Week 5: Branching Out

 Week 5: Branching Out

The theme for Week 5 and for February (for those of you doing the 12 Ancestors in 12 Months version) is "Branching Out." Have you branched out your research into looking at your collateral relatives? Made any good discoveries in records beyond the usual census and vital records? Or maybe you've discovered an ancestor who branched out in his or her education or occupation. Be creative!

    When I hear the phrase "Branching Out", I think of going wide in my tree. Brothers, Sisters, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc. There have been a few times where branching out had been necessary to further my research. Many are only interested in tracing lines back through their generational lineage. But by only doing that, you are missing half the story. 
    Without going wide, or branching out, I wouldn't have confirmed my Helfrich Connection and traced the Hilke family back. I have written a few blog posts about this and even recorded an Auntie Jen's Two Cents video about it. 

Helfrich

Maggie Helfrich

    For my Helfrich Connection, I had to figure out how my 3rd Great-Grandma, Maggie Helfrich, was connected to Jacob Helfrich's family. She married him in Tennessee and moved to St. Louis. There were a few Helfrich families that she could have been connected to, so I had to trace some siblings and their children of a couple Jacob Helfrichs to see if there was a possible connection. 

Read How I Made The Helfrich Connection

    As you can see, if I wouldn't have branched out like I did and researched these people, I wouldn't have found the family. It took me researching all the listings in the City Directories and tracing them to narrow it down. But it was worth it.

Hilke

Edward Otto Hilke & Children

    The Hilke family was a tricky line to trace. It first started with Edward Otto Hilke, Mark's Great-Grandfather. He went by the name Otto mostly, which is where the confusion came in. There was another Otto Hilke around the same age in St. Louis at the time. This led me to research both Otto Hilke's. I finally figured out which line was Mark's, but upon further investigation, I learned that the other Otto Hilke was a cousin! But more about that in a minute.
    Once I found the correct parents for Mark's Great-Grandfather, I was ready to research back more. Problem. I couldn't go back any further. I couldn't find where they came from and when. Since I learned about the other Otto Hilke, I decided to go wide with my research to see if I can learn more from the siblings. OH and boy did I learn more. A lot more!

Read about Connecting the Hilke Family

    As you can see, there were A LOT of Hilkes to find and connect. Each source gave one more clue about the connections. And once I made all the connections, I finally figured out where the family came from and when they came to the United States. 

Auntie Jen's Two Cents - Go Wide!

    As I said above, I also did an Auntie Jen's Two Cents video about this topic. It's a discussion that has been had many times in the genealogy community. Why should I go wide with my research? The truth is, it depends on what you are trying to learn about your family. Not every generation needs to go wide. But definitely don't rule it out, especially if you are having troubles going back another generation. The more sources you get, the better. 

    Have you branched out on your tree? What have you been able to learn by branching out? 

This blog post is part of the #52Ancestors Challenge arranged by Amy Johnson Crow. If you would like to join up, click here.