When Our Ancestors Feel a Little Closer

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Something about this time of year turns our thoughts toward those who came before us. The evenings arrive earlier, familiar recipes return to our kitchens, and the approaching holidays bring memories of people whose places at the table are now empty.

We may find ourselves remembering a grandmother’s voice, a father’s familiar expression, or the way someone always made sure everyone had enough to eat. Sometimes, an ordinary moment makes a person we have lost feel very close.

This season is often associated with the idea of a “thin veil” between the living and the dead. Irish Halloween folklore includes beliefs that the souls of the departed could return to the family home. In Mexico’s Día de los Muertos traditions, families welcome and remember deceased loved ones with photographs, favorite foods, and offerings. Christian observances of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day also make this a season for honoring saints and remembering and praying for the departed. These traditions have distinct meanings, but each gives people a time to turn their attention toward those who have died.

Whether we understand that closeness through faith, family tradition, or memory, it offers something for genealogists to consider: How are our ancestors still speaking in our lives?

The Things We Carry Without Knowing

Some family influences are easy to recognize. We know whose wedding ring rests in the jewelry box or whose handwriting fills the recipe cards. Other connections take more work to uncover.

A family’s determination to keep a well-stocked pantry might make more sense after we learn about years of hunger or uncertain employment. An emphasis on education may have begun with someone who had little opportunity to attend school. A language that disappeared between generations may lead us to questions about immigration, belonging, and the pressure to fit in.

We cannot assume we know the reasons behind every family habit. But research gives us a place to begin asking.

Why did they leave? What did they hope to find? What did they want their children to have that they had gone without?

Those questions help us see how experiences from long ago may have reached into our own childhoods—and perhaps into the lives of our children.

Listening Through the Records

Our ancestors still speak to us through the letters, photographs, and other records. As genealogists, we spend a great deal of time looking for names, dates, and places. Those details matter. They help us identify the right people and build an accurate account of their lives.

Yet, there are moments when a record gives us something more.

A signature may reveal handwriting surprisingly similar to our own. A letter preserves a person’s humor, worries, or affection. A closer look at a photograph may reveal a familiar smile or family resemblance we hadn’t noticed before. A newspaper notice may reveal years of service to a community. A census entry can prompt us to investigate what happened when a household lost a parent or took in a relative.

Remembering the Whole Person

Looking closely at our ancestors also means making room for complicated stories.

Some left examples we want to follow. Others made choices we struggle to understand. Many did both. Family history can hold generosity and hurt, courage and fear, accomplishment and regret.

We do not have to excuse someone’s actions to study their life honestly. Understanding a family pattern may help us decide what we want to carry forward and what we hope to change.

That, too, gives genealogy a place in our present lives. What we learn can affect how we treat one another, the questions we ask, and the stories we choose to tell the next generation.

Make Room for One Story

This season, perhaps we can give one ancestor a little more of our attention.

Choose a photograph and find out who is pictured. Ask a relative about a holiday custom. Prepare a family recipe and write down the name of the person who shared it. Return to a familiar document and consider what it reveals about someone’s daily life.

Then preserve what you learn. Record the source, write a paragraph, or add a note explaining why an object matters. Share it with someone who may never have heard the story.

An old photograph becomes more meaningful when someone can say, “Let me tell you about her.”

A Connection Worth Keeping

Whatever your understanding of the idea of a "thin veil," taking time to listen closely to the past can enrich our lives.

Whose story will you make time for this season?

Amanuensis Monday - Marriage Return of Andrew Hatcher & Sarah Ford, 1869, Scott County, Missouri

This weekly blog post was inspired by Amanuensis Monday, created by John Newmark of the Transylvanian Dutch blog. The word amanuensis means "A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."                                                         

                                                         ----------------------

This week, I am transcribing the marriage return for my great-grandaunt, Sarah Ford, and her husband, Andrew Hatcher.

Physical Description
Document Type: Digitized 

Document: Handwritten Marriage Return

Condition and Notes:

• A short marriage return handwritten in dark ink.
• The Justice of the Peace is consistent writing the lower case 't' without a crossbar or carelessly crossing the letter mid-air or to the right. 
• No blotches or stains noted. 
• No tears. 
• No mark throughs or illegible words. 
• Original spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and line breaks have been preserved.

"Marriage waivers for minors: Scott, Marriage Licenses 1866-1874," Book 2, p. 180, marriage return for Andrew Hatcher & Sarah Ford, 24 January 1869; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-897G-519Y?view=index : downloaded on 12 June 2026), image 1038 of 1783, FamilySearch Library IGN #007084712; citing Missouri. State Archives.

The transcription is as follows:

  This is to certify that I on the 24th 

day of Janua[r]y 1869 Joined in the

bonds of matrimo[n]y Andrew Hatcher

and Sarah Ford both of Scott County

Missouri         John. N. Benefield      [postage stamp here]

                         Justice of the peace           

Your Next Genealogy Clue Might Be on Facebook

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Are you using Facebook to help with your genealogy research? If not, you may be missing out on a helpful resource!

Facebook has thousands of genealogy groups covering just about every topic you can imagine. Some focus on specific states, counties, or countries, while others specialize in DNA, military records, old photographs, or particular ethnic groups.

These groups can be especially helpful when you hit a brick wall. Members may offer research suggestions, share resources you haven't discovered, or recognize a surname or location you've been researching. You might even connect with someone researching the same family!

Of course, remember to evaluate any information you receive just as carefully as you would any other research lead. Suggestions from group members can point you in the right direction, but you'll still need to find and evaluate the original records whenever possible.

If you're not sure where to start, search Facebook for your ancestor's location, surname, or a specific area of genealogical research. You may be surprised by what you find!

Personally, I have had great success with German genealogy Facebook groups. Members have shared valuable information about German customs and history, pointed me to helpful research resources, and even assisted with translating documents. I have also found county and local history groups to be extremely helpful. Members often share historical photographs, information about local cemeteries, churches, schools, and community history that may not be available anywhere else. All of these groups have provided valuable insights and resources that have enriched my family history research.

What Facebook genealogy group has helped you the most? Take a moment to share one genealogy Facebook group that has been especially valuable to you. Whether it's a county history group, a DNA group, or a heritage-specific community, your recommendation could help someone break through a research brick wall.

Learning New Genealogical Skills, One Task at a Time

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Here in Texas, we’re finally getting a little relief from the heat. The days are growing shorter, and the changing season has me looking forward to afternoons spent indoors with my family records.

There is something inviting about settling in with an old document when we have time to give it our full attention. Those moments are perfect for practicing a genealogy skill we've been meaning to learn. It doesn't have to be a complicated project—one new skill applied to one familiar record is a great start. Instruction can open the door, but practice is what helps us walk through it. When we take a new skill and try it on our own research, the learning becomes real and lasting.

Start with Something You’ve Been Avoiding

Most of us have something in our genealogy work that makes us hesitate. Maybe it's deciphering handwriting in an old will, writing a source citation, understanding a land description, or figuring out how to organize the records we already have.

It's easy to put those things aside and return to searching. Finding another record feels productive; learning how to understand it can feel less exciting. But that unfamiliar skill may be exactly what helps us move forward.

Choose one thing you would like to become more comfortable doing—something manageable enough that you can begin without feeling overwhelmed.

Let Your Own Records Be the Classroom

One of the best things about genealogy is that our own records provide opportunities to learn. Every document contains questions to answer, relationships to evaluate, and details to interpret. The records we already have can become our most useful teachers. 

If you want to improve your ability to read old handwriting, choose a short paragraph from a record you already have. Compare unfamiliar letters with clearer examples elsewhere on the page. Transcribe what you can, and mark uncertain words with square brackets and a question mark. Leaving a word unresolved is far better than making a guess look certain. 

You don’t have to work through it alone. FamilySearch provides handwriting help, including examples and letter charts that can help you become familiar with older writing styles. Keep those examples beside your document as you practice.

If citations make you nervous, start with just one record. Identify the record, where you accessed it, and the details someone else would need to locate it. For help learning how to write genealogical citations, visit the Evidence Explained website. You'll find free articles, QuickLessons, and discussions about citing and evaluating historical records. 

Another excellent resource is Elizabeth Shown Mills's book, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. It explains citation principles and provides examples for many of the records genealogists encounter. Rather than simply copying a citation example, take time to understand why each piece of information is included. 

Start with one record, write your citation, and compare it with the guidance. Like any other genealogy skill, writing citations becomes easier with practice.

To strengthen your ability to compare evidence, gather three records for a single ancestor and place the dates, places, names, and relationships side by side. Note what matches, what conflicts, and what needs closer review. Classify each record as primary, secondary, or undetermined. When details disagree, decide which record is most trustworthy based on how close it is to the event and how reliable the informant likely was.

Get to Know the Places Your Ancestors Lived

Sometimes the next thing we need to learn is more about a place. We may know the county where an ancestor lived without knowing what records are available.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a useful starting point for learning about a county, state, or country. Its pages offer guidance on record types, local research resources, and background information. Country pages may also point you toward language and handwriting tools.

Choose one place from your family tree and spend a little time exploring its Wiki page. Make a note of a record collection you haven’t used or a repository you want to investigate.

That small bit of learning can give your next research session a clearer direction.

Learn a Little, Then Try a Little

A genealogy lecture, society program, book chapter, or tutorial can introduce us to a new way of working. We don’t have to absorb everything at once.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars offers free live webinars and a selection of free recordings. A paid membership provides access to its broader library of recorded webinars on many genealogy topics. Choose a subject that connects with a question or skill you are working on now.

YouTube is another place to learn. Genealogists and organizations share videos that walk viewers through research methods and website tools. The FamilySearch YouTube channel is one place to begin. You can also search for a specific task, such as "finding probate records" or "reading old handwriting."

Take a few notes. Choose one idea. Try it while the lesson is still fresh.

If you've been learning about research logs, record a search you conducted, including one that produced no relevant results. Negative searches can be just as valuable as successful ones because they help prevent repeated work and clarify what has already been investigated.

Build a brief timeline for an ancestor whose life story contains gaps, conflicts, or unanswered questions, or revisit a document you have been meaning to read more carefully and practice your transcription skills.

The goal is not to master every detail in a single lesson. Instead, look for one idea you can apply to a current research problem. Small steps taken consistently often lead to the greatest progress.

Give Yourself Permission to Be a Beginner

Being experienced in genealogy does not mean being experienced in every part of it.

We may feel comfortable with census records and completely lost in a probate file. We may have researched our family for years without ever needing to understand records from another country.

There is no shame in beginning again with a new skill.

Go slowly. Ask questions. Keep track of what you still don’t understand. Pause a video, replay an explanation, or return to a reference page as often as you need.

You may need to revisit the same lesson more than once, and that is all right.

Notice a Different Kind of Progress

Genealogy progress isn’t always adding another name to the tree. Sometimes it's reading a sentence that once looked impossible or recognizing that two records disagree. Those accomplishments may be quiet, but they strengthen the work we do.

When life gives us a little breathing room, we can use some of it to become more thoughtful, capable researchers. Our ancestors’ stories deserve that care, and we deserve the pleasure of learning something new.

What genealogy skill have you been meaning to learn? Perhaps this quieter season is a good time to begin—one task at a time.

Tech Tip Tuesday: Grammarly

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Have you ever spent so much time working on a family story that you could practically recite it? Then, after sharing it, you noticed a missing word or a sentence that didn't quite make sense? It happens. We know what we meant to say, and sometimes that is what our eyes see on the page.

Writing requires precision. The right words, phrases, and examples help us avoid miscommunication. A second look can make a difference.

That is where a tool like Grammarly can help.

What Is Grammarly?

Grammarly is a writing assistant that offers suggestions for spelling, grammar, clarity, conciseness, and tone. For genealogy writing, I often review my draft first and then consider its suggestions. Think of it as another set of eyes on your writing.

Grammarly helps refine the family stories, biographies, and messages, but it is not a genealogical research tool. It cannot confirm an ancestor's identity or evaluate evidence. That work still requires research, analysis, and careful attention to sources.

The browser extension brings writing suggestions into supported websites, including Google Docs and some social media text fields.

Where It Fits into Genealogy

Genealogy involves more writing than we sometimes realize—emails to archives, notes to DNA matches, research summaries, family histories, photo captions, and blog posts. Even short explanations attached to an ancestor's profile deserve a careful review.

Writing and Polishing Family Histories

Catching typos and missing words. When we're deep in an ancestor's story, it's easy to overlook small errors. Grammarly can help flag them.

Making the story easier to follow. Suggestions for clearer phrasing or shorter sentences can help your writing flow, especially for relatives and audiences unfamiliar with genealogical terms.

Choosing a tone that fits the audience. A casual Facebook genealogy group post and a chapter in a formal family history book serve different purposes. Grammarly’s tone feedback and suggestions can help us consider whether our wording fits the occasion. We should still choose language that is true to our own voice.

After weeks of research, connections may seem obvious to us, but not to others. A writing review can prompt us to explain those connections more clearly.

Example:
After finding the family in the census and looking at the names and ages of the children and comparing them with the earlier census I thought this might be the same family.

Clearer version:
I compared the children’s names and ages in the two census records. They were consistent, suggesting that both households might represent the same family.

The revised wording makes the comparison easier to follow.

Communicating and Sharing Research

Clear wording helps archives, courthouses, and relatives understand what we need. For formal requests, check that the name, place, date range, and record type are correct. For new cousins, a friendly introduction and a specific question make replies easier.

Reason statements on FamilySearch benefit from polished writing, but they still require supporting records and clear explanation.

Keep the Evidence in Charge

Grammarly is great at writing, but words such as possibly, probably, appears, and suggests may be essential to an explanation. They show how confident the evidence allows us to be. Removing them can turn a tentative interpretation into a statement of fact.

Do Not Use on Historical Transcriptions

An old letter, will, or marriage record may contain unusual spelling, inconsistent punctuation, or grammar. A faithful transcription preserves the wording, spelling, capitalization, and line breaks. If a word cannot be read, we mark the uncertainty rather than guessing.

How to Get Started

Try Grammarly on a short paragraph you have already written. Review suggestions one at a time. Consider the reason for each change. Verify names, dates, places, relationships, and statements of certainty against your sources.

Read the paragraph aloud. Does it sound natural? Does it still sound like you?

Before using any online writing tool with information about living relatives, private correspondence, or client research, review the service's privacy information. 

Grammarly can help us notice problems with the words on the page—you decide how much or how little to accept. 

Have you used Grammarly for your genealogy writing? What kinds of suggestions have you found helpful?

Grandma's Tech Tip Snapshot 

Today's Tool: Grammarly

How It Can Help:

• Catching typos and missing words
• Flagging unclear or tangled sentences
• Suggesting smoother phrasing
• Helping match tone to the audience
• Polishing reason statements and research summaries
• Improving readability for relatives unfamiliar with genealogy terms

Grandma's Tip: "Before you hit publish, let Grammarly take a quick peek. A tiny suggestion can make your family story shine without changing your voice."

Looking for more genealogy tech tips? Explore all the tools in my Research Toolbox.