Genealogy Blog
Ancestor's
siblings can be a clue
Several months ago I met with a genealogy group, discussing the use of
Ancestry.com. One of the seasoned members was giving advise on
loading our family trees to the site, and for some reason recommended
downloading direct lines only. She told the others to leave off
the siblings of the direct ancestors.
I wish I
would have asked why. And since that meeting, I have wondered what
her rational was for deleting the extended family members. For me,
knowing those siblings have proved to be valuable key into unlocking
some of the more elusive branches on my family tree.
A year
ago I knew very little about my father’s line. Dad passed away in
1992, and his only brother had died as a child. His parents were
divorced, and he had little contact with his father or father’s family.
That branch of the family was always a mystery to me.
But, I did
know his paternal grandparent’s name, and the name of their children.
I had no clues beyond that, and never imagined I would ever learn more.
After I joined Ancestry.com, I found the census records to my
great-grandparents, listing my grandfather, and his siblings.
Since the names matched my great-grandparents, and all of their
children’s names matched, I knew I had the correct family.
The census
told me where my great-grandfather was born, something I hadn’t known
before. And I also discovered something else, on one of the census
reports, another adult was living with the family. His name was
Turley, and according to the census, he was the brother to the head of
the household. He was my grandfather’s uncle.
Now I had the
names of two brothers (my great-grandfather and his brother),
approximate years of birth, and place of birth. Taking that
information, I scoured the census reports in their birth state,
attempting to find a family with two sons, with matching names and
approximate years of birth.
I eventually
found the family, and my great-great grandparents. Around
the same time my mother found an old letter, which listed the phone
number of one of my dad’s distant cousins. Fortunately, the number
was still good, and not only did I contact the forgotten relative, they
verified the information I had uncovered. In fact, they even sent
me photos, copies of pages from the family bible, and an extensive
family history book, that took me back a few more generations.
By the time I
discovered the letter, I already had the basic information, I just need
to verify it. I suppose I would have uncovered the information from the
letter and subsequent phone call alone. But, I wouldn’t want
to miss the fun of playing detective, and matching up clues.
(Above photo is of my great-great
grandfather,
who I discovered using sibling clues.)
- BAJH
Ancestry Safari has moved it's Blog to a new location. For recent
entries, go to:
http://ancestorsafari.blogspot.com/
