{"id":22241,"date":"2017-05-15T10:14:45","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T14:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=22241"},"modified":"2021-04-22T13:34:24","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T17:34:24","slug":"mayflower-genealogy-use-obituaries-to-find-interesting-details-about-relatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/mayflower-genealogy-use-obituaries-to-find-interesting-details-about-relatives.html","title":{"rendered":"Mayflower Genealogy: Use Obituaries to Find Interesting Details about Relatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Obituaries may be morbid, but they can be a great way to learn more about our ancestors. Oftentimes, you\u2019ll find fascinating details about your relatives like interesting hobbies, causes of death \u2013 or in the case of a GenealogyBank<\/a> obituary I recently came across, a detailed family history.<\/p>\n

I was researching my 11th great grandfather, Pilgrim John Howland<\/span> (1592-1672), who immigrated to America aboard the Mayflower<\/em>. Though John died in 1672 and GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a> only go back as far as 1690, I knew newspaper records were likely the best source for finding additional information about what happened to John\u2019s descendants after he arrived in America.<\/p>\n

I began by searching the Massachusetts Newspaper Archives<\/a> for \u201cJohn Howland.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Source: GenealogyBank<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This result, an obituary from the National Aegis<\/em>, was a good example of how useful obituaries can be. This detailed death notice for a Captain John Howland<\/span> (1757-1843) has the added bonus of tracing his genealogy back five generations to my 11th great grandfather, Mayflower<\/em> Pilgrim John Howland.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Source: GenealogyBank, National Aegis (Worcester, Massachusetts), 12 July 1843, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the information from this obituary, I was able to trace how I\u2019m related to another John Howland (1802-1846) in my family tree (pictured below), but I also now have the birth dates and names of his father and grandfathers going five generations back.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait:<\/a>
Portrait: Capt. John Howland (1802-1846), by an unknown artist. Credit: New Bedford Whaling Museum https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/199706564696556092\/; Pinterest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Beyond just confirming birth and death dates, obituaries can be useful for finding other information about your family history, including a multi-generational family tree with the names of parents and grandparents, as well as other relatives.<\/p>\n

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