Mississippi Genealogical Society Blog

No Monthly Meeting in December

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 19:41:37 GMT

Hey everyone,

Please note there will not be a monthly MGS meeting in December. We're going to take the time off to enjoy the holidays, plan for our annual seminar in January, and spend time with our families.

Also, with Thanksgiving approaching, there might not be a blog post next week, but we'll see. I hope to get one soon.

In the meantime watch this blog, our Facebook page, and your emails for the unveiling of our lineup for the seminar.

Best,

Wyatt

Broken Lamps and Opportunities

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:33:42 GMT

[1.] Microfilm readers at the Denver Public Library WHG.

Recently, I requested some microfilm via interlibrary loan. When it arrived, I popped it onto the microfilm reader at work only to find the lamp wasn't working. The entire ordeal made me rethink my plan. Instead of using the reader in my library at work, I would take it to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, where I could use one of their readers.

The day arrived, but circumstances introduced a new twist. My nine-year-old son. For various reasons, he tagged along on the trip to the archives. He didn't get a choice in the matter. Nevertheless, the opportunity led to new experiences, learning, and memory making.

Along the way, he asked me what microfilm was, and why did I want to look at it? Why did we need to go to the state archives to use a microfilm reader? How do the readers work? They were all good questions, ones that gave him an opportunity to do some first hand physical research beyond the convenience of the internet.

Skilled researcher know that often times the magic happens when you get out from behind the screen and search in an archive or library. For us the magic happened, but not because of what we found.

In fact, I've yet to read, analyze, or synthesize any of the information from the trip. The magic happened because as our time progressed, my son asked, "What are you looking for?"

That was when I told him about his 2x great-grandfather Elijah Robinson, and how he'd been institutionalized before his death. I told him how I wanted to know more about Elijah's life, about why he was institutionalized, and what historical circumstances surrounded the hospital where he spent his last years. My son sat through it all, soaking in the details of his family's life.

But more importantly, the two of us spent time together as family. Sure we had fun having new experiences together. Rewarding experiences that taught my son a few extra details about research. But really, in the end, we felt the connection to kin that draws so many of us to the world of genealogy.

All because of one broken lamp on a microfilm reader.

[1.] 2017, Photograph, Microfilm readers at the Denver Public Library WHG. Denver Public Library, https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/new-microfilm-readers-make-accessing-history-easier-ever.

Save The Date--January 17

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:58:53 GMT

I just wanted to get a short message out to everyone. Save the date of January 17, 2026. That's the date for the Mississippi Genealogical Society's Annual Seminar.

While the entire program hasn't been finalized, yet, I can divulge that we will have beginner, intermediate, and advanced educational opportunities, fantastic guest speakers, and an abundance of fun. So please, save the date while we finalize the program and get you all the pertinent details on pricing, times, and locations.

In the meantime, please join us on November 15 for Leaving a Legacy: Who's Writing Your Story with Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D. At 1:30 pm central time. Dr. Abbott is a friend of the society. She's funny, friendly, and an outstanding researcher. Her presentation is one I guarantee you won't want to miss. Plus, she's our last program for the year, so come enjoy with us before the Holidays set in.

There you have it. Please save two dates with us. November 15, 2025 and January 17, 2026.

The Dreams of a Friend

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 16:02:16 GMT

I have friend named Carol. She's had a passion for genealogy for decades. Now that she's a bit older and her health is failing, some of her family has discouraged her from writing her family history.

Yet every time I see her she says, "You've really inspired me to write my family history. I need to get it done before I run out of time." Then she tells me how inspired she is to make it happen despite the negative feedback from various family members.

Sometimes we shed tears because her health often keeps her from completing basic tasks she used to do with ease. I always ask her if I can help. She always declines. In fact, she's very adamant about me not helping. And all the hugs I've given her in the past year have not persuaded her to let me help.

So I pray for her often.

On Saturday, I took my kids to a Halloween party. We filled our buckets with candy during the trunk or treat. We enjoyed the costume contest and the dreary gray October sky that turned to a sliver of a crescent moon breaking through the clouds.

On the way home we stopped at the mailbox. We were expecting mail for the kids. Instead we found a large, brown envelope addressed to me. I took it into the house and tore it open. There was no note, nothing to explain how or why I was receiving an unexpected package.

I reached into the envelope and pulled out a plain, plastic, spiral notebook. It was a copy of Carol's genealogy and family history. The account includes pedigree charts, maps, and written accounts of various family members. My son asked me, "What did you get, Dad?"

I didn't know how to respond, so I said, "The dreams of a friend. I know exactly what it is."

I didn't know what to say and the words came out clunky and weird. I felt terribly awkward trying to explain to him why someone he didn't know sent me their family stories. Maybe one day I'll do a better job sharing with him the significance of the package.

But I believe genealogists know. People who've been on the hunt for family know. I only pray the family members who discouraged Carol from completing her work will find value in the small little book one day.

As an archivist and fan of genealogy, I've often met other folks like Carol. People who yearn to share some small reminiscences of their family with the next generation.

As a friend, I am honored and touched that Carol would take a moment and share her accomplishments with me. It literally is a feat she dreamed of for a long time, and I'm grateful to know that day is here.

As President of the Mississippi Genealogy Society, I can say this--if you have desires to compile and write a family history, please do it. One step at a time. We will do our best her to support, help, educate, or whatever else we can do to make your journey a special one.

In the meantime, keep searching, working, and dreaming.

A Short Note on Elven Genealogy

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 17:44:56 GMT

Let me get right into it, folks. Genealogy is a field humans have always had an interest in. But what about elves? Do they have an interest in their kin? Do immortals need to know who their birth parents, grandparents, and so forth were?

Where does their genealogy stand in comparison to the dwarves or hobbits? It gets even more interesting when you add orcs into the equation.

Yes, you read that right. Do elves have an interest in their ancestors? If you really want to know, then click here [1].

To be frank, imaginary creatures might not have an interest in elven genealogy (or their own for that matter). But humans do. Have an interest in elvish genealogy. Hence the website. A quick web search will also lead you to family trees for the various families in the Potterverse, Harry Potter's world [2].

Is it such a strange things to see fans of those books and movies do the research and compile family trees? Author Bennett Coles has produced an article providing insights into the Star Wars Universe. That's available here [3].

Again I ask, is this a strange occurrence? No. Not really. From the earliest times we've seen the myths of various locales and regions creating intricate family trees, and from those trees we extract the important stories of the people. At the same time, world religions from across the globe also delve into the study of kinship. The Gospel of St. Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, opens its first chapter with the lineage of Jesus Christ.

On Family Search and various other genealogical platforms we can trace the ancestors of the U.S. Presidents and other important political families of world nations. They even have functions where you can learn which famous people are your relations.

But what does it all matter? Why bring it all up today in a short blog post?

Think about it. All of humankind's most important stories (including fiction and myth and religious systems) are impacted by the study of kin and generations. All of them. In a world that's increasingly tense and where dangers abound, we can find stories of family, whether they're our own or others, that can teach us how closely we're all connected.

In other words, genealogy can help us learn to love, to forgive, to have compassion on others. It can heal us of past trauma, and it can spark within us a desire to help one another.

I don't have time to make all the arguments about how important genealogy is today, but hopefully, a few short words showing how collective stories about family are of great import to our society will bring you a smile. And just maybe it will inspire you to look into your own families.

If not--maybe you need to understand the history of Middle-Earth a little bit better. I mean, did Bilbo sign any deeds or land records pertaining to Bag End? If so, I'm disappointed that his will didn't contain a clause barring Frodo from selling the place to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. I mean, some cousin-in-laws just don't deserve the good stuff. Let's be real. Is a cousin-in-law even technically family?

Then again, Frodo was invited to the Grey Havens with Elrond and Galadriel, two elves who had very distinguished genealogies.

1. Johansson, Emil. “The Lord of the Rings Family Tree Project,” n.d. http://lotrproject.com/.

2. Wiki, Contributors to Harry Potter. “Potter Family.” Harry Potter Wiki, n.d. https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Potter_family.

3. Coles, Bennett, and Bennett Coles. “How to Decipher the Star Wars Family Tree - Bennett R. Coles.” Bennett R. Coles - (blog), May 1, 2024. https://bennettrcoles.com/star-wars-family-tree/#:~:text=Leia%20Organa%20%E2%80%93%20By%20birth%20Leia,with%20the%20help%20of%20Rey.

Not as Cool as Cannons

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:12:51 GMT

Hi friends,

Please forgive me for not posting a blog last week.

If I'm frank, I can say that I didn't even miss it. But that's because the in-laws were in town. They visited our little family last week to celebrate my son and daughter's birthdays (those birthdays are 10 days apart).

During their visit, we took the grandparents over to the Vicksburg National Military Park. It's a rather stunning historical site meant to preserve our national memory of the Civil War. While there we snapped photos in front of cannons, war memorials, and the carcass of the U. S. S. Cairo, an old ironclad that was sunk without one life lost [1]. Sometime in the 60s, they pulled the remains out of the Yazoo River and created the Gunboat and Museum at the battlefield. It's really impressive.

Anyway, all that's to say we made memories as a family. I believe that creating new family history is just as important as studying the old. Maybe one day our descendants will argue over who is who in all those photos we took. Maybe not.

I told the kids about my 3x great-uncle Solomon Robinson who was discharged from his civil war service at Vicksburg. In that way I did do some genealogy last Tuesday.

Then I berated myself for not studying him enough before we left. I couldn't remember if he was part of the campaign or not, and had to hastily retrieve his pension information from the cloud. Turns out he was discharged there. I had been thinking he had been part of the siege, but his service didn't begin until after the battle. However, he was discharge in Vicksburg as I said earlier [2].

The kids patiently waited for me to tell them what I knew about Uncle Sol and were amazed to have a family connection with something so significant. But no matter how amazed they were, those little factoids weren't as a cool or interesting as the cannons.

As so we return to my confession.

I didn't miss writing the blog last week. I mean, how could I?

Writing a blog just wasn't going to be as cool as the cannons.

But hopefully this little travelogue will make up for it.

1. "USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum," National Parks Service, October 14, 2025, https://www.nps.gov/vick/u-s-s-cairo-gunboat.htm.

2. Solomon C. Robinson (Pvt., Co. L, 10th Ind. Cav., Civil War), pension no. SC 491040, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications . . . , 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veteran Affairs; National Archives, Washington D.C.

Genealogical Societies are for the Living, Not the Dead.

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:27:27 GMT

Let’s face it. Genealogical Societies are rapidly changing. With the advent of technology such as Zoom and A. I., more and more people are attending society meetings from the comfort of their own home. Less and less people are attending in person.

Of course they are. And there’s one reason why. It’s more convenient.

If there’s anything I’ve learned as a librarian and archivist it’s this: people will always choose convenience over optimal until there’s a need for them to choose optimal. I see it in how people access library and archival materials. I see it when people sit down to view their media at home when they choose streaming over a number of better audiovisual experiences. I see it all over the place.

Can I get this at home? Can I get it online? And, everything is online these days, why haven’t you provided a way for me to get access to it in my pajamas?

In a very broad and general sense, the questions embody how genealogical researchers engage with access to records via technology. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those practices either (although it’s a blatantly false assumption that everything is online). At work my colleagues and I have seen a drop in pedagogical content when classes are presented online. It’s difficult for instructors to assess and evaluate student learning outcomes when it’s more difficult to engage the class in person. And for many settings, engagement is the name of the game.

Still, students want to take the course online. I get it. I really do. I love to engage in more convenient ways too. So am I saying that Genealogical Society meetings are worse via Zoom? Well, that’s debatable, and the answer depends on the content of the meeting. Unfortunately though, that’s not really the idea of this blog post today.

You see, gen societies used to corner the market on the educational opportunities available to genealogists. The society used to be where you went for educational classes, workshops, seminars, professional journals, and professional help. These days you can find much of the same content on social media, YouTube, Zoom society meetings, and other comparable technologies as you were getting from the society. And at a fraction of the cost. Much of it is on-demand as well.

Which finally leads me to the point. What is the genealogical society for these days? Many societies are trying to figure that out. I know I am. Other members of the board talk about the struggles ours and other societies are currently facing. Right now, I don’t know if I have all the answers. Or any answers.

But I do know one thing—members of the Mississippi Genealogical Society took me in when I moved to Mississippi. They accepted me, valued my input, asked me to serve. More importantly, they called me friend.

That’s what Genealogical Societies are for.

I know this because members (and nonmember friends) have participated in society meetings, both in person and via Zoom. They make comments, ask questions, serve refreshments, and banter about both the living and the dead. Members of the society get together with each other outside of society meetings, they make friends, help each other with various problems, and make the admission price well worth the value.

Outside of the meetings, some of them text me, email me, and communicate with me. They inform me of their needs, and they try to help others too. They find ways to associate with friends in and out of the community.

So as gen societies continue to struggle with their place amid changing technologies, it’s my recommendation to focus on the various needs they can provide the living, even if it’s not a domination of the genealogical education market. Maybe it’s genealogical travel or entertainment? Who knows? How can we best leverage the changing technology to engage a community, and not only on member of the society? These are just a couple of questions we can ask.

I'd also like to add this addendum. This article is definitely skewed towards in-person meetings. It's not meant to be that way so much as it's meant to show that society meetings are evolving. Zoom and other technologies are helpful and convenient. They broaden our opportunities for how we consume our content, especially genealogical education. My point here is that societies should focus on how to help their members thrive in a world that can be accessed both in-person or online. The question before us is--how?

Anyway, that’s all I have for today. In the meantime, I only know gen societies need to focus on the living, because only the living can help the living remember the dead in a meaningful manner.

Even when it’s done via Zoom.

Peter Everly's Memorial

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:45:29 GMT

Hey friends,

I found this obituary yesterday [1].

I typed the name Peter Everly into the search engine and bam, there it was, first thing! I’ve searched for this obit off and on for years. Technology, records collection updates, and more contributed to me finally finding it this week.

Peter is my 4x great-grandfather.

He died on May 28, 1900.

73 years later, on May 28^th, my brother was born. Coincidence? I think not.

Peter lived with his daughter Asenith when he died. Asenith is my 3x great-grandmother. She lost her first husband during the Civil War, and was later divorced from John Groves, her second husband. Obviously, she has some stories. Maybe I'll get to them in the blog sometime.

The article claims Peter was 95 years, 3 months, 11 days when he died. Some people might dispute that. I say it made him an old man when he saddled up for the Cavalry during the Civil War, mustering out in his 50s. What a boss.

Yeah, there’s some good stuff in this obit. I’m grateful to find it so I can continue to write down stories about my family. And to learn who they were, what their lives were like, and feel a deep connection with those who’ve gone before.

There’s a line in his obit that reads, “The angels of heaven, so fair, came down and carried him up there to rest with his loved ones gone before, who it seems he had a desire to meet in a better land.”

Grand-Dad Peter, it seems you were a genealogist and family historian at heart. Enjoy your time with family on the other side, and one day, I hope to pull up a chair and we can share all the family stories.

1. "In Memoriam," West Virginia Argus (Kingwood, West Virginia), p. 3, col. 4. 7 June 1900. Newspapers.com. (https://www.newspapers.com/image/827922925/ : accessed 23 September 2025).

Scottish Soldiers of Colonial America, My Next Thrilling Read.

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:04:42 GMT

Last night I watched this video on YouTube (click on the word video or YouTube to view the video). I’ve never watched any of Carly’s videos before, so I let it repeat. Seeing a young lady walk into a bookstore and being unable to find the books she wanted caused the inner-librarian demon perched in the depths of my heart to rear its ugly head.

Who were these poor salesmen at Barnes and Noble? I asked. Why couldn’t they find something of interest for Carly? Why weren’t they asking any of the right questions?

Questions such as—What do you mean when you say, “genealogy books?”

Do you want books that teach you genealogical skills and practices? Books such as Organizing Your Genealogy by Drew Smith? Or Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History by Megan Smolenyak?

Do you want genealogical reference materials that genealogists might pull from the shelves when facing a tough issue? Maybe something like Elizabeth Shown Mills', Evidence Explained? Or even something like Ernest Thode’s German/English Genealogical Dictionary?

Since genealogy is a multidisciplinary field, do you want books that help you explore a tangentially related topic that helps you in your work? Maybe something like Kip Sperry’s Reading Early American Handwriting?

Do you want some sort of memoir that is also an exploration of genealogy but borders on genealogical entertainment? Like It’s All Relative by A. J. Jacobs or Unearthed by Meryl Frank?

Do you want some kind of non-fiction that can help inform the genealogical work you’re currently working on? I recently picked up A History of Heists by Jerry Clark and Ed Palatella because I learned of a number of bank robberies various family members had connections with.

Now, I’m not here to say Barnes and Noble typically carries any of these books. Or that Carly asked the wrong questions. Sometimes I’m searching high and low in bookstores and libraries the same as her and can't find what I want. But I do wish I knew exactly what is thought of when people say genealogy books.

Because genealogy is a business, and that means money, and money means there should be something out there in the way of book stores catering to genealogy enthusiasts. And if we can’t find it, or aren’t writing it, or haven’t produced it in some way, then we’re probably doing something wrong. Not Barnes and Noble. And right this second I am not talking about books that are a collection of records that have been transcribed and collected as a genealogy resource--such as Scottish Soldiers of Colonial America or First Census of Kentucky, 1790.

No I'm not talking about those books because, well, I don't believe for one second they're on the list for my next thrilling read (genealogy fan that I am). And I don't believe for one second that Barnes and Noble would ever stock something like that.

Because in the end, let's be frank, even the genealogy world won't let those texts truly circulate (Do we even know how thrilling those texts actually are?), even in the local history room at your local library. Sometimes my inner-librarian demon just wants more, more, more genealogy.

Unfortunately, some texts will probably only remain available in local and genealogical libraries, and on sites such as HathiTrust, The Internet Archive, and FamilySearch.

Don't worry, throughout all these questions and discussion, I understand the difference between entertainment, utility, knowledge, and all the reasons people create resources that are published by genealogical publishing companies. But that doesn't mean there's not some opportunity to explore what people want when they enter this field and hobby called genealogy.

Even so, we can still find something genealogically related at the book store, right? Please tell me I'm not wrong. Because no matter how much I love genealogy, Scottish Soldiers of Colonial America will not be my next thrilling read.

But Unearthed might.

Write About Them Anyway

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 21:06:11 GMT

I recently asked some friends if they would be willing to write stories about their family members. They all said, “No.” (And gave me their various reasons why.) Of course, I asked the question with the expectation being that they share those stories with others.

And that expectation, folks, is the real reason they all said, “No.”

You see, writing is an activity that burdens the writer with the desire to be good or entertaining or touching or profound (insert whatever desire here). Writing is also an activity that burdens the writer with ideas of sharing the writing.

Writers often view writing as a performative act. But it doesn’t have to be. The writer chooses whether to publish the writing or not. A writer of a diary might keep said diary under lock and key. The writer of a journal might only jot down various ideas and words or sketches that have meaning only to him.

People write for many reasons. Just as people read for many reasons.

But here’s the thing—just like doing research, you’ll probably find that if you don’t write down your family stories, you will eventually forget them. You might not forget everything, but some of the extra details that make the story pop will fade. So please, if you have a family story you want to preserve, write it down. Write it down with no expectations. And if you have to have an expectation, let it be this—I promise to write it down, even if I keep it under lock and key.

That way your nosy snoopy family members can find it later.

Just kidding. Sometimes having the expectation of privacy is the only expectation that will motivate people to write. It’s a totally different mindset for someone when they write in secret vs. for the public. And by writing it you can preserve the story.

If you consistently write down the stories of your family, maybe one day in the future (near or far) you will want to share them with others.

And if you still don’t want to share, guess what?

Life will be fine either way.

Plus you’ll have a catalog of family stories in your treasure chest.

Don't Bore the Other Genealogists in the Room

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 17:15:32 GMT

If I’m frank, I didn’t want to write a blog today. Not at all. I wanted to let it slide. Forget about it.

I told myself, “Hey, who’s going to read it anyway?”

I gave myself other excuses too. Such as, “You’ve got a sick daughter hanging out with you today. Everyone will understand if you don't post anything.”

Those are the kinds of thoughts I entertained before I said, “To hell with it. Write the blog anyway.”

So here it is.

I like to talk. A lot.

Yeah, I’m a yapper.

And one of the subjects I like to talk about is genealogy.

On Saturday night a friend of mine said, “You know, my wife always tells me to come look at some document she’s found. I don’t get it.”

He was all the way across the room, sitting on the couch next to his son. Between us was a coffee table, a plant, and a television with the college football game playing. Even with all the distractions, I saw an in for some good conversation.

“You don’t like genealogy?” I asked.

His son, who was sitting next to him, shook his head and mouthed the words, “Not at all.”

“I guess not,” my friend said. “Maybe if I found out some stories about my ancestors I would find it interesting, but I don’t care about random war documents that tells me nothing about them. Or other things like that.”

“Well,” I responded, “what if the war document told you what regiment or squadron or battalion your ancestor served in? Then you could go and look up what your ancestor did in the war. You could learn where they fought, how they served, and what happened to them. The regiment’s story is your ancestor’s story. What then? That’s one of the things I do if I haven’t learned enough. I think that’s pretty cool.”

By then the football game we were watching came back from the commercial break and we sat there in the blue light, far across the room from each other, and no closer to me converting him to the glories of genealogy.

But at least he brought up the subject in the first place. For me that signals he’s willing to be persuaded.

At least I didn’t kill the subject by reciting to him a long list of the names in my family tree. Then I would have bored everyone. Even the other genealogists in the room.

And that's a win.

All football scores aside.

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Family Time?

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 17:58:50 GMT

When I was growing up. My family had dedicated evenings for family time. We played together. Complained together. Got in the boxing ring together. (My mom really hated when her kids fought.) We did a lot together. Sometimes family time was rewarding. Sometimes it was fatiguing. It was always memorable.

That practice now translates into the habit of me calling my mom whenever I can. I try to call my mom about once a week. When I do, it never fails that I’ll say something like, “Hey mom, do you remember the old Stop and Go off Highway 12?”

The questions are always yes or no questions. The questions are always meant as a lead into a subject I’ve prepared beforehand. In other words, the Stop and Go might not be the real topic I want to talk about, they’re just an easy way to broach the discussion. In fact, it’s often the case that my questions are subjects I wouldn’t ever have a reason to talk about in the first place.

But here’s the kicker. My mom never answers yes or no. She always jumps into a story about the Stop and Go or whatever it was I mentioned. And half the time, she’s interrupting me with her story before I even finish the question. Then I slap my forehead, sigh at a decibel level where she can’t hear me, and try to be patient while she tells me her story.

During which I’m cursing myself because she interrupted me or dragged me away from the reason I called in the first place. I’m cursing myself because I knew better than to have broached the subject that way but still haven’t learned not to.

All of which brings me to this point—sometimes I get tired of my family. Now don’t get me wrong. I love my mom. And I love listening to her stories. Oftentimes when I visit though, I find myself falling back into old habits and patterns I’ve discarded since the days I lived with them. Or I find myself loving our time together for the first few days but am really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed when I get home, or living in my regular routine, or avoiding the quirky habits of my siblings that are more annoying than adorable.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my mom and my siblings. I just happen to also love not living with them. I love being able to take a break from them. Just like I know my mom loves it when I call her about once a week. Because she definitely needs a break from my brother and sisters who are the ones who care for my aging mother.

Breaks can be good and healthy for us. That’s why we break from work for the weekend or take a vacation. That’s why we rest at the end of the day. It gives us a chance to reset and refocus on what we really need. Especially our thoughts, desires, plans, and work. All of that is to say that sometimes it’s nice to have a break from genealogy too. To take a day off and think about something other than where those pesky ancestors are hiding. Take it from me, they aren’t going anywhere.

For some of us, taking a vacation or stopping to relax can be difficult. Yet often, if we are in a rut, the break is exactly what we need.

If this is you and you've had enough family time and you need a day off from genealogy, consider this your permission slip to take the day off. Your family, with all their quirky and annoying habits, will still be there when you get back. Plus, it’ll be fun to get reacquainted with them when you get back.

Just promise yourself you won’t be that guy who decides he wants nothing to do with the family and ditches everyone. Don’t be that guy. But a day or a week? Yes, that can help you get inspired to get back in the game. You might find new record collections available when you get back. You might look at your timelines with a fresh perspective. You might even find new records and stories. You might even fall into some of the same old patterns as before. Something similar to the way I know mom’s going to interrupt me with some story before I even finish asking her a question the next time I call.

I love her anyway.

And even if I’ve never, ever, annoyed her with any of my personal, adorable, quirky, loving funny, amazing habits, she might need a break from me too.

The Value of Subtext

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:17:32 GMT

Sometimes the records we find don’t say much. Sometimes it’s not necessary for them to say all that much.

I recently came across this little gem in the Cassville Republican, a newspaper from Cassville, Missouri [1]. The article was printed on 12 April 1906.

As you can see from the article, my 4^th great-granduncle Wheeling Combs was feeling pretty down. Even the townsfolk noticed how sad he felt. Like anyone else who discovers their ancestors in the newspapers. I asked all the questions. Why was he feeling down? Why would the paper print only this one line or two? Can you give me more information?

Then I noticed the date and looked up this gem [2].

This particular article gave me all the answers I needed. This one was written a week earlier and printed in the same paper, dated 5 April 1906.

After reading it, I think I know why Uncle Wheeling was feeling pretty down. In fact, these two articles and the subtext between them hit me hard. I can feel Wheeling’s loss.

I feel it heavy, as if watching and mourning with a living friend who lost a loved one today.

A friend recently told me he only gets snippets of information about his ancestors, not the larger stories. I told him that everything is a story.

Sometimes, if we piece together little snippets of information, like we did with these two newspaper articles, the larger stories shine through.

That’s the value of subtext.

1. "Mt. Pleasant," Cassville Republican (Cassville, Missouri), p. 1, col. 5. 12 April 1906. Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/335463397/ : accessed 19 August 2025).

2. "Butterfield," Cassville Republican (Cassville, Missouri), p. 4. col. 2. 5 April 1906. Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/335463311/ : accessed 19 August 2025).

A Vignette of Mamaw Shaw

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 14:13:30 GMT

I am excited to present to you our guest blog for today. At a recent genealogy meeting, society member Linda Rozier Davis was challenged to write about an ancestor. The following story, entitled "A Vignette of Mamaw Shaw," are her recollections.

I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did.

A Vignette of Mamaw Shaw

I was first aware of Mamaw Shaw in 1959 when my sister and I spent two weeks of our summer vacation with our great aunt Florence (Shaw) Fenstermaker in Warrington, Florida. Aunt Florence was the youngest of Mamaw’s seven children who lived to adulthood. And, as often befalls the youngest daughter, her mother lived with her.

Mamaw Shaw, Photo Courtesy of Linda Rozier Davis

I was twelve years old, and Mamaw was 86. I had never thought of her having a life before I met her or who her parents were or where she had lived or how she had felt when she was a teenager. I squandered the opportunity to ask.

For me, she was frozen in time - a scrawny, wrinkled, petite, quiet old woman with a twinkle in her eyes that hinted of mischief.

That mischief showed up early on one of those August mornings that got hot early.

While still in our pajamas, my sister and I were walking around the inviting pool in Aunt Florence’s yard.

Even at her advanced age, Mamaw was spry and had a brisk walk. Quietly and seemingly out of nowhere, she slipped up behind my sister who was standing on the edge of the pool, looking intently at the blue water. With the swiftness of a lizard’s tongue and the energy of a toddler, Mamaw Shaw pushed my sister into the pool. Aunt Florence immediately hollered “Mama!”

After a brief yelp of surprise from my sister, she gladly accepted her fate and took an unexpected swim in her pajamas.

Mamaw was grinning from ear to ear and seemed quite pleased with herself!

If Grandpa Had A Secret Identity, Can I Have One Too?

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 14:32:12 GMT

Crime. Murder. Bank Robberies. Hidden Treasure. Dragons. Here lie all the ingredients for a rousing tale. If you wanted, you could even tell one story with each item in that list. Didn’t Harry Potter have to break into a bank that was guarded by a dragon during one of his adventures? To say I love stories is an understatement. I loved a rollicking good story before my obsession with books even started. But my habits, my addictions, truly sunk deep in my blood during the fifth and sixth grades. That’s when I first read the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Franklin W. Dixon (yes, I know Dixon was a pseudonym for multiple ghostwriters, but as a kid I thought of him as one guy).

Anyway, from those first reads I gained a lifelong love for J. R. R. Tolkien. And although I no longer read the Hardy Boys anymore, my fascination for the entire mystery genre began with them. I devoured book after book featuring Frank and Joe Hardy, relishing their adventures in The Tower Treasure, searching for the Secret of the Caves, or wondering what was in The Secret Panel. I mean, who doesn’t love a good mystery? Spicing up a story of any genre, whether it’s a fantasy, romance, or historical fiction, is as easy as introducing a secret, a puzzle, a stolen identity, international intrigue, or buried treasure. But what happens when you encounter a real secret? I mean a real-life secret. One you find in your own family. Especially a secret held by those who are the closest to you. The people you thought didn’t hold anything back. For some, revealing a secret is life shattering. For others, it’s like eating a piece of candy.

In 2001, my grandfather, Charles F. Taylor passed. As a 26-year-old who always lived far away from him, I mourned the loss of the only grandparent I’d ever known. He stayed with us on various occasions, and once a year or so I’d get to visit, but I never really got to spend time with him the way my cousins did. So the minute I got the news of his passing, I packed my car for a weekend trip and drove to his Arizona home for the funeral. All my mom’s siblings were there. Half of them sat around in a dazed stupor until my aunt (we all have that one aunt), took to the bottle to ease her pain. Everyone else scattered quickly then. They ran back to their hotel rooms and left me with the lush of an aunt until morning.

I was grateful for the funeral, if only to escape my drunken aunt. But then something extraordinary happened. While sitting in the pew of the little church providing the services, mom stood up to speak and give a life history of my grandfather. And at first, I wasn’t really sure I heard her right. I did a double take. I looked around to see if anyone else looked confused, but they all seemed to take it in stride. What did she say that rocked my world? She said, “It is unknown why Charles F., born James Monroe Taylor, took his brother’s name.”

My head spun. Did I hear what I thought I heard? Did mom say grandpa took his brother’s name? Why would he do that? How did he do that? How can you be born James Monroe Taylor and knowingly transition into Charles F. Taylor? My mind reeled with even more questions. How old was he when he took his brother’s name? What year did he do it in? Most importantly, why is this the first I’m hearing about it?

I learned the answer to one of the questions then and there.

It’s the first I heard about it because families keep secrets.

Because people are often tight-lipped about various aspects of their lives.

All at once, in one moment, because of one statement from a church pulpit, grandpa became exponentially more intriguing. He became an international man of mystery, and unfortunately for me, we were about 45 minutes from burying him with his secrets. Now that he was gone, who could he tell?

Dead. Gone. Buried.

Where do I even start to find the answers to questions I didn’t know to ask before that moment? You see, grandpa, he was a quiet man who called all of his loved ones “pumpkin,” and he never once offered me a single detail about his life. He answered questions sparingly if you asked him, and those sparing answers varied in their levels of depth and specificity.

One time I asked, “Grandpa, what do you think of your enchilada?”

“Small,” he responded before the rest of the conversation fell silent.

And the enchilada in question was probably about half his size (he was a little guy himself). This small enchilada came after he ate four taquitos and the rice and beans on the side. Moments later, while sitting quietly at the table, we offered my brother an enchilada and some taquitos. My brother said, “Nah, I’m good. I’m going to have some stew.”

To which my grandfather finally piped up. “There’s stew? I’ll have some stew,” he said and kept eating quietly. My grandfather was quiet and listened to everything everyone said.

That quiet nature is, for me, one piece of evidence that he actually took his brother’s name. You see, I’m skeptical by nature. I’m not sure I believed mom’s story. Sometimes I think it could be a hoax. But there are questions. Quite a few of them if you ask my family. There’s evidence and clues, some circumstantial, some fact. On somedays, I believe. On others . . .

On others, I dig. But before I really started digging mom told me a story. She said that years after she found out he took his brother’s name she asked him, “Why did you take your brother’s name?”

“Ask Reni (the drunken aunt). I told her everything,” was grandpa’s reply.

So, trusting my Aunt Reni to have the answers, mom asked her sister about the entire affair. “What are you talking about?” Reni said. “Dad never told me anything about that.”

And thus ended that session of mom’s sleuthing.

One time I asked mom, “How did you find out Grandpa took his brother’s name?” Mom told me the tale. According to her, grandma took on some ironings for extra income. One day when the postman came to deliver the mail, mom maneuvered past the ironing board grandma was working at and went to grab the mail. On her return, she sorted through the letters to find one addressed to James Taylor (not the musical artist). “Oh, we need to catch the postman before he leaves,” mom said to grandma.

“Why? What do you have there?” grandma responded.

“There’s a letter for a James Taylor. That’s not us.”

Grandma motioned for mom to give her the letter.

“Give it to me,” she said. “That’s for your Dad.”

Confused over why her Dad, Charles, who was typically referred to as Chuck or Pinky, would have a different name, she handed the letter over to grandma.

“Your Dad was born with the name James,” was the most explanation mom received. In subsequent conversations, mom asked about grandpa’s name change and my grandmother surmised my grandfather changed his name when he ran away from the Civilian Conservation Corps. Personally, changing your name because you ran away from the CCC doesn’t sound like an offense you keep secret for sixty years after the program ended. At least not from your closest loved ones.

Still, the man kept the reason secret. On another occasion grandpa entertained his brother, Charles Franklin Taylor in the home (My grandfather only ever went by Charles F. not Franklin). Mom, understanding the old ideal—children are to be seen and not heard--made herself scarce, but clearly remembers keeping quiet in the presence of the two Charles. She felt awkward and even thought something more illicit might have happened for grandpa to take a new name. She got the impression because she knew she wasn’t supposed to let her uncle know that her father used the name Charles.

But who really knows? The mind of a child can imagine all kinds of intrigue and subterfuge. So can the minds of adult grandchildren who would like to know a few extra details of their grandparents’ lives. I wonder if grandpa felt the need to lie in order to serve in World War II? Then I discount the idea—he was plenty old enough to serve by the time the United States entered the war. I wonder if he struggled with some illicit affair with another woman somewhere. I wonder if he was running from money troubles or some other problem where he wanted to live secretly.

I don’t know why he took on his brother’s name. I don’t know how he legally changed it. My perception is that it would have been easier to appropriate someone else’s identity (modern technology might have something to say about that). But still, knowing about this little family mystery in the first place is a great impetus for me to sit down with family and friends, to document my life, the life of my family and others. It’s a great story that links me to the power of a name, an individual, and helps me learn about a man I didn’t get enough time with while he walked this earth. It also makes me think--If Grandpa had a secret identity, can I have one too?

Although I have my own memories on the subject, it also gives me the excuse to call my mom. Before writing this down, I called her and asked her again about my grandparents. I wanted to ensure I wasn’t mistaken in any of the details of the story. On this go round I was reminded that people often called grandpa, “Pinky.” I don’t remember hearing that detail before, even when it was part of the eulogy at his funeral. I've probably forgotten more than I should have (all the more reason to cite your sources, am I right?). I’ve known for some time that Grandpa served in the CCC, but I haven’t truly explored that aspect of his life. My mom and I wrote various agencies to see if we could find more information about it, but alas, our search was fruitless. Hearing about the CCC is so different than the harmonica playing, radio transmitting man I know, the one who wasn’t afraid to beat an 8-year-old at the billiard table three games straight—three games where the 8-year-old only attempted three shots.

Those additional details matter to me. Just like it matters that I get to ask mom about her family. This mystery, one of many, might not quite be as adventurous as the Hardy Boys, but it has its intrigue, and better yet, I am the one who gets to do the sleuthing. Genealogy is all about the sleuthing. With this story, sometimes I dig deep. Other times I am content to let it be the family story. But these mysteries, they’re one of the reasons we spend so many hours on the computer, in dusty libraries and archives, walking cemeteries . . . we love the hunt for our families and to solve these mysteries. I know you have family mysteries, family stories. Tear jerkers. Romances. Comedies. We all do. We have secrets buried with those who have gone before. What are they? And how are you finding your answers? What will the journey be like along the way?

Here at the Mississippi Genealogical Society we love a good story, a good mystery—we love a good tale we can share with others and ones that will help make meaning in you and your family’s life. So if you feel inclined to share a story or two, maybe a romance, or an adventure, a mystery, or some other aspect of your genealogy, please think about joining us for a meeting, writing a blog post, or submitting a photo we can use on social media. Or just come enjoy the membership of this community who loves discovering kin.

There’s always more to learn if you ask the right questions.

Enjoy Researching in Your Pajamas? Try The Mississippi Digital Library!

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 14:56:29 GMT

Remember when I said I wanted to highlight some hints, tricks, and collections that are specific to Mississippi? Well, let's return to the topic. And let's choose something for those of us who like doing our genealogical research in our pajamas!

In my opinion, one of the best resources for those who love to research from the comfort of their own home is the Mississippi Digital Library. This website, described as a "collaborative digital library for the state of Mississippi," [1] is an excellent resource. The site partners with numerous Mississippi Institutions in order to provide digital access (and other services) of its collections to researchers everywhere.

Basically, how it works is that Mississippi institutions such as libraries, universities, historical societies, and genealogical societies upload their content in various collections. On the backend, the various partners work like crazy to make the information findable, searchable. And then they provide it to the public. Free.

I say free, but there's the typical caveats. If you use their information, you should cite it. If you want to publish their information in a book (especially if you're going to sell the book), you need to contact the institution that owns the material. There may be a publication fee.

Anyway, as a researcher you can search specific institutions, collections, or even search the entire site. All you need to know is how to navigate library search engines and you are good to go. (If all you can do is a basic keyword search that'll work fine). As a librarian and archivist, I often complain that library websites are often too dense, unruly, and too difficult to navigate. That's not the case here. The Mississippi Digital Library is clean, easy to read, and easily accessible, especially to those new to research.

Overall, the Mississippi Digital Library is a great place for searching for your kin. There's all kinds of items to look for, from University publications, yearbooks and more, to photos from historic events like hurricanes and other natural disasters. There's correspondence and letters from Mississippians and even genealogical information. It's all there. I know some of you will find your family if you search the site. You just have to use it. Better yet, you can use it while wearing your pajamas.

1. "About," Mississippi Digital Library, Mississippi Digital Library, 2015; accessed 29 July 2025: https://msdiglib.org/).

My Ankles Never Made it to the Papers

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 18:23:16 GMT

Out of all the times I broke my ankles, the story of how it happened never made it to the newspapers. And I broke them both. Luckily, I broke them on different occasions. But my great-grandmother? You probably don’t know this, but she stepped on a stick, fell off a porch and dislocated her ankle. See the image below [1].

After reading that story, I’m wondering how they treated a dislocated ankle in 1906. And did her dad say, “Yeah, all you need is a little ice and you’ll be okay,”? Did her friends read the thrilling tale of her fall and drop by for a visit to console her?

All these questions about my great-grandmother’s injury reminds me of the time when my mom stepped off the porch to turn off the water to the hose. One step and she broke her ankle in two places. It took the entire neighborhood to carry her into the house. (And what I mean when I say neighborhood is our friends Ed and Scott from down the street.)

My dad had left for an afternoon round of golf he never got to play. When he arrived to check in for his tee time the golf course sent him back home to care for my mom. She got a cast. I’d like to think I signed it and drew something cool on it. Too bad my mom’s story never made it to the papers either. The Daily Republic in Fairfield, California just didn’t know what they were missing with that story. Neither did my dad, who was kind of disappointed. He thought my mom should have done something cooler than taking one step off the porch if she was going to break her ankle.

I mention my dad’s disappointment for a purpose. You see, some folks gloss over small stories like the one I found for my grandmother. They feel as if the information is too mundane, or not on a large enough scale to be worth collecting. I think otherwise. Reading and collecting the small factoids, tales, stories helps you to know and connect with your ancestors if you take the time to think and ask questions about the circumstances surrounding them. I may not know more about the dislocated ankle. How bad was it? How long did it put her out of action? Did she receive any cuts and bruises from the fall? Since the injury happened in November in Missouri, was it snowy or icy out? Did snow or ice contribute to the fall?

However, I can learn about how they might have treated the injury in 1906. Or if they even considered a dislocated ankle the same thing as they do in 2025. I can learn a few other details that might help me understand her life better or how teenagers might have responded to an incident like an ankle injury. So I am grateful for the story.

And I am a bit jealous my ankle brakes never made it to the paper. Not jealous because of my ego. But jealous that my descendants won’t be able to discover those stories in the paper and feel closer to me. If we’re lucky though, maybe this story about my mom’s ankle will still be floating around for them to find.

[1]. "Miss Maud Hoover," Monett Daily Record, (Monett, Missouri), p. 1, col. 3. 20 November 1906. Newspapers.com. (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1201120467/ : accessed 22 July 2025).

Some Days You Have To Do Other Things Instead

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 16:55:25 GMT

The other night I traded in genealogy for mowing the lawn. Traded in might not be the proper way to describe it. It was more like I had to postpone the genealogy for cutting the grass. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have a great lawn mower, plus I live on a corner lot, so there is a lot of grass to cut, and the heat sweltered. Here in Mississippi we cut lawns in the sauna.

When I finished the task, I had to bag and blow the clippings, put the tools away, and finish some edging too. Needless to say, I would have preferred to spend my time climbing the family tree. I mean, I did think about it most of the time I pushed that lawn mower back and forth across the grass.

Eventually, I finished, right about the time the sun was setting. I showered, got dressed, sat down at my desk intending to work on genealogy, but played with Lego instead. You see, I’m building this really cool Haunted House. It’s got ghosts and skeletons and creepy clowns. And while I was building, guess what? I still thought about genealogy.

Unfortunately, my body refused to do it. I was tuckered out, as they say. I had already spent the day at work only to come home and work outside. I wanted to do other things, but I needed a rest.

For those of you who are passing genealogists, please remember, genealogy is work. Creating timelines and tables and citations and family trees and books and case studies takes time and effort. My body knew this and directed me to do other things. Once I realized what was going on, I went with it. No matter how much there is to work on when it comes to genealogy, there is never anything wrong with taking care of the mind and body first.

I mention this because I believe it is important to let the good things in life come to you. To let them happen in their proper time. Take these blogs I write. If I stress out over topic and ideas, if I try forcing a blog to be “good,” I will most likely not produce anything at all. But if I take care of the mind and body, I tend to produce better work.

The same can be said of many pursuits including athletics, academics, work, play. Our minds and bodies frequently need a reset. Anyway, I played with Lego for the night. I allowed myself to get some rest.

I know this concept worked for me because after I rested up and went back to genealogy the next day, I found a treasure trove of documents concerning my dad’s family. I found so much stuff I have never seen that it will take me weeks to sort through it all.

I am convinced that I found the information because I was rested and allowed myself to take some downtime when I needed it. I came back to my projects with a clarity of mind I wouldn’t have had I worked on the project tired, sluggish, and bleary eyed. The rest allowed me to think, ask questions, and plan some research activities. So please, take this as your friendly reminder to allow yourself a little rest and relaxation when necessary. I mean, life can’t all be the fun and games genealogy brings us. If you need to, relax a bit and then come back to the topic excited and willing to get the job done.

It will work wonders. I promise.

Check Back Later

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 16:26:29 GMT

Yesterday, I planned to create a genealogy post for my social media feeds. I opened my phone and scrolled to an interesting newspaper headline I gathered about 10 years ago. It reads: Girl, 16, Slugged by Attacker Near Home [1]. I will drop a photo below.

The article centered on the night my dad’s aunt Eleanor was attacked near her Oakland, California home. Short, easy to read, and interesting, I decided to share the article with my friends and family.

But one thing held me back—I wanted a better image of the article for the post. Technology has improved in the decade since I originally found the article, so I hopped on Newspaper.com and searched for it again, knowing I should easily find a better image. Not only did I find it, but I found something better. I came across the same story in a different paper. While much of the text reads the same, the second article contained additional headlines and even a photo [2]!

These were new details for me. I greedily snatched the second article so I could post the one with the picture instead.

The entire scenario was that sweet genealogical serendipity that often happens when searching our ancestors. Plus it reminded me of that age old adage—check back later. Experienced researchers will often revisit their searches in various repositories. That’s because record collections are constantly changing, updated, and new materials are added, processed, and made available that weren’t available before. In this instance, I don't know why I didn't find the second article at the same time I found the first. The collections might not have contained that particular newspaper, I might have been searching a different name, who knows? However, I do know that going back again lead me to some important additional details previously unknown to me.

Besides, in this case the new article was superior. The extra headlines, the photo with Aunt Eleanor looking chic, and even the story came across rather Hollywood to me. It gave the story an additional element of fun. (As far as a story of your family member being attacked by a stranger can be considered "fun.") Plus I loved the slight difference in detail here and there. Overall, I really loved stumbling across the new (to me) article and am happy I went out of my way to find a better image for the first one. It totally made my day.

So please, remember to check back later. You never know what you might find.

1. "Girl, 16, Slugged by Attacker Near Home," The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California), p. 3, col. 7. 1 June 1936. Newspapers.com. (https://www.newspapers.com/image/128119289/ : accessed 7 July 2025).
2. "Mystery Attacker Slugs Oakland Girl," The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California), p. 15. 1 June 1936. Newspapers.com. (https://www.newspapers.com/image/457843386/ : accessed 7 July 2025).

I Found Letters Home in the Papers . . .

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 19:42:12 GMT

The 4^th of July is this week, and my thoughts have turned to my family who have served in the armed forces. Not just the Revolutionary War, but other conflicts as well. They’ve also turned to those family members who served in times of peace.

Most prominently, I’ve thought of my grandfather, who served in World War II. And though I have so many more questions about him than I will ever have answers, today I’d like to share a small discovery I made about Warren Hoover, my great granduncle. Warren was my grandfather’s uncle, and he served our nation during the First World War.

One day I was searching the local papers of the small Missouri town where my grandfather was born. I was hoping to find a birth announcement or some other mention of the family. Instead, I found a treasure trove of letters from Warren to my great-great grandmother. He wrote these letters home from France, where he was stationed during much of the conflict.

There are so many entries in those papers. Week after week they published his letters home. It’s amazing how much I’ve learned by reading these gems. Sometimes I’m struck by the things Warren says, but at other times I wonder at the things he doesn’t say.

If you want to read one of his letters, I’ve included one here for your perusal below [1].

I’m not here today to recount any specifics of Warren’s story, but rather to encourage those who are searching for family with military service to not only search for their ancestors in military records, but in letters, journal entries, newspapers and more. These are great sources to find mentions of those who have gone before.

I also want to say that if you don’t find any specific hits on your ancestor, don’t be afraid to read the local paper of where your ancestor lived at the time of these events. You’ll find yourself learning more about the conditions of life surrounding your ancestors’ time and place and feel more of a connection with them.

For me, these kinds of nuggets have done just that—helped me to view the world from a different perspective and to maybe learn what holidays like the 4^th might have meant to them, for good or for bad. Personally, I’m a fan of the 4^th of July and this weekend, I hope those of you who are celebrating will enjoy your holiday safely. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find some cool stories about your family too.

1. “Monett Soldier Boy Receives Foreign Medal,” The Monett Times, (Monett, Missouri), p. 3, col. 1. 5 April 1918. Newspapers.com. (https://www.newspapers.com/image/174383191/ : accessed 1 July 2025).

Don't be Afraid to Start

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:32:45 GMT

You know, with all my talk about ax murderers and rat poison the last couple of weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were scared to get involved with genealogy. But all jokes aside, I know plenty of people are scared they might uncover a family secret that upsets the balance of their current family dynamic.

It is a very real possibility.

If you research your family, you very well could uncover an extramarital affair, a secret identity, or you might even find out that one of your siblings isn’t your blood kin after all. There are other possibilities too.

Yesterday, I took my children to the public library. As it tends to happen, I got caught up talking to a lady about genealogy shortly after we arrived. She told me she was scared to start searching for her family because she was sure she would find out some nefarious family secret. Especially one she didn’t want to know.

At the same time, she told me she wished she knew more about her parents, both of whom have passed. In that moment, standing in the library with all kinds of folks milling about, I wanted to tell her that she would find small nuggets of priceless information about her parents and family if she would only start the search. I wanted to tell her that she would feel closer to her parents and grandparents and that it would be a meaningful experience. I wanted to tell her how much fun she would have and how many new friends she would find and cousins she would discover.

Unfortunately, we were interrupted. I didn’t get the chance to tell her any of that.

I’ve already resolved to tell her how amazing genealogy can be, and I will the next time I visit her branch. I’ve already resolved to tell her that ax murderers, rat poison, and family secrets aside, there’s not really anything to be afraid of when searching for your ancestors.

I’ve resolved to tell her that despite my jokes, if she takes the first step, she’ll soon find herself on a truly profound and rewarding journey. If you’ve been on your path for a while now. Keep it up. Share your stories with us. If you’re new, then please, keep at it. Learn new things and discover all the wonder you can find in this amazing field.

Until next time . . . Don’t be afraid to start. Jump in and experience all the wonders of genealogy.

Sometimes I Talk Poison Too . . .

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:40:01 GMT

Last Week, I confessed that I don't always talk ax murders and murderers. This is true.

Because sometimes I talk about poison too.

So, I think I will drop this little nugget right here. [1]

And while I am at it, this little newspaper article sent me down the rabbit hole, where I found a lot of other records about this case. Or more specifically, records about Mark Curry, who is a distant uncle to me. (I'm too lazy to count the generations for this short post.)

Like it would for a lot of people studying their family, this story caught my attention. It caught my attention enough to keep digging. In fact, that digging yielded enough records and stories that I might have enough about Mark Curry to write a book. Okay, maybe not a book, but at least a pamphlet.

But the pamphlet isn't the point. I am just here to show you--I don't always talk ax murders and murderers, sometimes I talk poison too.

P. S. if you're interested in your family, your family's stories, or doing genealogy research, please come join us here in the Mississippi Genealogical Society. We're a much safer bunch than some of our stories might suggest.

1. "Death by Suicide," Cassville Republican (Cassville, Missouri), p. 4, col. 3. 23 February 1893. Newspapers.com. (https://www.newspapers.com/image/334977025/ : accessed 17 June 2025).

I Don't Always Talk Ax Murders, But When I Do . . .

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 18:41:59 GMT

I don't always talk ax murders and murderers, but when I do, genealogy is involved. Let me explain, lest you think me crazy. Recently a friend took me to lunch for my birthday. During the course of our meal, I recounted a family history project I am working on involving a bank robbery.

When I was done spouting the family tale, he said, "Cool. My introduction to family history was when my mom sent me journal entries about a relative. Some guy broke into his house, grabbed a hatchet and attacked his wife. She survived, but one of their children died. Then he followed the ax guy and shot him. Apparently the authorities just said," and waved his hand to show me the authorities let his ancestor off scot-free.

Later, after lunch, and being a fan of research, I looked it up. Here's a photo of one newspaper entry about the event. [1] I found a few others. Chatted with my friend again and he told me he likes to see genealogical photos of the inmates in prison.

This kind of conversation and stories are the reason why I gravitated to genealogy in the first place--to learn the sordid history and drama of my family's past. Just kidding. I like to know about my ancestors and their stories. The tales don't always have to be about ax murders and murderers. They could be about rat poison . . . oops, that's an entirely different story.

What I meant to say is that the stories don't have to be about the sordid and dramatic tales people went through. They could be heroic, or even downright domestic and boring. Anything to give me a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors.

So, if you like swapping stories about bank robberies, ax murders, and rat poison, while at the same time outing your ancestors in the process, come join us at the Mississippi Genealogical Society. We'd love to get to know you.

And not in some creepy ax murderer kind of way.

Sources:

1. "Speedy Justice," The Deseret News (Salt Lake City), p. 8, col. 2. 7 April 1869. digitalnewspapers.org (https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s66t1g52 : accessed 10 June 2025).

Don't Be Afraid To Ask

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 15:46:19 GMT

My mom recently introduced me to a new YouTube channel. It’s called Forgotten Lines, and its concept is that James, a professional genealogist, purchases pictures at an antique store and researches the people in the photo. Or he might visit a cemetery and research interesting tombstones he finds.

Anyway, I watched a couple of episodes and noticed James said something really interesting. He said, “So, I called the library and asked the librarian . . .” Then he proceeded to state what he wanted to find. Lo and behold after he asked for help, the librarians produced some much needed information.

I read through some of the comments on those videos where he asked librarians for help and I saw that more than one person noted how they struggle to ask people for help. Their shyness or aversion to asking kept them from opening their mouths.

A few days later, I was in public and someone said something similar to me. “I find it difficult to ask librarians for what I need.” Which brings me to my point. Don’t be afraid to ask a librarian or archivists for help. Libraries and archives are service organizations. They’re meant to help people find and use the information preserved in their collections.

In my experience, most librarians and archivists are very friendly and want to help. So go ahead and ask. Sure, there’s always the exception to the rule. You might get someone who doesn’t want to help or is rude. But that is usually the exception to the rule. Mostly though, these professionals want to help you navigate their collections. So please, don’t be afraid to ask. Whether you ask by phone, filling out a contact form, or using the chat feature on a website, please use the services they provide so you can fully enjoy your research. Their professional help will make a world of difference in your search.

One last point. It’s easy enough for me to say, “Don’t be afraid to ask,” when in reality, many people have fears and anxieties that I am not experiencing. Asking can be difficult for some people and I realize that. For those of you with those fears, please know that asking for help can open up an entire universe of possibilities. I know from experience.

So instead of me saying “Don’t be afraid to ask,” let me say this—just ask. The librarians and archivists will do their best to help.

P. S. What I mean by asking for help is asking the librarians and archivists for help in finding what information they have in their collections. It’s up to you to do your own genealogy research after that.

On Turning 50 and Being an AI Curmudgeon

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 27 May 2025 17:10:28 GMT

I turned 50 yesterday. So Happy Birthday to me. It was in fact a fun birthday. My wife and children gave me presents, made me my favorite dinner, and we watched a movie together. When they handed over the goods, my wife even took some short videos of me opening the gifts. She said, “The kids are going to want to watch this in a year or so.” And they really will. I often find them lying next to my wife in our bed watching videos of good times we had in the past.

In other words, we made family history. We enjoyed being together. Being a family. And I loved it.

But now that it’s a day later, and I’m thinking about being 50, I realize I’m getting to be an old curmudgeon in some ways. You see, I like to keep tabs on the genealogical world. I try to keep abreast of things happening in the community. Trends, fads, skills, and more. I’m not the best at it because I like to spend time with my family and because I’m not a professional genealogist. So, I’m not always immersed in the genealogical realm.

One thing I’ve noticed that’s becoming more and more prevalent in genealogy is AI. (Yes, everyone has noticed how prevalent AI has become in every sphere.) But here’s where I’m feeling like a curmudgeon. I’m not fully accepting of AI in the genealogical community yet. There are a few things that AI is doing that I absolutely love. Family Search’s beta tool for full text search and recognizing handwriting is a game changer when searching for your long-lost relatives. Utilizing AI as a notetaker and for creating certain kinds of surveys, tables, and even generating ideas for more research can be helpful and less time consuming.

I get it. AI is a tool like any other tool. A tool that should be used. Sure. There’s a lot of arguments for the use of the tool that I agree with.

Unfortunately, when I start looking at social media, blogs, or videos that promote AI helping with genealogical writing and even some other tasks, my interest wanes immediately. I even cringed a little inside when I said AI could be used for creating tables just a moment ago. I understand how time-consuming certain tasks are. Especially writing. I understand the concept “time is money.” I understand how people often want to get on to the next thing on the list of things to do.

I also understand how fulfilling it is to write and create something on your own. I understand the peace of mind and confidence I get when I struggle through a task on my own. I also see how my thinking changes, how I learn, and how inspiration comes to me when I perform the task myself.

Like any other technology today, from the developer’s standpoint, part of the purpose of AI is to gain your attention. The tech companies are competing for your attention. The longer you spend on their platforms, the better it is for their bottom line. Never mind the impact they receive from gathering so much information because people are freely feeding them more data.

Now I’m not here to preach against AI. If I was, I’d probably bring up the controversies about energy use and water consumption. I am only pointing out that as I grow older, I’m a bit more interested in a return to the idea that the work itself is rewarding, that we can take pleasure in the job itself. That might make me a curmudgeon. If so, I will own it.

When it comes to writing of any sort, I like to sit down with a good old pen and paper and have a tactile experience thinking and writing. I enjoy the struggle and ultimately the creation. I enjoy the process. What will happen if we automate the process of genealogy so much that we don’t enjoy the hobby/profession anymore? So much of family history is about kinship and identity and discovering the impact of family on our lives that it makes the process worth it, the process becomes a human experience. What happens if we strip genealogy of the human experience because we want something done or because it is easier?

I don’t know. I don’t have the answers.

But since I’m one day into 50 and starting my life as a bona fide curmudgeon, I think I’ve got plenty of time to struggle through and shape my ideas about AI in genealogy. But please, can we stop with the AI generated photos already?

P.S. AI tried to give me a number of suggestions on how to write this blog. I ignored them all.

If I made a grammar mistake, or if you didn’t like the blog itself, we’ll both live.

Photo via Andrew Neel

Try Creating Your Reference List First

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 20 May 2025 16:14:45 GMT

Once, when I was a student, a teacher had us create the bibliography for our papers two months before the first draft was due. Before I finished the assignment, I questioned, “Why are we doing this now? I don’t know what sources I’m going to use.”

Having never done it that way, I failed to see the reasoning of creating a bibliography, reference list, or source list first. Afterwards, I realized the power in the exercise. The same can be applied to reference lists in our genealogy. So my suggestion is to create your reference list as you grab the records during your search.

One game changing technique I’ve learned over the years is to find a record, save it, and create my citations in the reference list before I do anything else. This does a couple of things for me. First. It allows me to judge the scope of my research. I can see how many documents I’ve collected on a family member, a topic, or story. I can judge how much searching I've done in a matter of moments.

In other words, have I done a reasonably exhaustive search? A quick glance at your reference list (and research log) can help you determine exactly how much you’ve done, and maybe illuminate for you what other avenues of research you still need in order to solve your query, question, mystery. You might still have more tasks to complete, or you might see that you’ve almost exhausted every avenue of potential information.

Second. Creating a reference list first is a great guide for me to understand what kind of project I am going to work on with my sources.

Let me explain it this way. In life, we often have real people to converse with. In research we have a conversation with the documents and other sources we find. They start the conversation by making a statement. We respond to those statements in multiple ways. Are we going to write a report for a client? Write a case study? Create a family history book, a blog, a podcast, or some other kind of project? Seeing your reference list might be a determining factor in how you decide to respond to the sources you find. For instance, if I have 18 newspapers stories on an event in my ancestor’s life, I might want to create a book and focus it on that one experience.

But if I have one death certificate that tells me about a 12 year stay in one location, I might need to create a research plan to learn more about my ancestor’s time in that locale.

Doing enough research will help you define how you use your research. It helps us because our thoughts, ideas, and opinions will change the more information we consume on any particular topic. If I see a one-minute video on the life of an ancestor, I will have thoughts and feelings. Those thoughts and feelings will change if I watch a thirty-minute video of the same ancestor. Guaranteed. Because you have more information.

Anyway, I believe that the more you research, the more you will know what project comes next, because really, if you don’t plan to produce anything with your research, then why do it?

So, if you don’t create your reference lists first, why don’t you give it a try? See what happens. It might work wonders for your genealogy. Or who knows? You might do what I did and grumble over more homework.

Some Society News and Updates May 2025

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 13 May 2025 15:45:36 GMT

Hello Mississippi Genealogical Society,

First of all, our June meeting will be held on June 21^st and our speaker will be Heather Moore, Head of Special Collections at the Leland Speed Library at Mississippi College. Her presentation will focus on the records of the Baptist Historical Commission and utilizing church records in genealogical research.

Second. Friend of the Society and guest of our Winter Virtual Seminar, J. Mark Lowe, has resumed posting YouTube videos. Much of the advice he shared over the span of our seminar has come in handy for me in recent weeks, so you know I’m going to tune in and soak up a bunch of awesome tips and tricks. You can find his channel Kentucky Tennessee Research Associates here. Give his videos a perusal if you get the chance.

Third. This might be a little late to promote (thanks for the late notice, Mark), but both Mark and Society friend Dr. Deborah Abbott will appear tonight on the GenealogyQuickStart Channel on YouTube to play Password! This should be fun and entertaining if you can make it. You can catch that channel here.

Fourth. Membership Dues. It’s about that time of year for those who pay in person. We’ll be available to collect dues at the June 21^st meeting. Or you can pay online and get automatic updates when it’s time to renew again. Look at that, we’re moving into the 21^st century!

Fifth. Please be on the lookout for our member survey this week. The Society will shoot all members an email with the survey attached. This is a good way for us to understand your interests and craft programming and presentations that serve our society’s current membership. So please fill that out when you see it.

Sixth. A few weeks ago, I sent out a call to arms. I invited all those who are willing and able to write a blog, a social media post, serve on the Board and more to volunteer to help the society in various ways. That call still stands. If you’d like to be more involved with the Society, please think about the opportunities at hand to participate. Or shoot us an email offering some help.

As always, thanks for letting me be a part of the genealogical fun here in Mississippi! I look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks.

A Short, Quick Citation Tip

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 06 May 2025 17:05:14 GMT

It’s that time of year. Schools and universities are nearing the end of the semester (or school year), finals and papers are due, and stress is a thing. During all this stress, there’s one thing that’s not in short supply. Yes, on college campuses there’s never a shortage of sermons about citing your sources.

What’s funny about citations is how many students get caught cheating and plagiarizing because they’re undereducated about how many tools are available to help them.

Some of them just go to Son of Citation or EasyBib, online generators that typically create more problems than they actually help. The savvier students will use programs like End Note or Zotero, both of which are fantastic and can truly help track your sources and cite those works.

Other students get in trouble because, despite their teacher’s sermons, they underutilize the library. If they’d use the library like their professors asked, they’d probably learn a multitude of small tips and tricks to help them tackle sources and citations. So what does any of this preaching about stress and the end of the year have to do with genealogy and genealogists?

Well, if you’re like those students, and need some help crafting a quick citation, I’ll show you one of the tricks I show my students. Are you ready?

Did you know that most library catalogs will create citations for you? All you need to do is look for the proper icons that will lead you to the promised land. They typically say something profound like “cite” on them, and you can grab what you need in seconds.

Here’s what it looks like on the Millsaps College Catalog.

Once you click that cite button, a smaller window emerges. It looks like this.

You can then select your citation style. It’s under the top arrow I’ve drawn on the second image. Once you select your preferred style, the citation will generate inside the gray window beneath your selection field. You can see it there with the middle arrow. The bottom arrow shows you where you can press a button to copy the citation. Then, “Bam!” you’re ready to paste it into your work.

To be fair, some public libraries with smaller budgets might not have a citation generator of this sort in their catalog. But many of them do. You’ll find generators like this in WorldCat, almost every academic library, and even inside databases that provide articles.

I find myself grabbing citations all the time from the catalog. If for some reason I’ve returned a book to the library without creating a citation, I can always go back to the catalog and get one in minutes.

I’m in the camp that believes you should take the time to learn how to handcraft citations so you can truly understand how to utilize them. However, I also recognize that there are plenty of times when a quick generator like this is the way to go.

Wherever you stand on citations, please know there’s plenty of help out there for you to cite your sources without stressing too hard. I hope this one tip is helpful for your work. So go to genealogists! Cite your work! Revel in them!

Have fun and join us for our summer programming. I’ll see you here next week.

I'm All Ears

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:15:15 GMT

A nice gentleman stopped by the JB Cain Archives at Millsaps College this week. He wanted whatever he could find about the church he attended when he was young. So I pulled the records.

He pulled up a chair and began to read. Anytime he came across the name of a pastor or congregant, he started into a personal story of his youth, how he knew the person, what were they like and some other memories he could relate about the person. Some of them were small memories, such as, “Sis. So and So always sat in the third pew from the front on the right.” Others were tales about his family, such as an uncle who was appointed as the pastor of his church.

After the third or fourth story, I stopped him and asked, “Should I be recording this?”

He looked me straight in the eyes then. Red-rimmed. Watery with tears.

“No, I think I pretty much have it written down. Unless I find something new here today. I’ve been telling my wife for years we were going to come down to Millsaps and see what you got.”

“I was serious. I can record your stories if you’d like me to. It’s a good way to preserve them. Or I can just sit and listen as long as you need.”

“Listening is fine.”

He read more of the records. At every new name he stopped to tell me a story.

Finally, he finished. I walked him and his wife out of the building.

“Thank you,” his wife said. “You’ve been very kind.”

“I’m glad to help. I’ll let you know if we find anything more.”

“We’ll hope we can come again. He’s got surgery down this way next week.” Then she whispered low, and a little hesitantly. “Cancer.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave me an awkward smile. “It’ll be okay,” he said.

“Yeah, he’s already beat it,” she said.

But it didn’t stop me from wishing I had recorded his stories anyway.

Genealogical Resources at the Millsaps-Wilson Library

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:25:08 GMT

Since this is the official blog of the Mississippi Genealogy Society, I thought I’d start posting some search hints and tricks that are specific to Mississippi. I also thought I’d start by promoting collections available at my day job.

Many of you know I am the College Librarian at Millsaps College. What many of you might not know is that Millsaps College is the home of the J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism. We are the official repository for the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Church and some of its antecedents here in Mississippi [1].

The archives is a great resource for those of you searching for your Methodist ancestors. My suggestion is to start by visiting our research guide located here. This research guide is a great place to find information regarding the collections found at the J. B. Cain archives but will also guide you to online access of the New Orleans Christian Advocate, the Mississippi Advocate, and more [3].

Recently, during our Winter Virtual Seminar, researcher J. Mark Lowe was impressed by the name index of Mississippians mentioned in the New Orleans Christian Advocate. The index was created by J. B. Cain, a prominent Methodist church historian whose work resulted in the creation of the archive.

However, the Christian newspapers aren’t the only noteworthy collections. If you peruse the various tabs and hyperlinks on the page, you will find lists of memoirs and obituaries of notable Methodist ministers, a list of church registers residing in the collection, and finding aids for the United Methodist Women’s Society and the Manuscript Collections of notable Mississippi Methodists[4].

If you’re looking specifically for a name of a family member who belonged to a particular church, you’d go to the church registers and records tab, scroll to the hyperlink that says Church Registers and Records, and voila! [5] A document providing the list of church registers in the collection will open. Then you can check to see if the church your ancestor attended is on the list. Once you've found the church you're looking for be sure to schedule an appointment with us to scroll through the church register in person.

The library and archive staff are willing to answer any questions you might have about the process. Please understand that the J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism is currently open by appointment only. If you want to schedule a visit, please email librarian@millsaps.edu.

Also, it's best to know that there are other genealogical resources housed in the Millsaps-Wilson Library. I just wanted to highlight some of the most used items from the J. B. Cain Archives today.

Other than that, I do hope this information is helpful to your search. Have a good week and I hope to get you more useful tips soon.

P.S. Here's a classic view of the old archives reading room [6].

[1] Millsaps-Wilson Library. “The Archives.” Millsaps College, 2024. https://millsaps.edu/academics/millsaps-wilson-library/the-archives/

[2] Millsaps-Wilson Library. "J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism: Overview." Millsaps College. Hyperlink to an Overview of the resources found in the J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism is provided. Accessed 22 April 2025. https://libguides.millsaps.edu/methodist/overview

[3] Millsaps-Wilson Library. “J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism: Finding Aids.” Millsaps College. New Orleans Christian Advocate hyperlink is provided in blue lettering at the top of the page. Accessed 21 April 2025. https://libguides.millsaps.edu/methodist/indexes

[4] Millsaps-Wilson Library. “J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism: Finding Aids.” Millsaps College. The memoirs and obituaries and United Methodist Women’s Society hyperlinks are provided in blue lettering at the top of the page. Accessed 21 April 2025. https://libguides.millsaps.edu/methodist/indexes

[5] Millsaps-Wilson Library. “J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism: Church Registers and Records” Millsaps College. Accessed 21 April 2025. https://libguides.millsaps.edu/methodist/churches

[6] Millsaps-Wilson Library. "Reading Room at the J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism." Photograph. 2017. Millsaps College Archives, Jackson, Mississippi. Accessed 2025.

Family History Interviews: Where the Magic Happens

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 20:47:16 GMT

Right before Christmas, my family drove to Destin for a little getaway. My wife and I packed our swimsuits, towels, shorts, sandals, buckets, chairs, and a few extra clothes and made the trek to the little beach house my mother-in-law rented for our group. The weather was warm, not too humid, and the crowds were nonexistent.

We spent most of our time that week strolling the beach under the full moon, sitting in the hot tub, going on dolphin watching cruises in the gulf, and even swimming in the mid-December surf. We made memories with the family. Cousins played with cousins. Sisters shopped with sisters. And me? Well, I read a book. That’s what beaches are for, right? Beach reading?

Okay. Okay. I didn’t always read. Nope. One morning towards the end of our stay, I found myself at the beach house with Grandma—my wife’s mom. That morning, I kind of coerced her to sit down with me for an oral history interview. Family history style. The audio turned out perfectly and I was excited to hear stories of her parents, grandparents, and other tales from her childhood. I let her talk until the rest of the family broke up the interview when they came home for lunch.

Shortly after my chat with Grandma we came home. It’s then I decided to transcribe the interview and attach some documents pertaining to the folks she mentioned. Let me say this about my project—I fell straight down the genealogical rabbit hole. Like magic, I was no longer in our world but had hopped straight through the proverbial looking glass.

My hunt for documentation concerning the people, places, and other ideas Grandma mentioned led me to find stories the family (specifically my wife and mother-in-law) didn’t know. Some of these stories are tales straight out of a Zane Grey or Louis L’Amour novel. Others are of the romantic variety. (I hope to write a few of these stories down someday soon. Unfortunately I don't have time to tell them to you today.)

Either way, everyone has been so excited to hear the news about what I found and to make connections with those who’re no longer here. Most exciting to me was when my wife started sending me articles on aspects of the oral history interview she found fascinating.

In our time together, I’m not sure I ever remember my wife doing any kind of genealogy research on her own. But this time, after hearing her mom’s stories, she was interested to know more and went on a hunt. These experiences, our research, have led to great conversations with our children when we told them what we found. I do hope they catch the genealogy bug too. Either way, there are still more stories to discover, more memories to share, and more interviews to conduct. There are even more memories to make like those we made with the rest of the family in Destin.

Overall, that one interview with Grandma has led to several rewarding experiences for me. And none of it would have happened had I not interviewed her. It’s safe to say I can’t wait for the chance to interview her again. When I do, I’ll be sure to chat with other family members as well. So please, take this as a reminder to interview (and record) your family members. Spend some time picking their brains, listening to their memories, and enjoying the moment. Then afterwards you’ll research those stories and use them as a jumping off place for your hunt. Because trust me. Those interviews are where the magic happens.

Thank You and A Call to Arms

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 17:53:20 GMT

Hello friends of the Mississippi Genealogical Society!

It’s April. Officially spring.

As the azaleas, tulips, roses, and flowers bloom, we move away from our fantastic Winter Virtual Seminar featuring J. Mark Lowe. Throughout late January and into March, members of the society sharpened their skills, worked on research in real time, and built friendships during our weekly meeting with this fantastic researcher. He even brought guests most weeks. Guests like the fabulous Dr. Abbott, who reminded us to Write Our Story first.

I’d like to take a moment and express my gratitude for the fun the two of them have brought to us the last month or so. Thank you. Truly.

That being said, now that we’re in the second quarter of the year, I’d like to put out a call for suggestions. Whether it’s a meeting topic, a presenter, speakers, workshop ideas or more, please send us a note with what you’d like to see from the society. This is your society. Your place to learn and grow as researchers and hobbyists in the genealogical field. Please help us become your go to place for all things genealogy in the state of Mississippi.

And if you want to donate your time and talents to the society, we’ll take that too. We’re currently in need of help running the zoom portion of our monthly meetings. Plus we need some awesome social media posts. And blog posts. We need more blogs than the few I put out on Tuesday afternoons. There’s so much to do and we want you to be a part of it all.

So this is your call to arms. Join us. Research with us. Give us suggestions. And if you’re new to Mississippi or genealogy, tell us about your family. We have a meeting on April 19 with Dr. William K Storey, author and Millsaps College professor. If you like what you see, pull up a chair and stick around a while. We always need new additions to the family.

Every One of Us a Pumpkin

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 22:55:19 GMT

On Sunday, a friend cornered me at church. She said, “Wyatt, I need to pick your brains for a minute,” and pointedly looked at two books she held in her hands. Both wore black covers and one had the date 1949 on it.

“How can I help?” I asked.

“My dad recently gave me these journals from my grandfather and great-grandfather. I figured I’d ask you what I needed to do with them before I do anything else with them.”

Now I know what she really meant was, “How do I preserve and take care of these?” And I answered that question immediately. However, before I went on my long and detailed rant about preservation and storage and washing her hands before she touched them and other standard archival practices I felt she needed to know, I should have said something else. I should have said, “Read them.”

First and foremost, I should have made sure that she planned to read them, not just assumed that she would. I should have expressed how important I think they’ll be to her and not because I think they’re important because of their age. You see, I don’t care how old they are. I don’t care if they’re from 1913 or 1949 or some other time (they are from 1913 and 1949). I mention this because sometimes people think age is what brings the value to items like these. Unfortunately, age isn’t what makes them important. I think they’re important because they’re from her family. And because of that, I truly hope she reads them. And treasures them. Those journals from her ancestors are filled with priceless words and thoughts. They’re also filled with the opportunity to feel the connection to her grandfather and great-grandfather in ways she never knew before.

Truly, how many of us who dabble in genealogy would love to have journals from our ancestors? I don’t have any. The closest thing I have is one letter from my grandfather. It’s actually not a letter. It’s a note he wrote when he annotated some sheet music for me. He wanted me to learn Stardust on the harmonica and took the time to arrange and annotate the song for me with his own arrangement. I never expected him to go out of his way for me like that. And in the end, his little note became tangible evidence my grandfather not only knew my name, but thought about me as well.

Photo from the author's personal collection

You see, it might have been easy to doubt whether or not my grandfather knew me. He lived at least 500 miles from me, had a good 20-30 other grandchildren (some of which I knew, others I didn’t), and he called every single one of us “pumpkin.” He said it in his quiet voice that almost sounded like mumbling. Every time he called me pumpkin, I wasn’t sure what to think because he called all of his grandchildren by the same pet name.

Then one day a few years later and after I grew a few feet taller, my grandfather learned I’d been dabbling in the harmonica. As someone who toured the local circuit of rest homes and office gigs with his harmonica group, this new knowledge excited him. We jammed. We learned new music. We both learned the Dances with Wolves soundtrack, which was popular at the time. We had a great time. It was our thing. Harmonicas became a special moment for someone like me, who grew up most of my life not really knowing my grandparents. You see, two of them died before I was born, the third died when I was 5, and the only remaining one resided 500 miles away. Growing up that far away from your grandparent makes you suspect when they start calling every kid around you “pumpkin.”

So after the jam sessions and the harmonica lessons died down, and my grandfather dropped me a note, one with MY NAME ON IT!, it dispelled all doubt on whether or not he knew my name. Plus it was beyond cool that he was thinking of me.

These days I wish I had more than one paragraph written in a shaky hand from my grandfather. Boy, what would I do for a journal or two? So, my friend, please forgive me if I gave you all the advice on how to preserve those journals without making sure you’re going to read them. But even more important, my friend, take it from me. Read them. Read them and appreciate the treasure you’re working to preserve.

What is GEDCOM?

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 19:42:23 GMT

GEDCOM. The acronym reminds me of the ones used by the U. S. military, something reminiscent of the DEFCON system. A friend of mine said it sounded like some new, fancy business. When I first heard the term though, I thought, “Great. Is this one more expensive addition to my hobby that I’ll have to know and use?”

I had already jumped in the deep end of genealogy and was barely afloat. Frankly, one more thing to buy or subscribe to sounded silly, even if the word itself felt mysterious and difficult and slightly militaristic.

Lucky for me, GEDCOM isn’t all that difficult to understand. It’s a file format. That’s all. Like jpeg or pdf or docx, it’s a format for electronic files that allows for the transfer of genealogical information. In fact, the word GEDCOM stands for Genealogical Data Communication.

People save pictures to jpegs, documents to pdf or docx, and audio files to mp3s. Genealogists save their family tree information to GEDCOM files. That’s it. Easy enough to understand, right?

But why am I telling you all of this? Well, my mom called me the other day. I was coming home from Disneyland (California, not Florida) and she had some genealogical questions for a friend.

Can I export my family tree from Ancestry and upload it to FamilySearch? That was the question.

Why, yes you can. All you have to do is export your family tree as a GEDCOM file and upload it to FamilySearch. You see, GEDCOM files work within the proprietary systems of various websites and software. Roots Magic, Family Tree Maker, My Heritage and more all support GEDCOM files. Now, the extent to what information will transfer from one site to another varies. This is because GEDCOM has been released as an open source system and various entities can tailor it for their own purposes.

Whoa. How does that impact me? It means that Ancestry might allow you to save pictures (or some other form of data) in their GEDCOM files but FamilySearch won’t (I say might because I don’t know all the minutiae about what a GEDCOM file will save on Ancestry vs FamilySearch and I’m not about to learn). It also means that not every bit of information will transfer. However, the important part is that the basic file will store the most important information and allow you to import it elsewhere. (A note. If you do happen to download a GEDCOM from Ancestry or elsewhere and upload it full sale to FamilySearch, it will create a number of duplicate ancestors in the family tree for users everywhere. This is because Family Tree is one shared tree for everyone. Therefore, it’s best to use your GEDCOM file to import only the information into FamilySearch Family Tree that is missing or new. If you do happen to upload your entire tree, please help merge the duplicate files or otherwise keep the tree as clean as possible.)

As you might expect, the nerdier, techier fans of genealogy sometimes argue over the capabilities, capacities, and features of what GEDCOM files can do, but my purpose here today isn’t to weigh in on the pros and cons of the latest file type. Nope. My purpose here is to say this—don’t be afraid of the term GEDCOM. And don’t be afraid to download a GEDCOM file from Ancestry, My Heritage, FamilySearch, Roots Magic, Family Tree Maker, or wherever you store your tree. Back up your work every now and again. Feel safe knowing you’ve backed up your work and that if you decide to change platforms, you should still be able to recover most of your information. Or if you need to, export and import your work to a new site, like my mother’s friend, who by now has downloaded her Ancestry tree as a GEDCOM file and imported it to FamilySearch.

Anyway, that’s all for now folks. GEDCOM is still a thing, it’s not all that mysterious, except for those who go DEFCON 2 just thinking about using a computer. If you need to learn how to download a GEDCOM file from your favorite site, there are plenty of tutorials online. In the meantime, I hope you have a nice day and good luck on your hunt.

All the Things

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:29:26 GMT

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Sometimes I try to do all the things. I write out a research plan. I cite my sources. I keep a research log. I feel productive.

Then the hour grows late and I realize I’ve been at my computer enjoying the hunt and I think, “It’s late. My eyes are bleary. Tomorrow’s a new day.”

That’s about the time I reluctantly step away from the screen, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed. Right about the time I’m drifting off to sleep I think, “Why didn’t I try searching his name as Marcus or Markus instead of just Mark?” Or some silly other little thing I didn’t do or record in my notes.

Then I toss and turn in my sleep because, “Tomorrow is a new day.”

Life is Richer + RootsTech this Week

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 18:15:31 GMT

I remember one of my first visits to the FamilySearch Library. It was known as the Family History Library then, and I knew next to nothing about genealogy. To be fair, it still feels like I know next to nothing about genealogy.

This was sometime in 2011. I was newly married, in the middle of a career change, and looking for graduate school programs. Nothing about the grad school offerings truly excited me, leaving me with some extra time for my hobbies. Because of a chance encounter with a professional genealogist, I dove into the deep end of the hobby. Full force. No looking back.

For me, diving in meant drinking from the firehose. Often. I watched webinars, some of them too simplistic for my skills, while I found others way too advanced. I signed up for Ancestry and FamilySearch accounts. And of course I went to the FamilySearch Library (I obviously didn’t live in Mississippi then). Looking back, I might have nudged myself in a different direction, one that would have led me to libraries and archives earlier, but that’s a different story.

Anyway, I remember an early trip to the library, where I spoke to one of the professional genealogists on staff. She kindly pointed me in the direction of some materials and let me do a bit of research. On this occasion, I got lucky, found a few documents, and photocopied them. I went back to pack up for the day and on my way out I ran into the same genealogist. She asked if I had found anything. I showed her my photocopies. She kindly encouraged me to cite my sources on the page and even helped me to write them out. The I asked her the big question.

“Okay, so I found all these documents and information about my family members. So what do I do with them?”

She looked at me quizzically. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“What do I do with all this information? I like knowing it. I like learning it. It’s interesting and fun, but can I use it? What do I physically do with it? Isn’t it like reading a book? It's just for me. I’ve read it and now what?”

This kind woman still looked confused for a moment. “You can write a book, you can create a visual family tree, you can collect photos, and meet distant cousins, or you can even join a lineage or genealogical society.”

Her answer sounded flat in my ears. The way she looked at me . . . I knew she knew I wasn’t convinced about her answer, even if some of those answers were correct. And even today, they’re still good answers. But at the time I didn’t understand something about genealogy and family history that I’ve come to know and feel today. You see, I still want to do things with my genealogy, whether it’s to write or collect photos or to share family stories with others. But what I didn’t know then was just how many people are out there who deeply yearn to connect with their ancestors. They want connections that are deep and poignant and transcend a need to “do something” with the information found during a search. And though it might have sounded trite to my ears to write a book or collect some photographs, these are small ways that can lead to the deep and powerful feelings of connection the hobby can provide. But those aren’t all. If you help other people with the research into their families or join a society and make friends with others in a group, these activities will enrich your life.

My life is better because I’ve made friends with others who share my love of the hobby. It is better because I can share family stories, stories I never knew until recently, stories I share with my children and point out the similarities between them and their ancestors. It is better because I get to help others make discoveries at work when I am in the archives or even if I share a few of the tips and tricks I’ve learned with other researchers in the genealogical society. It is better because it inspires me to go and do more every day. To live more every day.

So, yes, go ahead and write a book, collect photos and newspaper clippings, join a society, or just share family stories with friends. Go ahead and do the research into each family member. I guarantee if you find things to do beyond the research, even small things to do with the information you gather or the skills you’ve learned along the way, your life will be better, livelier, richer.

Prove me wrong.

P.S. RootsTech is this week. For those who can't go and would love the opportunity to learn new skills online, please sign up for the event for free here. RootsTech has a special place in my heart because the first RootsTech played an important role in my discovering genealogy.

This is a great opportunity for those who love the hobby to absorb, learn, get inspired and share with a worldwide community of genealogists.

Fully Clothed and No Kissing

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 21:52:18 GMT

After church services yesterday, a friend of mine, William, approached me. “How are you?” he asked. “Have you been busy doing family history?”

Have I been busy doing family history? On the 13^th of February we met with J. Mark Lowe as part of the Mississippi Genealogical Society’s Winter Virtual Seminar. On the 15^th of February Jennifer McGillan of Mississippi State University Libraries presented to the Society. On the 20^th, we met with Mark again. Somewhere in between those meetings I managed to find some documents of a coroner’s inquest about a family member who died of poisoning (more to come on that later, I hope).

It’s been a whirlwind month, full of research, stories, and building the Mississippi Genealogical Society community. I explained all of this to William, who responded by saying, “You know—I’m not really very good at the entire family history thing.”

His statement struck me as funny for a minute.

“Do you have any pictures of your parents on your phone, by chance?” I asked.

“No, but I have a couple of my sister who passed away,” he said.

“Do me a favor, download the FamilySearch Memories app.” Now, I’m not the best at collecting photos on my phone. I’m also not the biggest social media user. But to be fair, there are some cool functions that are easy to use over at FamilySearch. And what is FamilySearch Memories if it isn’t social media for genealogists?

So, I showed William how to download the app and upload the photos of his sister. It turns out the photos were in his email, a modern-day shoebox where digital photos grow dusty and linger if someone leaves them untouched. Nevertheless, we found the photos, stuck them on Memories and tagged his sister in the photos so that other relatives could view the pictures.

By this time, which took all of five to seven minutes, a couple of other friends wandered along and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Family history,” William said. “Look at this!” He started showing them the photos he posted to the app.

“Ooh teach me,” one of them asked.

And William was off, showing the others how to post photos to FamilySearch Memories, all the way down to my admonition, “Now you need to be sure your photos are of people fully clothed and no kissing. It’s one of FamilySearch’s requirements for the photos.”

They all got a good chuckle from that one and soon enough, the four of us pulled out some chairs, sat in a circle and chatted about our families. We discussed family stories, how to get started in genealogy, common friends who are interested in their lineage, and more. One of them said, “I need to show these guys at work that app. There are three of them who love genealogy.” Another one stated, "I wish Davis was here. Out of all my friends, he’s the one who could tell a story and I imagine he could write a profound history of his family.”

After an hour we decided to call it quits for the day. It’s now a full two days later, and I’m still struck how fun it was to sit with a few friends and chat about family. It didn’t take much to start the conversation. It started with a question. “Hey, do me a favor?” and asking William to upload a photo. Then he showed someone else how to do it. Neither of them got “good at family history,” yesterday. But they did something. One thing. They preserved a memory for future generations. And they found a small community with likeminded interests.

If you’re one to enjoy family history, research, preservation of stories and memorabilia, or any of the other facets of genealogy, please join our community here at the Mississippi Genealogical Society. We’d love to have you, research with you, chat with you, see your pictures and more. Let’s just make sure we’re pulling stuff out of the old shoebox, literal or digital, and sharing it with others.

Let’s just do it fully clothed. And no kissing of course.

Where To Go Next?

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 18:12:49 GMT

Picture this. You’re at dinner with some friends. Maybe you’re on a date. The food is good. The conversation lively. There are laughs and fun and time passes way too quickly. You don’t want the evening to end. None of you do. So someone asks, “Where do we go next?”

But at that point the energy dies because no one knows exactly where to go or what establishments are open, whether or not to get dessert or grab a hot chocolate, or call even to call it quits. Everyone flounders with bad ideas about your next destination. Potentially, you might end up at some late-night coffee shop, the same one you went to last week. And the week before. In the end, you fall into the same routine. You don’t like it, but you don’t know what other options are available.

Have you ever had an experience similar to the one I described?

In my time as a librarian and archivist, I’ve had a number of less-experienced researchers who’ve expressed similar ideas to me about their research habits. “Where do I go next?” they ask all too frequently. They’ve had fun researching their ancestors. They have even found an interesting document or two. But soon enough they’ve exhausted their research on Ancestry and Family Search. In their heads, they know more might be out there, but where? Other researchers, professional genealogists, librarians, and archivists have given them hints, told them to check out an archive, an historical society, or some other repository, but they’re still note quite sure where to search next. In the end, they go back to FamilySearch or Ancestry and look at the same databases for the same results they found in the past.

To be fair, the scenario I just presented to you implies that I’m going to give you advice on where to physically go next. I’m not. To be fair, we don’t have time to cover all the different Choose Your Own Adventure options that are available in this short blog post. But I am going to discuss a skill I try to instill in students the first time they visit an archive. This skill is at the core of all research and it’s one I find students consistently struggle with.

It's the skill of asking questions about a text. Asking basic questions about the text can greatly increase our chances of finding more information. These questions include: Who created this document? Who was it created for? What year was it created? Is it real or true? What information does it give me? Are there any other organizations mentioned in the document?

This isn't an exhaustive list nor is it meant to be a defining list of questions people should ask about a text. No, these questions are meant to help build the habit of asking questions in general.

In my experience, asking good questions leads to good answers and then to even more questions. I saw this process play out with a history class a week or so ago. Let me tell you about it.

Meet Sing-Ung Zung. He was the first international student to graduate from Millsaps College. Doesn't he look distinguished in his senior photograph from the 1908 Bobashela (Millsaps College’s yearbook)?

Recently a professor asked if he could bring his class to the archives and search for more information about Sing-Ung Zung. The history class already knew a little about him from the Bobashela entry. Personally, I didn't know anything about him. Because of my ignorance and because of my desire to be well prepared, I looked at various records in the archives to try and learn more about Millsaps College's first international student. Unfortunately, my search came up empty. I searched under the terms "international students" and "foreign students" and more. I searched the archive's name index. I tried various other strategies as well, all to no avail. Then other tasks at work bogged me down and slowed my preparation.

By the day of the class, I realized I hadn’t done the basic task I should have performed in the first place. I should have gone to the 1908 Bobashela entry, the one the professor had told me had been the genesis for the class's interest in the subject. The same entry pictured above. I opened the yearbook and I read the text. While I read the passage I asked basic questions about the paragraph I read. Surprisingly, even in an entry with so few words, I found a lot of clues on where to go next.

So I ask you now to read the text and ask questions. Let them spring up from the written description of Mr. Zung and see if there are any clues on where you would search next.

Did you find anything to help engage in the search? The students did. They started with what I thought were the two most obvious questions. Does the archive have registration and admissions information? Their reasoning was this: if Mr. Zung was graduating, then he had to be admitted and register for the college. Great question, right?

The technical answer their question is no, the archives don't have registration and admission records. But the registrar's office and office of records does. So the students would need to contact the records office for that kind of information. Either way, they win. They win because they succeeded in prolonging their search and found another research opportunity. Then I asked them to try again.

This time they asked the second easiest question. And this question was easy for them because some of the students had prior knowledge. Does the archive have access to the Collegian? Please note the paragraph about Mr. Zung states he was a contributor to the Collegian. Some of the students knew the Collegian was an early student publication, and this prior knowledge led them to ask whether or not the archives has access to the publication. The College archives does have access to the Collegian, but some of the students knew that prior to class and had searched the Collegian digitally. This digital search led them to a stand still. Why a stand still? Because their search yielded some information, but not as much as they'd have liked, they disappointed. They felt as if they had exhausted every avenue to find information about Mr. Zung.

I asked them to try again, to ask more questions. I could sense they didn't want to, but I encouraged them and they followed my lead.

If you feel like you could use some practice asking questions about a text, please read the entry about Mr. Zung in the photo above. Are there any other questions to ask? Do you see them? Take a minute and find more clues about Mr. Zung from what you read. Think, "if I was Mr. Zung's descendant, what would I want to know?" Then write them down. (To be fair, I'm not going to tell you what questions I asked. I will, however, give examples of the questions the class asked that helped us find other records to search, regardless of whether we found information on Mr. Zung or not. The idea here is to learn to ask a number of questions that can help researchers find alternative routes to new information.)

Did the group of students finally ask other questions? And if so, what? They did. In fact, it turned into a deluge of questions, but I had to prompt them first. I asked them, “What do you do for fun while on campus? What do you do here that people might remember you for?” And for them it clicked. They reread the passage and asked--what is the Galloway Literary Society? Who was Galloway and why was the society named after him? Does Galloway have anything to do with the church down the street from us here in Jackson, Mississippi? Wasn't Galloway one of the founders of the College? Does the archives have records on either Galloway or the Literary Society? If so, do the speeches or writing of Sing-Ung Zung reside there? Where is Soochow China and if Mr. Zung is from there, which port of entry did he most likely enter when he came to the U.S.? Which Christian church did he belong to and what was his connection to the church?

The more questions the group asked, the more excited they got, and then they instinctively knew where to go next. In some cases the next steps included physically going elsewhere. Like the records office to ask about Sing-Ung Zung’s registration data. In other cases it was virtual repositories such as Ancestry or Newspapers.com to see if A) he did go to Vanderbilt after Millsaps and B) what was his port of entry? But it also led to questions about what other records reside in the Millsaps College Archives. Does the College have records from the Galloway Literary Society? Does the College have records on Galloway?

The archives does have records from the Galloway Society and of Charles Betts Galloway, one of the founders of Millsaps College. Our short discussion about asking questions led us to find entries in the finding aids for the Galloway Society and we pulled some boxes relating to the organization. The students rifled through folders and boxes and records and enjoyed the research. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to delve into every question we came up with. An hour of class time just isn’t enough to look into every mystery presented to us. Some of us even found more information about Mr. Zung. However, learning to ask a few questions about the little information presented gave us a variety of options on where to go next.

I hope the students keep up their search for Mr. Zung. (I know I did, albeit away from the class.) More importantly, I hope they remember to ask good questions about the information they find. Because it’s those questions that will keep us from settling into the same unfulfilling routine over and over again and let us know exactly where to go next.

Photos courtesy of The Bobashela, Millsaps College Archives, Millsaps College, Jackson Mississippi.

Systems and Habits

Wyatt Winnie — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 20:18:12 GMT

I lost my flash drive this week. When I went to grab my keys and wallet yesterday morning, I noticed the little blue device was missing. A jolt of fear spiked my heart. I dug through pockets and checked USB ports and every place I could think of to find my little friend. I might have been a little frantic. Maybe not. Only my wife could say. Unfortunately, the little guy was nowhere to be found.

Some might call it antiquated, but I still depend heavily on my flash drive when it comes to genealogy and family history. Sure, I have backups and can recreate the files. And in the end, there’s nothing I can’t recreate. Still, losing something of so much value feels a bit disappointing. How can it not? I collected thousands of family history files, photographs, research logs and more on the flash drive. It allowed me to work while away from my desk at home.

So, why bring this up at all? Why inform the world I lost my flash drive? Well, like going to the gym, playing a musical instrument, going to work, or any other hobby, success is built around good habits. And good habits are built around good systems. It’s the system you create that keeps you going to the gym when it gets tough. It’s the system you create that allows you to stay organized with your files, or even citing your sources enough to know where you gathered your information.

I’ve been around the genealogy world long enough to know that there are many people who just want to know the stories of their ancestors or to just find a record mentioning their forebears. They often want the fun part of the hobby without putting in the effort to get better or learn how to be more effective in a way that will bring the fun parts to them. There’s nothing wrong with their point of view. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a hobby to be fun. But for those of us who need to know where we found those records a year or five down the road, good systems and habits will help us stay on track.

Now to be frank, I’m not a guy who is going to harp on and on about the importance of citing your genealogy sources. Or even get pedantic about where you place a period in your citations. That’s not my jam (as the youngsters say). But I am someone who recognizes the importance of having good systems in place so you can cite your sources, organize your work, and even have backups available so that when tragedy strikes you can continue on with your work. I am someone who needs systems in place to do the right activity at the right time, thereby bringing the results I desire. I need the right system at home, work, and in my hobbies. So, if you’re one of those kinds of people too, here is your friendly reminder. Create a system you can use to build good habits. Then go and have fun with your family history.

Long live the system, and may my little flash drive rest in peace.

Some Small but Powerful Advice from Wyatt Winnie, MGS President

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 02:01:42 GMT

A friend of mine shared a post on Facebook the other day. She copied the link from TikTok. The video was of one man, dressed in scrubs, watching the video of some other social media influencer. The social media influencer preached on about the benefits of some food or another, and the man in the scrubs pointed at the influencer and nodded his head in an affirmative manner. The idea was obviously that the viewer should assume the guy in scrubs is a doctor, nurse, or some other dietary expert and that he was approving of the influencer’s opinion. The guy in scrubs never said a word.

Anyway, I went down a rabbit hole watching a few of the guy in scrubs videos. There wasn’t one TikTok he posted where he stated who he was, or where and how he gained his expertise. I immediately thought, “Well, I can dress in scrubs as well as the next guy and deceive people if I wanted.”

But that’s just the point right? People everywhere are putting the scam on. You’ve got to fact check everything and everyone. Your news outlets, your social media feeds, your junk mail, and even Uncle Larry sitting at the dinner table need a good fact checking. (Pro tip: keep the fact checks of Grandma to a minimum when you’re all eating together.)

Now some of you experienced genealogical researchers might see this as yet another opportunity for me to spout the wisdom of citing your sources. Unfortunately, I’ll save that topic for another day. No, today I’d like to share a piece of powerful advice J. Mark Lowe shared from a recent seminar with the Mississippi Genealogical Society.

In speaking of newspaper research, Mr. Lowe reminded the group that once upon a time, newspapers used wire services in order to find stories to fill the next edition. As the stories made it from paper to paper, mistakes crept in and soon enough, the story was full of errors. He reminded us what any good researcher needs to remember—fact checking Uncle Larry is paramount to success as a genealogist. But not just Uncle Larry. Any news story you find in historical papers needs some good old evidence to back the story. This is powerful advice to the seasoned and less experienced researcher.

Trust me, I know how it feels to get the reminder. Especially for some of the less experienced members of the group. You spend hours scrolling though digital databases and bound volumes of newspapers looking for any hint, shred of evidence, or mention of your ancestor and when you do, you want to yell “Eureka! I finally found it!”

But then someone tells you to verify it. Go find more evidence. Sure, sometimes the news article is the corroborating piece of evidence. Other times though, it’s just the clue to look in other places for more documentation. The case Mr. Lowe shared with us was a murder story, which meant there would be clues in court records about the vile circumstances of the killing. Murder stories aren’t the only ones you can investigate. Sometimes you might find your ancestor listed in divorce proceedings, liens on property, deeds on crops, and more. In other words, the news story of your ancestor might just be the beginning of the story if you have the patience to go searching for it. Imagine the power in looking for more records after a new story. If the story was of the school dance, could there be a yearbook photo of it or some other school record? If it's the story of an athlete, what local archive holds records on local athletes? There's a lot of potential opportunities to find more records and resources if you ask, "Where did this come from?"

So please remember Mr. Lowe’s advice—fact check your newspaper stories. It’s important. Just as important as fact checking Uncle Larry or anybody else in today’s information rich society. However, since it’s genealogy, this is probably a bit more fun, and definitely more rewarding than watching some guy in scrubs point his finger about some other TikToker’s video.

Stranger than fiction

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 18:50:59 GMT

Gordon George Byron, Lord Byron, is the first known to pen the now popular saying "Tis strange -- but true; for truth is always strange; Stranger than fiction; if it could be told, ..."

In the May 2024 Mississippi Genealogical Society meeting, newly elected, incoming society President, Wyatt Winnie, led participants in a discussion of how applicable 'stranger than fiction' really is in the genealogy world. From airplane close encounters to unknown countryside church artifacts to historical newspaper findings (when researching something completely different), there are endless accounts of fascinating genealogical research stories. For so many of us, those stories and accounts are the cherries on our research milkshakes. Those stories -- countless numbers of them -- are as fun and affirming as the information found about our ancestors.

Genealogical and historical societies are a rich source for those accounts and places to share them. Mississippi Genealogical Society seeks to preserve records for future researchers and provide education for researchers of all experience levels. The Society also seeks to bring researchers together to provide a network of like-minded family history researchers -- to provide an environment of comradery and support.

Come join us and add to the treasure trove of stories. Be part of our network. Bring your stories.