{"id":8485,"date":"2014-10-08T15:40:15","date_gmt":"2014-10-08T15:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=8485"},"modified":"2014-10-08T15:40:15","modified_gmt":"2014-10-08T15:40:15","slug":"researching-recent-obituaries-to-extend-my-family-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/researching-recent-obituaries-to-extend-my-family-tree.html","title":{"rendered":"Researching Recent Obituaries to Extend My Family Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was born in New Hampshire and my family has lived there for the past 350+ years. I probably have a cousin in every town in the state. This is especially true in Sanbornton, New Hampshire\u2014I don\u2019t think I could throw a rock there in any direction and not hit a relative.<\/p>\n

So\u2014I use that to my advantage in tracing my family history.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Photo: Bay Meeting House, Sanbornton, New Hampshire, built in 1836. Source: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In my experience I am related to everyone in Sanbornton, so from time to time I search the Recent Obituaries in GenealogyBank<\/a> to find a cousin I\u2019d never known.<\/p>\n

I quickly picked one from the list: Ellen (Sanborn) Merriam (1920-2010).<\/p>\n

\"obituary<\/a>
Tri-Town Transcript (Topsfield, Massachusetts), 23 April 2010<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here was a line that brought back memories:<\/p>\n

Born in Laconia, N.H., she was the daughter of the late Howard W. and Elenora (Currier) Sanborn. She was raised on a rural farm in Sanbornton, N.H., and educated in Sanbornton and nearby Tilton. She loved animals especially horses, and was a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, earning her degree in Geology.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It immediately brought to mind days gone by in Sanbornton. She went to school there and lived on a rural farm. Wasn\u2019t every home on a \u201crural farm\u201d back then?<\/p>\n

I could picture that farm: the potbellied stove in the kitchen; the snow; the view across the fields; the quiet, secure surroundings.<\/p>\n

She attended UNH. My parents and grandparents all attended the University of New Hampshire. Some of my earliest memories are riding the back roads to Durham, New Hampshire, and seeing the University. Eating lunch along the river and getting those giant ice cream cones from the UNH Dairy.<\/p>\n

She was \u201ca long time member of the Maple Street Congregational Church.\u201d When we lived in nearby Lower Gilmanton there was only one church\u2014and of course it was a Congregational Church. It was an image you would see in every town.<\/p>\n

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I looked at Ellen\u2019s family history and, using multiple sources, I quickly found that her parents\u2014Howard Weaver Sanborn (1887-1957) and Elenora B. Currier (1895-1985) along with her five brothers and sisters\u2014all lived on a farm in Sanbornton. As did her grandparents John Brewer Sanborn (1849-1940) and Asenath Quimby (1850-1891).<\/p>\n

Sanborns had lived in Sanbornton since its founding in 1770.<\/p>\n

Our family still owns the farm that my 5th-great-grandfather William Huse (1760-1839) purchased when he settled there after the Revolutionary War to raise his family.<\/p>\n

I doubt I ever met Ellen Louise (Sanborn) Merriam, but by reading her obituary it feels like I\u2019ve known her all my life.<\/p>\n

I like to find Sanbornton obituaries so that I can document every cousin in my family tree.<\/p>\n

Genealogy Tip:<\/strong> Don\u2019t only search for specific relatives in GenealogyBank\u2014search for the small towns where your ancestors lived. You just might discover a cousin you\u2019ve never met before.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/em><\/strong> FamilySearch International (FamilySearch.org<\/a>) and GenealogyBank recently announced an agreement to make over a billion records from historical obituaries searchable online. The tremendous undertaking will make a billion records from over 100 million U.S. newspaper obituaries readily searchable online. The newspapers are from all 50 states and cover the period 1730 to the present.\u00a0 Find out more about our partnership at: https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/family-search\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Obituaries Articles & Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n