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Ancestry Daily News
12/19/2001 - Archive
Michael's Luck
I have had a few "lucky" finds this year. To call it the "luck of
the Irish" is a bit of a stretch as my Irish ethnicity only extends to one-eighth
of my pedigree. Besides, my "luck" had absolutely no impact on my Irish lineage.
Family history research can be intensely rewarding. It can also be intensely
frustrating. And sometimes for some of us, the amount of patience required can
seem to be overwhelming. But the patience sometimes is rewarded, and sometimes
when we least expect it, "luck" shines upon us (although I personally do not
do the "genealogy happy dance").
In the past year, four items came into my possession through indirect means.
These items were not obtained by long hours of hard work, or many nights spent
poring over reels of microfilmed. These items were virtually dumped in my lap.
I mention them to give frustrated readers hope and to provide some ways to increase
the chances that luck shines upon you as well.
Riley's Picture
This year, I obtained a copy of a picture of my great-great- grandfather, Riley
Rampley, taken before his death in 1893. I have researched Riley for twenty
years and have long had a mental image of him. That picture was ripped to shreds
when I saw the photograph—he had the audacity to look nothing like I had
pictured him. The picture was given to my mother by a cousin of my grandfather,
also a descendant of Riley. I'm not exactly certain where the picture had been
for the past one hundred years, but I'm glad it made its way to me.
George Trautvetter's Picture
A relative of mine by adoption had a 1920s era picture of the brother to my
great-great-grandfather. He also had picture of this uncle's entire family taken
in the 1880s. How did he find me? He apparently typed the uncle's name into
a search engine and located one of the genealogy Web pages I have on this family.
We made contact and I now have the photographs. Creating your own genealogy
Web page (it can be very simple), may bring forth some interesting results.
This is also how I obtained the ca. 1870 immigrant trunk of one of my great-great-
grand aunts.
Pictures of My Grandfather
My grandfather's home was destroyed by fire in 1924, when he was seven years
of age. Many items in the home were destroyed, including family photographs.
A distant cousin of mine happened to have some pictures of my grandfather when
he was small, taken before the house fire. She was nice enough to send me high-quality
scans of these photographs.
Murder in Kansas City?
I have a great-grand uncle who apparently was murdered in Kansas City in
1921. Very little is known about the situation, other than the fact his body
was found in a hotel room. A month ago, my grandmother mailed me a copy of a
Quincy, Illinois, newspaper article written about the body's return to Illinois
and an examination by the local coroner. The article's circuitous route to my
grandmother involved a cousin, a sister-in-law, and a church quilting group.
Fortunately, it also made it's way to me and I'm hoping to follow up on the
information in 2002.
Increasing Your Luck?
There's a song that contains the phrase "luck is believe in your luck" (I'll
give away my age and musical taste and say that the song is either by Rod Stewart
or Bon Jovi, but I could be slightly misquoting). Regardless, the message seems
to be that luck occasionally is of our own making, especially in terms of laying
the groundwork for luck to happen. There are some ways you can increase the
chance that "luck" makes its way to you.
Let other family members know of your interest in genealogy. Christmas family
gatherings are an excellent time for this. Do not focus only on those family
members that have e-mail access. Relatives without computers (they do exist)
may have information as well. It takes time for word of your interest to pass
through the family. Some may also be concerned that your interest is a "passing
fad" and that once interest is lost, any family mementos you receive will end
up inadvertently passing from the family at a garage or estate sale. It takes
time to establish yourself as the "family historian." This is perhaps a good
thing. It gives you time to figure out where to put the things you obtain throughout
the course of your family history research.
Some other ideas for promoting your family history interest include:
—Posting queries on bulletin boards, such as those at Ancestry.com (boards.ancestry.com)
—Creating your own genealogy Web page and submitting it to several search
engines
—Sending letters to the editors of weekly or small circulation newspapers
(if there are any) where your family used to live, mentioning your interest
in family history —Attending the family reunion. If there's not one, consider
starting one yourself. Some other ways to improve your luck:
—Research the entire family, not just your direct line
—Learn something about the area you are researching
— Learn about the all the types of records that were created during the time
your family lived in a specific area
—Search as many records as possible.
Seasoned researchers will tell you that these last four techniques are not "luck"
at all, but rather just part of a sound genealogy methodology.
Is It Just Me?
It is not just me that has luck. Virtually every time I speak at a conference,
or attend a workshop, someone comes up and tells me of some record or document
that virtually fell into their lap. And sometimes when I'm in a genealogy library
I hear someone scream with delight as they locate something. Sounds of extreme
frustration, while entirely understandable and which for some may involve the
use of "colorful" language, are usually best kept in more hushed tones.
Does Luck Solve All My Problems?
No. My big problem is still there. I'm still searching for details on the
parents of my great-grandmother, a William Ira Sargent (born ca. 1846 in Canada)
and a Florence Ellen Butler (born ca. 1856 in Missouri) who appear to arrive
by UFO in Warsaw, Hancock, Illinois. Luck has not shined upon this research
problem. Of course, I also keep trying good old, diligent, and methodical research
too. One of these days . . .
Michael John Neill, is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute
of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also on
the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael is the
Web columnist for the FGS FORUM and is on the editorial board of the Illinois
State Genealogical Society Quarterly. He conducts seminars and lectures on a
wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes to several
genealogical publications, including Ancestry and Genealogical Computing.
You can e-mail him at: mailto:mneill@asc.csc.cc.il.us
or visit his Web site at: www.rootdig.com/,
but he regrets that he is unable to assist with personal research.
Copyright 2001, MyFamily.com.
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