For one noted genealogist, the death of her parents launched her search for her past.
And for the last 30 years, Loretto Dennis Szucs, author of “They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins,” has spent many of her waking hours searching through old records to bring her almost-forgotten family history to life.
“It started when I was filling in a baby book,” she said. “My parents had passed away, and I discovered to my shame that I didn’t even know my grandparents’ full names.”
Szucs, who lives in Lockport, is also co-author, along with Western Springs resident Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, of “The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy.”
“We both started our research about 1974 and got together in 1979,” Luebking said. Luebking has been able to trace her family members to Yorkshire, England, and has found records dating back to 1720.
Called “two of America’s brightest genealogists” by David Rencher, president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the two will be keynote speakers at a national conference of genealogists Wednesday through Saturday in Cincinnati.
Members of the Lake County Genealogical Society got a preview of the presentation when Luebking and Szucs practiced their keynote address, “Legends, Lies and Links,” at the Libertyville Civic Center last week.
“We are a nation of immigrants,” Luebking said, “but how much do we know about immigration?”
Many of our ancestors, Luebking said, arrived in this country with high expectations based on letters from friends and family who had come before them. She cited the example of a man who left Yorkshire, England, in 1841 to settle in Dubuque, Iowa. At least 65 families followed him from Yorkshire.
“Some of us can find links in old letters,” Szucs said. More often, family historians must sift through old government records and passenger lists to prove or disprove family legends.
“How many of us began our genealogical research with stories of lost European fortunes?” Luebking asked. “If your family does go back to royalty, it’s a lot easier to link. Most of us don’t.”
“Legends can help us to appreciate the people to whom we owe our lives,” Szucs said. “It becomes our responsibility as family historians to sort out the lies and legends for future generations.”
Finding the facts is not often an easy task. Genealogists speak often of “hitting brick walls.” One of the biggest brick walls in this area is the Chicago Fire of 1871.
“Records from before the fire are a disaster,” Szucs said. “A lot of official recordings are gone, but churches that survived and newspapers can help. Whenever there is a fire in your research, remember people had to continue doing business and they created alternative records.”
Computer software has been a boon to genealogy, Szucs said, “but if people start with a computer, they don’t realize that there are a lot of materials you will never know about if you don’t actually go to the records. If you don’t spend time in the courthouse, you won’t get the whole picture.”
Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States today, Luebking said.
“It’s been big since the television series `Roots’ in 1976. After `Roots’ everyone in archives and libraries was overwhelmed.”
The Lake County Genealogical Society, with more than 200 members, celebrated its 20th anniversary last May.
The group meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Libertyville Community Center and at 9:30 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Reading Room at Seymour and Division Streets in Mundelein.
About 80 members regularly attend the Tuesday meetings, said Michael Wynn, Lake County Genealogical Society president.
“Some members have been working for 30 years or more, and for some this is their first crack at it,” Wynn said.
At the beginning of each meeting, newcomers are invited to stand up and tell what names they are researching in case any older members can offer leads to where records might be found.
“People want to know their heritage,” Wynn said. “It’s so fascinating to dive back into history.”
