Teacups and Traditions
After the funeral, we all gathered at the house.
We were quiet as memories flooded our hearts and minds.
Each of us wanted some memento
to keep her
close. I chose Grandma Bailey's
teacup. Perhaps teacup is the wrong
word. Teacup implies delicate,
flower-painted, bone china. This
was a mug. It was white at one time; now it's the color of slightly
soured cream. The glazing was covered with spider-web cracks, but it
was still solid enough to hold my morning
tea.
She was Grandma to everyone.
I was married to her grandson for a year before I learned her name was
Florence Bell McWilliams Whitney Holmes Bailey.
She was Grandma in every sense of the word, generous and genuine.
After forty years in public school food service she still loved to cook
for the teenagers who dropped by her house at all hours.
Grandma Bailey was featured on the front page of our local paper.
At 80 years old, she was still mowing the hill that was her front yard.
The family tradition is that they are the direct descendents of Eli
Whitney, originator of the cotton gin. I
spent several evenings at my mother-in-law’s home, going through picture
albums and listening to stories. Her
records took the family to within one generation of old Eli.
This is where to start your own research. Record
the stories your uncle tells at every
family gathering. Take dinner to
your grandmother’s and ask to go through her picture albums.
Write down names, dates and places.
Don’t forget distant relations. Your
2nd cousin four-times removed, may know his great-grandfather's brother’s
father. That is your
great-great-grandfather, in case you lost count. These are your branches.
As you gather what they remember, you will start finding your roots.
Working a family tree is like doing a research paper.
There are specific places to search, and specific data you are looking
for. Sources need to be documented.
You may need to recheck a conflicting fact.
The computer is an excellent tool for storage and retrieval of the
thousands of bits and pieces you will gather.
The most popular genealogical software today come with a database system,
disks of information to aid your search, and intriguing ways of printing the
information for sharing with your family.
The
first stop on your search is the genealogical library or Family History Center
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints near you.
Most public libraries have a section or building dedicated to family
research. In the Metro area, there
is the Mid-Continent Library at Spring and 24 Highway in Independence, the
Johnson County Library at Farley and 87th and the Kansas City Public
Library at 12th and Oak. There
are several Family History Centers in the Kansas City Area.
Also check out the National Archives and Record Administration off of Bannister
Road.
At
these locations, you’ll find microfilmed copies of census records from
colonial times to 1930. This
year’s Census is the 22nd taken in this country.
Census records are restricted for 72 years to ensure the privacy of the
individuals listed. This
information is organized by state and county.
So it is important to now at least that much about your family’s
residences.
The libraries and Centers also contain copies of state historical and
genealogical journals. Histories of
families, counties, and states are available.
The personnel in these facilities are very knowledgeable and more than
willing to share their expertise with beginners.
Much of this information is on the internet.
Logging on to a few sites can bring a wealth of data.
RootsWeb Genealogical Cooperative is one of the oldest and most
comprehensive sites on the web. Another
site to check is Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet. This site includes links to thousands of information specific
websites dealing with all aspects of genealogical research.
Family Search Internet Genealogy Service is managed by the Church of
Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).
All of these sites include beginner’s lessons and tips.
Before you start, let me give you two words of
warning. First, family trees are
addictive. If you start with your
grandparents, that’s four family lines to follow. You’ll want to include your spouse’s family, perhaps help
your neighbor get started. Second,
be very careful with family traditions. Treat
them as you would the finest heirloom china.
Somehow I have to find a way to tell my mother-in-law that Eli
Whitney’s lineage ended with the births of his 7 granddaughters.
I think I’ll have a cup of tea first.
Angela
McComas
Copyright 2000
