The Importance of Family Collaboration in Genealogy

As genealogists, we spend countless hours researching, gathering data and stories, making notes, analyzing records, and writing to piece together the lives of our ancestors. We pour our hearts into this work, convinced that we've uncovered every detail of our ancestors' lives. But sometimes, despite all our hard work, we don't know the full story—and that was the lesson I learned today.

Earlier this week, I wrote an article about my grandfather, Albert Lee Woolsey, and, as usual, I shared it on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X for others to read, enjoy, and learn from. I anticipate that family members on Facebook would take a special interest, since these are our shared stories. Today, it was my mom who read the story and sent me a private message. Uh-oh, I thought.

Many might bristle at the thought of someone correcting their work—especially someone who hasn’t spent hours researching—but I didn’t. Instead, I realized something important. First, in some cases, my mom was there; she lived through the events I was writing about. Second, I was too young to have an accurate memory of certain details. Third, the way I had written some things gave a different impression than what she remembered.

Here are a few corrections she gave me:

1. I had written that my grandfather worked odd jobs and repaired TVs. In reality, my mom explained that he worked in manufacturing for Campbell's and Norris Industries, something I hadn’t known before, which added a richer layer to his story. Fixing TVs, it turns out, was just a hobby.
2. I had recalled a conversation with my mom about Aunt Karen’s fever and blindness, but I had left out a key detail: my mom had only speculated that the fever caused her blindness—it wasn’t a confirmed fact.
3. The way I described my grandfather’s cancer and heart problems made it seem like both were caused by his chain-smoking. What I had meant to convey was that his cancer was smoking-related, but his heart failure was due to a failed stent.

As genealogists, it is our duty to conduct exhaustive research. One crucial method we often overlook is talking to our living family members. As I discovered, this is how inaccuracies in my article came to light. Genealogy isn't a solo endeavor; it’s a collaborative process. If we approach it as a solitary task of gathering information and writing stories, we miss out on the most valuable tool available: firsthand accounts from those who knew our ancestors.

By the end of my conversation with my mom, I had gained new insights and clarifications about my grandfather. We agreed that for future articles about my grandparents and great-grandparents, I’ll send them to her for review before publishing. I love this idea because now not only will I have a second set of eyes on my work to catch errors, but it will also open the door to conversations we may never have had about our ancestors.