As I looked through all the research I have done to find something that encompasses the prompt of a breakthrough moment an idea popped into my mind. I realize this prompt is more for things like breaking through a brick wall or finding out something hugely important in telling an ancestors story, but I am doing to look at it from a different perspective.
I think a breakthrough moment I have had in all the research that I have done is that family history research shouldn’t be focused on finding big stories. While it is always interesting to find something that tells you a lot about your ancestor, sometimes it is the little things that really brings these people to life. Professions, clubs, small newspaper stories/ads, or even a photograph that you haven’t seen before. Your ancestor may not have done something overly newsworthy, but there are pieces of them still there in the records for you to find.
One tip is to look for your ancestor in newspapers. Sometimes you can find them in little things like a letter waiting for them at the post office. Or an announcement for a club meeting. Another thing to find in the paper would be sale of land between two people. You can also find out about visits your ancestor made to other people outside of their town or city. Or if they receive a visitor from out of town. Those extra names can be use for FANs (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors) research to possibly broaden the story.
Another tip is to look through any directories for the area that your ancestor lived. Often the directory showed a little bit about what your ancestor did for a living. And for your women ancestors the directory often told if they were a widow of a certain man and will list his name. Some directories even note who died since the last director was made.
There tends to be a rush to get back as far as possible in your research. Go slowly. Look in several different places. Think outside the box on where you can find family history. A trip back to where your ancestors lived may be in the works, but you would be surprised what can be found online now. Like over at Archive.org has a lot of local papers that might not be available locally.
Coming at family history from a place of seeing a fuller picture of your ancestor will make the search far more fulfilling than hoping to find some famous ancestor or to reach back to Europe or elsewhere. Some people can’t even get back to the original home land through the historic records. Learning about each generation beyond birth, marriage, children, and death is so important to having a well rounded picture of the ancestors and to have a more fulfilling connection to the past.
On Their Shoulders 