Finding “hidden” genealogy clues

Nearly 9 years a go, I wrote a small set of posts on the topic of finding genealogy information in unlikely sources. I have removed those articles from ManyRoads and written this lengthy revision as a replacement. I thought it was about time for me to share what I have learned since then.

Not surprisingly genealogy data and clues are where you find them. However, they are not always located where you think the event(s) took place nor even where you might believe they should be.

Most of the time genealogists immersed in hunting for clues tend follow “those tried and true” paths of searching the Internet. Many will limit their research to only “free” sources; by that I mean they either refuse, can not, or will not invest in subscriptions. Others hope or believe, that everything they will ever need is available to be found on the ever popular genealogy behemoths of:

• MyHeritage
• FamilySearch
• Ancestry
• FindMyPast

Still others in an attempt to broaden their search may go so far as searching town halls and vital records, or visiting LDS Family History Centers, etc.

Sadly though, not everything ‘you need’ can be found on (in?) those places. No single source of information contains even a significant percentage the data you will need for any of your research; some go so far as being able to provide a “rough outline” of the information to further your research and perhaps even enough to make a family tree look good.

Truth be known, the above are all very good and useful search approaches/ sources. I use them myself. However, they are simply incomplete and at best are simply useful places from which to build a basis for establishing a basic understanding of the lives and details of those who preceded us.

And if these are the only places you ‘hunt’ (or in which you research), you will eventually starve ; people call that hitting a “brick wall”. Simply stated you need to “spread your nets” if you want to catch fish. I would be remiss if I did not say “you do your research a huge disservice if you restrict, or limit, your searches to the traditional and/or Internet “only” sources“.

You really need to look outside the box. There are few reasons why this is helpful and reasonable advice.

• Firstly, all genealogy and family history occurs with the context of time and place; and
• secondly, most genealogy sites do little to help you develop a comprehensive understanding of either historical context or external events.

Having said that, there is a lot of information available ‘out there’ that is freely provided to those who will simply bend over and pick it up.

• So, what is outside of the box?
• Where should you hunt?
• What might you find?

Well here’s a brief set of pointers to other information and enlightenment:

• Merchandise. I recommend you visit businesses and people specializing in selling old things, including garage & estate sales. Better yet visit those that/who specialize in old things like those your ancestors may have used, owned, or even enjoyed. Why? Well, every one of them may help you understand life as it was lived by those who preceded you.
• Book places. Read books! Yes, I know history was boring in school. But perhaps if you read about the wars, politics, migrations, etc. that your ‘folks’ lived through, you might understand them and their choices a bit better. I have even found mysteries and tales written that focus on specific places and times to be useful and informative ie. post- WW2 German detective novels. “Even” these, if well researched and written, can provide you with historical facts and context that may help you understand why certain life choices were made.
• Museums. Go look at old things and images of old people & places. Every peak you get into images of an “actual past”, not a Hollywood or politicized past, might help you understand a little more about where you came from, what was going on, how people lived.
• Libraries:
  • The Internet Archive.  This site is associated with the wayback machine, for those who remember that. The site provides access to a wealth of source documents, histories, etc.  All the documents provided are free of copyright encumbrances, which means that they are available for download and use.  If you look around ManyRoads, you will find a host of Quebec and German documents sourced from there.
  • Your local library services! Libraries the world over provide access to a wealth of documentation, history and today electronic media.  Although I am constantly frustrated by my library’s inability to gain access to the weird texts I seek, I love the electronic access they provide me.  I am even able to use their services from my home or remote locations.  Included among the access services they provide are Ancestry.com and HertiageQuest.
  • Historical texts offer some of the best information! Personally, I find history texts and map books to especially helpful in doing my genealogy work. So if you are like me and are always looking for good places, other than your local library, to obtain free textbooks, I highly recommend the following web locations:
    • dlibra. This Polish group of websites (there are about a dozen of them) host a wealth of documentation and maps from the past.  For those seeking to unearth information about the former German lands of East & West Prussia, Silesia, and Pomerania these sites are a godsend.  The quantity of documentation and its easy availability is magnificent.
    • Project Gutenberg (the grand-daddy of them all!)- Many of the ManyRoads online library texts come from there.
    • Google Books– full of all manner of materials
    • Google Scholar– an academic search tool
    • Open Culture -Get free online courses and texts from the world’s leading universities. This collection includes over 250 free courses in the liberal arts and sciences. Download courses straight to your computer or mp3 player.
    • textbooksfree.org– This site provides MANY pointers to places, sites and organizations offering free “printed” matter.
    • Wikiversity – an interesting Wiki providing distance learning facilities/ content
    • Wikibooks– Wikibooks is a Wikimedia community for creating a free library of educational textbooks that anyone can edit. Wikibooks began on July 10, 2003; since then Wikibooks has grown to include over 35,822 pages in a multitude of textbooks created by volunteers like you!
    • Hathi Trust Digital Library– HathiTrust is a partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.

And then there are those places you go where information just “sort of” falls into your lap. I really do not have a long list of items to present here, but rather a very small listing with only three, wonderful, non-genealogy genealogy places; they are:

• Flea markets
• Antique shows
• Antique & used furniture stores

As is typical of flea markets, you will find everything from bread and vegetables to “old things”. Given my genealogy interests you can imagine that my focus is almost always on ‘those’ old things- more precisely old German things. Only infrequently do I discover items of interest. One of the more interesting items I stumbled upon was a Wanderstock.

Wanderstocks (hiking sticks/ canes), many have medals on them but one was special, to me. It was from pre-1933 Germany and had 48 medal badges affixed to it- auf Deutsch: “es war ein alter Wanderstock mit Eisenkuppe und 48 Plaketten“. Not only did the stick have 48 medal badges but two of them were indicators of the original owner’s political sentiments -which although they are not mine, they do provide an interesting historical context for the time.

• Medal badge number one reads: Deutschlands Nationale Erhebung (Germany’s National Awakening or Rise) — 1933 with images of the Reichstag flanked by images of Hindenburg and Hitler.
• Badge number two reads: Landhaus Adolf Hitler Obersalzburg
• The other 46 badges were obtained by the original owner from hikes across Bavaria (Zugspitze, München, Linderhof etc.) , the Erzgebirge, not to mention Venice, the Dolomites, etc.

Antique markets offer similar items, as well as, old photos, memorabilia, etc. The only problem with each is that they often tend not to have belonged to your family, but they certainly can help you flesh out history, illustrate peoples’ thinking during certain crucial time periods, all the while providing great entertainment.

Information is out there. It is often to be discovered in the most unlikely of places. You just need to be vigilant and observant. Viel spaß beim forschen! (Have fun researching!)

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