I was doing a little reading and noticed, as I often do, the similarities between photography and family history, 2 of my hobbies. I was reading books in each field and just happened to hit one of those similarities, knowing the background of your subject.

In photography that means understanding when the wildflowers are going to bloom on Mt Rainier. Do the backyard birds land on a particular branch every time before going to the feeder? In family history, what is the history of the area at the time you are researching? Were there boundary changes at the time? Were there historical events taking place such as battles or major weather issues? What was the major industry of the area?

How could this help you in your family history? I found family members in an area at the time of a major drought and then flooding that created havoc with farming which they were engaged in. What do you think they did? Options were to move or change occupations or struggle through it. They did some of each.

Understanding the background in photography can help you be more successful in getting the shot. Understanding the background in family history can help you search for the right resources, to get a better idea of what life was like for your families, understand why they might have left a location or went to a new one, and to understand why they pursued various occupations.

One of our last speakers talked about the triangle – location, era, group. It is hard to step away from those family surnames that we are trying to connect with, at least it is for me. But, if I know a little about what was going on in Iowa, for example, between 1850 and 1900 it might help me to get an idea of why they moved to Oregon in the early 1900s. What was happening in Wisconsin from 1800-1900 that caused another family to move to Oregon. Because, if either one of those things hadn’t happened, my grandparents might not have met.

It so happens that each state section at HQRL has a history section that might help you find what you are after. In the HQRL bookstore there is a history section as well, where you will find 1) The Genealogist’s US History Pocket Reference and 2) History for Genealogists.

When we combine this background knowledge with the learning from our speaker on “Using Real Estate Deeds,” I can only imagine that the learning and discovery would be that much greater. Are we looking at the correct locations in the correct time period. Check out godfrey.org for the Godfrey Memorial Library which is a library like ours except older and larger. Al Fiacre gave us so much information that included many, many pieces of information that we can use for verifying relationships, locations, occupations, neighbors, etc. It all helps us gain a better understanding of our background and our family history.

Next up, Using MyHeritage Library Edition.

Heidi Geise, education@hqrl.org