Who Would You Like to Talk to??



1914-Ethel, Harry,EdwinAll the time spent doing the research, gathering vital records and creating as complete as possible your family tree, has it ever crossed your mind that you would have liked to meet one or two of your ancestors? Yes, some of our ancestors, great aunts, grandparents you may have known, even as a child, however there well be many others that you have learned a bit about them and they intrigue you.

It is an interesting concept, who would you like to visit with and talk to of the many ancestors you have come across? Sometimes, it might be the relative you know the least about – your ‘brick wall’ ancestor. If you could speak to them, they certainly could fill in all the blanks about their life.

Then again it might be a relative you have learned a great deal about, maybe through journals, photos, documents, diaries and now you feel you know this person. Getting an opportunity to converse about what your learned of their life could be quite fascinating.

Of course, unfortunately, there is no way to truly have a chance to talk with a deceased ancestor. Sometimes, we might feel we are be cared for and watched over by our ancestors, which can be a comfort.

Sometimes thinking about which ancestors you could talk to can give you inspiration to try new avenues in locating additional information. Try writing out the questions you would ask and it could help you organize your next research project.

If the ancestor of interest was an immigrant, that would be a major question — why did they leave their birth homeland to start fresh in a new and strange land. What was the voyage like? What type of work did the find after arrival? The list can go on and on.

I have a photo taken about 1914 of my father in the center with his two younger siblings (located only in the last 10 years). It was done in England just before the family came to Massachusetts to resettle permanently. I did not learn my father was born in England and came across the Atlantic in 1914 until about 23 years after his death. So there are many questions surrounding him and his siblings (who had passed away before my father) I would ask, if I could.

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