Family History: Carrying on This Important Work

My family research project continues! I'm on the second of who-knows-how-many scrapbooks and my Ancestry online tree now has 400+ people in it. I've come quite a long way since starting this project a few months ago!

I now have identified all 16 great grandparents, 30 of my 32 great-great grandparents and many beyond that. As I've worked on my mom's side of the family, I've been researching lines that originated in Ireland and England. I've looked at castles, read about religious wars, and checked out family tartan patterns. It's interesting stuff!

In contrast to my dad's side of the family (where I was lucky to start with my grandma's extensive research as a foundation), I really have very little information about my mom's family. Mom's parents were divorced when she and her sister were quite young, and it wasn't an amicable situation. As a result, I know very little about my grandfather's family. In addition, my grandmother became estranged from her own family over the years so I have little information about them, either. 

Still, as I've worked on this project, I've had the sense that I'd somehow be able to figure out everything in due time...that I in fact possess books, documents, photos, or other memorabilia that will help me piece together my family history -- even if I haven't yet been able to see or find the information I need. And so far, this has truly been the case: I've found photos and opened books that I own but have never read to discover all kinds of missing information. It may sound a little weird but I have had the sense that I NEED to be doing this work and that I'll somehow be guided in doing it.

With that mindset, I rummaged through the house to find the few family artifacts I have which might help me start this part of my family tree.

 

The largest item I have is this ancient family Bible from my mom's father's side of the family. I found it in the bottom of an old trunk in my parents' basement after Dad passed away. It hadn't been opened in a very long time and was in such fragile condition that I didn't even look at it. I just boxed it up and brought it home, and it has been sitting untouched ever since. 

 

 I'll confess that in my state of grief, I very briefly considered putting this old Bible on the auction (I was so overwhelmed that made a few wrong-headed decisions at the time). But I'm very glad I decided to keep it because when I opened it up, I found several important family records. I have since learned that family Bibles are a very important (but often discarded or overlooked) source for genealogical research.

Lo and behold, tucked between the pages were baptism certificates, marriage records, and lists of relatives with birth, marriage, and death dates -- exactly the kind of information one needs when doing genealogy. All of this was hidden in the Bible and I didn't even know it. Again, it was information already in my possession that I just wasn't ready to find until now.

The Bible itself, although in fragile condition, is beautifully illustrated with large fold-out pictures and charts.

 

There are even a few family photos in the back. The information in this family Bible will be tremendously helpful in building my mom's side of the family tree.

I also remembered that I inherited a booklet compiled in 1948 by my second great-aunt Mate, a witty and colorful lady who I had the opportunity to know. It contains a family history of sorts written in story format, complete with her hand-drawn illustrations. I'd never even opened it until last week.

 Turns out it was so interesting that I couldn't put it down!

 As I read through it late one night, I kept the Ancestry app open on my phone and added in the generations my Aunt Mate detailed. As I found family member links on Ancestry, I could verify them using the birth dates she included in her book. It was almost like we were working on this project together across time and space.

And then I turned the page to find this beautiful picture of my great-great grandmother Hayes, Aunt Mate's mother, to whom she dedicated her book. I'd never seen her before.

This book is a real treasure, to say the least. Aunt Mate paints a very vivid picture of all the people she knew personally in her family and includes many humorous and poignant stories. Her writing breathes life into the people in my family tree.

And then at the very end, when I could hardly keep my eyes open, I was struck by this paragraph:

This closes this little story about my ancestors. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. There are many things left out that I'm sure you would have said, but I have done this to the best of my ability and sincerely hope some one will carry on where I have left off.

 Sure enough, I thought...THAT'S ME. The torch has been passed, and I'm doing my very best to carry on where Aunt Mate left off. 

This family history is important work, and I'm the one who must do it. I knew it all along! 

jp