How to Start a Genealogy Society | Tell Better Family Stories

Transcript:

Host (Heather Haunert): Hi everyone, and welcome to The Family Treehouse, a podcast series brought to you by Storied, where I chat with people who have a passion for genealogy, storytelling—or both. I am your host, Heather Haunert, and today I am very excited for you to meet Lillian Wingate. Lillian is the Executive Director at the Thomasville Genealogical Library—I’m jealous of your job, Lillian— and the former regional genealogy and local history coordinator at the Statesboro–Bulloch County Library here in Georgia. She is a Boston University–trained genealogist specializing in Georgia research and founded the Bulloch County Genealogical Society. Impressive. So, welcome to you, Lillian—so excited to have you today.

Guest (Lillian Wingate): Thank you. Super excited.

Host: Tell me a little bit more. Sometimes I’m really bad and I didn’t mention this before we started, but sometimes I just go rogue and ask questions. So tell me a little bit more—I’m curious: for people who don’t have a genealogical society in their area, what does that entail? What did that look like for you when you did that?

Guest: To start with, I tried to partner with the historical society that was in town. It was very active—it had been around for over 60 years—but they didn’t really want to do anything together.

So I started at the public library asking people if they were interested, reaching out to friends, and kind of put together a meeting. It was something I was very passionate about. I think I had at least 18 people for our first meeting because I rented out a room in a restaurant, and we did kind of informal meetings for about four or five months.

We finally held one big meeting—it was a giant potluck—and we were going to elect officers. I was trying to be very much, “Who wants to do this? I’m happy to help.” And they were like, “Well, you, of course.” [laughs]

That was 2018, and I’m still the president of the society. We had just gotten off the ground in 2020 and had actually hosted the Georgia Genealogical Society, just started planning our meetings when COVID hit. That was March of 2020. So I think that put a little bit of a stop, but we have been doing Zoom meetings for five years, and we actually have more members in other states.

Host: Yep. That’s awesome. You know, I think if anything good came out of COVID, that’s it—the ability for these small groups to have meetings where you can have speakers from everywhere and people joining from everywhere. That was a positive.

Guest: It has kept many alive. For some it’s had the opposite effect, sadly, but it just depends on whether people are willing to go with the flow of technology.

Host: Right, yeah, for sure. I want to start by jumping in and asking you: how did you get started in family history? Where did that initial start come from?

Guest: It actually started with my mother. She was a hobbyist genealogist. Some of my youngest memories are her taking me to the cemetery where her parents are and me laying on the grave to give my grandmother a hug.

Growing up, I did not want to be just like my mother, so I studied history— a lot of it was British history. And my mother pointed out, “You’re just doing genealogy.” [laughs] As much as I tried, I still turned into my mother.

Host: I love that. Did you have a lot of stuff that she collected when she was working on it?

Guest: She had started, and honestly growing up, I didn’t think I needed to work on mine because I thought she had done it all. I think that’s a common thought many people have. But once I got into it, I’ll admit I’ve used a lot of her work as examples of what not to do—not in a rude way, but, you know, as a hobbyist.

But she also kept incredible things. She had a school project in first or second grade to do something like this—again, that was 60 years ago—and it’s got the Scotch tape on it that’s all yellowed from when she was a child. But it’s great to have these things to use as examples—her mother even helped her with it.

She was lucky to know most of her grandparents and even some of her great-grandparents. All of my grandparents had passed away by the time I was born, so I was very lucky to have that history and those interviews that she had already done.

Host: I think it’s good you have somebody to bounce things off of, because that’s so often how brick walls come down. You get narrow-minded on one aspect, and it helps to have someone look at it differently.

Guest: I love that she is incredibly open-minded, especially about things that may have been recorded incorrectly. We’ll both look them over and look at different things. She’s great at accepting that even though the story said this, we found records to the contrary and this is pointing in a different direction.

Host: Which happens a lot. I’ve met people who’ve had a family story passed down and they won’t let it go even if things disprove it.

Guest: And we’re completely open to what we find.

Host: Why do you think storytelling, in general, is such a powerful part of family history?

Guest: I think that’s the first beginning most people get into genealogy, whether they realize it or not. Working here now, I’m on a university campus, and we’ve actually had a lot of students come in just to do their class photos for the library. They say, “Oh, I don’t know much about this. I just know this story,” and then they start telling me a story about a grandparent or a great-grandparent. I’m like, “Well, that’s your family history. That’s where you start.” And they look at me and it’s like the light bulb goes off—they didn’t realize they even knew that, because it was “just a story.”

Host: Thinking back to all the guests I’ve had on the podcast, the number of people whose passion was jump-started by a story they heard as a child—yeah, that tracks.

Guest: I was in my fourth college [laughs] and one of the first classes we had to do a family history project. Again, I knew most of my mother’s side, but I did not know my father’s family history at all. I only knew his parents’ names—and a story. That really got me started. It has taken me over 12 years to go through, and I have only found three generations of his family—but it’s taken that long to document it.

Host: In today’s age, I’m always surprised how many people don’t know grandparents’ names—especially younger generations.

Guest: So many times at my previous job, I’d ask coworkers, “What are your grandparents’ names?” “Grandma and Grandpa.” Or whatever they called them—they didn’t even know their real names.

Also, many generations today—even if they do know their grandparents—their grandparents are so young you’re not going to find records for them. They have to be able to go further back.

Host: I get so excited about early-1900s research because of my own grandparents and great-grandparents. But newer generations don’t have a concept of that timeframe—it’s so far removed.

Guest: I love coincidences. My great-grandmother on my mother’s side and my grandmother on my father’s side were born in two different countries within 24 hours of each other.

Host: I’ve got goosebumps. We literally just talked about this in our watercooler at Storied yesterday—there’s a name for that, some kind of “birthday effect” phenomenon.

Guest: My father’s birthday was the exact day his grandfather died. And my birthday is my great-grandfather’s birthday. On my great-grandfather’s application for citizenship, he was 36 and 5’2″. I’m five feet on a good day, so it’s like I finally found where I fit in.

Host: I always enjoy looking at passport applications. Did he have a photo attached?

Guest: I haven’t found a photo with his. But last month I finally found my grandmother’s naturalization paperwork—and my great-grandmother’s. There weren’t photos attached to theirs, but there was for my great-grandmother’s second husband, so I found that photo. For the women, there didn’t seem to be as many.

My great-grandfather’s application was in Connecticut, but I cannot locate his naturalization papers. I’ve been looking piece by piece. I’m hoping—and here’s one of those good-bad moments—a good friend I’ve never met, a Find a Grave friend, finally found his grave in Detroit, Michigan, and took a photo of it. I was so excited because it had Hebrew on the bottom as well—but it was also heartbreaking because there was a little oval where there used to be a photo of him on the stone, and it was gone. So I know a photo exists. I just don’t know if I can find it.

Host: Have you checked the interment records at the cemetery?

Guest: Because they were Jewish burials, they’re usually the next day after death. They’re not family plots; they’re done by year in consecutive order. And it’s a cemetery with over 30,000 interments.

Host: I was just at one of the historic cemeteries here in Augusta over the weekend—huge, maybe 35,000 interments. They have different sections, including gorgeous Jewish sections, and the cemetery is over 200 years old. It’s pretty cool to see that.

Tell us, Lillian: do you have any resources or tools for somebody looking to start researching? People feel overwhelmed—where do I start?

Guest: Start talking to the older members of your family, and ask common questions: What were their nicknames as children? What did they call their grandparents or aunts and uncles? Those nicknames could be names that repeat further on, or you’ll see a pattern. Ask as many questions as you can while you can.

A lot of people say everyone older is gone. Even so, they could have told their children or grandchildren—so reach out to family members. My mother’s one of five and has four sisters. I’ll ask them separately and then put their answers together. They remember things differently, and they’ll start correcting each other: “No, that was so-and-so, not this person.”

There are so many free recording apps on your phone—simply record it. In today’s world, you don’t know what’s going to happen or how long people will be here. It’s good to have those memories regardless.

Host: I love that you said your aunts, because people get stuck thinking they have to do just a direct line. The collateral lines can give fabulous insight.

Guest: Working on collateral lines has been incredible for me.

Host: Talk to me about tips for people who want to write family stories. It’s a daunting task—what would you suggest?

Guest: Start with the reason you’re putting it together, and figure out how you want to start and end it. Some people like to start with the oldest ancestor and go down; some like to start with themselves and go backwards. As trivial as that sounds, it’s a big starting step.

Today you see family history books in a variety of ways. It’s okay if it’s a narrative; it’s okay if it’s a list. There are so many AI platforms—including Storied—that can help you create these. But your biggest thing is to write it so family members will actually read it. If you make it too technical, that might not be something they’re interested in.

The biggest thing I’ve found is: include pictures. I have a private family Facebook group called Family Ties. The best way I got them to interact was I digitized family photos and shared them in albums. Sometimes I had the wrong person labeled—so they corrected me. I did wedding albums, family reunions, Christmas, and they all started sharing. Include pictures because a picture will help prompt stories.

Host: That’s a question we get a lot at RootsTech at the Storied booth. On the platform you can add media—stories, newspaper clippings, whatever—and people ask, “Do I have to add a photo?” We always say: that’s the best part! People gravitate toward photos, and it prompts memories.

Guest: Especially when you have repeating family names—if you have a picture, even of a house or a vehicle, that helps you connect to that person. I’ve got ancestors I don’t have a photo of, but maybe I have their signature. It’s a visual that helps you connect. I’ll screenshot a signature and place that as the image for the person.

Host: That’s my favorite tip I’ve heard today. Good one.

If you could meet one ancestor, who would it be, and what would you want to ask them?

Guest: I’ve thought about this one quite a bit. I think it would be my grandmother—my father’s mother. She was born in Ukraine. Her father left when she was about three for America, and World War I broke out. They were not allowed to leave the country, so she stayed with her mother and sister for ten years before they were able to immigrate to America.

She came through Ellis Island, and they got here less than one month before the quota was put in and immigrants were stopped from coming in. If they had been three weeks later, they would have been turned around. They spoke mostly Yiddish, so they had to learn English, but they were reunited with her father. Her mother had three more children, but he unfortunately died seven years after they got here. Her sister-in-law was a Holocaust survivor.

She did a lot—she traveled—and she lived to be 88. I’ve heard stories about her and about her cooking. I wish I could have tried her cooking.

Host: Do you have any recipes of hers?

Guest: I only have one that was a comfort food—as simple as buttered noodles—but she made the noodles herself.

Host: Of course. Love that.

What’s a favorite story you’ve uncovered while researching?

Guest: It’s kind of about my grandmother. I only knew my father for about eight years before he passed away, and he had told me his mother was smuggled into America—that they didn’t come here legally. He said she didn’t speak English, and when she was being helped off the boat she tried to thank the man helping her, and he didn’t understand her. He said, “I’m the steward on the boat.” My father’s middle name was Stewart.

Since then, of course, I found out she came here very legally through Ellis Island. How my father got that middle name, I’m not quite sure. He changed his full name when he was 18 because they were in one of the first Jewish bands signed to Motown. They tried out for Berry Gordy, and they were a mixed band. He said, “You sound great. Come back in one color—I don’t care which.” So they made some alterations. It was a high-school group, and my father Americanized his name at that point.

He went on to tour with The Temptations, The Jackson 5, The Supremes—Marvin Gaye played drums for them later. That’s what really got me looking into this: that one story he told me about his mother.

Host: Wow. It makes you wonder. I love that. Those are always fun to try to figure out.

As we wrap up, if you could give one piece of advice to people wanting to start their family history, what would it be?

Guest: Don’t try to rush it. Do not try to do everything at once. It is a journey—it’s not a race. I’ve been working on this for nearly 15 years now, and I’m still finding little things. Records are still being added and digitized. Just because you don’t find the answer today doesn’t mean you won’t find it later.

Host: For sure. I’ve been working probably 25-plus years, and I think about the things I have access to now that I didn’t have 25 years ago. They continue to be added. Even things that have been there—I just found a newspaper article last week I had never seen before. There’s always something to find.

Guest: I’m so happy to volunteer on sites like Find a Grave and BillionGraves. There’s a gentleman who rides his motorcycle and fills photo requests—he has photographed nearly all the memorials in Detroit, Michigan, for my family. That’s the closest to an image I have for many of them. Volunteer—even if you’re not finding what you need. It will repay itself.

Host: One hundred percent. I agree. It’s that good feeling when you’ve helped somebody who couldn’t do it for themselves.

Lillian, thank you so much for your time today. It is always a pleasure talking to you. I love chatting with you, and I feel honored that you spent time with me today. Thank you.

Guest: Thank you. Pleasure.

Host: Until next time, friends—embrace the power of your family’s untold tales and embark on a journey of discovery. Let the ink flow and the words dance as you weave together the threads of your ancestors’ lives. Start writing your family stories today and let their voices echo through the generations to come at storied.com. Have a great day, everyone.

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Host (closing): And that brings us to the end of this episode of The Family Treehouse, where we celebrate the power of storytelling and preserving our family legacies. Storied is more than just a platform for sharing stories—dive into historical records and newspapers, discovering the hidden gems that bring your ancestors to life. Add branches to your family tree, connecting the dots between generations. Thank you for joining us on this storytelling journey. Your stories matter, and through Storied, they have the power to resonate across time and touch the hearts of generations to come. Keep uncovering your family’s history, and keep the spirit of storytelling alive with Storied.