March 11, 2015
I am a subscriber to GenealogyBank and use it all the time because it has the stories of my family – millions of stories I can’t find anywhere else.
I want to find these stories and make sure they are preserved and passed down in the family. I want them remembered.
I have been working on my family history for more than 50 years – and yes – I have found my ancestors’ names, dates of birth, and places of death. That’s fundamental – core to compiling an accurate family history.
But GenealogyBank gives me much more.
It gives me the chance to find my ancestors’ stories: big ones, little ones – all kinds of stories that bring their lives to life.
For example, I didn’t know that my Grandmother had worked as a bookkeeper in another state; that my Dad got married dressed in his World War II uniform (he was back from Europe, but hadn’t been discharged yet); or that my 2nd Great-Grandfather was expelled from the Methodist Church for praying too loudly.
I first thought that my family stories just wouldn’t be written up in a newspaper. I come from a long line of nobodies. But – after looking in GenealogyBank, I found out that I was wrong. I learned that newspapers wrote about regular people all the time – your ancestors and my ancestors.
I make it a point now to research every person in my family tree by searching old newspapers.
Do I find all of them?
No.
But – I am finding hundreds of articles: news stories that add color to the fabric of their lives.
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I have surnames in my family for which I have found that nearly “everyone” with that surname is related to me. Names like Garcelon, Fernald and Rutledge. Knowing that, I pull every newspaper article and look to see how the person connects to my family.
I want to document and pass down our family history.
I want to get to know my ancestors and relatives – not just their basic facts (their name, rank and serial number, so to speak) – but the stories of their lives.
That personal life information is pure gold – and it is only found in newspapers.
GenealogyBank is the essential tool in every genealogist’s arsenal.
Make full use of the historical archives.
Find your family’s stories – document them and pass them down.
GenealogyBank can help you learn more about the members of your family tree; see what’s inside the online archives on your ancestors’ stories. Start your 30-day trial now!
Related Articles:
- Tips to Get the Most Out of Your GenealogyBank Subscription
- ‘Ah-Ha!’ Moment: GenealogyBank Member’s Favorite Family Find
- A Fascinating Genealogy Success Story: Mystery of Missing Ancestors Solved
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