March 11, 2015 at 4:46 p.m.
Tracing the family line: Three Lakes Genealogy Society studies family trees
Tracing the family line: Three Lakes Genealogy Society studies family trees
"A fellow called me in the 1980s and asked me about family," Blocks said. "He told me he was a relative. I told him I was afraid I didn't know him and didn't know anything about him, nor did I know much about my family."
With his interest piqued, Blocks decided to do a little digging, and who better to turn to for a start than the matriarch of the Blocks family.
"I asked my mother and she had been working on family history for years," he said. "She started to fill me in. She gave me 256 names that she said were good as gold. They were in the family tree. I accepted those on that basis and that's where it sat for a little while."
It wasn't until later, when his schedule opened up in a big way, that Blocks was able to refocus on his family's history.
"I sold my business and I had time on my hands trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life," he said. "I had two little daughters and I said, 'Girls, let's go east and follow the family trail.' We made it into an adventure."
The group headed to the East Coast, stopping along the way at libraries and cemeteries, searching for signs of their long-gone relatives. One stop proved especially satisfying, especially for the girls.
"We ended up at George Washington's headquarters in Valley Forge," he said. "There was a lady demonstrating cooking in front of the fireplace. She told the girls it was a toaster. There was a pedestal with a device on top that would swing if you pushed it with your toe. She showed them where to put the bread and every now and then you hit it with your toe. That's why it's a toaster. The girls were fascinated with this lady."
Before long, the girls revealed the nature of their visit to Valley Forge. They talked about the cemeteries and the newspapers they'd dug up from archives along the way.
"She asked us what the family name was," Blocks said. "We weren't sure if it was Jenks or Jenkins. At the time, we were following the Jenkins line. She told them to send their father in because she knew something about the family."
The two set up a meeting and before long, Blocks was faced with an incredible breakthrough.
"She was in Morgantown and we were in the next town over, called Churchtown," Blocks said. "It turns out my fifth-great-grandfather had given the church that we were in the churchyard of to the Episcopal church."
The news didn't stop there. In an area with such important ties to the nation's history, it was only fitting Blocks' ancestors fit in somewhere.
"My fifth-great-grandfather owned a forging company," he said. "They were making metal things for the French, the Indians, the British and the Americans. You can figure in the back of your mind that we were probably making cannonballs for all sides."
Blocks himself holds a degree in metallurgical engineering, which made the connection to his centuries-old relatives even more satisfying. With that piece of information unearthed, he was hooked and wanted to know about those who came before him.
That's where the Three Lakes Genealogy Society comes in. The group has been around for more than two decades and meets every fourth Monday of the month at 1 p.m. The group typically boasts about 35 members, with more regulars appearing in the summer months.
"Our goals and aspirations are to help others with their genealogy," Blocks said. "This last month, we did that. We started a different path at our last meeting and it really works."
Everyone in the group exchanged the surnames in their family tree. For example, Blocks' family tree contains roughly 250 different surnames that he's followed. That means the 256 total names his mother gave him in the '80s has swelled to over 8,000. He said sharing research is an effective way to locate any bridges, especially in a concentrated area like northern Wisconsin.
"By sharing surnames, it turns out that if everyone in a locality will be related in some manner by the ninth generation. It takes about that long to get back far enough. They say every person in Europe is related to Charlemagne, if you go back nine generations. Using that as an example, something of that nature would probably take place in our locale."
So the group exchanged surnames, and while they didn't go to extreme lengths, they did unearth some interesting finds.
"One of our members made a beautiful Excel spreadsheet and a series of commands that would look at columns of names in relationship to all other names. If there was someone related to that person, it would put an 'X' next to both of those names. Two members might have the last name Jones somewhere in their people pile, and that would pop out, so you can compare thousands of people using this technique. It would be fun to get some of the Rhinelander people involved too, to see who's related to whom."
Anyone interested in genealogy is invited to attend one of the Three Lakes Genealogy Society's monthly meetings. Blocks said it just takes a little bit of research.
"Bring along what you know to be your family, and perhaps we can help them," he said. "Demmer Library has all the tools necessary to get started and keep the enthusiasm alive."
For more information on the group, call Moreen Brand at (715) 546-3252, or visit the group's website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~witlgs/tlgs.index.htm.
Blocks said there's a place for everyone.
"We've a family of immigrants, explorers, the poor, the rich, the warrior, the merchant, the royal, the clergy and stories going back centuries," he said. "It started with my mother's 256 names and over the past 40 years expanded thirtyfold."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.