Become a Pack Rat

 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