A Family With Little Means

Most of my research has been on my mother's paternal lineage, the Ard family. I've known from early on that this family and their achievements were unremarkable. None attained any social, political, military or economic stature. Evidence has also shed light on sporadic unfortunate events that occurred through the generations, which began as hopeful opportunities, and ended in disappointment. Theirs is a story of struggle and survival despite a lifetime of hardships.

The Thomas Ard Survey

Last week I drove to Woodville, Texas -- the seat for Tyler County -- to thumb through deed books. I was looking to see what I could uncover regarding my third great-grandfather, Thomas Ard, who migrated there with his family from Baker County, Georgia around 1856, when he received 160 acres in a pre-emption grant. I found a few entries for that family, fortunately. But I also found something else that I didn't expect and was very interested in.

Rolled up and laminated at the County Clerk's office was a very large property survey map for Tyler County, dated 1965. Not only did it outline the original surveys, it also showed current surveys (as of 1965).

For several years I've had a dream of organizing a family reunion for all the descendants of Thomas Ard. Moreover, I've wanted to have this reunion on the same homestead he was granted. It hadn't been difficult to locate the property, which is currently uninhabited. What had been more of a challenge was determining the current owner(s). This map was a leap forward in that process.

Going back and doing it right

When I first started doing my own genealogy research on Ancestry.com, I had no idea that I would love it to the point that I'd decide I want to do it professionally one day. Nor did I know that the way I was conducting my "research" -- that is, simply attaching all the work that other people had done to my tree when Ancestry said they matched -- is the worst way possible. It hadn't dawned on me that accountability might one day come into play.

Before long, my "family tree" more closely resembled a spiderweb than anything growing out of the ground, let alone with roots. When I learned about the Genealogical Proof Standard, I immediately went on to Ancestry.com and made all my trees private. I didn't want anyone using my tree as a reference in their own research, especially when I hadn't really done my own.

Now I'm going through the process of actually researching and proving or disproving facts that had been asserted. Needless to say, my tree isn't growing as rapidly as it seemed to before. It's okay though, this time, I can publish my work with confidence that everything in it is backed up and cited with documentation.