Sometimes, the best genealogy stories are hiding right under your nose.
Maybe your ancestors walked down Main Street in your town a hundred years ago when it was a dirt road. A house they built from scratch could still stand. Your local library might house a book written by one of them. Heck, maybe your ancestors were among your town’s founders.
I’ve driven through South Portland, Maine, dozens of times. I had no idea my great-great-grandfather was the mayor from 1905-1907! Ironically, the discovery comes now that I am hundreds of miles away from South Portland.
George H. Weeks Jr. held the city’s highest office a century ago. I had no idea. He was a banker all his life. Since he served as mayor between the 1900 and 1910 censuses, his occupation was never “mayor.” More digging on the South Portland Historical Society website revealed a photo of him while in office.
Did your ancestors leave a legacy in your area that you might not know yet? There are ways to find out. Here are two to start. Contact local historical societies in the towns or cities where your ancestors lived. Not only might you find something exciting, but you will meet some great people. You can do this globally. Second, investigate newspaper archives. You can search for your ancestors on Newspapers.com. That is where I found the article about Mayor George H. Weeks Jr.’s election!
Jack Palmer has done genealogy research since he was ten years old and loves writing about it for family, friends, and anybody else who might enjoy research stories and advice. He graduated from Duke University in May 2023, majoring in History and Psychology, and is the author of Helen & Frank: A Biography, a biography about his great-grandparents.
