Have you thought about this pastime of ours? Why does this kind of research appeal? Is family history the same discipline as genealogy? Should we call ourselves 'family historians' or 'genealogists'? It's truly a philosophical question. For researchers, movement back and forth on the continuum can open new doors for brick walls.

There are those of us who are interested in lineage societies (such as the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution) and others who are concerned about DNA and all that science can offer in terms of medical information and in connecting family groups where there are no extant records. This is the genetic side, the 'genealogist.'

Then there are those of us who are drawn to the artifacts and stories that have been passed down in our own families. We collect steamer trunks, letters, clothing, artwork, account books, photo albums, etc. until we run out of space. We look for every mention of the family name in newspapers, city directories, school records in hopes of understanding why the family moved when it did, why it chose the location it did, and what it was like to live there. This is the history side, the 'family historian.'

Most of us are somewhere in the middle: as researchers, we look at both sides, thankfully not having to choose one or the other. What we sometimes neglect is the broader history, that is, the setting in which our ancestors lived.

Minnesota area researchers have a new on-line resource: the Minnesota Historical Society has just placed articles from Minnesota History on-line as .PDFs, available for you to explore what was happening in that broader context. You'll find a link on the Minnesota History homepage. You can still search the index (gray navigation bar on the left-hand side of the webpage) by index entry. Then, instead of having to find a library with a copy of the particular issue, click the blue hotlinks to the full text of the citation(s). Or you can search by year and issue, get a list of the articles in that issue, and then open a PDF of that article. The articles begin with volume 1 (1915) to volume 58 (2003).

The 'News and Notes' feature in that publication is particularly helpful for family historians. These notes often refer to newspaper or magazine articles published in other places. For example, I looked up my hometown (Alden) and had dozens of hits, including Danish migration to the area and a series of newspaper articles on the history of the Methodist Church in Freeborn County. That's something I would not have found, had I just looked for my family names!

Are you looking for that "Aha!" experience? This may be one way you can have it over and over again, as you explore your family's social history!

Remember to sign up for automatic notification to additional research notes. You can do that on our research page. And check out my blog for other ideas.

Happy hunting!

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