Of course, you will probably discover obvious things, supported by documents, such as whether or not there are twins in the family, physical traits, medical problems, military service, premature deaths of children, occupations and criminal records. You will also likely find out where your family members lived and how they lived. Were they farmers? Store clerks? Doctors, lawyers or politicians? Maybe even outlaws. My husband has a second cousin who was a famous outlaw.

You can discover past marriages, adoptions, and divorces. You can learn the causes of death for many family members and see if there is a connection, such as heart disease, between generations. From the documents, you can get information about the property that your ancestor owned or rented. From the census records, you can tell if they had slaves or servants, or in some cases, if you are African American, you can find out if your family’s ‘owner’ slows down his lord name now carried by his family. (I don’t mean to offend anyone, but these topics are part of American history and will appear in many family trees.)

If you can find, or perhaps inherit, a box full of old letters and scraps of papers. Don’t rush through them. They may contain some interesting trivia about family members that may lead you to a new branch or to the tip of existing ones. I almost threw away some old papers that I found at my grandmother’s house after her death because they were so yellow and brittle with age that you could barely decipher the old formal handwriting. But, intrigued and always looking for more information, I devoted many hours to the task of transcribing them. When I read them again, I was amazed at how much information they contained.

The Rounder, as it was called in my family, was a letter that was sent and passed from one family to another. Each family would add their news and send it to the next. I found out that ‘Birds’ was the pet name my great-grandfather used for his children and family members, and my grandmother then used ‘ducks’ for her. It is interesting that this family of farmers used animals as ‘pet names’ quite often. I also found out that an aunt became a riveter during the war, and my grandmother got a college degree from a coeducational college that was not so common in the 1920s. Here’s a snippet, written by my great-grandfather around 1925. It says: “This grinder has been on the way for a long time and has brought several chickens on its route. I vote that ‘Lethe and Irene have left us all alone when it comes to writing an interesting letter.’ Makes me wonder what was in those other letters, but sadly they didn’t survive. However, it is only in these lines that I learn that Irene, my grandmother, was apparently a pretty good writer, and that news of new family births was probably included.

Often times, old letters and family stories that circulate can help you identify old photos from the descriptions they contain. Here is an example of part of a letter written to my father around 1944. His mother wrote: “Rogers men were described as huge with large curly red or black beards and bright blue eyes. They looked like pirates. They were all musical, and they swore melodiously with booming bass voices. Benjamine Rogers had black hair and beard, his son Joseph had red, while his son Thomas had (light) blond hair and beard. ‘ With this information in hand I was able to begin to identify the members of this family and also discovered where I could have gotten my strawberry blonde hair.

I have discovered a rich history (through marriage connections and family histories) dating back to the Middle Ages. I may never be able to fully ‘verify’ all the details of those family stories, but they are enlightening to say the least. Some are so rich in detail that I now know all about the family crest that does not seem to exist in heraldic records, but is manifested in family heirlooms (mom’s ring, a plaque, and the verified story of how it was awarded to a grandfather). remote, for example). I have made connections with at least two former presidents, various counts, dukes. Even the Mary Queen of Scotts appears to be related according to family letters and documents that speak of items that were given to her but lost due to a house fire and will never be seen again. However, it is difficult to find much corroborating documentation in post-WWI and WWII Europe. I can’t help but wonder how many future genealogists will be equally frustrated in their attempts to investigate family connections in today’s war-torn countries. What is it about our leaders that makes them so determined to destroy the records of the past?

Our genealogical research is an often boring, but mostly exciting journey towards the discovery of our past family. Not just who were those people in name and place, but more importantly WHO they were as people. Their history and the history of the places where they lived. Do I have a love for my great-grandmother’s writing? Where did I get my green eyes when all my sisters have blue eyes? Why am I short, tall, thin, round, etc.? With so many agricultural relationships, why don’t I have a green thumb like my sisters? Yes, physical and medical traits will emerge, but for me, discovering that I have a ‘carpenter’ (Great Grandmother Joiner’s passed down skill that Great Grandfather explained allowed her to ‘speak to birds directly from trees’) has provided a connection that is almost tangible and yet for any lack of documentation.

Researching the genealogy of a family involves more than looking through musty volumes for some scrap of documentary evidence of the existence of an ancestor. It is much more than recording the dates of birth, marriage and death along with some obscure name from some half-forgotten time or place. It is a magical journey of discovery that transports one from the rigors of worldly concerns that we embrace and call our lives, to an uncertain reality. It is the reality of history and a journey through time. It is a reality that is hidden from our fullest understanding, but that is exposed in raw facts recorded over the years.

Embrace the journey and you may discover more than you ever wanted, or might know. You can even find out why you love what you love, have the talents you do or don’t have. Do you have your grandmother’s eyes or your great-grandfather’s love of fishing? Only the genealogical journey can finally answer some, if not all, of your questions. Good luck.