A PLACE OF HAPPINESS & SADNESS

Author Tammy Lynn Tipler-Priolo  24 January 2009

There are threats to close such places.  The community cries out to stop it.  For these places belong to the people in times of happiness and sadness.  With the changing times, many of these places are without full occupancy.  These buildings hold the histories of a whole community and are a place of gathering people together for worship and prayer.  Where does the history go when these structures are lost to fire, flood, vandalism, closure and destruction?  Has the history been preserved elsewhere in the minds of our elders, or the resting places of our ancestors or better yet has it been housed in other structures like libraries and archives; let us hope so. 

Drive through any city and you will see the buildings that are the cornerstones the city was founded on.  Some are quite majestic with intricate masonry work, while others are rather simple and plain but are recognized just the same.  However, if you drive through a tiny village you may only find the remnants of such a building that has been lost to fire or closure.  Still other villages are only visible because of such a building.  I have seen it all.  Where would our history be without the local churches?  They were not built with genealogists in mind, but we sure do admire and appreciate what is housed inside them, a lifetime of a community's history. 

Many happy occasions of marital celebration have been documented in churches.  Marriage records abound in all sorts of denominations, Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Quaker and the list can unfold before you as you locate the religion your ancestors were.  Baptismals or Christenings were great events to celebrate in a community, as the newest members were welcomed into the fold.  Mothers, fathers and babies all named on these records makes for a goldmine of family historical discoveries.  Other happy occasions would be celebrated and documented within the walls of these churches, such as confirmations, first communions, etc.  Of course, many regular events could have been recorded in the church minutes of various meetings revealing the existence and involvement of one’s ancestors. 

The sad occasions would be recorded as well, such as the death of a member or the loss of members as they had to move on to a different community for various reasons.  Scandalous events could have been recorded as well, where one would find unwed mothers, annulments and sinful ways.  Still all part of the community’s history documented for generations to come.  Events that tell the story of the daily lives of the ones that came before us. 

If we are lucky enough to find our ancestors’ religious denomination from family members, census records or other such records like funeral records or tombstones, we may have the chance to locate the very church they spent their lives in for every day living, celebration and sorrow.  If the church is located with family records intact, we can send prayers of thanks for the treasure within those walls.  If not, we can only hope that someone is able to direct us to the appropriate repository where those very records can be found or at the very least give us abstracted information collected from those records lost to natural and human forces beyond our control. 

Happy Hunting!!

“MAY ALL YOUR GENEALOGICAL DREAMS COME TRUE!!!”

Tammy Tipler-Priolo BASc, PLCGS

The Ancestor Investigator is also the Ancestor Whisperer!