Siouxlanders continue to dig for ancestral history
Local genealogy group assists in searches
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Cheryl Kounas of South Sioux City points out a photograph of her great-great-grandfather Jacob Hanner, just one page in a 4-inch-thick binder that details her family history. (Staff photo by Joanne Fox)
When "Roots" entered the homes of television viewers in 1977, interest in genealogy skyrocketed.
Three decades later, members of the Woodbury County Genealogical Society insist that interest in one's heritage continues, and they've made arrangements for a special August meeting on an American Indian woman who became one of Siouxland's earliest doctors. (See accompanying story).
Perhaps adding to a continued awareness of ancestry is the fact that people don't have to travel around the country, researching their heritage, due to another area of technology -- the Internet.
But with that instant access to an ever-expanding Information Age comes a "buyer beware."
"We've previously done a special meeting on just evaluating Web sites," said Cheryl Kounas of South Sioux City, vice president of the local group. "There are so many to choose from, people aren't sure where to start."
Not just where to start but also what to do with a plethora of newsgroups, chat rooms, home pages and government records, added association president Connie Swearingen of Smithland, Iowa, who also serves as president of the Monona County Genealogical Society.
"We provide folks with the tools to get organized so they aren't so overwhelmed," she said.
And for individuals who have no idea where to start, Swearingen said rather than directing researchers to start at the very beginning, she advises, "Start with you," and work backwards.
"You can get all the information on yourself the easiest," she pointed out. "Then move on to your parents, then grandparents."
Government or legal documents are important to prove your heritage, Kounas pointed out.
"You want to gather birth, death, marriage, divorce decrees," she said. "Obituaries in the newspaper are good; in fact, stories in the paper about your ancestors are good resources."
The downside to those?
"Some people don't handle an unexpected bank robber surfacing," Kounas said with a laugh. "In fact, some just stop their research altogether when an unsavory relative comes up."
"My attitude is: You can't change it, you might as well accept it!" Swearingen said, joining in the laughter.
Finding your ancestors is far more than simply seeing whom you can shake out of the family tree. With people living longer, more emphasis has been placed on family health history, Swearingen said.
"People are really pushing the health issue today," she said of her experience with folks wanting to start a search. "It's not just who you are, it's what you are."
Kounas jumped on the genealogy bandwagon when an aunt from her mother's side of the family started doing some research. It so intrigued her that she continued unearthing family history, resulting in a 4-inch-thick folder full of documents, information and pictures.
Swearingen started in 1985 looking for information about her paternal grandparents, who had divorced.
"I never knew my real, or biological, grandfather," she said. "When we did locate him, he had lived within 100 miles of us and we never knew it."
She added, "It was like a chapter closed when it was over. I remember leaving his stepdaughter crying because Grandpa had tried to find us but my dad had changed his name."
Swearingen has traced her husband's side of the family to St. Mary's, Md., in 1650, unearthing Gerritt Van Swearingen. Kounas has discovered information on her great-great-grandparents in Prussia.
"Once you start to look prior to the 1880s, you have to rely on church records," Kounas said. "There aren't many accurate courthouse records before that."
The society's membership has fluctuated over the years since it organized in 1977 and began holding meetings at Morningside Presbyterian Church. Through it all, the group has documented every grave in Woodbury County cemeteries and indexed obituaries from the Sioux City Journal by name and death date at Wilbur Aalfs Library.
Get involved
What: Woodbury County Genealogical Society.
When: Second Saturday of each month. The meeting begins at 11 a.m. and breaks for a sack lunch at noon. Group members hold a business meeting from 12:30 to 1 p.m., followed by a program.
Where: First United Methodist Church, 1915 Nebraska St. The building is handicapped-accessible.
Cost: Membership is $15 a year and includes a 30-34 page newsletter, Wahkaw (one of the early names of Woodbury County).
More info: Visit www.rootsweb.com and click on U.S. Town/County database, then type in Sioux City, IA, and click on Woodbury.
Three decades later, members of the Woodbury County Genealogical Society insist that interest in one's heritage continues, and they've made arrangements for a special August meeting on an American Indian woman who became one of Siouxland's earliest doctors. (See accompanying story).
Perhaps adding to a continued awareness of ancestry is the fact that people don't have to travel around the country, researching their heritage, due to another area of technology -- the Internet.
But with that instant access to an ever-expanding Information Age comes a "buyer beware."
"We've previously done a special meeting on just evaluating Web sites," said Cheryl Kounas of South Sioux City, vice president of the local group. "There are so many to choose from, people aren't sure where to start."
Not just where to start but also what to do with a plethora of newsgroups, chat rooms, home pages and government records, added association president Connie Swearingen of Smithland, Iowa, who also serves as president of the Monona County Genealogical Society.
"We provide folks with the tools to get organized so they aren't so overwhelmed," she said.
And for individuals who have no idea where to start, Swearingen said rather than directing researchers to start at the very beginning, she advises, "Start with you," and work backwards.
"You can get all the information on yourself the easiest," she pointed out. "Then move on to your parents, then grandparents."
Government or legal documents are important to prove your heritage, Kounas pointed out.
"You want to gather birth, death, marriage, divorce decrees," she said. "Obituaries in the newspaper are good; in fact, stories in the paper about your ancestors are good resources."
The downside to those?
"Some people don't handle an unexpected bank robber surfacing," Kounas said with a laugh. "In fact, some just stop their research altogether when an unsavory relative comes up."
"My attitude is: You can't change it, you might as well accept it!" Swearingen said, joining in the laughter.
Finding your ancestors is far more than simply seeing whom you can shake out of the family tree. With people living longer, more emphasis has been placed on family health history, Swearingen said.
"People are really pushing the health issue today," she said of her experience with folks wanting to start a search. "It's not just who you are, it's what you are."
Kounas jumped on the genealogy bandwagon when an aunt from her mother's side of the family started doing some research. It so intrigued her that she continued unearthing family history, resulting in a 4-inch-thick folder full of documents, information and pictures.
Swearingen started in 1985 looking for information about her paternal grandparents, who had divorced.
"I never knew my real, or biological, grandfather," she said. "When we did locate him, he had lived within 100 miles of us and we never knew it."
She added, "It was like a chapter closed when it was over. I remember leaving his stepdaughter crying because Grandpa had tried to find us but my dad had changed his name."
Swearingen has traced her husband's side of the family to St. Mary's, Md., in 1650, unearthing Gerritt Van Swearingen. Kounas has discovered information on her great-great-grandparents in Prussia.
"Once you start to look prior to the 1880s, you have to rely on church records," Kounas said. "There aren't many accurate courthouse records before that."
The society's membership has fluctuated over the years since it organized in 1977 and began holding meetings at Morningside Presbyterian Church. Through it all, the group has documented every grave in Woodbury County cemeteries and indexed obituaries from the Sioux City Journal by name and death date at Wilbur Aalfs Library.
Get involved
What: Woodbury County Genealogical Society.
When: Second Saturday of each month. The meeting begins at 11 a.m. and breaks for a sack lunch at noon. Group members hold a business meeting from 12:30 to 1 p.m., followed by a program.
Where: First United Methodist Church, 1915 Nebraska St. The building is handicapped-accessible.
Cost: Membership is $15 a year and includes a 30-34 page newsletter, Wahkaw (one of the early names of Woodbury County).
More info: Visit www.rootsweb.com and click on U.S. Town/County database, then type in Sioux City, IA, and click on Woodbury.
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upvec wrote on Dec 11, 2007 9:44 AM:
tjjfo wrote on Nov 28, 2007 7:16 AM:
tjjfo wrote on Nov 28, 2007 7:15 AM:
tjjfo wrote on Nov 28, 2007 7:15 AM:
tjjfo wrote on Nov 28, 2007 7:15 AM: