Looking beyond the vital records offers unexpected rewards

The phrase “think outside the box” is found everywhere it seems from the business world to education. It means don’t be hidebound or constrained in your thinking. For genealogists it’s equally important that we think outside the box of conventional records. While the Holy Grail of genealogy always will be vital records, that is birth, marriage, and death records, we should always be on the lookout for other sources. When you broaden your perspective you open avenues of potential information about your ancestors and relatives.

Just as each of us is more than our birth, marriage, and eventual death information so were your family members. Never miss an opportunity to check for a tidbit that allows you to find more about your family. And keep your eyes open for non-traditional sources. Sometimes we are so focused on the vital records we forget just how many potential sources there are out there and just what they might reveal.

A former student of mine called to let me know he chanced on records of an uncle in Soil Conservation files. This unlikely resource occurred to him when he found his uncle’s property had ended up as part of a Soil Conservation project. He decided to ask if the Conservation office might possibly have any information of any type on the family and to his delight discovered someone had donated genealogy and family records and even photos. What a wonderful find and totally unexpected!

I have to admit I would never have considered the possibility that he’d find anything but he took the time to ask and unearthed a treasure. And that should be a lesson to all of us that we need to open our minds to possibilities.

He was on a roll since he also found a local publication of stories from the ancestral home town. In it was a delightful piece about another uncle’s general store written by a former employee. The story concerned the disappearance of peanuts from a large jar on the counter. The employee couldn’t seem to spot the suspected rodent making off with the peanuts. When the employee decided to set a mousetrap inside the jar to try to catch the peanut-snatching culprit he ended up with a two-legged mouse, namely the owner’s peanut-loving younger brother who couldn’t resist filching a handful of the treats whenever he visited the store.

What a great story and a priceless anecdote that fills out the bare bones of the vital records. Suddenly, this story makes these long-deceased family members much more human.

You never know where you will find something about your family tucked away in a newspaper or local history or some other unsuspected source. The moral of this story is don’t be afraid to ask if someone has records or anything on your family. Also, be open to new possibilities beyond the traditional genealogical resources.

I’ve found items in unexpected areas though I can’t match Soil Conservation and that wonderful two-legged mouse story. But I hope you will try to and that you’ll succeed.

Nancy Battick is a Dover-Foxcroft native who has researched genealogy for over 30 years. She is past president of the Maine Genealogical Society, author of several genealogical articles and co-transcribed the Vital Records of Dover-Foxcroft. Nancy holds a MA in History from UM and lives in DF with her husband, Jack, another avid genealogist. You can contact Nancy at nbattick@roadrunner.com.