are going to help tell you about your grandpa, and those before him? How can you find them in that old trunk? But, look. There is a batch of old letters, with a ribbon carefully tied around them. They are still in good condition after all this time. You open them, and read in amazement. There is a letter from Great-Great-Grandpa, written in 1889, when he went to Texas to look for a piece of land. He wrote back that he was getting discouraged, that he missed the family, and was about to come home. But then, three weeks later, another letter. He finally found what he wanted. He described the land, and the little farmhouse on it. He promised to be back home soon to bring the family to Texas. Uncle George found a place, too. They will be living nearby. George's wife Mary is already starting to fix up their home. Now you have some names and locations. These will prove important as you search.

Family members, when queried, will often say, “But I don't have anything that would help.” It is not that they are reluctant to assist; they just don't realize the significance of what is stored in the old boxes.

Among the family mementos to look for are these:

• Photographs
• Bibles
• Documents such as deeds
• Letters
• Applications for lineage societies
• Scrapbooks and news clippings
• Funeral cards
• Account books
• Diaries and journals
• Baby books

Tree Tips

Within a family, memorabilia are those items with significance to the family. This may be the first baby shoe, the wedding announcement, or any other items that evoke memories of the family.

• Christmas lists and address books
• Greeting cards
• Needlepoint samplers
• Report cards and school diplomas

These are but a few of the memorabilia that hold some clues. Perhaps there is a yearbook, a letter from an alumni association, or an invitation to a school reunion. Be alert to anything that will give you an idea of where you might find further information.

Picturing the Past

Likenesses of your ancestors are treasures. They may be faded daguerreotypes or hardly recognizable tintypes. But hopefully someone has included a note as to who they were. (A good photo shop can restore them with amazing results, as can some photo software programs such as Adobe's Photoshop). Many of the old black-and-white photographs are remarkably preserved, especially if they have not been subjected to light. Examine each for names and dates. Note, too, the city of the photography studio where the photo was taken; it can provide a location for the family.

When you visit relatives, take some photographs with you. It will bring back memories. If you have a scanner attached to your computer, scan some photographs and take copies to leave, or make photocopies. The family will be thrilled. And they may be able to identify some of the people in old photographs for you.

Sometimes it is possible to connect two branches of your family by the photographs they own. Your Ohio branch and the Missouri branch may have lost touch 75 years ago. If both have the same photo of the original family home in Ohio, the photo in common can assure you they are of the same family. The photos belonging to your relatives can also assist you if they have the same photograph, which was unidentified on your family's copy, but identified on theirs. Your photograph of an unidentified Civil War soldier may be the same photo in another branch, with identification.

The Old Family Bible

Have you ever really looked at the old family Bible? Take a good look now. Surprised to find that there is a section of family records? This was not only common, but often is the only written record of the births and marriages in a family. Examine it carefully. Some of the old style script can be difficult to read. The flourishes render the capital letters especially hard to decipher, and numbers can be a problem, too. However, as you improve your transcribing skills, you will be able to read many styles of handwriting. Some websites have very good examples of the old writing. In fact, www.Cyndislist.com, the granddaddy (or grandmommy!) of all genealogical websites, has a special category for the subject. At that website scroll down to “Handwriting & Script.” You'll even find oldstyle abbreviations for names and locations listed with links to the websites.

Get a photocopy of the Bible pages (or a photograph if it is too fragile to copy), and be sure to include the title page to show when and where the Bible was published. “Why would I want to know that?” you wonder. It is important to establish when the entries were written. If the Bible was printed in 1850, but the first entry is 1775, then you know the entries were either copied from an older record or are based on some other source. They are subject to errors from copying or transcribing the older record.

Knowing the publication date may help you resolve discrepancies when comparing the Bible with other documents. If the Bible was printed in 1850 and the first entry is the marriage in 1852, followed by births of the children in the order they were born, the entries were probably made at the time of the event and are therefore more apt to be correct. Pay particular attention to the handwriting. Were all the entries in the same hand? Were some of the dates added with a ball-point pen in a later, more modern hand? These observations will help you to evaluate the accuracy. Try to find out not only the name of the present owner, but all the previous owners of the Bible.

“This Deed Dated the …”

Scattered among those family papers you may find old deeds, mortgages, and perhaps even an Army discharge. The names and locations they mention can reveal many clues. Other documents of value might be a will that was never discarded after a new will was made, or a life-insurance policy with family background. Take careful notes. List the documents so that you can refer to them in the future as you learn new search techniques.

Letters: Speaking from the Grave

Faded and hard to read, those old letters can capture a bit of your family's life once they are deciphered. A letter written to a sister in 1855, “My wife Mary died and I have no one to help with the little ones … Can you come and help for a while? …” or “We just arrived at the mines in Placerville, where the people are fighting for a spot to camp …,” written from California in 1850, points you to events, locations, and individuals to find. It will be frustrating when the letter is written to “Dear Sister” or “Dear Son” with no further identification of the recipient. However, as the search progresses, the identity may emerge. The names within the letter then become valuable new leads.

Also take note of the envelope that accompanied the letters: to whom it was addressed, the manner in which it was addressed, and the dates.

“Ancient and Honorable …”: Lineage Societies

Joining lineage societies was very popular in the first half of the twentieth century and remains so. The societies are based on descent from veterans of various wars, from pioneers, from specific trades (such as tavern keepers), and many more. Watch for these applications. Information that the applicants provided about their ancestors can assist in the search. Though most lineage societies' documentation requirements were looser in earlier years than now, the application can provide valuable clues. Also note the names of the sponsors. They knew the applicant and might be leads to further records.

Membership in these organizations has grown and flourished; currently there are hundreds of such groups. Some have published their member-lineage records. Most have websites. Start with www.cyndislist.com and scroll down to “Societies & Groups.” Alternately, if you know the name of the society, simply enter that name in your computer's Web browser. If you suspect that someone in your family joined such a group, obtain the society's address and write for the member's application.

In order to gain as many clues as possible from lineage papers, be sure to ask the organization for a copy of its membership requirements, or check their website. This can help you to understand the records connected with the application. Daughters of the American Revolution, for example, will admit descendants not only for Revolutionary service of the ancestor but also if the ancestor provided supplies for the war effort.

Account Books: Not a Penny More

Account books, kept by the father (or head) of the family to record money transactions and other miscellaneous notes, often include the cash advances made to the children to purchase a farm, buy equipment, purchase household items, or for any other reason. And they were just that: advances recorded faithfully, to be settled at the time of death of the father if they were still due. When he made his will, he often meticulously listed the cash advances down to the penny. He made sure that those advances were accounted for against the child's portion of the estate when he died. The account books may contain various other transactions: money put out to interest; implements purchased; and perhaps even a family birth, death, or baptism. Scrutinize them carefully for clues on occupation, too.

“Dear Diary”

Did a member of the family travel west or take a train trip through seven states? Travel back to “the old country”? The traveler may have left a journal. A careful reading might reward you with the names of relatives visited on the trip and perhaps some interesting sidelights.

It was especially popular to write diaries during the Gold Rush to California and during the several journeys west to Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, and other points. The Civil War also produced numerous journals, though many did not survive. Those who were unable to write during the war period often put their recollections on paper after their return home.

Diaries can tell you much about the people and their daily lives. From the prairie, you hear about the heat, the dust, the deaths. And yes, the births, and the fun the little children had, and the fear when they were unexpectedly visited by Indians. Your ancestors' writings during the war tell you of the loneliness, the fear, the pain of losing comrades. But they also tell you of their hope for the future and of the pride in serving for a cause in which they believed. Your ancestors will come alive to you as you read their penned words.

Popular in the nineteenth century, charming autograph books contained poems, short writings, and eulogies. A poem was inscribed at the bottom: “Selected for Belina Adams by her Grand Father in the 77th year of his age A Webster Lebanon Aug 30th 1828.” Besides genealogical value, there is some historic interest, because her grandfather A. [Abram] Webster of Lebanon, New York, was a brother of Noah Webster, of dictionary fame. Look among your family's papers and you, too, are bound to find such treasures.

Baby Books: A Mom and Pop's Joy

Baby books so lovingly written are wonderful to read. Mom's excitement when the first tooth poked out; Dad's pride when first steps were taken. Besides the list of gifts, which might name relatives, there could be notations: “He has deep blue eyes like Grandpa Smith.” Or, “Everyone says she looks just like Aunt Margaret.” Now you know there was an Aunt Margaret! Watch, too, for baptismal dates, new addresses, and other listings that point to more records.

Address Lists, Samplers, and Other Treasures

Look for old address books, Christmas lists with addresses, and invitations to a fiftieth wedding anniversary. Old greeting cards also are helpful for names and addresses, and family news. You want to find anything that might give a lead to a relative or a town in which they lived.

Don't overlook the cross-stitch sampler. A popular pastime was to create one with the names and birth dates of all the family members. Friendship quilts created by a bride's friends as a wedding present may feature embroidered names in each square.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy © 2005 by Christine Rose and Kay Germain Ingalls. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

To order this book visit the Idiot's Guide web site or call 1-800-253-6476.