My grandmother would have turned 106 today. In honor of Grandma’s birthday, today’s tips have to do with research on her or her family:
Not everyone was born where they think they were born (Grandma insisted she was born in Tioga, Hancock County, Illinois. It was actually several miles away near what was then Elderville–we never argued about it.)
Sometimes stories that seem incorrect are totally correct. (Grandma insisted she was baptized at the age of five on the same day as two of her siblings).
Sometimes people leave out little details about their siblings because you don’t think to ask (like her brother’s divorce).
Don’t forget to ask questions while people are still living (there’s a few years later that I wish I had).
Identify people on pictures while those who remember are still living (fortunately I had Grandma do this).
RIP Grandma.
8 Responses
My husband’s mother left a date book with everyone’s birthdays and wedding dates. She had a different year of birth for a family member than what I had, and her date matched the headstone. I started looking at my records to see where I got the ‘wrong’ date. Seems my date was the one the family member had given on his draft registration and marriage certificate. I don’t know how the year got changed in family lore, but I’m using the one he gave. I am constantly amazed at honest errors! I read a death certificate where the grieving son gave his own mother’s name instead of his dead father’s mother. Thanks for your tips!!
People can give incorrect dates for their own events. I have one relative who was recorded in the 1900 census as being born in 1899. His WW I registration shows birth as 1900; application for SS shows birth year as 1898. So, which date do you think is correct !
Do u know if places were renamed back then like they r now, because of political correctness or other reasons?
In many countries there are numerous place name changes throughout history. Many after times of war (after WW! & WW2 English speaking nations ditched their Germanic sounding place names) or after political upheavals where the overthrow of a despot saw all place names referring to the defeated changed. Although I understand their reasons it is a shame in that it despoils history. The latest rounds of amusing or risque sounding name changes are just plain stupid – why are we dictated to by uptight straightlaced nuts?
Sometime name changes are the problem. In Grandma’s case she believed she was born somewhere she was not.
At first, Ma gave the date but not the year of her marriage — then later I found out the first child was an “early baby” — and I never posted that information as long as the first child was alive! Ma carefully protected her secret, and it is honorable for me to do so as long as someone might be hurt by the information.
Please be sensitive to all the possibilities, when discussing these “early babies.” Some of them were and still are, really and truly premature. I have not reread this great book for many years, but it applies: The Thread that Runs So True, by Jesse Stuart.
In this case, Grandma was not an “early baby.” There were five children born to her parents before her.
And “early baby” is entirely contextual. Babies born 7 months after the marriage could have been premature, but survival rates in earlier times were not so good. Babies born 2 months after the wedding are another matter. It’s important to simply state the facts as indicated by the records, but if there are people living who may be impacted by the revelation, it may be best to wait to divulge the details.