December 5, 2002

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH Second Draft

By Hal Mansfield

One of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States is Genealogy (Family History) Research.

Like most people, I did not get interested in my family's history until many of the most important family information resources, including my parents, were dead. Until about 14 years ago, I "Pooh Poohed" such "nonsense" as a waste of time. One of my older sisters and a cousin's book on his family's history finally brought me to my "senses."

Part of the reason that I was not interested is that I felt there was not much of "worth" to be learned about my family. My parents were extremely poor all of their adult lives. Mother was born in a sod hut on the Kansas plains, the second youngest of eleven children. Her three brothers and two sisters that I knew were poor. Father was born on a ranch in what is now Jackson County, Colorado, near the little town of Cowdry. His one living sister was strange, in my youthful opinion. She was poor.

In addition, when I was young, my eight living siblings and I were primarily interested in getting enough to eat because of the hard times of the Great Depression. I guess I assumed that all of the family was as poor as we were and always had been. Later, I was away in the Army, busy with college, starting my own family, involved in a series of jobs, deeply "mired" in graduate school and, finally, busy as husband, father, and college professor. My major hobbies were reading, chess and solar energy. My busy and fulfilling life left no time for searching back through the family history.

As near as I can remember, my Mother and Father never talked about their parents or any other aspect of the family, except about the few aunts and uncles that occasionally visited us. My mother's parents died long before I was born. My Father's mother died when I was quite young. I remember seeing his Father only once or twice. Grandfather Mansfield died when I was 14. I was in my 40s when my parents died. They were nearly the last members of their generation to die. Almost all of the direct sources of information were gone before I got interested.

Finally, as I approached my 57th year, my sister introduced me to a distant cousin. This cousin gave me a book he had researched and published on his side of the family. Included in the book was a brief mention of my great Grandparents, my Grandparents and my parents. Some of the information was clearly wrong. I set out, almost at once, to "set the record straight" about my side of the family. That got me "hooked." I am past 70 now and still gathering information.

Unexpected resources turned up at virtually every step of my journey into the family's past. I found cousins that I never knew existed. I met people at the local Later Day Saints church (even though I am not Mormon) who guided my search and who helped me find both specific information and places where other information and resources abound.

In short, before I knew it, I had traced the Mansfield family back several generations. Less information was available on my Mother's family, but I still have clues that may someday open up those "closed doors." The most rewarding part of the research has been the discovery of several cousins who themselves were involved in family history research. Even more rewarding, in some ways, were the many people who - just because they were involved in their own research and happened to live in areas that my various family lines came from - helped me retrieve what would otherwise have been "long lost" information. There were selfless, dedicated people in every place I contacted for help.

To my surprise, I found that my great great Grandparents were successful farmers in Ohio, that my great Grandparents were successful ranchers and small business operators on the Laramie River, along the Colorado/Wyoming border and in Laramie, Wyoming, and that several other relatives were substantial, middle-class people. This was a pleasant surprise and another of the major rewards for my efforts.

Early on, I probably would have been swamped with information and given the job up as too overwhelming. However, family history computer programs came to my rescue. These programs helped me organize and file information in systematic and easily accessible ways. The family history record is still growing. I have over 2,800 names and over 200 old photographs in my files and on my computer.

Family history research is a fascinating hobby. It has helped me gain new and rewarding perspectives on the many lines of my family. I gained more respect for myself, for my parents and for generations past and present. While it is not a hobby for everyone, it just may be the hobby you have been looking for.

SOURCES FOR FAMILY HISTORY INFORMATION

1. Ask immediate family members, especially the elderly, cousins and other family members.

2. Glean information from birth and marriage certificates, school records, census records, letters, diaries, old family bibles, old photo albums, death certificates, cemetery records, local newspaper files, local histories and other types of records.

3. Study genealogical records kept by the LDS Church, by state and local genealogy groups, and by regional and national data centers.

4. Read books on how to do family history research, especially those in your local library, at LDS family history research centers, and at genealogy research centers.

5. Take colleges and universities courses on genealogy research.

6. Join local and state genealogy societies in the states where you find evidence of strong family roots, or form your own group with family members and friends.

7. Use the Internet's vast range of family history resources and services.

8. Remember that companies that sell family history books and computer programs also sell numerous family history data banks and other resources.

Hal Mansfield retired from Fort Lewis College in 1992 where he taught psychology, statistics and writing. Part of his retirement regimen includes thinking about, researching, and writing about contemporary issues. He lives in rural La Plata County.