Snapshot of my process
Part of my interest in genealogical research is the chance to glean detail from local history. Tie a name to a place, etc. This morning, with nothing more pressing on my agenda, I decided to see just how easy the discovery process can be.
I decided to do a five-generation ascendance, for one person. Chose, almost at random, someone that I knew, locally; went to school with, so the associates from the immediate family group wouldn’t require too much guessing. I knew some of the siblings, but the parents were, at breakfast time, a mystery. Had breakfast, because the kitchen was right there…
The parents were crucial. I knew an approximate birthdate for my root person, and the place. Unfortunately, my check through the newspaper archives returned nothing. Headed over to Facebook, and in a sibling photo, I got the first name for the mother. Back to my newspapers, and did a search for that person. Within a few minutes, I discovered that the marriage of the two parents took place at some point in the 1940s.
A death notice revealed a sister, and the newspapers returned both parents for her. On the way! It didn’t take long to find an engagement photo, and that had the names of some other family members. The maternal grandparents were an easy step. I wasn’t ready to add things into a software database, just yet. Notepad allowed me to sort out the three generations now known, and some more Google time added another two layers. Already at five on the maternal branch, along with a quick lesson in past mayors of the city.
Not enough. I spotted an uncle on the paternal side, and this gave up the grandparents. Still only showing initials for the father, but some more digging found the engagement announcement for the happy couple, along with their parents confirmed. Four generations. Some time in the grave records gave back a new area to search, and within minutes, I had my full five generations confirmed. Soon be time for lunch!
