Easy Genealogy

The Easy Branch of My Family History

I’m always amazed that so many people know so little about their family. There’re probably many reasons. Some just don’t talk about family. Some don’t pay attention until it’s too late. Some have had disasters or death cut off that knowledge. I’ve always been thankful my mom’s family talked and payed attention.

My mom knew of several generations of her family by way of mouth. I liked to listen and so when I began my research I had a lot of information to begin recording. I wish those ancestors had be the type to write about their family and their own life or save letters and things that belonged to those ancestors. My maternal grandmother was a Bristol. While her mother didn’t talk much about her family we knew the names back to my 2^nd great grandparents, where they were from and had a few pictures. Her father’s family was a little more well off and we knew names, places and had pictures back to my 2^nd great grandparents and siblings. We had family stories. Then we discovered there was a Bristol Family Association that published a genealogy and had annual meetings. So, the Bristol line was traced back to the first ancestor who came ashore in the 1640s. This has made this line reveal some valuable stories like being a Puritan who was caught kissing his wife on Sunday, to a Revolutionary War soldier, to living in the Dakota Territory in the early 1880s and then to Great Falls, Montana in the late 1880s.

My paternal grandfather’s family came to America in the 1930s and local papers had stories abut them. My paternal great grandmother lived until 100 yrs. old and I knew her as a child. I knew stories she told but being young I should have asked more questions. Unfortunately, her son-in-law through away family portraits and papers when he moved into the house and my mother’s cousin threw away the little left from that great grandmother when she took over the house, things like letters from my 2^nd great grandmother and the family Bible.

I value all the information I received from those ancestors and wish my grand and great grandparents didn’t live 1000 miles away during the time when travel and long distant phone call were so expensive. But I’m luckier than most having a published genealogy for that one branch of my family. 

#Easy genealogy, #52 Ancestors Easy