Sam Williams | Building a Family Forest

Stories in Our Roots

Sam Williams | Building a Family Forest

Episode 16 • 24:09

SPEAKERS

Heather Murphy, Sam Williams

Stories in Our Roots  00:03

Welcome to the Stories in Our Roots podcast. I'm your host Heather Murphy. In this podcast, we dive deep into how knowing the stories of our ancestors can make a difference in our lives today, discovering our family history is more than a hobby. It is a way to connect deeply with ourselves, those we love, and the world around us.

Heather Murphy  00:26

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Stories in Our Roots. I am so glad that you have decided to join me today. Now first of all, I am preparing for 2021 and I am looking for people like you who would like to share their stories on this podcast. If you have a story that you would like to share, or if you have someone, a friend or a family member that you would like to suggest, please send me a message via my website at storiesinourroots.com or send me a message on the different social media platforms. I look forward to hearing from you. Now today's interview is with Sam Williams, and we had a great conversation. Today you'll hear how his research evolved from making a family tree to making a family forest how his research not only gave him a sense of connection to his family, but also to place and how he will encourage you to encounter your ancestors rather than just identifying them. Here is the interview with Sam Williams.

Today I am joined by Sam Williams, and I am pleased to have him talk and share his experiences with us. Sam, thank you for being here. And could you introduce yourself, please?

Sam Williams  01:49

Sure. Thank you so much for having me. I'm Sam Williams. And I work as the Orthodox genealogist I'm based here in Norfolk, Virginia. My day job is I work as a pastoral assistant at a Greek Orthodox Church in Virginia Beach.

Heather Murphy  02:04

Thanks. Can you tell us how you first became interested in researching your family history?

Sam Williams  02:10

As a kid, I didn't really have a whole lot of connections with a lot of my living family. My immediate family was really everyone that I knew. In high school, I started to get a little bit more curiosity. I always heard a little bits here and there like we're part German, were part Scottish or something like this. And I knew that my mom's side that we had some prestigious roots to old Virginia, we went to the Library of Virginia in high school and looked at a book that mentioned parts of our family. And that was really intriguing for me. I remember I wrote an article for something in high school for like my English class. And that stuck with me, but I didn't ever have time, or a complete interest to dive into it. And it wasn't until after I finished high school. And then after I finished college, that I had no free time time to not be reading books that I had to do to start working on a family tree. That was very, I would say elementary level. I mean, I was I was adding names. I was collecting dates, that kind of a thing. But then I tabled that again, when I went to grad school. And my grad school program was three years. So it's a lot longer than normal grad school program. It took me again another year after grad school before I actually went back to diving into my tree. And that was 2014. And by then DNA testing autosomal DNA testing became a thing. And I was hooked. From there, it just kind of skyrocketed. And I dove straight in.

Heather Murphy  03:50

Do you remember what it felt like as you were first like that beginning researcher? Was it easy for you? Was it kind of overwhelming? What was your experience?

Sam Williams  03:59

I think initially, it was like, wow, I mean, my first thought was all these people have already done so much of my research. And now looking back, I'm like, yeah, you know, a lot of people put some information together. I didn't really have the discernment to distinguish what was researched and what wasn't. And so at first, it seemed like, Wow, this is great. Like, I'm doing so much research, but really, I was just saying yes to hence. And when I went back to it, I think I realized how much I needed to confirm and how much I needed to actually like re evaluate. And even now today when I look back at certain parts of my family tree that I don't work on very often and I realize wow, I've never, I've never completely validated this line, or I've never completely dug deep. I've never gone and actually looked at the original records. And then I find myself detaching whole lines from my tree. And I find that exhilarating. It's kind of exciting because now it gives me something new to do. So I think when I was first looking at it, it was more Oh, look, I've done my tree. And now it's more, how many cousins am I missing? So it's kind of evolved from feeling a sense of completion to a desire to, to flesh it out to make my family forest rather than my family tree.

Heather Murphy  05:20

How has learning about your family history impacted you?

Sam Williams  05:24

It's impacted me in a whole lot of different ways. I think the first thing is that it's given me a sense of belonging, a sense of belonging to who I am and where I come from. And for me, where I come from wasn't as much an issue of, am I English, am I Welsh, am I German, but as much as who do I come from? Who are the people that make me who I am? Who is it that without whom I wouldn't exist? I think those questions are the ones that have lingered with me and have changed my approach to history.

Sam Williams  06:05

It's changed my approach to family, my sense of family has completely evolved. It's, it's not just my mom, my dad, my sister, it's cousins of all varieties. I meet a distant cousin that, you know, a fourth cousin twice removed, and I'm like, hey, cuz, you know, it's great. And it's an instant connection. So this sense of connection to all sorts of people. And that's been one major change for me.

Sam Williams  06:32

I would say, how I look at my role in American history. You know, I was mentioning to you a minute ago that today I was at Jamestown, and the people I was with, my friends, you know, they're even saying like, it's great being here with you because you have a sense of connection to this place. It's not just an article of history. But for me, it's it's where my family has been. Even my connection to my home county, I went, I grew up in a really small place called Powhatan County, Virginia. And in Powhatan County, there's only one high school. When I was there, there was only one elementary school. And then there was two elementary schools. And now there's three elementary schools. We went from, like two stoplights to I think four. And we even have a Walmart now. So our one high school, my aunt went there, my stepdad went there. My grandfather graduated from high school there when it was just a technical school. And the bulk of my research is in my home county. So it went from being a place that I kind of wanted to get away from, and not in a negative sense. But just in the sense of, you know, I'm from this place, I want to go see new places. And I did, I moved up north, I went to Philly, Boston, New York, but I came back. And I came back mostly because I have this sense of connection to this place, a place that I'd kind of written off, I now see as more mine than anyone else's. I've claimed it. So I think family history is has given me that sense of connection in ways that reading a history book or something like that can never could have done.

Heather Murphy  08:11

Are there any stories on your family that particularly stand out to you or ancestors, or even like a line that is more meaningful to you that you connect with a little bit more than others?

Sam Williams  08:22

Yeah, for sure. You know, I think there are certain lines of my family history that have always stood out or seemed more interesting to me. I know that on my mom's side, she's, she always said we're related to Patrick Henry. And I was, you know, as a kid, I said, Sure, okay. And we are, you know, it's Patrick. Henry's mom was married twice, and I'm descended from her son from her first marriage. And Patrick Henry was a son from our second marriage. I always found that really intriguing. Also, that that line, I think, is interesting, but mostly just because they're more, there are wealthier people. So there's more documents about them. But I haven't done as much research on them. I'm more curious about those lines in my tree that are mysteries where I should know more about them, but I don't yet and that kills me. And because it kills me it just like constantly is calling to me. And I'm constantly thinking of new ways that I might go to discover the answers, in particular my paternal line. So I'm a Williams. And I don't know if everyone out there knows that Williams is sort of a common last name. In Wales, it's like a third of the phonebook, right? Just because someone has last name Williams doesn't mean that they're related to me. I've done a lot of work. But despite all that work, I've only been able to confirm back to an ancestor born about 1817 in my home county of Powhatan County. I have all these leads, and I'm going to be working on it for a while and I have lots of leads, but nothing's concrete just yet. So that one's a big one.

Sam Williams  09:57

There's another family. The last name is Stratton. With the Stratton family what has been so intriguing for me has been that there was a book written about the Stratton family 100 years ago. And because this book has been written in, there's a book, you know, with black on white, therefore, it's a gospel, right? This person has written the family history, everything she said must be true. And I found a few things that I'm like, No, she was wrong here. So now I have this drive to prove her wrong, and not necessarily prove her wrong, because even in her book, she says, Hey, if you find me things wrong, I'm happy to get corrected. But I'm more I want to disprove all the family historians out there that just want to take it, you know, and run with it. I think finding those connections and untangling the the men with the same name, for example, has been super fun. You know, there's more than one, William Stratton in the same county at the same time, there's more than one man with the with the last name Williams. So are they all brothers? Are they cousins? Those sorts of questions call to me. And the other ones that keep me clicking refresh on the DNA matches and that kind of thing.

Heather Murphy  11:08

For a lot of people, those kind of situations would be the ones that they wouldn't want to work on. There. A lot of times when I talk to people, they're all about doing the hints and that kind of the instant gratification of being able to put together a family really quickly. How do you keep yourself motivated? or What is it about these problems that keeps you working on them, even though it takes years?

Sam Williams  11:32

That's a great question. It's a puzzle. I think genealogy is a puzzle. It is a mystery. It's it's those books where you have to choose your own path. And then it takes to the next thing to the next thing. genealogy is a continued work. Everyone loves a good story. Everyone loves you know, there's soap operas last forever, for a reason, right? Because we want to know what happens to the characters Next, I can't stop watching because I have to know what, where they end up who they marry. Right? So we those mysteries, and those curiosities are what keep us coming back. And for me, those mysteries, make me say, Well, what am I missing? Where might I find those answers? You know, if I can't find a birth record, all right, well, what type of records might tell me information about his birth? What are some other places that I haven't looked yet? And that's, that helps me get to know a place better. And then when I know that place better than I can answer other questions about other ancestors who lived in the same place.

Sam Williams  12:39

I think it's the chase the excitement of you're not going to stay a mystery for me forever. You know, I'll find you, you know, the ones that are easier. I mean, it's great because I'm like, Oh, look, I you know, like for my, for example, my Mayflower line. I'm a Mayflower descendant and I joined the Mayflower society a couple years ago. And that was awesome. I loved it. But what was so funny is, I found it so satisfying, because it was relatively easy for me. I mean, I was blessed to have a line that came through Indiana, that particular time period when my ancestors moved through there, there are great death records and marriage records. And there was a book that mentioned them when they were still living. So it was a lot easier for me to find. But though I haven't joined the Sons the American Revolution yet, I haven't joined the Jamestown society yet. Not because I can't, but because I want to make sure that those lines are perfectly researched. It's something where I'm going one day I will have it perfect. And then I will, then I will submit it. So give me something to look forward to. I think

Stories in Our Roots  13:48

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Heather Murphy  14:29

When you're researching and you're finding things somewhat easily you get the benefit of adding people to your tree. So what is the benefit of working on one person for an extended period of time without actually putting any input into your family tree?

Sam Williams  14:45

I think the biggest benefit is you really get to know that person. You really get to know where they are all the time. Some ancestors of mine, I you know, sure I have where they are every 10 years. I know it They're born, supposedly, I know when they died, definitely because I have death records, things like that. But those ancestors that I still don't know who their parents were, I can tell you where they were every single year, because I've looked at tax records, I can tell you how much they paid and land tax records, I can tell you how much they paid personal property, I can tell you that in a particular year, my ancestor James barley owned a metallic clock. I mean, how random is that? Right. But I know that about him, because I've researched him deeply. I know now, because I've searched so much for James barley, I know that he's the one who sold this really rich guy an acre of land so that the Episcopal Church could build a church. So I know that really, it was my ancestor that got that land to them, not the rich guy, even though the rich guys want to get all the credit. That's, that's something people would know, if he hadn't been a mystery.

Sam Williams  15:56

I benefit from really encountering my ancestors. And I think that's, that's what I try to emphasize in my research. And in my blog, is encountering your ancestors, rather than just, you know, check, I got their name, check, I got the dates. So pursuing the person and their story, rather than pursuing dates and names and just moving backwards. And also, the other thing, too, is that when you are really focused on one person, you can do a lot of genetic genealogy as well, with descendancy research. I have so many cousins in my tree descended from very particular people. And so when a new cousin pops up in DNA, I'm immediately aware of who they are. Like, I'm like, Hey, I know you descend from Joseph Williams. I don't know if you know that. But you're from Powhatan, and they're like, I'm not from Virginia. And I'm like, Yeah, you are. Trust me, you know. So no, people want to be my cousin. Because they can connect to that, that line of research from that mystery ancestor.

Heather Murphy  17:00

I think that's great. And it's so easy to not encounter our ancestors, as you say, and just get the minimum amount of information we need to move on to the next generation. And then off we go. And how much more could we benefit if we really took the time to dive deep?

Sam Williams  17:18

Absolutely.

Heather Murphy  17:19

Was there anything else that you wanted to say about how family histories impacted you?

Sam Williams  17:24

Sure, I could share a couple. A couple of tidbits. The first thing is really connecting with living family. I think it's, it should be obvious that if you're working on family history, that you're going to connect more with your grandparents or your aunt's your uncle's but what about people like myself who never had those connections, so I didn't grow up with my grandparents, I didn't grow up with my aunts and uncles. But through family history, I've been able to connect now with my living on snuggles with my living grandparents with my living first cousins. Once removed, I've been able to learn these stories that even my dad didn't know that my mom didn't know, because now I have something to talk to these people about. I have a stronger relationship with my grandparents a stronger relationship with my aunts and uncles because I have something to connect with them about. Whereas before, I didn't know what to talk about, because I didn't have a shared past with them. Now, I can connect with them through their past, through my connection with those individuals. I might not have known them, but I know their records. That's, you know, that's one thing. Another thing for me has been connecting with people that connect with me, but they don't know how, especially through DNA, with people with not parent expected situations or adoptees, where I've been able to work with them. And and we have bonded so much because I've been able to help them connect with their past. Thinking Another example would be, I really feel much deeper, that I'm patriotic in a way that I never thought that I was. And the way that I say patriotic. I don't mean it in a nationalistic sense of raw were the best. But in a sense of I know where I come from, I know what it has cost. And I believe in the ideals and I want to see this country meet those ideals. Because I know that my ancestors have been a part of it for so long. And it would be cheap of me to not care. Family history has given me that gift, that gift of a deep connection to my country, to my state, to my home counties, to my immediate family. To my ancestors. It's been a gift that just keeps giving back. Just like a DNA test. It's a gift that keeps on giving. Right?

Heather Murphy  19:54

Yeah, I think that's really interesting. You're the first person who said that family history has been brought them that sense of connection to their country or to place. I think that's significant. Because so often, especially in modern society, we're so transient, and we can come and go as we please. And moving to another country is really not as big of a deal. And just to look at our ancestry and see what they thought of this country, and what how that influenced their actions as well or the reverse.

Sam Williams  20:30

Absolutely, yeah, it's as an East-coaster. I'm always bewildered by people on the West coast, like, why would you go that far away? Right? Like, why would you do all that work? Like, my ancestors found Powhatan county just fine. You know, they've been there since the first Europeans since 1700. And we have not left. So it's, you know, it gives you that positive? Well, if they liked it, there must be something worth taking in here, right? planting your roots a little bit?

Heather Murphy  21:01

Well, that's great. What advice would you give someone who is just starting to research their family history?

Sam Williams  21:08

I can give a couple little tidbits, I would say the first thing is to collect stories, not just names and dates to really read in between the lines and records. Often we just collect those records, we connect them, we say there is the date, there's the name, that's what I wanted. But read the whole just death certificate, read the whole census line, and then read in between the lines, find that story there? Why did they die that year? What did they die from? What were the contributing factors to their death, who was the informant on the death certificate, where were they buried, all of these little bits are gonna give you more details about that person tell you about that, that person's life, who they were, what was happening to them. And like I said, before, really getting to know and encounter your ancestors, rather than just seeing them as a means to the end. As I said earlier, without that random fourth great grandmother, if she did not exist, you would not exist. If you are worthy of being encountered, if you are worthy of respect of getting to know of you telling your story, and you being heard, how much more So is she also worth encountering? How much more is she worth getting to know? Because without her, you would not be? That's a really important thing for me. And last piece of advice, I'd say when it comes to family history, and both doing the research on the paper trail, but also doing DNA research. I would say, get excited about it. But also know the risks, right? Know the things that you might discover? And are you willing to discover those things. But if you are willing to take this amazing, beautiful, Rocky ride, then get on, you know, buckle your seat belt, and be ready to put in some work. And get ready to encounter some really crazy people that are just as crazy as we are. And it's and it's great. It's so much fun, and it puts everything in perspective.

Heather Murphy  23:17

Thank you so much for everything that you've shared, and for your perspective on how family history has been meaningful to you in your life.

Sam Williams  23:26

Thanks for having me. And I would love to hear from anybody that would love to connect with me more. See how we can connect as well.

Heather Murphy  23:33

Yeah, I'll have all your information in the show notes. So that will be easy for anyone who would like to

Sam Williams  23:38

Awesome.

Heather Murphy  23:39

Great. Thanks, Sam.

Stories in Our Roots  23:42

Thank you for joining me today for Stories in Our Roots. Please help this podcast grow by subscribing, leaving a review and sharing it with your friends. If you have feedback or would like to recommend someone to share their story, head to storiesinourroots.com and fill out the form. Thanks again for listening and I look forward to being with you again next week.