The home I grew up in is still standing. The homes I remember my grandparents living in are not. The home one set of paternal great-grandparents lived in and owned is lived in by a descendant. The home a maternal set of great-grandparents lived in is still standing.
The others I’m not so certain of.
Do you know whether the homes your various ancestors lived in are still standing yet today? Do you even know all the homes they lived in? This can be difficult to determine for those ancestors who rented properties and moved frequently. I know where two of my grandparents lived from their birth until their marriage. The other two I have a general idea where they lived, but no specific location. Those with ancestors in urban locations may be able to obtain street addresses from census records, city directories, and other materials. Those with rural ancestors who were not landowners (particularly before the 1920s) may have more difficulty finding a specific residential address. Rural newspapers in some cases may help to pinpoint where tenants lived when “spring moves” are discussed in local gossip columns.
Even if I can’t find out about all the houses, the exercise might yield some genealogical fruit.
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