Wedding Wednesday: Finding Their Story

I am fortunate to have this photograph from my great-grandparents' wedding that my father gave me shortly after my own wedding. Although I am accustomed to finding a document and never finding a visual representation of the event, in this case, I have no documentation or any idea where and when they were married. While beginning my research on their marriage, I have been considering potential sources of  information that could help me.

Depending when and where your ancestor was married, they may have left the civil records we most often think of--the marriage license and marriage certificate. However, there may be other sources recording this event, which can be beneficial to our research--church records, newspapers, Bible records, and invitations.

The couple may be presented with a marriage certificate unique to the church, which could hold information other than what appears on the civil certificate. For example, I have seen such certificates that contain the names and home addresses of the maid of honor and best man. This could be interesting, and potentially helpful in your research, to know if these individuals were relatives or neighbors of the couple.

Also, newspapers are used to announce engagements and marriages and may contain more personal information on the couple, such as where they plan to live after the wedding, who was in attendance, and a description of the dress and reception festivities. In the absence of a photograph, a first-hand account can be an exciting find. I came across one such article on a different couple, which described the bride's dress and even named out-of-town relatives they were to visit after the wedding.

Finally, Bible entries, or a Bible presented to the couple at their wedding, may also provide details about the wedding and the family, such as the date, location, and the bride's maiden name. You may even be lucky enough to find a wedding invitation, which could provide as much information as any of the other sources, such as a maiden name, parents' names, and locations of the families and ceremony.

Their story may be been forgotten over the years, but seeing my ancestors' faces gives me motivation to seek out these sources in an attempt to piece it together.

Mappy Monday: Born in Multiple Countries?

I have seen a lot of questions on message boards about whether a place is in Poland or if a particular person is actually from Poland. This is a common question among Polish researchers and the answers have a lot to do with the time period being researched.

For me, this question started with my great, great grandfather, who arrived in the United States around 1888 or 1889. I have located him in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 Federal Census records. In 1910, his place of birth is listed as "Ger/Polish." The, in 1920, his place of birth is "Posen" and his native language is "Polish," although the Ancestry.com index shows his place of birth as "Germany." Finally, the 1930 census clearly shows his place of birth as "Poland." So how could the same person be born in multiple counties...or why does his birth place change depending on when he is asked?

The answer lies in Poland's history. Over the course of time and even in our lifetimes, the borders and names of what we know today as Poland have changed. In 1910, Poland was not recognized--rather, Polish lands had been divided among Prussia, Russia, and Austria. A birth place of "Ger/Polish" would indicate Prussia, or the German Empire. In 1920, these lands were once again known as Poland, which explains the response of Posen/Polish. Although Posen (Poznan) is a clue, it is a large city and does not necessarily indicate where my ancestor was born or lived before moving to the United States. For example, he could have been from a much smaller town, but indicated Posen, as it was the largest city close to where he actually lived. It is important to note, however, that Posen was part of the German Empire in 1910. Finally, 1930 was prior to another division of the country by Nazi Germany, so it was still known as Poland.

It is helpful to consult a historical map in locating the origins of your Polish ancestors. For the time period I am researching, I referenced this Historical Map of Europe 1871-1914, at EmersonKent.com, which shows city names, as well as color-coding for the controlling territory. For example, Posen is part of the German Empire (in blue), situated between Berlin and Warsaw, which was part of Russia at the time.

Understanding land divisions of Poland during your ancestor's lifetime and consulting historical maps is extremely beneficial in determining where they lived. Be careful not to overlook clues in census, immigration, and other records created by your ancestor. Records are likely to refer to the location as it was known to the rest of the world at that point in time.

Tuesday's Tip: PDF Searches

In my previous post, I mentioned that I was able to locate a few ancestors in the Maryland Death Index online and order copies of their death certificates. The index is available in the form of a PDF file embedded within the page, which is not uncommon among electronic records.

At first, I used the Find box at the top of the PDF file with no luck. Then I decided to test the feature--I typed a name that appeared at the top of the page in the Find box and the search returned a message that no matches could be found on the page. I had to start at the beginning again and look at every entry before I could locate my ancestor.

My tip to you is this--before you potentially overlook the information you are seeking by using a Find feature in electronic records, test it using something you can clearly see on the page. If it works, great! If not, unfortunately, you will need to proceed with your search the old fashioned way.

Interviewing Family

Time and time again I read that I should start with interviewing my own family. This is one piece of advise I did not heed...at least not right away. I always put it off because I was afraid of prying too much or being a nuisance.

When I finally decided to give it a try, my great uncle was generous enough to spend an hour on the phone with me discussing our family history. I was nervous, but well prepared. Before I called, I printed out his pedigree chart and wrote a list of questions and topics I wanted to cover. Here are a few of the questions I asked:

• When is your birthday and where were you born?
• What is the birth order of your siblings? (I got their birth years)
• Do you know why your grandparents moved from Poland to Baltimore? (He did not)
• Did your father have any siblings? (I got names of his siblings and some of their children)
• What were your parents/grandparents like?
• What was it like growing up with you siblings?

By the end of our conversation, I not only had a page of notes to type, but I also had a few great stories about my ancestors. Talking to someone who knew my ancestors put them into a context I could not have learned from records alone.

But I also got clues that propelled my research. I knew that one of my second great-grandmothers went by Pearl, but since I learned the names of her other children, I was able to locate a census record that identified her given name as Peliagis. My great uncle was able to narrow down my other second great-grandmother's death year for me. This information helped me find both of them in the Maryland Death Index, so I was able to order their Death Certificates, which I hope will include their places of birth in Poland and their maiden names.

I cannot stress enough the importance of interviewing your family members before it is too late. My breakthroughs were possible because of information from my family. I finally stopped spinning my wheels and started asking for what I needed...and I am still thankful that I did.

Fledgling Genealogist

My interest in genealogy started when I was a kid. I would ask my mom to show me my second great-grandfather's bible. Together, we would look through the huge leather book-she would point out the beautiful illustrations and the family record. Births, marriages, and deaths, mostly for people I never knew. I would look at my birth entry, written by my mom, and marvel at the fact that I was related to all those other people somehow. She would carefully take out my great-grandparents' marriage certificate, crumbling apart even back then, and show me the thick paper and colorful illustrations around the names. I would watch her expression change when she would come across my cousin's obituary and she would tell me that she could never bring herself to write his death in the bible. As a kid, I did not understand her reasoning, but I could see how upset the sight of the newspaper clipping made her, so I never asked.

About two years ago, my mom passed away after a short battle with brain cancer, three days after her 58th birthday. A few days after her funeral, I pulled out the family bible to add her funeral card with my cousin's obituary. Only this time, I added my cousin's entry, as well as my mom's. But I also added my nephew's birth record, which never got added four years prior. My dad took notice as I transcribed all the records to a sheet of paper that I could take back home on the plane with me. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I wanted to know more about these people.

A short time later, my father gave me the bible and I have become known as the family record keeper. I now have a room in my house devoted to books, photographs, files, and other memorabilia. I am finally learning who my mysterious ancestors are, and have fallen head-first into genealogy in the process. The flood of emotions I saw in my mom all the times we looked through the family bible together are starting to make sense to me now, as I experience those same feelings every time I work on my genealogy research.