Roots & Branches

Some of us have been doing family history for a long time now and others are just starting out.  Many of us start out working at the kitchen table, packing files from here to there.  File boxes or desk drawers become fuller and fuller.  Maybe it is time to make a designated work space.

When I first started working on my family history I was just this person, files, files, boxes, boxes.  It just kept piling up and I ran out of space.  Back in time everything was done the old way, on paper.  And as you might have quested the boxes stacked up and up.  I always said “One day I will have my own workroom”.

My children have now left home and “one day” is here.  Now the work begins.  I have to clean out the bedroom that will now become “my room”.  I am trying to picture in my mind how I want this to work.  I have a computer desk set in one corner and I will arrange the room around that.  I have a book shelf that is full of genealogy books and bound copies of different family books and I have several photo albums housed there for quick and easy use.  From there I will place a folding worktable and an organizer for all the little things, paper clips, tape, pens, pencils, highlighters, etc.  A must is a comfortable chair to work from.  Once you start working on your genealogy in a regular fashion you will find you are in that area a lot.  Comfort will be your friend.  Make the space work for you.  Arrange your desk and surrounding work area so everything is close and easy to get to.  This will make your life so much easier.

Next I have to sort everything.  This will be the hard part.  I have so much paperwork.  Worksheets, contact information, forms, photos, etc.  I am hoping to scan everything into a digital copy and save it on discs or pen drives.  The great thing is once I have transferred my files to a digital form I will be able to share with others much more easily.  If you do not yet own a scanner,flatbed or otherwise, be sure to add one to your list for future purchases.  A scanner is a must.  I own a flatbed scanner and for me this is the perfect tool.  I am able to scan photos, pages, and books.

I have a filing cabinet full of information.  I am hoping to digitize it all and minimize the space needed.  I will create folders on my computer and as I scan the items file them on the computer.  It helps to think about how you wish to file scans on the computer before you start.  Each family name or line should have it own folder.  In the folder you might add a subfolder for photos, another for documents, etc.  This works well for me and I hope it will for you.  If you ever have a problem finding a file you can use the “Search” task by clicking on Start, Search, what type item you are looking for and enter the file or name. Organizing and having a plan should help you save time and effort along the way.

One word of caution while changing over to digital files is to always backup your work. You now a choices in this as well.  At any store that sells electronics you can buy a detachable hard drive, pen or thumb drives, or disc that the information can be burned on to.  Also there are online “data banks” that allow you to upload you files as you go.  The online data banks usually charge and you will want to investigate the charges and amount of space allowed.

These are a few suggestions.  Remember the space is yours.  Make it work for you.

Best of Luck!

Memorial Day is not far away and the thought of all the soldiers that are still far from home are on my mind.  During certain holidays we stop and take time to remember all they have done.  It occurs to me; do we really know what they have done?

Mandy years ago my mother showed my sisters and I our grandfathers World War I pocket journal.  He carried it with him from the time he was sent out from the U.S. until the time he was sent back.  It is a simple red hardback journal, nothing fancy.  He never said why he kept it during the war, so we have no idea what gave him the idea, but we are happy that he did.

My grandfather was Arthur Warren.  He started his army stint July 7, 1917 to Camp Crutches, Aron, Colorado and was later sent to France in 1918.  In his journal he writes a line or two every night before bed telling of the daily life of the Army soldier in WWI.  Most of his posts list the weather, things he saw or did, and who with.  Grandpa Warren did not fight in any big battles or receive a grand metal, he was the average soldier.

With only a sixth grade education it is amazing how far he got.  His life was a hard one from an early age.  He and his two brothers lost both parents when they were young and were raised by family that was let’s say “not nice”.   He and his younger brother ran away from home and lived on the streets.  The older brother set out on his own.  My grandfather was a resilient man and he help raise his brother and put him in school somehow.  He may not have been well educated, but he always worked hard and enjoyed life.

Here are some of his entries:

August 17–Goodbye old U.S.A.  We may be gone for a long time.  Out of sight of land and the Sixteen Transports all camouflaged, sure looks pretty.  Left New York in single file just could see the leader.  Lots of sub chasers everywhere, observation balloons ahead, bio-planes pass every few minutes.  Heavy firing about 5 p.m. Heard later that one sub was sunk and one captured.  Protection is perfect.

August 21–Clear & calm all day.  Sub scare at night.  Four shots fired at some empty life boats.  Perhaps off a sunken ship.

August 27—Sighted Scotland at 8a.m., could see a coast guard through the glasses.  Some shots fired heard a sub was sunk.  South all day through Irish Sea, in sight of land most the time Scotland & England.

September 3—Rained in the a.m. and we marched to the train in the afternoon.  Loaded on boxcars 7 x24.  40 men or 8 horses to a car.  Rode all night.

September 4—Still going through France.  See lots of German prisoners working along the road.  Arrived in La Gurche at 10:30 p.m.  Slept in a park and it rained on us all night.  Everything is soaked.

September 7, 1917—Rained in the morning, but we all went berry hunting.  The hedges are black with them.  12 a.m. I received our first mail since we left Kearny.  I got eleven letters, more than anyone else.  Sure welcome.

September 24, 1917—Hiked in a.m.  Isssued gas masks & gas drill in evening.  N.C.O. school at night, none of the walkers brilliant ideas.  An areoplane tore the steeple off a church in La Gurche.  Machine Burned up.

October 12, 1917—Nothing to do, but sleep.  I’ve got a nice feather bed now and a nice room in a church 800 years old.

November 3, 1917—Left for La Gurche in a.m.  I had La Guppe and went on the truck.  Loaded the train and started about 9:30 p.m. on a French Pullman.  It is awful crowded & we are 3 deep.

November 7-Went to Revingny in a.m.  Saw two German trucks that had been captured.  One had a gas cylinder 15 ft. long.  Enough to kill lots of people.  2 p.m.  report just came that peace had been declared and that Germany had unconditionally surrendered.

November 11—In charge of a fatigue detail.  All a.m. cleaning up the streets.  Got a lot of German coins.  Telegram came at noon that the armistice had been signed.  The frogs went wild and put up all the flags they could get.  Weasles heard that the ship Missanabie of C. P. R. R. had been sunk on her return voyage.  We swore at her coming over, but for some reason I feel sorry now.

November 26—Still Raining and cold.  I’m in charge of quarters.  Had VN. Inspection at 1 p.m.  Drank lots of beer and tried to enjoy this weather by watching the trains of salvage go through.  About 5 p.m. just after I was sitting around waiting for bed time when in walked my brother.  I loaded in his ambulance and went to Contrison.  We had some party.  It was rainy and cold, but we didn’t mind it.  He gave me a new German helmet and a trench knife.  This world isn’t so large after all.

January 1, 1919—Resolved, that the last year has been a good year.  The most important year in my existence and today is the last day I celebrate.  I’m so stiff from yesterday’s excitement I can’t hardly walk or move my arms.  No one can be a perfect man and be a soldier, but he can be careful if he will.  What fun we have when we are drunk, we always pay for later.  And the money I win gambling, I always spend foolishly of course.  I don’t always win.  I’m a good ways ahead considering what I’ve spent.   But I haven’t go that although I have had what I considered at the time a good time.  I’m not proud of myself for it now. Still I’m not ashamed, but I have swore off.  Nothing to do, but celebrate.  Most of the boys were drunk.  Somebody tore up all the beds and broke up all the card games. Not safe in quarters before midnight.

These are just some of the entries in my Grandpa Warren’s journal.  He was no great war hero, nor did he see great battles.  He was the everyday soldier.  I put together a typed version of his journal to share with anyone in our family that wanted one. Many have been sent.  I was very proud to do this in his honor.

If you have or know of a war journal is your family, take the time to do the same for your family.  It is a great way to share the histories of the soldiers in our line.

Sweetwater County Library

Locally we have the following resources the Sweetwater County Library, the Sweetwater County Courthouse and the City of Green River offices.  Additionally online is the Wyoming State Archives, which is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Each facility has its own records and tools for your use.

The Sweetwater County Library has the following a wide variety of genealogical, history, names and heraldry books. We provide WIFI and computers with internet access. Also with money from a grant we provide one separate computer designated for genealogy use only.  The Green River Star newspaper is a regular subscription and the older copies are available in microfilm format from 1907 to the year prior to the current year.

We provide two magazines Annals of Wyoming and Family Tree Magazine.  Also the Polk/Business Directories from 1904 to current are available in-library use only.   Wyoming Information Files are binders which house local information taken from newspapers, personal records, etc.  These are also in-library use only.

The cemetery listings are available for Rock Springs, Green River, Farson/Eden, Superior, and Bryan.  The listings are approximately 7 years old.  (Newer records are available at the City of Green River office.)

The SWCLS website provides several databases for your use as well.  They are Ancestry Library Edition, America’s Newspapers, Eighteenth Century Collections Online, GoWYLD: Genealogy, GoWYLD: History, Heritage Quest, Historic Map Works, History Makers, History Reference Center, History Study Center, InfoTrac Newstand, Nineteenth Century U. S. Newspapers, Proquest Obituaries, Proquest’s African American Heritage, Sanborn Maps, U. S. History in Context, Wyoming Biography Database, Wyoming Newspaper Project, and Wyoming Places.

Sweetwater County Courthouse

Any legal records such as marriage, property, wills, etc., should be available upon request.  Many of the old records are bound in very large books.  You will need to call or write to the SWC Courthouse for the requested information or legal forms.  Please allow time for the staff to do so.

City of Green River

City of Green River maintains the cemetery listing.  It is regularly updated.  They can provide basic information  that is given on the plot paperwork or headstones.  Usually this is birth date and death date.  If this is a family plot family members are listed.  This can sometimes give you addition names to follow up on.

Wyoming State Archives  (http://wyoarchives.state.wy.us/)

For those that are unfamiliar to any state archive, you will find this a great tool.  Many personal collections have been donated and are now housed at the WSA.  Education records such as school records are available upon request.  The Wyoming State Archives are very easy to work with.

Here are two links for use for genealogy:

Vital Records in Wyoming – Vital records are public records that document the birth, marriage, divorce, and death of individuals. Information within these records is important for research involving demographic trends, social and health issues, and genealogy. These records are
URL: http://wyoarchives.state.wy.us/Research/Topics/index.asp?ID=18&homeID=2

Historic Photograph Collection – The Historical Photographic Collection of the Wyoming State Archives is one of the most significant in the region. The approximately 500,000 images are cataloged according to either subject or major collection.
URL: http://wyoarchives.state.wy.us/Photo/index.asp

I hope these resources will help you with your search.

Good Luck!

There’s a new television show just on the horizon “Finding Your Roots” with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and it premiers on PBS March 25^th. Mr. Gates is a Harvard history professor who hosted previous genealogy show for PBS including African-American Lives and Faces of America.  Included in this new series they explore the family histories of 24 well-known Americans including Harry Connick Jr., Barbara Walters, Kevin Bacon, Condoleezza Rice, Sanjay Gupta, and Martha Stewart.

For this new series the premise will be slightly different than we have seen before, a pair of celebrities will be investigating their history and there will be a link between the two.   DNA testing will be use to fill in the gaps where paperwork fails.

For those of that can’t get enough of the stuff, here is another genealogy must-watch.  I for one feel I can always learn a little something from each of the shows to use in my own personal genealogy.  Thank you to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for all the years of dedication to the case.

On a personal note, I communicated with Mr. Gates by email a few years ago and he was good enough to take the time to answer my questions.  He is one of the top experts in his field and I am sure the show will be a huge success.

Please visit the PBS site for more information.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2210029269

Watch Extended Preview on PBS. See more from Finding Your Roots.

Genealogy is a time consuming and also many times expensive hobby.  For some people this is not an issue but for others it can make the difference in one’s ability to continue researching or not.  A co-worker recently started working on her family tree.  Expense is an issue.

As time allowed, I have been trying to help by looking at census records and online databases to give her a helping hand.  Luckily several of her people where well known in their state and we were able to locate a vast variety of documents as well as previous posts on Family Search.org by distant relatives.  Included in these files were photos and personal write-ups.  She felt as though she had found the treasure at the end of a rainbow.

As you would expect, like all of us she wanted more. Unfortunately she hit the proverbial “brick wall”.  If you have worked on your family history for any length of time you probably know how this feels.  I was running out of time to assist her also.  Things were looking a little sad for my friend.

Let me ask you, do you believe in serendipity?  As luck would have it, her daughter had attended a church meeting with a friend.  During this meeting, a young woman mentioned she would be working on classes and projects to receive her certification as a professional genealogist.  Part of her requirements was to do a volunteer project for a required amount of hours and she was looking for someone to help.  The daughter mentioned her mother was working on her family history and could use some help.  The best part for my friend was that it would be free.  She would need to pay for copies and such, but the labor would be done for her.  As you might imagine she is thrilled.  The project will start shortly and she promises to keep me updated.  As I told her now the fun begins.

Unfortunately not everyone will experience that serendipitous moment when someone comes forward and offers to do the work for you.  It can happen, but not often.  First let me say you can always check with the local genealogy society or LDS Church Genealogy Library to see if there are volunteers or students that might be willing to help with your research.

There are online sites that list groups and individuals that are willing to assist you.

One site you might try is http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ .

Hosted Volunteer Projects
World Archives Project
Books We Own
CanadaGenWeb
FreeBMD (England and Wales)
FreeReg (UK)
Obituary Daily Times
WorldGenWeb Project
WorldGenWeb Archives

Other Volunteer Projects hosted by RootsWeb

RootsWeb is also proud to host many of the websites for some chapters of major genealogical organizations and projects, including the USGenWeb Project, American Local History Network, American History and Genealogy Project, WorldGenWeb, and Daughters of the American Revolution websites. These are large organizations dedicated to gathering and uploading genealogical information region by region and cover locations around the entire world! These projects are not owned by RootsWeb, but are supported by RootsWeb because they are dedicated to collecting genealogical and historical information and putting it online free of charge. Contact the project you’re interested in for volunteer information.

Another site I have found  helpful is: http://usgenweb.org/.

The site states: Welcome to The USGenWeb Project! We are a group of volunteers working together to provide free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. This Project is non-commercial and fully committed to free genealogy access for everyone.

Organization is by county and state, and this website provides you with links to all the state genealogy websites which, in turn, provide gateways to the counties. The USGenWeb Project also sponsors important Special Projects at the national level and this website provides an entry point to all of those pages, as well.

Clicking on a State Link (on the left) will take you to the State’s website. Clicking on the tabs above will take you to additional information and links. You can also use the drop down menu in the upper left hand corner which will also take you to the State’s website of your choice

All of the volunteers who make up The USGenWeb Project are very proud of this endeavor and hope that you will find their hard work both beneficial and rewarding. Thank you for visiting!

The USGenWeb Project Team

There are other sites out there.  Try doing a Google search “free genealogy help”.

Best of Luck!!!

The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy 2^nd Edition by Kimberly Powell

Are you a descendant of ancient kings? Were your ancestors fierce warriors? Are you related to an eminent scholar? With The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy, 2nd Edition, now you can find out! If you’re interested in your family history, you have a wealth of information and misinformation at your fingertips. Enter expert genealogist Kimberly Powell to steer you in the right direction.

Powell helps you:

• Effectively search various websites
• Decipher census data and other online records
• Choose the best way to share your data both on and offline
• Connect with other genealogists via social media outlets

Packed with tips on free databases, search sites, and downloadable government records, you’ll have all you need to find your ancestors going back dozens of generations!

Kimberly Powell is a professional genealogist, Web developer, genealogy blogger and proud mother of three children.

Experience:

Kimberly’s interest in genealogy began over 20 years ago with a school project and has developed into a passion. She is a proud member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, and several local genealogical societies. She has been writing about genealogy for About.com since 2000, and her work has also appeared in several genealogy magazines. She is the author of “Everything Family Tree, 2nd Edition” (2006), the Everything Guide to Online Genealogy (2008) and the Everything Guide to Online Genealogy, 2nd Edition (2011). She also serves as Webmaster for the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society.

Education:

Kimberly maintains ongoing professional genealogy training through online classes, seminars, self-study, and genealogical conferences. Most recently she completed Elizabeth Shown Mill’s Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis class at Samford’s Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (June 2010) and Tom Jones’ Advanced Methodology class at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (January 2011).

From Kimberly Powell:

I’m proud to provide you with the guidance you need to break down your genealogy ‘brick walls’ through how-to articles, free genealogy lessons, the latest news and product reviews and an extensive list of excellent online genealogical resources. I absolutely love genealogy and am honored to have the opportunity to share that passion with you.

To access her blog on About.com go to: http://genealogy.about.com/

The Sweetwater County Library holds many items for your use.  Whether it is book or DVD, online computer access, Green River Star Newspaper on microfilm or use of the designated Genealogy Computer, the library is a get place to start.  We also provide the Inter-library Loan service for your use.  If you are in need of an item we do not have, we would be happy to do a search for the item needed.

We are here to help you. Please feel free to ask for assistance at the Front Desk.

Some people like to do genealogy the old way, by phone and by what is referred to as “snail mail”.  I have done this in the past, but I am one that prefers computers and the Internet.  If you have any computer skills at all they can make your life so much easier.

Computers-

If you are going to use a computer, it is best to start with one that is fairly new.  That way any genealogy software or programs are for likely to run at their proper speeds and abilities.   Using a modern “mouse” can also be of great help.  Most now have a scrolling wheel which can help you to move quicker throughout any webpage or document.

Printing-

Many times when I am looking at census records online and I try to print, the copy is small.  Each website will give you instructions on how to print a larger version of the document.  This works well.  I personally also like to do a “Print Screen” of each document and print that in a much larger version (My eyes aren’t what they used to be).  If you would like to try this here is how.  Once you have the document up on the computer screen, press CTRL and Print Scrn.  This basically copy’s whatever is on the screen just as you see it.  Open a blank Word Document and paste it in.  Pasting can be done by clicking the right button on the mouse and clicking Paste.  The item can be enlarged or shrunk according to your needs by clicking the left mouse button on the image.  Corner indicators will appear and you can use your mouse to place the cursor on the corner you wish to move, hold it down and drag it in or out.  Play with these tricks a bit and I think you will find it very useful.

The copy and paste method also works well for photos that may be found online.  Use the same method to copy and paste the photo into a word document.  By doing this you can add titles, ages, dates, etc. Use your imagination.  The copy and paste may just become your new best trick.

Online Census Records-

The websites I have used, usually Ancestry.com, Ancestry Library Edition, and Heritage Quest, all provide blank census record documents.  Look for “Blank Records”.   I find these very helpful when your search leads you to a census record that is poorly written or has faded badly.  Print out a blank record and bring the online record up for viewing.  Once you have the best view you can, pencil in on the blank form what the form states.  I stable them together so I know which goes with which.  This may save a lot of work later on.

Census Records-

A census record provides several important links to family members we might miss if not careful.  I recently helped someone with a search.  In the census record her great-grandfather and his wife and children were listed.  On the bottom line of their household entry was a name not known, but it was in fact listed as part of their household.  After looking into the “relationship” column we noticed the gentleman on the last line was the father-in-law to the head of household.  Bonus, this was her great-great-grandfather.

These are a few tricks I hope you find useful.

Feel free to send in any that you would like to share.

Most of us have spent much of our time searching online for our family connections.  The search can be long and costly.  Recently a co-worker needed assistance in an online search.  She was worried that she was down on funds, but seriously wanted to continue her research.  Luckily for her I knew a solution.

The Sweetwater County Library System provides for its patrons, Ancestry Library Edition.  By paying a yearly subscription fee the library makes access possible to many of the same records that are available on Ancestry.com.  Many of these include:

Australia Census Collection, Canada Census & Voter Lists, Germany Census & Voter Lists, U. K. Census Collection, U. S. Census Collection, Immigration & Travel, Birth, Marriage & Death Records, London Parish Records, to name a few.

Do note that you will not receive the “hint leaf” as you will with Ancestry.com, but you can continue your research by using the record links that are available.  There some differences but it is well worth looking into.  For instance, I began to help my friend with her research to show her just what was available by simple searches.  We entered her grandfather’s information.  Because he was a well known person of a certain area and that fact he was a businessman, he was fairly easy to find.  Several records immediately came up and with each to the right was a listing of other records that might match the person we were looking for.  This was a boon of great records.  By checking each of the possibilities we were able to find several new records showing her grandfather’s father and mother as well as his siblings.  Needless to say, my friend was thrilled.

As the search continued we were able to add three generations to her growing family tree.  One of the best parts was there was no fee to be paid by the user.  The SWCLS had come to the rescue.  My friend is continuing her research and reports she is still finding more and more information.  This could be you as well.  Be sure to check with your local library, school, college, etc.  to see if they subscribe as we do to Ancestry Library Edition.  Because Ancestry Library Edition is “in library use only” you will have to visit the local providing facility.

The SWCLS also provides several other databases that can be accessed from your home computer.

They are:

Eighteenth Century Collections Online
An essential collection for 18th century studies featuring over 180,000 titles from a variety of materials – books, directories, bibles, sheet music and advertisements.

GoWYLD: Genealogy
Wyoming Genealogy Resources

GoWYLD: History
Wyoming History Resources

Heritage Quest
Expand your family history research with ProQuest’s Genealogy & Local History Collection of 26,000+ family and local history books, the U.S. Census from 1870 – 1930 and more. This genealogy database is available for home use.

Historic Map Works
An extensive digital map collection, with more than 400,000 high-resolution, full-color historic maps.

History Makers
an archive of filmed oral history interviews of 20th century African Americans who have shaped modern history.

History Reference Center |   mobile access
A comprehensive, full text database designed for secondary schools, public libraries, junior/community colleges, and undergraduate research. Material from journals, books, as well as historical photographs and video are included.

History Study Center
Over 40,000 digitized documents arranged around more than 500 historical topics worldwide

Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
Full text and images from numerous urban and rural papers bring the 19th century to life.

Proquest Obituaries

Over 10.5 million obituaries and death notices from the complete historical runs of major national newspapers.

Proquest’s African American Heritage
A genealogy resource exclusively devoted to African American family history research.

Sanborn Maps
View Sanborn fire insurance maps for U.S. cities and towns from 1867 – 1970. These documents are invaluable primary resource material for historical and genealogical research.

World History in Context
From ancient Europe to Latin America and from the Far East to the Renaissance, an array of primary sources, images, maps and charts provide expansive geographic and chronologic research materials for the study of world history.

Wyoming Newspaper Project
Discover the stories that formed Wyoming. Browse or search the more than 900,000 newspaper pages converted from microfilm to a digital format. All text is searchable, including news articles, news briefs, obituaries and other items of interest.

Wyoming Places
Discover the history behind place names in Wyoming

Be sure to stop by our website at http://sweetwaterlibraries.com/

and take a look at all the great databases that the library provides.

The press release states:

WDYTYA returns for its third season on Friday, February 3 (8-9 p.m. ET).  The celebrities who star in the series are Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, Jerome Bettis, Jason Sudeikis and Paula Deen.

“We’re very excited about the stories we have this season. This fantastic group of people we have will take us to countries we haven’t visited before which is thrilling and gives us glimpses into crucial details of history that not only shaped their families, but our world,” said executive producers Kudrow and Bucatinsky. “This is what we love about this series; it’s so enriching for us the viewer, as well as the participants and their families.”

From Ireland’s freedom fighters to the American Revolutionary War, and from the African nation of Cameroon to Bulgaria, “Who Do You Think You Are?” will reveal the fabric of humanity through everyone’s place in history. Each week a different celebrity takes a journey into their family’s past, traveling all over the world. While giving viewers an in-depth look into their favorite stars’ family tree, each episode will expose surprising facts and life changing encounters that will unlock people’s emotions, and show just how connected everyone is not only to the past, but to one another.

Ancestry.com continues in its role as NBC and Shed Media’s official partner on the series, helping to provide the exhaustive research used to build each story. “‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ is such a beautiful showcase for the type of discoveries people can make through family history research,” said Josh Hanna, Executive Vice President for Ancestry.com. “We are extremely proud to help produce a program that inspires so many to begin their own journey of discovery and are excited to see it grow more this season.”

I am sure this season will be as interesting as the last two.  Enjoy!!

What do I do next?  I have tried the family.  I have tried the census records.  What do I do next!!  Do you ever find yourself saying those words?  I know I have.  Genealogy can be fun, interesting and stimulating to say the least, but there is another side “frustrating”. Not meaning to send a negative vibe out there, but many of you know what I mean.  If you do genealogy long enough, chances are you too will walk in these shoes.

For many years I have been looking for my great-grandfather David A. Brown.  He divorced my great-grandmother in Rock Springs, Wyoming and was thought to have died in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.  There was never any official obituary or documentation, but this was the oral history that had been handed down through the generations.  The family generally took this as gospel.

About 10 years ago I was visiting a relative and we started talking family history.  Luckily Ted was one that was always willing to share any information he had.  The subject of David A. Brown came up and it seemed that he had a side story to tell.  Somewhere back- in-time someone, he could not remember who, had stated they thought David A. Brown had actually survived the earthquake and lived in California with a second family.  I was shocked.  Could this be true?  Had David A. lived on and remarried?  This definitely put a new spin on things.

I began searching census records.  There are so many David Browns in California during the early 1900’s I was overwhelmed. A very distant cousin Keith and I had been comparing notes from time to time.  Keith is retired and has lots of time to do research (yeah!).  He decided he would look in to this and get back to me.  A year or so later Keith did just that.  He found who we think is our David A. Brown on a census record in Santa Monica, California.  All this time we have been working on the death index for the 1906 Earthquake, and now we needed to change direction.

The main reason I am sharing this story with you to show that even for the seasoned genealogist there are stumbling blocks.  For this instance it was made more difficult because in this line there is David A., David B., David A., and David Brown.  Many of the older records do not show the middle name and those of us looking had to take more time to scrutinize the census records a bit closer.  Also oral histories are a great source, but as you see they are not always correct.  You must do the fact checking to be sure.

If you are lucky you might enlist the help of other family members to help with the research.  Contact family members or do a post on Facebook, MySpace, etc. to see if there are others that would join in the hunt.  You never know.  Some may not have ever worked on family history but might be willing now.  Don’t pass up the great opportunity.

Now that we have a general area to search we are trying to find this other family.  It may take a bit of time but we feel it will be well worth it.  We know that he was born in Scotland but we have no idea where.  Once we find the records on this other family, there is usually a good chance more information will be learned.  With genealogy it is always the perpetual hunt.

I am stealing a line from the Ancestry.com commercials but “I really do feel like the family detective”.