Many years ago when I was a teenager, I stumbled across a box of old photographs and a few documents pertaining to a particular family. I didn't know them but felt very strongly I should research them... I'd never done genealogical research before.
Little did I know that spending that $6 for a stack of old photographs from the 1940's and 1950's would change my life.
I became a dedicated researcher from then on with the help of a lot of studying, research mistakes (and the following corrections---I consider myself on a constant learning curve!) and the help of a friend of my mother's, Anita, who taught me the beginning steps. I still remember years ago she told me that she initially helped me because she thought it was some sort of cute fad and I'd die down with my intensity about it.
Many years later, I work as a professional genealogist, metadata specialist working to publish genealogical documents, as well as an occasional lecturer... Once upon a time, I was even employed in genealogical research for a television program!
So much has been changed by that one transaction of $6.
A year ago, I learned that the photographs were likely thrown away (and then sold publicly) due to the abuse of the woman in the photographs by not only her then-deceased husband but her children as well. Her sons left her in the cold, didn't feed her, take care of her, etc.
She was sent to a nursing home.
Today I had the thought to look for the sons online... Last month, their youngest son died. His obituary mentioned his mother and brother were also deceased.
The obituary from last month reveals no living children. His brother's obituary from 2011 shows no surviving relatives at all. It almost looks like his brother might have died either in jail or just with no surviving family but his basically estranged brother. His mother was also dead, which I wasn't aware of. Only a few step-children survived the brother from last month. It doesn't even look like he was currently married so they'd be his EX-step children.
The people in the photographs do not have many surviving relatives. I currently have no one to leave the photographs to, so they'll remain in an album with a copy of the family tree I pieced together as a kid. I will likely scan them and attach them to the familysearch online tree program in case some sort of distant cousin finds them...
You see... the family is now dead for many generations.
The woman, Elaine, in the photograph was an only child. Her father had half-siblings only, but none of them seem interested in the family tree. (I contacted a family member years ago.) And in all the only family trees, her father is omitted as the only ones researching the family are concerned with his step-father's family and care little for his mother.
Elaine's paternal grandmother was ALSO an only child but did have first cousins born int he 1870's and 1880's. So that is a bit of a leap for anyone looking for relatives. Her paternal grandfather is still unknown as her father was illegitimate. Only a name is listed with no identifying information on the birth record. Sad. Another dead-end line.
Elaine's mother had brothers and sisters, but none had surviving relatives. Her mother's parents were either from Germany or the children of German immigrants to Philadelphia in the 1840's and 1850's. So very few descendants, if any, of these noble Germans.
Elaine's husband Raymond did have brothers and sisters but for the most part, very few descendants from that side of the father. Raymond's mother was born turn-of-the-century and I've yet to find any connections to living relatives for her NYC Irish roots. His father had an extensive family but I've yet to find anyone researching them. Did the line "daughter out?" by eliminating all those of the same surname through marriages of daughters?
Basically, the family is dead for many generations.
Doesn't it show how important it is to document your currently living family? Doesn't it show how important it is to branch out and locate all of your cousins and extended family?
Maybe you have some cousins whose descendants have also died out---leaving their belongings to gather in the dust before being chucked into a bin.
Little did I know that spending that $6 for a stack of old photographs from the 1940's and 1950's would change my life.
I became a dedicated researcher from then on with the help of a lot of studying, research mistakes (and the following corrections---I consider myself on a constant learning curve!) and the help of a friend of my mother's, Anita, who taught me the beginning steps. I still remember years ago she told me that she initially helped me because she thought it was some sort of cute fad and I'd die down with my intensity about it.
Many years later, I work as a professional genealogist, metadata specialist working to publish genealogical documents, as well as an occasional lecturer... Once upon a time, I was even employed in genealogical research for a television program!
So much has been changed by that one transaction of $6.
A year ago, I learned that the photographs were likely thrown away (and then sold publicly) due to the abuse of the woman in the photographs by not only her then-deceased husband but her children as well. Her sons left her in the cold, didn't feed her, take care of her, etc.
She was sent to a nursing home.
Today I had the thought to look for the sons online... Last month, their youngest son died. His obituary mentioned his mother and brother were also deceased.
The obituary from last month reveals no living children. His brother's obituary from 2011 shows no surviving relatives at all. It almost looks like his brother might have died either in jail or just with no surviving family but his basically estranged brother. His mother was also dead, which I wasn't aware of. Only a few step-children survived the brother from last month. It doesn't even look like he was currently married so they'd be his EX-step children.
The people in the photographs do not have many surviving relatives. I currently have no one to leave the photographs to, so they'll remain in an album with a copy of the family tree I pieced together as a kid. I will likely scan them and attach them to the familysearch online tree program in case some sort of distant cousin finds them...
You see... the family is now dead for many generations.
The woman, Elaine, in the photograph was an only child. Her father had half-siblings only, but none of them seem interested in the family tree. (I contacted a family member years ago.) And in all the only family trees, her father is omitted as the only ones researching the family are concerned with his step-father's family and care little for his mother.
Elaine's paternal grandmother was ALSO an only child but did have first cousins born int he 1870's and 1880's. So that is a bit of a leap for anyone looking for relatives. Her paternal grandfather is still unknown as her father was illegitimate. Only a name is listed with no identifying information on the birth record. Sad. Another dead-end line.
Elaine's mother had brothers and sisters, but none had surviving relatives. Her mother's parents were either from Germany or the children of German immigrants to Philadelphia in the 1840's and 1850's. So very few descendants, if any, of these noble Germans.
Elaine's husband Raymond did have brothers and sisters but for the most part, very few descendants from that side of the father. Raymond's mother was born turn-of-the-century and I've yet to find any connections to living relatives for her NYC Irish roots. His father had an extensive family but I've yet to find anyone researching them. Did the line "daughter out?" by eliminating all those of the same surname through marriages of daughters?
Basically, the family is dead for many generations.
Doesn't it show how important it is to document your currently living family? Doesn't it show how important it is to branch out and locate all of your cousins and extended family?
Maybe you have some cousins whose descendants have also died out---leaving their belongings to gather in the dust before being chucked into a bin.