A popular trend right now is researching ancestor’s homes. You can find many fascinating tidbits about families when you study their homes, why they lived there and who lived there before and after them. A house is so much more than just brick and mortar but is the spirit of the family. Have you felt the different feelings there are in your home when your children come and when they leave? Your ancestor’s homes were just as vibrant too. A treasure is finding a biography that describes the home and the activities of the family in that home, and you can create such treasures for your family too.
The first home history you can write could be your own home or homes if you lived in several. You can include a homemade blueprint of the house and a map of the yard. Grandparents homes would be a great history to cover too. Even if you are not familiar with their homes, you could interview family members who were and add their experiences.
I am forever indebted to Amy Carroll Stark (daughter of Charles and Kezia Carroll) for the house history she wrote of the “Section House” where she grew up. She included crude drawings of the barnyard and the house. Amy was very descriptive in her history. “A flower garden graced each side of the wide path leading from the front gate: first a row of Flags; then spicy Carnations; colorful Snapdragons: yellow and orange French Marigolds; various colored Zinnias; tall, white Cosmos and, flanking each side fence, a row of Hollyhocks – oh the bees and bumble bees we have caught in them.” I wish I could go back in time to see the beauty. Amy’s description of each room in the house was just as detailed. The subjects that she included in her history were the house, hill, living room, kitchen, cellar, cows, pigs, chickens, stackyard, creek, and many more vivid memories. Amy’s house history can be read online at users.sisna.com/doughunt/carroll/section1.htm.
Your house histories do not need to be limited to the houses you know. Ancestry Academy has a course on “Discovering the History of Your House on Ancestry.” (www.ancestry.com/academy/course/house-histories-ancestry) This video course has some great ideas for researching houses of ancestors who lived far away or long ago. A house history is a unique way to give context to your ancestor’s lives and a treasure for generations to come.
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