Pursuing the past

EDGEWATER — For anyone who’s ever wondered about their family’s roots and countries of origin — and which of their ancestors were tradesmen, states­man, heroes, or horse thieves — you may have been bitten by the genealogy bug.

Paula Robinson (left) and Valerie Swan show various items from members of
the Edgewater Genealogy Group. The two women started the group this April. (Glynn Wade/Sun Day Photo)

On the second Saturday of each month, the Edgewater Genealogy Group meets at Creekside Lodge to share not only an interest in discovering their family histories, but their methods for seeking them out. Originated by residents Paula Robinson and Valerie Swan, the newly formed group welcomes both seasoned searchers and beginners and has already attracted more than 40 attendees. One of their slogans is, “Only a genealogist re­gards a step backward as progress.”

Each meeting focuses on a topic of interest to genealogy seekers. The May program included a presentation by Robinson and Swan on the best-known family search websites. Cheryl Winter, a guest representing the Elgin Genea­logical Society, invited the Edgewater group to attend the Society’s meetings at the Gail Borden Library as well as their writers’ group for those interested in composing family histories.

Swan’s interest in family research be­gan in 1989 when her son was assigned a school report on his ancestry. Since then, she has traced her American fami­ly tree back to 1799, when her grandpar­ents were slaves in Virginia and North Carolina — a process complicated be­cause in those days, slaves had no last names. Inspired by Alex Haley’s novel “Roots,” she has gone on to discover much earlier family origins in Africa.

Robinson has traced her Irish ances­try back to County Tyrone in the 1800’s and learned that her grandfather brought the very first soccer ball to Exeter, New Hampshire, when he emigrated there at the age of 16.

Edgewater’s genealogy buffs say computers have dramatically increased the ease with which information can be located. While searchers once had to comb libraries or travel to countries of origin to peruse records, tremendous resources are now available in-home at the touch of a keyboard. Even foreign language data can be translated via com­puter.

Wayne Hilt called the searching pro­cess “addictive.”

Seekers find that the pursuit can be rewarding yet frustrating when apparent dead-ends are reached. But there are many alternatives, and the Edgewater group will be an avenue to learn about them.

Some searchers are curious about the historical situations that prompted their ancestors to leave their homelands for the U.S. Paula noted that immigration and census records and ships’ passenger lists are useful tracing tools. A challenge encountered by those with pioneers in their family tree is the fact that records often weren’t kept along the perilous trails to the American West.

Glynn Wade|Sun Day Photo
Members of the Edgewater Genealogy Group take a photo after a recent meeting. Meetings are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month. (Glynn Wade/Sun Day Photo)

Barbara MacDowell said pursuing her family’s genealogy ignited her renewed interest in historic events, prompting some fascinating reading. She writes short vignettes about her ancestors and includes them with her family tree — a less daunting task than composing a lengthy family history.

Tom Lauterback finds genealogy “just fascinating” and looks forward to exploring it with his Edgewater neighbors. He had his DNA tested for under $100, receiving some 50 pages of facts on his origins dating back to Neanderthal times. Such testing includes information about inherited predispositions to certain illnesses, which can be vital in trouble-shooting one’s health and that of their descendants.

Genealogical research also leads to discoveries with current benefits, like locating previously unknown living relatives who may be as far away as Europe or as close as Chicago. Tom said he wouldn’t be surprised if some Edgewater residents discovered they were related somewhere in the extended branches of their family trees.

Genealogy buffs in their golden years may feel a strong desire to gather information now that they can pass on to their offspring. The hope is to instill a passion for ancestry that — like a glowing torch — will be carried forward to generations yet to come. Lighting that spark can begin at Edgewater.

Genealogy Group:

Meets 2nd Saturday of each month at Creekside Lodge from 1-3 p.m.
Interested in joining? Contact Paula Robinson at: paula@moviemaven1118@gmail.com

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