Get Started Archives

Genealogy sources that first come to mind are often the typical birth, marriage and death records. After doing genealogy for two plus decades I find those sources boring. Yes, boring. I want to know how my relatives lived, not just when they lived. Church, Club and Company records are the gateway to uncovering the everyday lives of ancestors.

I want to discover more about the everyday lives of relatives, their hobbies and activities, as well as their involvement in the community, and work environments. If you look hard enough you can discover genealogy sources to give you a more rounded picture of your ancestors. Let’s look at some hidden genealogy sources for your research.

Church Events

Churches have ongoing events and programs that often provide a wealth of information on their parishioners. Most churches have weekly or monthly bulletins for parish events and activities. Churches also tend to celebrate anniversaries for the parish itself. These celebrations often come with a program with parish history, committee members, and special donor lists. The program below was found in a scrapbook belonging to a great uncle. The names of relatives that donated and served on the committee are listed within the program.

Look to church publications for more information on activities your family may have been involved in.

Club Events and Rosters

Did your relatives participate in social clubs or organizations? Look in the community where your relatives lived for local clubs. Organizations may be related to religion, military service, or personal interests. In my local hometown many Catholic males in the early-mid 20th century belonged to the St. Joseph Young Men’s Society. The society fostered fellowship and celebrated the Polish Catholic tradition as well as community service.

In an anniversary gala booklet, the society lists past presidents and current members. This provided information that my great uncles, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great grandfather all had a heavy hand in the club. Reading through the history of the society gave me insight into my relatives interests and values.

This Polish Catholic Society program also showed pictures of their activities like golf pros and volunteers for a party. This program provided an excellent view of the lives of my relatives as well as the groups of people that surrounded them on a regular basis.

Work Rosters and History

The occupation title is not the only information you can gather about your family members. Often, businesses had histories printed up, party programs, rosters, and group photos. Digging into companies can also aid in your research and provide some ideas on how your relatives spent their work days.

The above photo includes my great uncle, Norman Piechnik, as part of the convention committee for his company in the mid-1900’s. Not only was I able to see where he worked, I was able to read about the history of the company and the people he worked with. Activities the employees participated in are included in the booklet. Often family members worked with each other. Look to the the rosters to see if other family members may also be listed.

Finding the Hidden Sources

But where do I find these hidden genealogy sources? The major genealogy websites like Ancestry and Family Search may not directly help you in this situation but don’t be quick to dismiss them. Do a search of your relatives but focus on the photos category so see if others may have posted pictures of this particular source. Photos shared by others may include work, church, and club photos.

Ask relatives if they have any old scrapbooks. Most of my information in this area as come from scrapbooks given to me by great aunts and uncles. Scrapbooks can provide more information than Ancestry or Family Search ever could.

Go straight to the church of your relatives for past church bulletins and event programs. For businesses, often a local library can assist you in finding the history of specific companies. If the company is still in business, reach out and ask if they have old photos, written history or employee rosters.

The Library of Congress also has a great resource guide for using businesses in genealogy research. Click here for more information.

With a little bit of luck and ingenuity you can uncover the interests, values, and hobbies of your relatives for a better understanding of who they were as people. Remember that genealogy is not just dates but rather a comprehensive understanding of the way our ancestors lived.

Ancestry brick walls in genealogy are never fun and can lead to endless frustration. There came a point in my research recently when I felt I had exhausted all avenues of sources. I needed to jump start my research again. I was now on the hunt for stories- tidbits you can’t find in public records.

How do you go about finding personal genealogy stories? Relatives. Strangers that are relatives, close relatives and distant relatives.

Reaching out to strangers that you are related to can be intimidating and scary but they could hold the hammer that breaks down your ancestry brick wall. Information that may be important to you could be stored away in a distant relatives attic and be something they don’t think is of value to anyone. What they think is irrelevant is very much relevant to a family researcher like you.

Types of genealogy documents and heirlooms to look for:

Diaries, journals and other writings
Photos including old picture negatives and photo albums (for dating old photos check out this post)
Family bibles
Original naturalization papers
Military medals and attire
Baptismal certificates
Research from other family researchers
Home purchase records
Club and society booklets and annuals

In the past I have had relatives in passing describe to me items they have in their possession. When I get excited to see it they tell me they never thought it was important or that no one would care about it. For example, many years ago a relative gave me an old family bible and thought it didn’t mean much. However, inside was the handwriting of my great grandmother and recordings of her children’s full names and dates of birth. A treasure at its best.

Polish Society List revealed that relatives were members (Piechnik’s).

Take a chance and reach out!

Reaching out to strangers that you are technically related to can be a scary step. They may ignore you, they may question your intentions of contacting them or they may not be the kindest person. I assure you the possibility of a great reward on the other side of that courage could be worth it in your ancestry research.

However, keep this in mind:

Do not pressure the relative. Be gentle, be kind.
Do not ask them for their personal information. As a genealogist you need to protect information of those that are living. Stress that you are looking for information of ancestors who are no longer with us. If they want to share more information with you about themselves they will.
Introduce yourself, describe what you have been working on and items or information you may be looking for. Be specific in what genealogical information you are looking for. Stating you are looking for ‘family information’ may get you no where. Ask them if they have a family bible or journal or if your common ancestor that was in World War I had any medals or military records. Give them ideas to jog their memory of what they may have stored away.
Do not ask for originals of documents. Simply ask for a scan, digital copy or even just a picture of the document. You are looking for information, not to create a hoard of heirlooms.
If the discussion of heirloom items comes up you may ask if they could send you a picture of it. However, never ask for the item or for a group of items to be partially given to you. This may sound like common sense but believe me, I have seen people do this as if they are entitled to family heirlooms.

Family bible with handwritten birth dates

Ways to Reach Out

Facebook: Do you know some relatives names and where they live? Search for them on Facebook and send a message. I have done this multiple times and it has connected me with family I never knew, pictures I never had, and stories I never could have imagined. I was able to break down those ancestry brick walls by simply reaching out.
DNA Matches: Have you taken a DNA test with genealogy sites like Ancestry.com, 23andme.com, or MyHeritage? If you have then reach out to some of those closer DNA matches. Look for matches that have a family tree connected to their profile or more family information entered in as they are probably just as curious about family history as you are.
Distant relatives you already know: Are there relatives you know but maybe don’t talk to very often? Reach out with an email, phone call, or handwritten letter. If they live close ask if you could meet up for coffee.
Close relatives: Have you really asked your closest relatives about information or heirlooms they may have? I bet a lot you would say ‘No’. It is amazing how many family researchers don’t actually sit down and ask their parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles specific questions about their family and what documents they may not realize they are harboring. Interview close relatives.

Lastly, make sure you keep notes in your genealogy sources. Keep track of what information you received from which relative. This will help if you need to go back and do a follow up question.