How To Use The Hidden Treasures Of Home Sources For Genealogy Research
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When beginning genealogy research, starting at home is the best first step to take.
The very best clues about your family history may actually already be right inside your house, or the houses of other family members.
I remember discovering a box of old photos and papers when I was a kid, tucked away in a vintage sweater box. I was so fascinated by my grandfather’s funeral book and social security card, a bookmark with my grandmother’s obituary, and other papers.
I had no idea back then that some of these documents would later be helpful to my genealogy research as an adult.
You or a relative may have also inherited all or a part of the family archives. Sometimes these archives sit forgotten in a closet or basement, awaiting rediscovery. Sometimes they’re untouched in your research because how could a bunch of old photos help with family history?
These documents and artifacts are “home sources.”
If you’re embarking on your family history journey, a great starting place is to look at what home sources are hiding in your and your relatives’ homes.
In this article, I’ll share what home sources are, what types of sources to look for, and how to use them in your genealogy research.
What are home sources?
Home sources are simply any document or artifact that you find at home.
They can be official records, ephemera, photographs, books, or family heirlooms like a quilt your great-grandma made.
Why are home sources important for genealogy?
Digging into the family archives is helpful whether you’re new to genealogy or more experienced.
If you’re starting out researching your family tree, home sources give you some information to start working with. They are especially helpful for those of us who don’t have a lot of family members we can ask questions.
If you’re a more seasoned genealogist, review them again as you hit brick walls. You never know what details you’ll see with fresh eyes.
Most importantly, these sources help us get to know our ancestors better.
Family history is not only about names, dates, and places of when our ancestors were born, married, and died.
It’s about learning who they were. What hobbies they had. Where they worked. What clubs they joined. Anything that can tell us about their personality and what they experienced.
Home sources are also important as they give us clues to other records to learn even more about our forebears.
An obituary clipping may point out where your ancestor’s children moved to. Letters can tell you the exact address your ancestors lived at. Funeral cards can tell you where someone’s burial place.
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What items to look for
Basically, a home source is anything in your family archive that tells you something about your family.
While every family is different, and home sources can vary by time period, religion, ethnicity, and other factors, some things to look for are:
Family bibles
Scrapbooks
Diaries
Photos and photo albums
Baby books
Wedding invitations
Wedding albums
Newspaper clippings (obituaries, wedding announcements, etc.)
Funeral cards
Baptism, christening, confirmation, etc. certificates
Diplomas
Yearbooks
Deeds
Furniture
Clothes like military uniforms
Any pedigrees or family histories done by others
Artifacts like quilts and samplers
Medical records
Wills
Divorce papers
Adoption papers
Military awards
Military service records
Club membership directories
Union membership papers
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Where to find home sources
Now that you have an idea of the possibilities of home sources you can unearth, the next question is where to look for them.
Home sources are, of course, found at home. But if you or your relatives no longer have much in the way of personal items handed down through the generations, don’t despair. There are other places to find these types of records when they are no longer held by you or a relative.
Start with your house and any papers or other items given to you by family
Ask other family members what records they may have and get copies
Look on eBay, Instagram, Facebook groups, and other places online. There are websites with family bibles, antique photos, or letters and some may be from your family. I once found a school program with my 2x great-grandmother in it on eBay.
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What to do with the sources and information you uncover
Here are a few tips on what to do with family records once you uncover them.
1) Read through all the information, even if it seems some of it isn’t important, like the names of witnesses of events.
2) Ask relatives for the stories behind the photos, papers, and heirlooms. Seeing the items is also a great way to spark people’s memories.
3) Record where you found the item and who had it. If you can find out how your relative got the item, record that too.
4) Verify what you can to add evidence to the stories behind the items.
5) Scan any papers and pictures for safekeeping. Store old letters and other papers and family bibles in archival storage. Now that you’ve found them, you want to keep them safe!
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Final thoughts
Every home source you discover is important because they bring our ancestors’ stories back to life.
Even if you find something that doesn’t have any hard genealogical evidence, it still helps you get to know who they were as people.
Ticket stubs and programs tell you what entertainment they enjoyed. Calendars can tell you who they saw and what they did.
Club records show who they associated with and the activities they joined in. People who signed yearbooks can tell you who their childhood friends were.
All these things shape our knowledge and understanding of our ancestors.
What home sources have you found in your research? What did they tell you about your family?
Do you need help tracing your ancestors?
What home sources have you found? What did they tell you about your family?