If you are researching your ancestors where do you go to find them?
Birth certificate, marriage records, death certificate and funeral records.
Census records, city directories, same old, same old.
All of the above, but then there is something else..........
Where they lived.
Yes it does take that village to recreate your ancestor's life.
Of course that village could have been New York City where they passed the Statue of Liberty on their voyage to America. It might have been a seashore where they first stepped on the land that would one day become the United States of America in the 1600s or 1700s.
And what about the village that they left behind when the decision was made to leave behind family, friends, and country to travel to a new land.
Decisions, decisions!!
In other words you need to walk the land your ancestors walked. It will help you understand the different paths your ancestors took. What was the village like that they left? What were they looking for in the new village they were headed for?
First to get a handle on this, look at your own life. Take a few minutes to think about it. What are the uncontrollable events that have influenced your own life. I am not going to give you examples; you know what they are. (Pause)
Now compare those memories of your own life to your ancestor's lives in a different time and place. Consider your emotions. Think about what made you take the path you chose.
In other words walk a mile in your ancestors' well worn shoes
