He was the last person I would ever have expected to be
interested in genealogy—and what I found out about his roots was the last thing
I would have guessed.
It was late 2011 and I needed a new genealogy project. My husband had mentioned my hobby at the
manufacturing plant where he works, and one of the young factory guys asked
him, “Do you think your wife could find out more about my family tree?” Bruno (not his real name) was young, wild,
and festooned with tattoos. I was
intrigued. I decided to take on the
project until my next paying client came along.
Bruno provided me with a few names and dates—that’s all he had. He was particularly interested in his
father’s ancestry, which he thought was German. Perhaps he hoped for a few skeletons in the
family closet.
A few days into the project, I came across the World War I
draft card of Bruno’s great-grandfather Albert in Livingston County,
Illinois. I did a double-take when I
read the answer in the space reserved for “Do you claim exemption from
draft? Specify grounds.” Albert’s answer was “Religion—Mennonite
Church.”
More digging connected me with the generation before that—and sure enough,
before long I’d “struck Amish.” Others had blazed this particular trail before
me, so at that point I was able to connect with the research of fellow
genealogists who were willing to share… and so I was able to follow Bruno’s
paternal line all the way back to a small village in Switzerland in the 1600s,
where his 7th great-grandfather Peter had been part of a group of
Anabaptists led by Jacob Amman himself—the original founder of the Amish
church.
Bruno took some ribbing on the factory floor for all of this. “Chill
out, Bruno—remember, you come from a peaceful people.” But he was happy to know
more about his roots, and I was happy to be able to share the gift of such a
wonderful and surprising heritage with a young factory guy from Ottawa,
Illinois.
Susan, I love that story. It's great to find family history for others and share it with them.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
www.thestephensherwoodletters.blogspot.com
Susan, I'm so glad to have found your blog today, thanks to an announcement at GeneaBloggers this morning. I love your stories--I have a weakness for seeing genealogical data presented through the lens of capable storytelling--and am looking forward to following your blog.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes as you continue your research and your writing!
What a lovely story! I found your blog via GeneaBloggers. Welcome!
ReplyDeleteI love it! "Chill out Bruno, you come from a peaceful people." Too funny.
ReplyDelete