WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (September 2010)
Before you judge me as unfriendly, I will explain. This is the title of the companion book to the NBC and PBS series on some notables who have traced their families to startling conclusions. The book is called the essential guide to tracing your family history by the author Megan Smolenyak. I question whether this TV series is going to make a difference because it seems that mostly old people like me are doing the researching. If it gets the young interested I applaud their endeavor.
Since I have been in the process of tracing my grandparents’ families for several years, I thought I would give you some insight of how easy or difficult it has been since the time I started.
Since I have been in the process of tracing my grandparents’ families for several years, I thought I would give you some insight of how easy or difficult it has been since the time I started.
There is always that little spark to pique one’s interest. Mine was a family book which intrigued me through the years. It always held a prominent place in the house and I never really appreciated it until one day I decided to read through it. The title was “RECORDS OF THE DORLAND FAMILY IN AMERICA.” To my amazement, I read that it was published in 1898 by John Dorland Cremer for the family. That was surprising enough but it included all the branches of all the names which had emanated from two Holland emigrants who came to these shores in 1652 and 1663 at the time of Peter Stuyvesant. I remember noting that Dad was from the early emigrant of 1652. In fact his birthdate wasn’t even in the book, only his name.
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The general review of the family is an excellent history of life in New Netherlands. Obviously our ancestor did not return to Holland because when I began to research for records, I found his oath to the king of England when the land became New York.
In the book, however, were accounts of the families whose allegiance was split at the time of the Revolution and remained loyal to the king. Those branches had to leave for Canada and that is why there are so many descendants of the original two mentioned above.
Over the years the book remained in my subconscious to the point that I even had it recovered in beautiful red leather when I lived in Mexico. So it was this book that eventually was the beginning of all my research on all our families, and I too have been able to uncover many fascinating details of my family’s heritage. I didn’t begin in earnest until after I retired and this journey has led me down many lanes; some are extensive, some are brick walls.
For example, in trying to pull up the census in order to find the parents of my current newsletter’s personality, Joseph Heimer, husband of my great Aunt Jo, I came up with nothing. There were lots of Heimers but none with Joseph as a child. I finally found one in which the age fit, but when I checked his obituary, none of the other children had the names that were listed. All genealogists know that the next best thing is to contact living members of the same family, which I tried, but none of the present Heimers knew anything about their ancestors beyond two generations. Too bad.
Nevertheless, I am forever grateful to my father for keeping the book of his family, for from it I learned a lot. One day I plan to write more about this book as it was an inspiration for me many years ago and proved to be the motivation for all the genealogy I did over the years.
In the book, however, were accounts of the families whose allegiance was split at the time of the Revolution and remained loyal to the king. Those branches had to leave for Canada and that is why there are so many descendants of the original two mentioned above.
Over the years the book remained in my subconscious to the point that I even had it recovered in beautiful red leather when I lived in Mexico. So it was this book that eventually was the beginning of all my research on all our families, and I too have been able to uncover many fascinating details of my family’s heritage. I didn’t begin in earnest until after I retired and this journey has led me down many lanes; some are extensive, some are brick walls.
For example, in trying to pull up the census in order to find the parents of my current newsletter’s personality, Joseph Heimer, husband of my great Aunt Jo, I came up with nothing. There were lots of Heimers but none with Joseph as a child. I finally found one in which the age fit, but when I checked his obituary, none of the other children had the names that were listed. All genealogists know that the next best thing is to contact living members of the same family, which I tried, but none of the present Heimers knew anything about their ancestors beyond two generations. Too bad.
Nevertheless, I am forever grateful to my father for keeping the book of his family, for from it I learned a lot. One day I plan to write more about this book as it was an inspiration for me many years ago and proved to be the motivation for all the genealogy I did over the years.