Don’t wait. Visit your family homesteads and historical buildings now.
It is often talked about in genealogy blogs, etc., that you should interview your older relatives before they all pass on and there is no one left to interview. It has recently been made clear to me that it is not the only genealogy resource that must be pursued before it is too late. The same concept applies to family homesteads and other historical buildings that have a place in your family history.
A few years ago, my sister and I had traveled back to my home town, Wishek, ND. It was a genealogy visit for me. I stopped at the cemetery and drove by and took pictures of buildings that had meaning to me from my younger years. One that I particularly wanted to see was my grandfather’s house. I knew it had been sold outside the family years ago and had even been a rental for awhile. I recalled having big family dinners there when I was very small.
Genealogy resources expire!
My grandmother was ill with a heart condition for many years and dinners at their home stopped. She died when I was in the third grade. Even though I remembered being there in my high school years to visit my grandfather, I couldn’t seem to recall the floor plan. I was determined to knock on the door no matter who lived there and ask if I could have a look inside the house and maybe take some pictures. When we arrived, we were informed that the property had reverted to the county for taxes or something and had finally been torn down earlier that summer. I missed it by months.
Another reminder came to me when my daughter had the opportunity to visit Switzerland and was persuaded to do some genealogical research for me. For years there have been family members who have visited Switzerland and were able to stay at the hotel that family lore has it was built by the family many years ago. My daughter, Caitie wanted to see that, but in our research prior to her visit, we found that it was sold and is now a VOLG minimart/supermarket. She was able to take pictures of the building, but it appears to have been remodeled quite a bit since the original hotel.
Another building that has significant historical interest for me is the family homestead in Switzerland. I have been trying to find the address for it for many years. It was built in 1783 by the Zurcher/Zuercher family in Trubschachen, Switzerland. Once again, family members have visited, but I didn’t have an exact address. With family letters and advice from a cousin, Caitie was able to find the homestead. It appears to have been unoccupied for years. Even though the building had house numbers on it, we were unable to find it on Google Earth. Apparently it is no longer a working address. Also, Google Earth has not yet mapped that area on the ground so we were unable to view it that way, but we had a good aerial view and were able to pinpoint which building was the homestead.
But with this building being so old and obviously unlived in and not maintained, I have to wonder if it might be a candidate to be torn down and that makes me want to finally set a date for my visit to Switzerland that has been on my bucket list for many, many years. Don’t wait until it is too late like I have done.
Which of your genealogical buildings might have a limited lifespan? Does this inspire you to explore them before they have become unavailable or torn down? Don’t wait until it is too late.
What buildings have a historical place in your family history? How are you incorporating them in to your family story?
