Researching a Unique and Old Heritage

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut
October 1, 1986

Over the centuries of time and history people from all over the world have been persistently curious about their ancestry and origins. Indeed, it is really not uncommon to wonder about who we are as individuals and why it is that each of us is so unique from so many around us.

Looking at our personal heritage often must entail a special understanding of historical events. This years' rededication of the Statue of Liberty has special meaning for millions of Americans, and it has rekindled for many a special renewal of interest about our ethnic and cultural heritage. It is about that part of our past involving the journey taken by those before us, often a great risks, to discover for themselves freedom and opportunities in the United States.

As a field of study, genealogy can open many previously locked doors to one's family history. The study of family lineage is no longer of mere past time exclusively for the well-to-do or the "blue-blooded." Researching one's ancestral roots is an evolving and fascinating adventure for many individuals of all ethnic origins and personal backgrounds.

In United States a large body of genealogical information has been preserved since the days the first settlers came to this continent several centuries ago. With genealogy as an essential part of the faith practiced by the Mormon people of Utah, for example, the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has assembled in Salt Lake City, Utah, the worlds largest collection of materials dealing with family lineage and genealogies. 

Many family trees, including those of old New England families such as my own, go back as many as 12 generations or more. We are fortunate that records in this country have been preserved, documented and studied. For those interested even for sentimental reasons the search for one's roots is a special personal trip back in time well worth the time and effort involved.

The privilege of membership in patriotic associations is based on authenticated genealogical study. The interest in tracing lineage in this country has been traditionally associated with ancestry as a relates to events in the history of the development of the United States. The 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence led to the establishment of a number of patriotic societies, including the Sons of the American Revolution in 1889, the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1890, the Colonial Dames of America, also in 1890, the Society of Colonial Wars in 1893, and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, both 1894.

Do you know or have an attorney? Many legal professionals can tell you from personal experience that they are not averse to consulting a genealogist. Sometimes they are forced to, as in cases where a list of the deceased person's next of kin is required, and when a person dies intestate. Thus it is the task of a genealogist to trace a family history and discover the identity of nearest relatives.

Where does a genealogical study begin for the individual? It often must start at home and progress from the memories of recent ancestors to earlier ones. The collecting of old family records, such as diaries, letters and other documents, often tie together family relationships and their family records. Grandparents and other elders are invaluable in this aspect of tracing your family tree.

It is virtually inevitable that your investigation will require a visit to town halls and other government offices, as well as churches. Land grants, burial permits, birth and death certificates furnish more valuable information.

The most rewarding phase of the study of genealogy is the insight it gives to the diligent researcher. You can discover that in the course of history, whether it be local, national or even international, that your ancestors were part of the matrix of events and participated in movements in a given period of time. Some perhaps fought in wars, others excelled in business. 

I implore all readers to seek help and join our Greenwich Historical Society at the Bush-Holley House. Through the efforts of our distinguished Society genealogist, Meriwether Schmid, and others, the doors to the past with some effort and time can be opened for people seeking a treasure trove of personal history through the study of family lineage.

Jeffrey Bingham Mead, who lives in Greenwich, is a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town. He is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.