As many of you already know, it may at some point become necessary for you to travel in order to find out more about your family history. This is true for a variety of reasons. There are some documents that you just won't be able to find unless you go searching for them in person. Some relatives won't want to talk to you unless you show up on their doorstep. But beyond even those very excellent reasons, there are times when you just have to see a place or a face in order to more thoroughly understand your ancestors and how they lived.
I recently took a road trip with my mother and my toddler daughter to Texas, my Mom's home state. Though the visit was primarily to see family, I did want to do a little family history hunting while I was there. There were several things I wanted to do. I hoped to go to the historical commission, the courthouse, some cemeteries, and my grandparents' old house. I was also hoping that my Aunt might have a few pictures she could share with me. I didn't get to do everything I had planned, but I got plenty of surprises along the way.
One of the many things that is exciting about family history research is feeling like you're getting to know your ancestors a bit better. Once I expressed my interest in our family's past to my Aunt, the conversations began concerning all sorts of things she and my Mom remembered. I learned about my Granddad's Aunt who kept her money in a sock, and who loaned my grandparents the money to purchase their farm. My Aunt recalled summer picnics with the family on Steele Creek, where the water was cool, the fried catfish tasty, and the chiggers irritating! Tales such as these never seem to get told unless you talk to people face to face. It points up how important it is to actually talk to your relatives, in addition to looking up old records.
My Mom and I decided to spend a day driving around. Though I had hoped to stop by the historical commission in its new building, a quick phone call revealed that it was going to be closed the entire week I was visiting. This just points out how important it is to call ahead of time about hours, etc. Since the commission wasn't open, we decided to see the various cemeteries on my list. I had gotten directions to them ahead of time, so this made our jaunt a more direct one. We found every cemetery I wanted to visit, and I took pictures of the tombstones of anyone I even remotely suspected of being related to me. My Mom always gave me the instruction as I went looking to watch the ground for rattlesnakes. Yikes! I didn't see any snakes, but this is just a reminder to wear long pants and sensible shoes while hunting for tombstones. My biggest surprise came when we found my great-grandmother's marker. I had not realized anyone put photographs on tombstones, but there was my Great-Grandma, well-preserved in black and white!
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