Ancestry Magazine

Most of us started our research from home and family sources. First we questioned older living family members, and then we quickly went on to whatever documents the family had saved.

The family history value of some documents was probably immediately obvious bible records, birth, marriage and death certificates, letters, diaries, military records, naturalization records, school diplomas, old newspaper clippings, wedding invitations, birth announcements. But for some other family sources, we may not have recognized their usefulness until later.

In any case, after extracting their genealogical content, we probably returned these documents to whatever sanctuary had previously preserved them, or assembled them for storage in a new, safer environment. We then moved on to sources outside the home to supplement that original information.

As we search more broadly, however, we can easily overlook the continuing value of the home sources we started from frequently the only sources available for certain bits of information they contain. And these original home sources may be able to provide new clues to other sources outside the family names of people, neighborhoods, churches, and businesses.

Generally we return to the early records on which we’ve based our family history only when conflicts arise or questions are raised about the validity of some item of information. Otherwise, most of us seldom go back to look again at those often-fragile documents from which we began our search after all, we already extracted everything of value. Or did we?

It’s surprising how much new meaning old records can take on after several years of additional research. Names that had no significance when we originally read (and even ignored) them can now be recognized as relatives or associates. Surnames of witnesses at baptisms and weddings may have since been identified with related families. Names or addresses from old letters, post cards, and address books may suggest links to family branches in distant locales. Records relating to school, church, employment, or military service may open the door to institutional publications and archived records. Dated references to other localities can lead to newspaper accounts and other sources of information.

Don’t let the continuing value of your old family papers go unrealized. Make it a point on a set date each year say on your birthday or a holiday like Memorial Day to go back to those old yellowing documents you started with, whether they’re in a trunk in the attic, your bottom desk drawer, or a bank safety deposit box. It’s almost certain that you’ll find an item that takes on new significance because of something you learned since the last time you went through the file.

Donn Devine, CG, CGI, a genealogical consultant from Wilmington, Delaware, is an attorney for the city and archivist of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington.