Do you know the names of your ancestors?
In 2020, my grandmother passed away, and her death, which I had feared so greatly, spurred me on a quest to uncover the names of my ancestors. By the end of that year, I had discovered over twenty previously unknown ancestors and expanded my family tree significantly.
During my journey to unearth my family's history, I kept repeating to myself, "I wish I had asked more questions." This realization inspired me to urge my community to communicate more with our elders. Only after they are gone do many of us realize that our elders are repositories of our ancestors' legacies.
I am deeply grateful that I took copious notes before my grandmother's passing, and I am fortunate to have another living grandmother who has generously shared her stories and knowledge. From these experiences, I have compiled a list of questions that can help others get started, which you can access through the links below.
The information I have gathered has been invaluable on my journey. However, I want to reassure you that if you do not have living grandparents, it should not discourage or overwhelm you. I encourage you to connect with any elder in your family and begin there. One of the most profound lessons I've learned along the way is that "when you reach backwards, your ancestors reach forward, and everything in between falls in line."
Approaching the past with our elders can sometimes be delicate, requiring a gentle voice and patience to uncover what lies beneath the surface. For those eager to start their own journey, consider exploring resources such as FamilySearch, Ancestry (for documents only), and BLM.gov (for researching land in your family's name). Please note that we do not endorse mouth swab DNA tests from companies like Ancestry, a topic best explored another time.
Remember, you can still access valuable records such as census data, old documents, newspapers, military records, and most importantly, oral histories passed down through generations.
With love,
Sunumi
Village Of Mothers
