Basic genealogy is pretty straightforward – start with yourself and work backwards, from the known to the unknown. Using birth and death records, census data, and old newspapers (many available online), many people can trace a couple of generations with relative ease. But when faced with the question of where a great-grandparent came from, and the names of his parents, it becomes much more difficult. That’s where some history lessons may be necessary.
Where Did They Come From?
This question is a critical one for U.S. genealogists. Not only do we trace ancestors who immigrated from other parts of the world, generations of Americans have migrated from East to West, North to South, and sometimes in what may seem to be mysterious other patterns. Studying the migration patterns and paths taken, whether by road, river, or railroads, can help us know where to look for earlier ancestors.
Settlers in states like Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee may have obtained their lands as a result of bounties offered for military service. Knowing which states granted land, and where that land was, can lead us to the original home. Knowing which military actions resulted in the offer of bounty land is another important element. Genealogists should investigate all the various conflicts in which the U.S. government has engaged – not just the Revolutionary War or the Civil War. A variety of other wars, including the Indian Wars, the Mexican War, the Spanish-American War, and the War of 1812, may provide information of use to genealogists.
Why Did They Migrate?
Genealogists and family historians are interested in more than just names and dates – they want to know why people did the things they did. And one of the more interesting questions often turns out to be “why?” Why did someone whose family all lived in Missouri die in Albuquerque in 1921? Why did a family leave New Hampshire for Nebraska in 1863? Why did a man from Ohio move to California in 1859?
If you know U.S. history, you can make some informed hypotheses about why people moved as they did. If you know about the California gold rush and the Homestead Act that opened up millions of acres in the Midwest and West, you can investigate whether your ancestors moved west in response to these events. If you know that many communities in the dry Southwest grew up around sanitariums and tent cities for treatment of tuberculosis before the advent of antibiotics and vaccines, you can develop a theory to explain an ancestor’s early death.
Listen to those Old Family Stories
Genealogists learn fairly early on that old family stories aren’t necessarily true, but they often have elements of reality that can help you in your search. The reasons for moving from one locale to another may be as simple as taking advantage of free or low-cost land, but there were plenty of other reasons to migrate. Paying attention to clues in family traditions, especially religious or ethnic ones, is a good practice. Perhaps those stories mention religious persecution, or joining family members in another state, or in another part of the world.
Many groups of like-minded people moved together, seeking a place where they could practice their faith, or live as they did in the old country. While the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) is one of the best known sects to migrate within the United States, other groups (such as the Mennonites, Quakers, and Hutterites) also moved together. Ethnic minorities migrated together or gradually developed colonies, such as Polish, German, or Scots-Irish immigrants.
Learn History to be a Better Genealogist
Learning the history of ethnic and religious minorities will not only help you understand the motivations of your ancestors, but will provide background and clues to help in your research. General history books about your area of interest are a good place to start. There are countless books about wars, especially the U.S. Civil War, and these, too, provide useful background information. Katherine Sturdevant’s book, Bringing Your Family History to Life through Social History (Betterway Books, c2000), while somewhat dated, has a good bibliography of sources for learning about the backgrounds of various groups of people. For numerous timelines to help you understand events that may have affected your ancestors, check out History for Genealogists, by Judy Jacobson.
Katharine Garstka - Katharine Garstka specializes in genealogical research and in historical and genealogical writing.
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