The Core of Discovery

Breaking away from searching census records can be scary for some. I know that for a moment it was for me. I knew the routine, what to expect for a result and it was easy for the most part. But once that resource has been exhausted, where do you go next?

There is no right or wrong answer here. It totally depends on you, your genealogical goals and where you are researching. Where is VERY important. All records are not created equal nor are they available in every locale. While I do live in the states and spend 99% of my time researching stateside family connections, it really is like living in a huge geographic area with 50 little countries. Every state holds different records from varying time periods and with differing levels of access. Don’t assume that because one state has death records from a specific date until now that will hold true for all states. Consult this table for variances in state vital record holdings.

Once I realized that a large portion of my ancestors hailed from the great state of New York, I proceeded to drill down on what counties. I did determine that Montgomery was one of the counties of importance for my family. I began my “non-census” searching by looking for a historical or genealogical society for Montgomery county, New York. I also did a bit of leg work to determine that the Montgomery county of the early 1800’s would be the same geographical area of the 2010’s. Well it isn’t….what was then is not now. History of an area is nearly as important as your family history because if you aren’t looking in the right place you will find nothing.

Once I determined that the Fonda/Caughnawaga area was the right place, I looked up the Montgomery County Department of History and Archives. Right away I read about the evolution of the county of Tryon to Montgomery and some of the other historical highlights. I began searching their site for some additional information and I stumbled across a listing of “Family Files” that they keep. Some of the information is donated and some has been gathered by the staff. As a bit of a challenge I thought that I would search for a Fritcher file…..I KNEW there wouldn’t be one. But wait! There was one. WHAAAA?

I swapped a few quick emails with the director, Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar and she proved to be quite helpful. For a reasonable fee she would research a question or record for me and if I wanted she would copy any item out of the Fritcher file. Which item? What was in there? What might I miss? I knew right then that I had to have the whole thing! She told me the fee, I sent a check and waited. Impatiently. Not that they were slow, I was just impatient! I needed to remember that this wasn’t Amazon Prime that I was ordering…..

When the packet finally arrived I was overwhelmed. While there was only about 30 pages in the envelope, there was information and vital record copies in there that I had never seen. But ultimately the most important piece of paper enclosed wasn’t about the family….it was an inquiry from another family member that was related to my gggrandmother’s sister. He seemed to have vital information that only another family member would know by being a direct descendant. I took a stab in the dark and sent him an email. He emailed me back. We connected and having been sharing information ever since.

While ALL of the information contained in that family file was pertinent, important and worthwhile; what ultimately proved to be most important to me was the connection that I made with another living, breathing, interested family member. He shared information and stories with me that could have only been passed down from generation to generation. For that I am eternally grateful. He helped to breathe life into this branch of the Fritcher tree. Thank you Bruce for the kind and unselfish gift that you have given me.

The moral of this story is to look beyond the census records, look beyond the expected and keep your mind and eyes open for any clue. Someone out there has what you are looking for whether it be information, photos, bibles or just oral histories. You just have to keep asking those questions, opening those doors and digging under those rocks!