CLAIM YOUR FAMILY ROOTS

This week I had a few hours to visit with another family historian in my area. We have no known ancestors in common. My takeaway from the visit was simply to "claim your family roots".

Source: Bing clip art

 My roots are deep in Lancaster County, PA. I have at least two maternal lines that arrived in 1710/1711. In other words, years before Lancaster was even a "real" city which was generally felt to have been founded in 1729.

Growing up, I was that quiet child who observed everything and asked many questions. My elderly relatives humored me with answering questions, telling me family stories, and even bringing out old family photos with explanations of who was in the photos. What a treasure of info and memories.

Some relations took me along to clean family gravestones in various cemeteries in the county. Another opportunity to listen, watch, and learn. More notes into those notebooks that have become my go-to when I need to remember some small possible fact that I am looking for as I search for family information. 

Family reunions were another great occasion to listen, ask, and learn. More notes into notebooks. 

I grew up in the American West. However, my mom loved her heritage and was proud of her roots in Lancaster County. She spoke with the accent and vocabulary of Lancaster County until the day she died.

I also find myself using the vocabulary and sayings of Lancaster County. The Amish out here in Indiana hear me speaking while I am in their shops and have me pegged for a native from the Lancaster area. German and "Dutch" words pepper my daily speech too. 

 We went to Lancaster County at least once a year. Many years Pappy and Grandma Garner (with assorted other relatives) visited us out West. 

Shoo-fly pie, apple dumplings, potato bread, sauerkraut, scabble, Sturgis pretzels, and Lebanon balogna were nornal foods for us. We ate these items with more "normal" western food. It did not seem odd to us at all. 

I love the skills of the Amish, and there is no way to pull me away from watching an Amish barn raising if I know of one, or randomly find one. I can and do make my own candles, bake bread, and cook from scratch as time allows. I can make my own clothes. When the kids were home, we played board games and read books I grew up on. My grandma introduced me to books illustrated and/or by Tasha Tudor. I collect those books now. 

I want to continue to learn all I can about Lancaster County and how my family fit into the history of it. I have traveled and lived in Germany which gave me another opportunity to learn the history of my ancestors. Culture, language, and history can help so much when doing family history. Our ancestors were not just names, dates, and places. They lived, loved, and died in what we now consider "history" but to them was day to day life.

An elderly aunt recently asked me why I continue to work on my genealogy. My response was that it took all those people to make me. After visiting with the other family historian, it really dawned on me that I had "claimed my family roots" long, long ago. 

My advice to you readers is to learn all you can about the people in your ancestry - "Claim your family roots". If you take the time to get to know the history, culture, and basic words or language of your ancestors they will make so much more sense to you.

Source: Bing clip art

All writing and/or photos are mine unless otherwise stated.