Newspapers! One of a family historian's best research tools. They are rich with information about our ancestor's lives. From birth to death, the details we find are pure gold. Every day, I'm digging into these sites, searching for hints.
Democratic advocate
Friday, Dec 29, 1911
Westminster, MD
vol:47, pg. 2
GenealogyBank
Often times, a small article can lead to interesting family stories. That is what happened when I discovered this tidbit from a Westminster, Maryland newspaper for Frederick Walther.
You may wonder how I found the clipping with Walther surname misspelled. Actually, I was researching James Fraley, husband of Cecelia Kreymborg.
How are Cecelia and James connected to Frederick N. Walther, Jr.? Here is the relationship:
- Lillian G. Kreymborg - my son-in-law's great-grandmother
- George W. Walther - husband of Lillian G. Kreymborg - son-in-law's great-grandfather
- Frederick N. Walther, Jr. - brother of George W. Walther - son-in-law's 2nd great-uncle
- Cecelia Kreymborg - sister of Lillian G. Kreymborg - son-in-law's 2nd great-aunt
- Stuart S. Fraley - husband of Cecelia Kreymborg - son-in-law's 2nd great-uncle by marriage
James was the husband of Frederick's sister-in-law's sister. A little convoluted, but shows how doing cluster research is very important. Without James, I most likely would never have found this article.
I discovered the information using a method called cluster research. Many times, cluster research helps answer questions. Cluster research is defined as "a research technique employed by genealogists to learn more about an ancestor by examining records left by the ancestor's cluster. A person's cluster consists of the extended family, friends, neighbors, and other associates such as business partners"
The newspaper article gave us new family information to research. When did they purchase property in Westminster? As far as I knew, the family always resided in Baltimore City, Maryland.
Also, the amount of money that changed hands. Checking a conversion website, $1,250 dollars in 1911 is worth $36,933.16 today. Where did James acquire these funds? In the post "The Bride Wore Gray", we learn both of Cecelia's parents passed away by 1910. Did she and her sister, Lillian, receive an inheritance? Enough to purchase this property?
By searching this ancestor's in-law, we discovered an interesting family story. Additional research is needed to discover the Walther family's connection to the town of Westminster. Off to find records to answer these questions!
Several excellent resources for using cluster research in genealogy.
Free Genealogy Help: Cluster Research by the Occasional Genealogist
How to Use Cluster Research a.k.a. FAN Club Research from GenealogyTV
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