For many summers during my childhood, my parents would take my three sisters and me to Mississippi to visit both (mother and father) sides of our grandparents that lived on family farms in Lamar Mississippi and Pontotoc Mississippi. We would spend about three weeks with each grandparent. It was during these visits my interest in my ancestors transpired. Since then, it has been a life-long undertaking to learn about my ancestors.
What we learn from our ancestors is priceless. It helps in adding to our own identity and providing historical information for family members in future generations. It also gives us health information that could be useful to our family as well as ourselves. I'm a big believer in not allowing your family history to fade into oblivion. However, researching one's family history is not always an easy task. Despite there being lots of information out there available, one still must do the research and validate whatever information and data found.
When you spend years and long hours like me engulfed in a project of writing a book on your family history, sometimes strange things can happen, especially when you haven't had enough sleep. For example (true story), one late night around 2 a.m. while in my home office cropping a photo of my late grandmother, I could have sworn that in the photo she winked at me as I stared at her picture. It was at that moment I knew it was bedtime.
However, that was just the start of a strange night. As I jumped in bed and quickly felled to sleep, it was not long when I drifted into a mysterious dream that magically sent me back in time. Like a scene from the old television show, The Twilight Zone, I was standing in the living room before my great grandparents in the late 1890s. Great Grandpa William Henry Mims (in left photo) and Great Grandma Nancy Jones Mims looked just like they did in the two rare portraits I have of them, except they were casually dressed.
Although I was somewhat nervous and afraid by the fact that I was standing before two people that both died in 1924 of natural causes; that nervousness fear quickly subsided when I realized that I was having a rare moment in time with my ancestors. Two people that I only knew from stories told to me by my grandmother were now standing before me, unaware that they were looking at their great-grandson from the future. Before I could tell them who I was, reality quickly appeared as I had awakened from one of the strangest dreams I ever had. However, for that brief moment, it felt as though I had actually gone back into time and met my great grandparents for the first time. Even though it was a dream, it seemed so real.
When I wrote my two family history books, researching them also seemed like going back into time. Through tireless research efforts, I had discovered several additional things about my great grandparents who fortunately were born after slavery. However, I also learn a few things about my great-great-grandparents and other ancestors who were once slaves. I cannot overstate how much the research of my ancestors has enriched my knowledge of my family history. And it can do the same for you and your loved ones.
Seek out to learn about your family history. Become the family historian. Become the expert on your family history so that family members have someone to refer to for information on your ancestors. Take advantage of the abundance of knowledge your older living relatives have. Interview them while they are in their right mind; do not wait until they become senile and cannot remember things. Get as much detail information from your older relatives as possible. It would be a shame to let Uncle Bill and Aunt Sally take your family history and stories to their grave without you ever knowing them. What a loss it would also be to your descendants.
In 2008, after completing my father's family history book, Mims Family History, I immediately started on my mother's family history in 2009, Topp Family History. I was on a mission to complete these two books and nothing was going to get in my way. I tracked down relative’s old photos and other various types of documents. I also searched and found old notes I had from interviews with my late grandparents in the late 1970s and early in the 1980s.
As long as civilization exists, there will be a need and purpose for your family history to exist. Hundreds of years from now, there will be descendants from your bloodline interested in knowing about their relatives of the past; one of those ancestors could be you they may want to know about.
A good researcher (or historian) should have an inquisitive mind; be able to think out of the box; willing to validate information found, and utilizes several resources for obtaining information and data. But what will ultimately drive you to dig up research on your ancestors, will simply be your passion and curiosity of wanting to know your family history.
When researching your family history, begin by working with the information that you already have. Then refer to other resources to help you connect the dots. For example, when I was researching my grandfather's brother, Arthur Topp (see photo and more information on him below) on my mother's family side, I looked at military records and California public records from where he last resided before his death in 1979. When I saw that California records showed that he was born in October 1904, but the military records showed he was born in October 1905; I had resolved that the military records were more accurate since I already knew that he was two years older than his sister, Jettie Topp who was born in 1907. As a result, the military records validated the correct year Arthur was born. It also listed the exact date of birth (October 21, 1905) which the California records did not. This further confirmed that the military records were not only more accurate, but also more complete.
The Draft Registration Card that men completed when they registered for the draft in 1917 and 1918 is probably one of the most reliable and useful resources for obtaining information about ancestors. This two-page document provides the person's date and place of birth, occupation, employer name, nearest relative, and even a general physical description of the ancestor. But my favorite from this document is that it also includes the ancestor's actual signature. Seeing an ancestor’s signature is the next best thing to actually seeing their photo.
Should you ever take the plunge or challenge of researching your family history, do not limit your search to the web. Do some legwork by visiting funeral homes, gravesites, and church records where detail records can be found. Visit the location where the subject may have roamed and talked to relatives and friends who may have known them or have information on the ancestor. Also, avoid trying to rewrite history. If the questionable information you find cannot be validated, go by the old adage, when in doubt, leave it out. Or state the fact that the information could not be confirmed or validated.
So, if you have the drive, interests, and passion to research your family history, do it! The tools, resources are out there for you. All you need to do is some hard-nosed detective work and then put the information in some type of format; whether it is a book, album, CD, video, scrape book, or another type of format. Also, make sure you get your hands on photos to help tell your family story. Taking on this important venture will be one of the wisest and most thoughtful projects you can do for your family and future relatives. It can be a great way of adding to your own legacy.
Mormons place great emphasis on genealogical research. This is because their church doctrine states that "saving ordinances" must be made available to every individual who has ever lived. So, the search for one's ancestors is an important part of the Mormon faith. I think this is something that all religious faiths can learn from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A lot has transpired since I last wrote these two books in 2008 and 2009, including some relatives making their transition while new relatives having been born. Some family members have asked to purchase copies of these books at family reunions, however, unfortunately, they are both out of print. Given the changes and the continuous demand for these books by some family members, I am seriously considering to do an update on both books with additional researched information and photos. Of course, that's provided (as my late grandfather used to say) the good Lord allows me.
Marcus N. Mims
What we learn from our ancestors is priceless. It helps in adding to our own identity and providing historical information for family members in future generations. It also gives us health information that could be useful to our family as well as ourselves. I'm a big believer in not allowing your family history to fade into oblivion. However, researching one's family history is not always an easy task. Despite there being lots of information out there available, one still must do the research and validate whatever information and data found.
When you spend years and long hours like me engulfed in a project of writing a book on your family history, sometimes strange things can happen, especially when you haven't had enough sleep. For example (true story), one late night around 2 a.m. while in my home office cropping a photo of my late grandmother, I could have sworn that in the photo she winked at me as I stared at her picture. It was at that moment I knew it was bedtime.
However, that was just the start of a strange night. As I jumped in bed and quickly felled to sleep, it was not long when I drifted into a mysterious dream that magically sent me back in time. Like a scene from the old television show, The Twilight Zone, I was standing in the living room before my great grandparents in the late 1890s. Great Grandpa William Henry Mims (in left photo) and Great Grandma Nancy Jones Mims looked just like they did in the two rare portraits I have of them, except they were casually dressed.
Although I was somewhat nervous and afraid by the fact that I was standing before two people that both died in 1924 of natural causes; that nervousness fear quickly subsided when I realized that I was having a rare moment in time with my ancestors. Two people that I only knew from stories told to me by my grandmother were now standing before me, unaware that they were looking at their great-grandson from the future. Before I could tell them who I was, reality quickly appeared as I had awakened from one of the strangest dreams I ever had. However, for that brief moment, it felt as though I had actually gone back into time and met my great grandparents for the first time. Even though it was a dream, it seemed so real.
When I wrote my two family history books, researching them also seemed like going back into time. Through tireless research efforts, I had discovered several additional things about my great grandparents who fortunately were born after slavery. However, I also learn a few things about my great-great-grandparents and other ancestors who were once slaves. I cannot overstate how much the research of my ancestors has enriched my knowledge of my family history. And it can do the same for you and your loved ones.
Seek out to learn about your family history. Become the family historian. Become the expert on your family history so that family members have someone to refer to for information on your ancestors. Take advantage of the abundance of knowledge your older living relatives have. Interview them while they are in their right mind; do not wait until they become senile and cannot remember things. Get as much detail information from your older relatives as possible. It would be a shame to let Uncle Bill and Aunt Sally take your family history and stories to their grave without you ever knowing them. What a loss it would also be to your descendants.
In 2008, after completing my father's family history book, Mims Family History, I immediately started on my mother's family history in 2009, Topp Family History. I was on a mission to complete these two books and nothing was going to get in my way. I tracked down relative’s old photos and other various types of documents. I also searched and found old notes I had from interviews with my late grandparents in the late 1970s and early in the 1980s.
As long as civilization exists, there will be a need and purpose for your family history to exist. Hundreds of years from now, there will be descendants from your bloodline interested in knowing about their relatives of the past; one of those ancestors could be you they may want to know about.
A good researcher (or historian) should have an inquisitive mind; be able to think out of the box; willing to validate information found, and utilizes several resources for obtaining information and data. But what will ultimately drive you to dig up research on your ancestors, will simply be your passion and curiosity of wanting to know your family history.
When researching your family history, begin by working with the information that you already have. Then refer to other resources to help you connect the dots. For example, when I was researching my grandfather's brother, Arthur Topp (see photo and more information on him below) on my mother's family side, I looked at military records and California public records from where he last resided before his death in 1979. When I saw that California records showed that he was born in October 1904, but the military records showed he was born in October 1905; I had resolved that the military records were more accurate since I already knew that he was two years older than his sister, Jettie Topp who was born in 1907. As a result, the military records validated the correct year Arthur was born. It also listed the exact date of birth (October 21, 1905) which the California records did not. This further confirmed that the military records were not only more accurate, but also more complete.
The Draft Registration Card that men completed when they registered for the draft in 1917 and 1918 is probably one of the most reliable and useful resources for obtaining information about ancestors. This two-page document provides the person's date and place of birth, occupation, employer name, nearest relative, and even a general physical description of the ancestor. But my favorite from this document is that it also includes the ancestor's actual signature. Seeing an ancestor’s signature is the next best thing to actually seeing their photo.
Should you ever take the plunge or challenge of researching your family history, do not limit your search to the web. Do some legwork by visiting funeral homes, gravesites, and church records where detail records can be found. Visit the location where the subject may have roamed and talked to relatives and friends who may have known them or have information on the ancestor. Also, avoid trying to rewrite history. If the questionable information you find cannot be validated, go by the old adage, when in doubt, leave it out. Or state the fact that the information could not be confirmed or validated.
So, if you have the drive, interests, and passion to research your family history, do it! The tools, resources are out there for you. All you need to do is some hard-nosed detective work and then put the information in some type of format; whether it is a book, album, CD, video, scrape book, or another type of format. Also, make sure you get your hands on photos to help tell your family story. Taking on this important venture will be one of the wisest and most thoughtful projects you can do for your family and future relatives. It can be a great way of adding to your own legacy.
Mormons place great emphasis on genealogical research. This is because their church doctrine states that "saving ordinances" must be made available to every individual who has ever lived. So, the search for one's ancestors is an important part of the Mormon faith. I think this is something that all religious faiths can learn from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A lot has transpired since I last wrote these two books in 2008 and 2009, including some relatives making their transition while new relatives having been born. Some family members have asked to purchase copies of these books at family reunions, however, unfortunately, they are both out of print. Given the changes and the continuous demand for these books by some family members, I am seriously considering to do an update on both books with additional researched information and photos. Of course, that's provided (as my late grandfather used to say) the good Lord allows me.
Marcus N. Mims
Marcus N. Mims signing his new book in his home office.
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My long lost uncle Arthur Topp is well dressed for this photo session. For years family members knew little about where he was living. It was almost as though he purposely cut himself off from his relatives. However, when I did my research on him, I discovered he had been living in Riverside California. After his military service he worked as a truck driver. It was on July 12, 1979 when Arthur Topp, the youngest son of my great grandparents died at a convalescent home in Indio, California at the age of 74.
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