“And this our life,
exempt from public haunt,
finds tongues in trees,
books in the running brooks,
sermons in stones,
and good in everything.”
—William ShakespeareMy young niece visited recently, noting with revulsion my collection of cemetery photographs. She gasped as she pointed to a hundred-year-old tombstone blemished with rust-colored lichen. “Is that blood?” she asked, worried.
Pitigliano…not a city that comes to mind when thinking of Tuscany, but this is where my deceased grandfather, Ottavio Faenzi, was born. I went to Italy to find family and what I could of his life before he came to America. On this trip, I brought along my Aunt Joann and her son, Dan, who after days in Italy preferred to be addressed as Danilo.
When you think about it, we all know at least two things about any one ancestor. We may not know his or her name or parents’ names, but we can be sure that our ancestor had children and that they all lived some place. For me, it worked like this: in 1859, James Sharbrough bought some land in Jasper County, Mississippi. I know because my government told me so.
Home is where the heart is—especially in successful genealogical pursuits.Advances in technology have provided us with remarkable databases of millions of names and an almost equal number of document images. Web pages and intuitive search interfaces are valuable to both novice and experienced researchers.
Most of us obtained our first knowledge of family history from our parents or other relatives, either to answer our questions or to give us information they felt we should know. Invariably, the information was recalled from their memories, without reference to any record or memorandum.
Alfred Sheinwold, a famous author of books on playing bridge, once wrote: “Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself.”
The same holds true in genealogy.
Each of us contributes to our own family and to the world in a unique way. Whether we are rich or poor, famous or unnoticed in history, every family member makes a difference in the life of others. We learn important lessons from lives that were less than exemplary, and we are inspired by lives that were lived to help others. Our family members are the stuff that legends and memories are made of.
Think of them as government-written whodunits—outlines of great mysteries, complete with murder, suicide, and even a few peaceful deaths thrown in for good measure. They provide the who, the what, the where, the when, and sometimes even the why. Everything else is left up to you.
Sound interesting? It is, particularly if you like unraveling the mysterious clues left in mortality schedules.
Editor’s note: This article was modified on 9 April 2007 to reflect source additions from the author.
Polish, German, Ruthenian—millions of people around the world today can trace their roots to the territory of present-day Poland.
I picked up the Sunday paper not long ago and found an interesting article on one of Wisconsin’s pioneers and first scientists, Increase A. Lapham. The article repeatedly emphasized the magnitude of Lapham’s acccomplishments, particularly in light of how little formal education he had. As I read on, however, I saw a disparaging reference regarding Latham’s poor choice of appointees.