Do you know your aunts and uncles? 52 Questions W8

This week we will focus on the question -

Do you know your aunts and uncles? 52 Questions W8

Good follow-up questions that easily go with this questions are:
How many of your aunts and uncles have you met?
Which ones are older and younger than your parent?
When did you last see them?
Where do they live?
Do they look like or remind you of anyone?

Aunts and uncles are members of your extended family. They are your parents' brothers and sisters, and their spouses. You don't need a blood connection to be an aunt or uncle. Your father's sister's husband is your uncle. In terms of family history and genealogy your aunts and uncles are key resources for information about your living relatives as well as ancestors. They also are likely to have family pictures, documents or heirlooms.

Everyone's family relationships are different. They ebb and flow over time, location and even size of families. Understanding the relationships of your extended family will help you in future research for branches of your family tree.

When I was a child I would see my aunts and uncles regularly. The Trotter's went on family camping trips. We would cross-country ski together to my grandpa's cabin on Elk Ridge. We also would go and gather wood together. I do not remember any of my uncles first wives. Divorce changed our family outings and dynamic. However, I have connected to one of my aunts through Facebook.

Pictured above from left to right are my uncles Cory and Darce, my brother Mike, my mom, uncle Dick, and my dad.

Since my childhood I have gained two more aunts, Nancy and Diane. I love them both and we stay in touch through Facebook and family reunions. I have spent the most time during my life with my uncle Dick. He has spent almost every major holiday with my family as long as I can remember. He knows my children and they know him. I am very close to my aunt Connee. For the last few years we have spent more time with her, and my uncle Aaron, than almost any other relatives. We have attended the last two RootsTech conferences together and we get together whenever she in in Northern Utah or we are in Southern Utah. My youngest daughter refers to her as grandma Connee and I am pretty sure my youngest son would almost rather live with her than me. My uncle Darce stood as a witness for me when I was married in the Ogden Temple. He and my aunt Nancy visited Israel and brought me a gift from the trip with religious significance for me. My uncle Cory was like my older brother. He was quick to tease me but I knew that he loved me and always had my back.

The spending time with the Bartholomew's was like going home. My aunt's were all like second mothers to me. I spent many summer days in their homes playing with my cousins. My aunt Judy lived in California when I was a child. Her home was a magical place at the end of the freeway. She and my uncle Mike treated me like royalty. It was always a special occasion when we spent time with them. I only have the fondest memory of my Bartholomew family aunt and uncles but I have not seen any of them since my grandfather's funeral in 2002. I am in touch with some of my cousins on this side of the family but those stories are for a different post.

Newspapers
Last week I talked about sources and their importance in genealogy. I have learned many things about my aunts and uncles searching newspapers.

The bottom left of the above page has an article about a band called "The Brass Cork,"

The rock group which recently won a Battle of the Bands contest at Saratoga Resort, is composed of four young men and a girl vocalist. Included are two sets of brothers. Dick Trotter, 17, and Darcy Trotter, 16, are brothers. Dick plays the brass guitar and Darcy the organ. Darcy also sings... Linda Bartholomew, 20, is the vocalist. All are of Provo, except Linda who is from Orem.

Yep, my uncles and my mom were in a band that won the Battle of the Bands.

The top center article above is a wedding announcement for my aunt Lou Anne and uncle Mark Bartholomew. Besides the engagement information it says that he played football and rugby, attended Snow College, and taught at summer camp for alpine school district. [Check out those Saddleback Denim Jeans, they sure are groovy.]

There are many resources on the internet with indexed newspapers. You can check the newspaper section on my Internet Resources page. I also suggest that you check out the Ancestor Hunt blog by Kenneth Marks. Ken is all about newspapers. you will find 1000's of links to newspapers, and around 50 different tutorials and other information to help you find information in newspapers.