{"id":28979,"date":"2018-02-08T10:56:50","date_gmt":"2018-02-08T15:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=28979"},"modified":"2020-03-25T19:04:38","modified_gmt":"2020-03-25T23:04:38","slug":"using-an-obituary-and-old-postcards-to-piece-together-my-great-aunts-life-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/using-an-obituary-and-old-postcards-to-piece-together-my-great-aunts-life-story.html","title":{"rendered":"Using an Obituary and Old Postcards to Piece Together My Great-Aunt\u2019s Life Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I\u2019ve been researching my Stark relatives, who immigrated to Darien, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from County Limerick, Ireland, in about 1850. I\u2019ve written about my great-great-uncles Henry<\/a> and Andrew Stark<\/a>, but today I decided to search GenealogyBank for their sister Mary Stark<\/a> (1822-1903), my great-great-aunt.<\/p>\n

Women are sometimes more difficult to find information on because their surnames often change upon marriage, so it can be hard to know which last name to search for. In Mary\u2019s case, no spouse was listed on her FamilySearch record<\/a>, so I was hopeful that I would be able to find information about her.<\/p>\n

I know from my notes that Mary died in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, in 1903, so I used \u201cStamford\u201d as a keyword when I searched for her name. In my initial obituary search<\/a>, I was hoping to locate an obituary for Mary, and I kept the date range pretty close to her lifespan.<\/p>\n

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

Bingo \u2013 the first search result is the obituary I was looking for.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Source: GenealogyBank, Stamford Advocate (Stamford, Connecticut), 5 February 1903, page 6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I also like to learn a bit about what my relatives\u2019 hometowns looked like when they lived there \u2013 this gives me more context for their lives and experiences.<\/p>\n

At the time of Mary\u2019s death, Stamford, Connecticut, had a population of about 19,000 people, according to a Wikipedia article<\/a> on the city. Wow \u2013 could it really have been that small?<\/p>\n

The obituary mentions that Mary lived on the East Side<\/a> of town. Searching, I quickly found an old postcard of her part of town, showing the old William Street School<\/a> just a block from her home.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: William Street School, Stamford, Connecticut. Source: Danziger & Berman; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another old postcard, this one of Stamford\u2019s downtown in about 1908, shows what Stamford looked like when Mary lived there.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Atlantic Square, Stamford, Connecticut. Source: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The \u201cOld Town Hall\u201d<\/a> \u2013 horse-drawn wagons \u2013 it was a quieter time in Stamford, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Using old newspaper articles such as obituaries, and photographs like those found in old postcards, can be a great way to get a clearer picture of who your ancestors were and what their lives were like. Find and document your family stories \u2013 write them down and preserve them online.<\/p>\n

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