When I started researching my family tree, I did not start from scratch.
My parents and grandparents had been researching their own genealogy for some time before I came along. They had written down many names and dates into handwritten and typewritten genealogy scrapbooks, which then were transferred into a computer file. I helped transfer that computer file onto Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. Then, I started copying information from other Ancestry and FamilySearch users. Eventually, I ended up with this giant Frankenstein monster of a tree that I inherited. It was full of information, containing thousands of names, going back several generations. But many of those names had no sources, no evidence of where the information came from.
After spending four years studying how to do genealogy at Brigham Young University, I came to understand the value of sources. In my mind, sources have both a logical and an emotional value. On the logical side, it is important to have sources to back up your claims so others can understand and verify your research. On the emotional side, it is satisfying to have a handwritten document with your ancestor’s name on it that says what they were doing and where and when. It builds a connection to that person. It is one thing to have a list of names and dates, but it is another thing entirely to see where those names and dates came from, to see where those people left their marks on the world.
I set a goal last year to find at least one source for every name and date on my family tree. That means a source for each person’s birth, death, marriage, and relationships. I want to know how we know the information about them. And I want to share that information with others. No more endless copying of questionable, unverified information. My vision is a complete family tree with plenty of real documents attached to each person.
Here’s how I did this with one of my ancestors, Hannah Lathrop Keith.
Family Sources
Hannah Lathrop Keith was born in 1814 in Blandford, Hampden, Massachusetts. She died in October 1841. She married Elijah Henry Gile in Blandford, Massachusetts in 1833. Her parents were Joseph Keith and Achsah Sawyer.
This is the information I started with. Now, other than it being handed down to me in my family genealogy records, where did this information come from? I started my search by asking my family members what records they had.
The Guild, Guile and Gile Family Genealogy
One of the family sources I found was a book my grandfather has on the Gile family: The Genealogy and History of the Guild, Guile and Gile Family by Charles Burleigh. I already knew from talking to him that this is where he got the majority of his information on the Giles. My grandfather lives in another state, so I didn’t have access to his copy of the book. Fortunately, I was able to find a digital copy of the Gile book on The Internet Archive. Many old family histories can be found there. The Gile book can be found at this link.
Here is the section that mentions Hannah Lathrop Keith and her husband, Elijah Henry Gile:
The author, Charles Burleigh, explains in the preface the process of gathering information for the book:
The author has used all honorable means to procure extended and complete records of families and sketches of individuals, and a generally commendable interest has been manifested, but it is to be regretted that many to whom the blanks were sent have failed to make returns, and in numerous instances, the request has been renewed by urgent appeals, without avail.
Burleigh’s Gile book was compiled by gathering information from living family members. The book was published in 1887. At this time, Hannah and Elijah were both deceased, but their children were still alive, so they would have provided information for the book.
Letter from Newell Gile
Another family source from my grandfather is a copy of a letter his grandfather, Newell Elijah Gile, wrote to Charles Burleigh about his family. Newell Elijah Gile was the son of Elijah Henry Gile and Hannah Lathrop Keith. This was very insightful, because it contained additional details that the author did not include in his summary in the book. A transcription of this letter has been attached to Newell Elijah Gile’s FamilySearch record. These are Newell Elijah Gile’s own memories of his family:
Newell Elijah Gile was born at Medina, Medina Co., Ohio October 9th 1841 lived there 3 years was given away by his father to a family named Tice that broke up and his father married Mrs. Harriet Huskiss [Hotchkiss] for his second wife he was returned to his father again lived at home 2 years his step mother died he was gone away the second time to a family named Kissell they moved west and his father married Matilda Bean for his 3rd wife he was sent to his father again and at the age of 14(?) years went out to try the world alone his own man.
This letter does not mention Hannah by name, but opens our eyes to some of the hardship her son went through after losing his mother at only three years old. He was handed off from foster family to stepmother to foster family, until finally he decided to be “his own man” at age fourteen.
At this point, I had only begun to scratch the surface of the information I could find on Hannah Lathrop Keith. Not all of the information about her has been verified by sources at this point, but digging into the sources has already built an emotional connection to Hannah and her family. And this is just from making inquiries within my own family about what they know about her.
Stay tuned for a continuation of this series. In future posts, I will uncover more sources about Hannah Lathrop Keith.
How have you used family sources to build an emotional connection to your ancestors?
Here are more articles on finding and using sources:
- The Record Exists! Part I: The Internet and Repositories
- The Record Exists! Part II: Families, Collectors, and Everything Else
- 3 Ways to Preserve Old Family Artifacts
- 5 Things You Should Not Do with Old Family Artifacts
- 5 Tips for Using Online Family Tree Sites
- Why You Should Share Your Family History Online