Sometimes it can seem like we are the only person researching a certain family or set of ancestors. Sometimes we get so focused on going back further and further that we neglect to track down modern descendants.
This can be important even if writing a book of all your ancestor’s descendants is the furthest thing from your mind. Any of those descendants can have a family item that could be useful in your research. They may know stories, etc.
I recently made contact with a descendant of one of my great-great-grandfather’s brother’s descendants.
If you think about it, your great-great-great-grandparents may have more descendants than you think. Who knows which lineage path ended up with the family bible and other items?
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And important if you are trying to find a DNA match. You need ALL the siblings from ALL the generations.
Keep an eye out for your family names; they show up in surprising places. I noticed a comment on Face Book by a person with one of my family names. i contacted her, discovered we are distant relatives, and she sent me photos of my 1st cousin 5 times removed, my 2nd cousin 4 times removed, and my 3rd cousin 3 times removed!!! I was delighted.