Sometimes the past doesn’t need to be so distant to seem far away. Cleaning out things that the kids have outgrown turned up one of those typical alphabet books that are for kids that can’t yet read. The kind of book whose genealogist version might start—
A is for archive with papers in boxes to the roof.
B is for box that contains the document with the needed proof.
So what might an alphabet book for genealogists might look like? I’ve already taken a stab at “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “E.” So, for genealogists, what might “F” be for?
F is for Footnote
“F” could be for “footnote,” those little tidbits of extra information that just might be where the vital information is hiding, or cite a source that is exactly what you need. The footnotes are things we often ignore but that should never go unread.
“F” could be for “find,” which can be a verb or a noun. The verb is what we hope to do. At the end of the day, we hope to be able to look back and know that we have located something important. If it was important enough we might use the noun, and call it a real find.
“F” could be for “fact,” a tricky word to handle. Is it a fact that an ancestor was born on a certain day if the birth registration records the birth on that day? Could the only fact involved actually be that the parents claimed the child was born on that day in order to not be fined for registering the birth too late?
“F” could be for “forget,” a word that is all to important to consider. What has been forgotten? Why has it been forgotten?
“F” could be for “ford,” which reminds us of the importance of travel. In my grandparents day “Ford” might be the Model-T that was the first car the family owned. In earlier years it would have been that important place where the river was shallow enough to be crossed by foot or horse. Generations ago it would have been the all-important gateway to the other bank and the lands beyond. Today, it might be a place of no importance. When researching the past we need to remember what was important in the past.
Those are all fine words, but, the most important word beginning with “F” must be “Family.” They are the people we are researching, the people we research with and who listen to our stories and they are the people who will inherit our research.