52 Ancestors: Unusual Source

For this weeks 52 Ancestors post, I considered a couple different sources. I have genealogy collections about the Eby Family, and I have my maternal 2x great-grandparents family bible, but I was not sure either of these would be unusual enough. Then it occurred to me, an unusual source I use, something that most people could create and access for themselves: a family Facebook group.

After a family reunion four years ago with my dad’s side of the family, one created a Facebook group, where we could share photos and stories, and ask questions if needed. While it is not highly used, I have used it for photographs or to ask questions I could not find the answer to.

 

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Photo of a family history board from our family reunion. Dallas Eby was my great-grandfather.

 

In one instance, I shared my post on my great-grandfather’s time in prison. People posted what they had heard from others, including that Dallas took mistreated horses to rescue and rehome them out of the area. His time in prison was the only time he was caught.

So why should you have a group?

Not everyone is on Ancestry or Family Search, and not everyone wants to fully trace their own family history. But they may have photos, stories, or other information to pass down, and a group allows for that. You can make it public or private, allowing for a level of security as well.

 

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My 2x great-grandfather John Stuart, a photo posted on our Facebook group. I would never have seen this otherwise.

 

People also post pictures, making it a nice way to share information between family members without having to be Facebook friends. It is a nice way to keep in touch as well! Of course, not everyone is on Facebook, but we have a nice number in our group.

Thanks for reading, as always you can find all my 52 ancestors posts by clicking the tag! There is also a new, handy-dandy search bar to help find posts.

Until next time,

Meredith