52 Ancestors Week 30: Easy

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 30 : Not all ancestors are tough to research. This week, who has been easier to research than others?

I think I had way too much fun making that fake title screen for the "Genealogy" game. In my mind, it would be on all systems: PC, Switch, PS4 and XBox. Genealogy is all inclusive. So, naturally it should be on all current platforms and cross promoted at E3 AND RootsTech. It'll be rated "E" for everyone.

Last week, I discussed how challenging it was to research my Italian roots. The language barrier can be a little difficult. It happens. When it comes to people being easy to research, I would have to pick a bunch of people from my mother's side of the tree. That isn't to say that my father's side has been hard to research. It's just that when you get to a certain point, you need to have an understanding of the Italian language and know where to go to get information. It can be easy, sure. But, my mother's side has been easier. 

Let's explore why.

1. My grandmothers

Natalie Felker-Hamel was good at many things. The first being creating incredibly life-like dolls that would scare anyone who saw them because they would stare into your very soul. They were creepy. I love my grandmother. But, those were creepy. I've told her this many times.
The second thing she was really good at was keeping a detailed family history about her side of the family and my grandfather's. Family history was very important to her. I would listen to her talk about her parents, Austin and Henrietta and her grandparents. 

Grandma Ollie

That wasn't all. She even created a genealogy book where she outlined the various information she gathered. It was a basic enough backbone to get me started on my own research. She put in peoples' names, births, marriages and deaths.

 There were some errors to be sure. But, at least it was a start and in the end it was very helpful in getting me started on the journey. 

Olympa Carrabs-Ferraiolo was pretty much the same way. Minus the creepy dolls (I am so glad they were divided among my female cousins!!) Grandma Ollie never really had a genealogy book, though. She and her sisters were very much into telling stories.
Oral history is pretty much a thing in Italian households. There's no escaping it. While she didn't have a family tree of her own, her sister, Josie, did. She passed it down and I was able to see it when I started researching that side of the tree.

I was able to go further years later when cousins really dug into the Carrabs tree. I'll always be grateful for them and the small snippets of info both of my grandmothers gave me years ago.

2. States with really, really good records

Massachusetts is one of many states with incredibly good records dating back centuries. With the information my maternal grandmother gave me, I was able to fill in the tree and learn a thing or two about history in the process. She wasn't kidding when she told me that the family had deep American roots. It's not like I accused her of stretching the truth or anything. I would never do that! In fact, I still remain amazed about it to this day!

The Quebecois side of the family settled in Massachusetts, too in the early 20th century. So, naturally they were in the records in the Commonwealth going back to a certain point. From there, the information would show up in records in Quebec and though they are in French, they are still plentiful.

There you have it. My mother's side of the tree is really easy to research because everything was well kept by record keepers in Quebec and in Massachusetts. They're very thorough. That isn't ti say I don't have brick walls on her side. I do. Unfortunately, some of those records may be lost to time. Then again, they might not be. Snippets of information are out there and it's up to me and really anyone studying family history to find them.

I can't really pick any one ancestor who was especially easy to research for this reason. Everything is out there on both sides of the family. One side has a language barrier which I am doing okay in breaking down. The other side just has really, really good records. I do have brick walls. Who doesn't? It's just a lot less trickier than most and I am really grateful for any information I received or help I've been given. You have no idea.

The trick with research, though, is sometimes you have to make sure that they are accurate. They may be from a state with really good records, but, they can still have some problems. It's up to you as a researcher to filter it out and make sense of what you find. 

It's also important to keep in mind that not everyone will have the same luck you have. I've had a lot of good luck in many cases. Some have not. That's an important thing to thing of. What's easy for you may not be easy for others. It's a good idea, I think, to help everyone and be inclusive when someone seeks help with their genealogy.

See you next time! I'm off to see what kind of graphics the "Genealogy" game will have. I'm thinking astonishingly life-like levels, reading bonus levels and you have to unlock things like plane tickets to your ancestral homeland. I've spent so much time thinking about this....