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One Hour, Two Generations: A Beginner’s Journey into Family History

When Laura reached out to me, she had one simple request: “I just want to know where my great-grandparents were from.” Like many, she had heard bits and pieces of family lore—stories of immigration, whispered names from old letters—but no solid proof of her roots.

She was skeptical that much could be found in just an hour. I assured her that even in a short amount of time, we could uncover key details about her ancestors that might lead to much bigger discoveries.

The Search Begins

With just the names of her grandparents and their approximate birth years, I started digging. The first stop? Census records. Within minutes, I found her grandfather as a young boy in the 1930 U.S. Census, living in Pennsylvania with his parents and three siblings.

This one record gave us a wealth of information:
✔️ Her great-grandparents’ names.
✔️ Their birthplaces (surprise—her great-grandfather was born in Italy, not the U.S. as she thought!).
✔️ Their occupations—her great-grandfather worked in a steel mill, while her great-grandmother was listed as a homemaker.
✔️ The year they immigrated—1912.

Laura was stunned. She had never heard Italy mentioned in her family before.

Tracing the Journey

Next, I searched immigration records. In a 1912 ship manifest, we found her great-grandfather’s name—spelled slightly differently—along with the village he came from. He was just 18 years old, traveling alone, with only $10 in his pocket and a note that he was heading to his older brother’s home in Pennsylvania.

“This is amazing,” Laura whispered. “I can’t believe this is real.”

A Window into Their Lives

To add even more depth, I checked old newspaper archives. We found a marriage announcement from 1920, confirming the full maiden name of Laura’s great-grandmother and the church where they were wed. A few clicks later, I pulled up her great-grandfather’s WWII draft registration card, showing his exact height, weight, and even his signature.

By the end of the hour, Laura had gone from knowing almost nothing about her great-grandparents to having names, dates, locations, and even handwritten records that connected her to their journey.

The Next Steps

With this new information, I now had the tools to:
✅ Research her family’s village in Italy.
✅ Order birth records from the local archives.
✅ Look for additional immigration and naturalization documents.

She left the session overwhelmed—but excited and inspired. “I never expected to learn so much in just one hour,” she said. “This makes me want to keep going.”

And that’s the beauty of genealogy—one small discovery can open the door to an entire world of history.

Want to Start Your Own Family Journey?

Your ancestors’ stories are waiting to be discovered! In just one hour, I can help you find birth, marriage, and death records, immigration details, military service, newspaper mentions, and more.

beth

March 27, 2025

5 min