Posts Tagged ‘Bibles’
There is a great book called Hidden Sources Family History in Unlikely Places by Laura Szucs Pfeiffer. The point of the book is to briefly describe additional sources of records you might find around the house. Let’s look at a few sources that are not the usual vital records and census documents.
Artifacts
Wooden box brought home from China by Robert Brouk.
Artifacts are memorabilia passed down through the generations. These artifacts usually contain a story and some clues about the ancestor who first owned the artifact.
This artifact was just sent to me from a woman named Ginny. She married my cousin, Robert Brouk. Robert was a Flying Tiger in China 1941-1942. I just wrote a book about his brief life which included his war diary. Robert died three weeks after he and Ginny married. Ginny helped me fill in parts of Robert’s life and after I sent her a copy of his book, she sent me a few artifacts he brought home from China. This wooden box was one. It is an artifact I will treasure always.
Body Transit Records
Did your family have someone who served in World War I, World War II or beyond, and died during his service? 
My great-great-uncle Michael Kokoska served in World War I. He was killed in France. This letter is an example of a body transit record. It tells his father where his remains will be shipped.
This record came in a Burial File. The Burial File tells a lot about the soldier’s service, how he died, where he was buried, and even has letters from family members.
Cemetery Records
Cemetery records may be lying around your home stuck in an old book or box. These records may include plot layouts that tell you who was buried together. These records help identify family members.
Dictionaries and other books
Last weekend I was sorting through some of my artifacts and came across the cover of a dictionary my mom passed to me. Most families write family information inside the cover of a family Bible and list the person’s name, birth date, who they married, and when they died. My grandmother listed these items on the inside cover of a dictionary! Always check the inside of old books before getting rid of them. You never know what you will discover!
Last week we started our family history research. This week we will explore our home for sources that will add information to our tree.
What is a Home Source? Anything that will provide facts on people in our family. This could be a birth or death certificate, funeral card, family Bible, old photographs, a diary, military records, and other documents.
Let’s start with family photographs. Do you have any really old photographs? Do your grandparents or aunts and uncles? Old photographs are a great place to start looking for information. Many times the names of the people are written on the back of the photograph or underneath if the photographs are in a scrapbook or album.
This photograph is of my grandfather – the tall boy standing. His name was Joseph Holik. His parents, John and Marie are seated. The boy on the far left is my great uncle John, the little boy is my great uncle Frank, the little girl is my great aunt Ella, and the tall girl on the right is my great aunt Mae. The photograph was taken in Chicago before 1920.
Next, look for old newspaper articles. Sometimes these can be found in family Bibles or scrapbooks. What information can you gather from a newspaper clipping? This example is a death notice of a great uncle, Emil Ratay(Rataj). From this article I learned a little about his military career and his death.
Do you have a family Bible? Does it contain the names and birth dates, marriage dates and death dates of any of your family? Who wrote in the Bible? Is it something that has been passed down for several generations?
What about military records? Did anyone in your family serve in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II or other wars? Are there medals or patches from uniforms in your house? What about certificates or official discharge papers? All of these items can provide more clues about your relatives.
So what are you waiting for? Start looking for some Home Sources today. Check back tomorrow for more on Home Sources.