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on 30-06-2009 22:14
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In this book are the histories of family branches on both sides of the
author's family. These histories are presented in a chronological order
against the backdrop of the larger canvas of the history of America
starting with the early colonial period and ending in the period just
before the Great Depression of the 20th century.  Interspersed with this
historical recounting is the story of how these histories and
genealogies were discovered and compiled. While the dry recitation of a
genealogy would have almost no appeal, a narrated family history would
still only hold interest for a small audience. Therefore it is the
author's hope that even the casual reader who finds that they have no
relationship with any of the families discussed in this book will
derive benefit from the overall presentation as it discusses the
methods used by the author to trace his family history back through
several branches and generations.
Brickwalls and Puzzle Pieces
Probably the most important tool to family historians researching
within the United States is the Federal Population Census, which has
been taken every 10 years, beginning in 1790. Article I, section 2 of
the U.S. Constitution mandates that the population of the United States
is to be enumerated every 10 years. The results of the federal census
are used to allocate Congressional seats, electoral votes, and
government program funding. There is a 72-year restriction on access to
population census schedules, which is why 1930 is the latest year
currently available. In 2012, the census schedules for 1940 will be
made available to the public. The National Archives has the census
schedules on microfilm available from 1790 to 1930, but does not have
the census records online on the NARA web site. Ancestry.com and
Heritagequest.com have digitized many of the Federal Census records.
These web sites are subscription-based, but access is free-of-charge
and unlimited from any NARA facility such as the NARA branch that I
first visited in 1985.
Although the census schedules and the indexes to the schedules were
never intended as a tool for genealogists their availability on-line
has proven to be a very valuable source for family history research.
Therefore, it is important to understand what is available within the
census schedules and to know the limitations of these records.
A good source for information regarding the United States Census is
the census bureau's website itself. They do not have census records
on-line here but the US Census Bureau web site
provides detailed information regarding each census starting with the
first one in 1790 to the most recent (2000). There is also an e-book
entitled Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000
that can be downloaded free of charge. This document, published as a 16
MB PDF file, provides information regarding the questionnaires used in
each of the census. It also provides information on availability of
Population Schedules, availability of the 1930 Census Records, finding
guides on State and Territorial Censuses, Mortality Schedules,
Population Items on Principal Census Questionnaires, and Individual
Histories of the United States Censuses.
When I first started using the census records to search for my
ancestors, I had no clue as to what I was doing and as a result. I made
a number of mistakes. Moreover, I wasted a lot time. For one thing, I
did not properly document my sources back then and secondly I did not
have a solid understanding of what the origin and status of my sources
were. Researching one's family history can be very time-consuming, but
the gain of understanding the distant past from a personal perspective
can be very rewarding. At times it can also be very frustrating
particularly when it seems almost impossible to find any information
regarding a particular family line that goes back only two or three
generations from the present. Genealogists refer to these
"end-of-lines" as brick walls. I some times like to think of them as
missing pieces of a jig-saw puzzle.
So far, most of the family lines that I have describe have been traced back to at least the later part of the 18th
century. For other lines I have not been able to go back further that
then the generation that flourished in the mid-to-late 19th
century. Specifically this is the case with the family of my mother's
maternal grandfather (Kollros), the family of mother's paternal
grandmother (Spiegel), and the family of my paternal grandmother
(O'Malley). Yet even though I have not been able to go back more than a
two or three generations with these three lines, I have made some
progress and, as I describe in this chapter, with a little bit of
detective work, I have been able to knock down a few brick walls.
Excepts from the Book - Gathering Leaves by D. M. DeBacker
Last update : 30-06-2009 22:32
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