When we think of genealogy we always think about the conventional types of records. Ones that are prepared by the government such as a census or a passenger list from an immigration. Inside our family homes we think of things such as old pictures and maybe stories that have been passed down for generations. Although all of these records are helpful they dont always answer all of our questions. Sometimes we need to think outside the box. Here are a list of some of the more unconventional records I have used over the years:
1. A Family Heirloom
On their own the heirlooms are just another object that fills a home, but when we know the story behind them we get a better idea of who the former owner was. For example maybe they got it from a close friend or when they went on vacation. Both of these situations tell us something more about the person.
2. Old Letters Written to an Ancestor
We often think that a letter received from someone wont tell us much about the recipients life, but my experience has been quite the opposite when the exchange is frequent and between people that are close. The reason for this is that they know the details of each other's life and often are writing not only about their own lived but in response to the letter they just received.
For example, I found a letter from the 1950's which was written to my great grandmother. It talked about many events in her life that I was familiar with but also introduced a wealth of new information which gave me a more full picture of her life. The woman who sent the letter talked about receiving a parcel of tea and sugar and how much they appreciated it because of the cotton mill strike in England. She also talked about my 2x great grandmother recently lost a husband to illness (something I never knew about because I assumed she never remarried after her first husband was killed at Vimy Ridge). The biggest piece of information I got from the letter though was the relationship that my great grandmother had with the sender. The women that sent the letter were good friends of my great grandmother, in fact the two families had been friends likely since the 1890's! This discovery ultimately allowed me to determine that the border living with the family in the 1921 census was a family friend from England and not someone random (he was the uncle of the sender).
3. Recipes
Every family has their own beloved recipes. Ones that are served at the holidays and are passed down generation to generation. Ones that are so loved that they are stained, writing faded, and edges frayed. As much as going through a recipe box can be a delicious task, it also holds quite a bit of information about their relationships. When most people give a recipe they write their name somewhere on it. These names are what we are after. Who gave that recipe? Was their name prefaced by a familial term such as grandma, aunt, mom, etc? Do they have lots of recipes from the same person or people? Look into these relationships the most. Try and determine how they knew each other and potentially where and when they met. Once again this will create a more full picture of their life and potentially will help you answer a research question.
4. Any Personal Writing
Writing is one of the ways that people feel the most free to express themselves especially when it is in private. This can result in many forms: diaries, poems, songs, autograph books, letters, school work, etc. For poems and songs try looking up their origin online to determine if it is an original piece of work. For autograph books look at who was writing in and what they were writing. Back in the 1920's autograph books were very popular. Young women would carry them around and get their friends to write in it. My great grandmother's book is mostly filled with poems by famous poets of the day, however there are quite a few pieces of original work. The names are what I find most valuable though as they help me determine who her friends and family were. The original pieces of work give me an idea of each persons personality. For example, one her good male friends often wrote original jokes and riddles. I have seen pictures of this man and his personality in the pictures matches the one he conveyed on paper.
Try to think outside the box. People dont just love something for no reason. Genealogy is about more than just chasing down the BMD records, its about understanding someone's entire life. The best way to do this is by studying the things that they left behind and who they left them to.
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