
By Franklin T. Wike
I don’t know how old most people are when they become interested in Genealogy,
but I started my family searching when I was in my early 20’s. I think that part of my
interest was because my parents were divorced and I didn’t know anything about my
father, Franklin T. Wike, or his side of the family. However on my mother’s side, Verna
M. Hostetter, I was lucky because my local library had a book with the listing of the first
ancestor, (Oswald Hostetter,) that came to this country in 1732.
I have always loved puzzles and trying to figure things out, so over the years, I
started doing genealogy research for other people. Yet, I seemed to remain at a dead end
on my own family, for many years. And one of the things I noticed as I got older was that
my interests started to change. I was no longer simply looking for names and dates. I
started talking to people and listening to stories about the way life was, during a certain
decade, in various parts of the country. I also caught myself watching movies that
portrayed this country in the 18th or 19th century and wondering what life was like for my
ancestors during that time frame. Did they fight against the British or French? Were they
involved in the civil war? I wondered about their interaction with Indians, when they first
arrived in this country. Basically, I wanted to know more about the lives they endured,
instead of simply knowing their names.
Unfortunately, my interest in lifestyles, arrived after my great-grandparents and
grandparents had already passed away. However, they did not leave me empty handed.
After my mother passed away, I discovered that my passion for genealogy might have
been inherited. While sorting through my mothers belongings, I uncovered a hand written
genealogy that my mother had filled out, and another hand written genealogy that my
grandmother, Marion Hostetter nee Leedom, had filled out. Then I discovered that my
great-grandmother, Lizzie Fink Hostetter nee Long, was the founder of the Long Family
Association and her husband, my great-grandfather, Harvey Hostetter, was the founder
and past president of the Hostetter Family Reunion. As a result of my family having such
an interest in preserving their heritage, I inherited over 200 hand written recipes, from my
great-grandmother, including some that were given to her by her mother, aunt,
mother-in-law, cousin, etc. I also inherited hundreds of old family photographs, some
containing pictures of my grandparents when they were children, and even some taken at
various family gatherings, showing my great-grandparents, their brothers, sisters and
in-laws and even my great-great-grandparents.
I also inherited my great-grandparents Memorial Books, from their funeral and
discovered they can be a great source for information. By looking at the signature of
guests, I noticed many surnames that I recognized from my genealogy charts, as well as
an obituary taped inside one of them, that listed the married names of my
great-grandfathers sisters.
One of the things that I feel some regret for, is the fact that I grew up living over
600 miles away from the area where all my ancestors lived and died, for almost 300
years. And some day, I might even move back to that part of the country before I die, but
in the meantime I am taking advantage of the time I have, to try and make life easier for
others. Since I can not be in my families home town, to look through the cemeteries, read
old newspaper obituaries, and search through antique shops for family documents, I am
doing the next best thing. I am saving old newspaper obituaries from the area I do live in,
writing down the names of families in local cemeteries, and searching local estate
auctions for any pictures or other documentation that would be valued by other families.
Then, as I have time, I will post all this information for other families, on the web, as my
way of helping others. And who knows, maybe someday, some kind soul from Lebanon
County, PA will run across some information on my family that I don’t have, and will
share it with me.
I guess the one important thing I have gained from my genealogy research is an
appreciation for my families desire to preserve their knowledge and memories for future
generations, and that is one family trait that I plan to pass on to future generations. It has
been said in the business world that sometime “who you know” is more important then
“what you know.” That same concept can be true in genealogy. By preserving documents
with the names of neighbors, friends, and family members today, we can make the road
much smoother for the next generation, and after all, isn’t that part of what every loving
parent wants for their children and grandchildren?
Happy hunting, and do someone a favor, become a Pack Rat.
Franklin T. Wike
U S Legacies Magazine 2002
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