Why History is Important in Genealogy

[@AncestryAimee]

Let me know what you think! ☕Send me some suport for the price of a coffee: www.patreon.com/aimeecross 📧 Join my email list ancestryaimee.com/get_emails

[@BradfordNeedham]

About 1780 my Foshay ancestors who had been living in Westchester New York for generations suddenly moved to St. John New Brunswick. I asked my wife, a historical novelist, why that might be. She replied "do you recall anything big that happened...say in 1776?" Doh! My ancestors were Loyalists (Tories) who were a few of the 10,000 Loyalists who fled the American colonies as a result of American independence. So it helps to keep even the really broad brush strokes of history in mind. Thanks for the tips!

[@AncestryAimee]

Love it! And when you know something like that you know to look for other records, especially those held by the UK

[@kimberlytyda3575]

The history search has sent me down a number of rabbit holes related to parts of history I never learned much about. For example, I found a military transportation record for my GGF during WWI. The ship was going to Vladivostok, not France. This was the first time I learned that the U.S. sent troops to Russia and Siberia near the end of the war. Now I know!! 😊

[@AncestryAimee]

That’s such a great example! How interesting!

[@pjsisseck915]

Around twenty years ago, I wrote an essay on "The Near-Famous Robert Wilds". My third great grandpa always seemed to be just down the road, or in the back room, or closely acquainted with events and people of significance. Yep, I include social history, geography, natural disasters, politics, and whatever else might "flavor" the story. Ever so much more interesting that a dry recitation of facts and figures, no?

[@AncestryAimee]

So true!! Thanks for adding that! I bet it’s a great essay!

[@dranet47]

Thank you! I've been telling people for ages to learn the history and events of the areas where their ancestors lived to get a better idea of who they were and what motivated them. I have an example... around 1890 or so, a bunch of my Lyles family moved away from Kentucky. Mostly to Texas, but also to other states. Some dropped the -s and became Lyle. What happened? Well, my 3rd great grandfather was shot and killed. He was apparently making house calls to the home of the local doctor's house to spend time with the Doc's wife. Doc came home and shot him dead. That event drastically changed the family dynamics. If it hadn't happened, maybe I'd even be living in Kentucky today! Really glad I found that newspaper about it, or I wouldn't have known the facts. Just that the family moved away from Kentucky.

[@AncestryAimee]

What a story! Thanks for sharing it.

[@patranye]

Understanding the history surrounding the time and place of your ancestor can be critical to understanding their potential reactions to that information. Thanks, Aimee, for a great video and topic!

[@AncestryAimee]

Well said!

[@nanfrostsfashionfocusstyle6250]

Good info. I have often wondered why people settled in certain areas. Sometimes it's obvious but sometimes it's not. I think learning what was going on in the country of origin as well as the place they landed in the US can hold more clues than we can imagine.

[@AncestryAimee]

So true Nan. Thanks for adding this!

[@lionheart830]

Very important info here. I hope many researchers get to it!

[@AncestryAimee]

I agree - please feel free to share it on social media or wherever! The word needs to get out! 😃

[@vibesmom]

Such a key subject!

[@AncestryAimee]

Thanks for the thumbs up!

[@vibesmom]

@@AncestryAimee ❤️ Always a thumbs up for your content!

[@ThisIsMyYoutubeName1]

6:53 Where can I find this specific map?

[@AncestryAimee]

That's a Sunburn Fire Insurance map - you can get them in multiple places but here's a link: www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/about-this-collection/

[@Hamzakhan-dt3gv]

❤❤❤❤

[@AncestryAimee]

Thank you and thanks for being a member of the channel! Feel free to share the video.

[@ThisIsMyYoutubeName1]

I’m so guilty of this and wish I had more interest as a child. But I’m also aware of the majority of my ancestors being Acadian. I know that they have never taught us anything about the Acadian people despite living in the Acadian region of Louisiana. I just wish I knew migration patterns to understand my DNA better

[@AncestryAimee]

I love your name btw! 🤣 I don’t know anything about those migration patterns but I bet you could find out. That would be interesting.

[@ThisIsMyYoutubeName1]

@@AncestryAimee haha, I advocate for SA children since my daughter is a victim and I don’t feel it’s appropriate to be be easily identifiable, as it’s her story and I only want to help other parents. So I make myself feel like I’m being inconspicuous. But I have been in contact with you before via email and you have put a story out on my family on your website (I didn’t speak with my grandfather for many years). I do feel a bit intimidated by not knowing what the migration patterns were. I have mostly Acadian ancestors, but I do have some German and was able to finally debunk the myth of my “native” great grandmother and found that she was Czechoslovakian and Spanish. Ancestry shows that I’m 80% French, 15% NE Europe and a few small countries in Europe. My Heritage says that I’m 45% Iberian, and the rest are just different countries within Europe and I even have a trace of Ashkenazi Jew. It’s not that easy to understand how much of the ranges are, so I got my brother tested and it raised even more questions because he has Indigenous Cuba and I have no idea how. The ones that are familiar with migration and actually know about Acadian people said that my results were very typical and well aligned with the way they migrated. I just wish I could understand more

[@AncestryAimee]

@ThisIsMyKZbinName1 oh! I’m putting two and two together! Thanks for adding that story. DNA is so difficult sometimes. Keep learning yourself and the tech is improving all the time. That might help too.

[@ThisIsMyYoutubeName1]

@@AncestryAimee I found a video on this topic and tried very hard to watch. I was able to comprehend it, but his beliefs are very different than what I consider reality. He said that all French people are black and Jewish, the Acadian people are the same except they switched to Catholicism. Basically, the entire world is black and somehow certain people magically became white. No names, I’m not poking fun, only a bit concerning. I will stick with my current beliefs, lol

[@sharontabor7718]

All geneolgists are historians (or should be), but not all historians are genealogists.

[@AncestryAimee]

I love that!