Genealogy Research: Fact and Fiction

This is a guest post by Candice Buchanan, a reference librarian in the History and Genealogy Section.

Not long after I turned 14, one of my English teachers handed out Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights.” The 1847 British novel, taking its title from the name of a remote, imposing farmhouse, concerned itself with the fates of two families among the landed gentry in Yorkshire. It’s long been a classic of world literature, but teenage me knew nothing about the characters or the plot. I flipped it open and there, on one of the opening pages, were diagrams of the Linton and Earnshaw family trees. I still remember the sensation: My heart leapt.

I had already been struck by the magic of genealogy after a fateful walk through the neighborhood cemetery in my little Pennsylvania hometown, captivated by the intrigue and allure of local and family history. And now, right in front of me, was a diagram of three generations of ancestors and neighbors living out a drama that included complex relationships, old houses, a rural village with a church and cemetery and even a ghost.

So I imagined myself as a modern genealogist tracking down this 18^th– and early 19^th–century history. Had Heathcliff, his companions at Wuthering Heights and the other characters in dear old Thrushcross Grange really lived, how could I track down their history? They would have all been gone for more than a century. Would their weathered tombstones still be legible? Did their houses still stand? Did the heirs of Hareton and Cathy keep the family papers? The portraits? And the servants; how could I track down their less documented but equally compelling lives? Every type of archival record that might have been created formed a to-do list in my imagination.

When I graduated high school years later, I still hadn’t gotten over it. “Wuthering Heights” was the topic of my senior essay and it left a lasting impression on my work today.

How so, you ask?

Sheree Budge, my former colleague in the History and Genealogy Section (she recently retired), spent a delightful age building a Research Guide for fellow lovers of both fiction and genealogy. I had the privilege to work on the project with her, often in lively and animated conversations, as we debated how the books we read for fun fit with the goals we value in our work.

In the guide, we propose topics, themes and subject headings to encourage both veteran and novice researchers to take a break and enjoy a fictional turn through family histories. Drama, mysteries, ghost stories, science fiction, young adult — we tried to cover the waterfront. The list is by no means the limit to the creativity on the subject; it is just a jumping off point to capture your imagination and curiosity. (There’s also a guide to help you get started on genealogy searches.)

I am partial to the mysteries and ghost stories, many of which were not written with the intention of being classified as genealogy fiction, despite the plots that often involve the investigative techniques used in serious family history sleuthing. In local folklore, ghost stories often have grains of truth. Embellished and exaggerated over generations, they may take many forms, and may lose or gain critical details in the retelling. Genealogists and local historians often detect and flesh out the facts to be found in these stories by documenting a thorough family tree or chronicling the history of a house or property. In many genealogy fiction novels, the protagonists do just the same, even if they don’t always mean to do so. Characters, like real-life researchers, are driven by a need to know that leads them to conduct research and interviews and ultimately seek the best sources to tell the real story.

As “Wuthering Heights” illustrated for me, almost any book may be viewed though genealogy-colored glasses. Family history is human history — it contains every plot and storyline. When the characters in a novel go off the rails, change their identity or ride off into the sunset, I can’t help thinking that those missing ancestors in my family tree may have done exactly the same thing! And because fact can truly be stranger than fiction, discussing novels with fellow researchers often leads to comparisons with in-real-life discoveries. Ask any genealogist to share the story of their most amazing breakthrough and you will probably hear a plot that could rival your favorite bestseller!

Subscribe to the blog— it’s free!