Samuel Faulkner: Hiding In Plain Sight (52 Ancestors #7)

Samuel Faulkner is my favorite. I think because he was so hard to find. A multi-year brick wall that I just kept butting my head into until it finally cracked. One day a chink fell out and I quickly was able to tear the wall down.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

My introduction into the seductive world of genealogy came with a box of stuff from my grandmother, interesting family lore and Ancestry.com.

On my maternal side were Patriots, Pilgrims, Pioneers and suggestions at Royalty. Talk about Bright Shiny Objects! I quickly entered all my grandmother's research into my new Ancestry.com account and ... Oh My Gosh!! ... Well, I never! What?? By the end of an afternoon I had added centuries to my family tree! Centuries!

Well, that was easy. Mom's side - DONE.

I know, you are either laughing hysterically or totally aghast at this point. Wait. Things were soon to take a turn. I was about to get schooled.

So on to my dad's side. The Faulkner side. No one had ever done any research on my dad's side, that I was aware of. I actually had to build it from scratch. And, to make it even more interesting my dad was an only child. And had recently died. My mom had a few notes from a second cousin who could not be less interested in genealogy - so the quest began. With no one to consult on this family I set out to forge a new trail into the wilderness.

Samuel Faulkner is my 4th great grandfather on my paternal side, but I did not know this for a very long time. The oldest piece of information I had at the beginning of my quest was the name of my 2nd great grandfather. My father has started a file labeled "Operation Grandpa" which I did not find until after he had died, and it made me laugh.  He had been searching for the mythical Faulkners too!

Using Ancestry, I plugged in all the information my dad had gathered.  I immediately found some good census, birth and death records. I found marriage and divorce records. I found obituaries. I found children. And blessedly I did not find one single Family Tree to mess me up!

I contacted Historical Societies, wrote to cemeteries, joined Yahoo groups, posted to message boards. I posted public trees on every site I could think of hoping to lure a cousin or two. I ordered genealogy and history books through the library that I couldn't view online.

I discovered some second cousins I did not know I had, and managed to track them down via long evenings Googling. That hard work proved unfruitful for family info, but I gained brand new kin.

None of this was easy. There were a lot of misses. A lot of dead ends. A lot of "I'm sorry, we are unable to help you with your request". A lot of years searching in vain for a man with no name.

I can't even describe the twists and turns my research took. The one step forward two steps back. The high hopes dashed in an instant. And all the quitting. Throwing my hands up in disgust and walking away - muttering "it's impossible!" "it can't be done!".

But something kept pulling me back. I was a mad woman on a mission. Why was no one else researching this family? No one! I became very protective of MY Faulkners. Yes, My Faulkners. I had gone there. At this point I had invested 4 years of solely researching this particular family. Investing my own blood, sweat and tears. I lived and breathed Faulkner history. I was pretty annoying to be around.

With all the information I was able to gather I had been able to prove my way back to my 3rd great grandfather - a regionally famous man named James Faulkner - I wrote about his wife here.  Of course, in all the biographies and histories done on him there was never a mention of his father.

And I had a very strong candidate for my 5th great grandfather, William Faulkner. Very strong.
Early on in my research I was given a transcript of his will. By all indications this was my 5th great grandfather. And it listed 4 sons. Hallelujah!

Maybe.

So, how to get from James to William? Another year or so passed as I worked the four sons lines. I ruled out one right away as he was deceased and there was no mention of any offspring. Another was a Patriot and there had been some lineage work done on him. The third son married into the Bull family of New York, and traceable through extensive histories. That left Samuel. Invisible Samuel.

Plugging Samuel in to my database brought me nothing. I started my writing, searching, posting campaign yet again, to no avail. This man was invisible! This man who, at one time owned 1000 acres of land in Wallkill, New York was invisible! Another year passed and I sadly put my quest for Samuel away. Vowing to travel to New York one day to pick up the search in person. Time to get on with life. Time to rejoin the living.

Then it happened.

A week after Christmas.

2012.

A casual mention in a chat room about newly added unindexed records on FamilySearch.

Oh. Hell. Yes.

Locked in my Genealogy Cave - fueled on nothing but raw tenacity and coffee - eyes bleary and red from hours of scrutinizing the computer screen ....... there it was!

No. What? Did I do it? Did I just find Samuel?

Staring in shocked disbelief. Frozen in the moment. The quest was over. OVER.

Stumbling out of the Cave I began my happy dance. I did a little Church Lady, and cried tears of joy.

It was a wonderful, frustrating, magical 5 years. I learned a lot. Not only about my Faulkner family, but about researching from scratch and doing it right. Best lesson ever. This is why Samuel Faulkner is my favorite. I worked hard for him and was rewarded magnificently.

Samuel Faulkner was never really lost. Just hiding, in plain sight.

The Most Fabulous Object: My Love Affair With The Genealogy Do-Over FB Group

I love the Genealogy Do Over Facebook Group. I lurk there day and night. I keep up with posts on my smartphone. (Which I almost never actually use as a phone - I call it my Magic Portal) I spend hours upon hours hunkered in my Cave scrolling through posts, face illuminated by the computer screen. Eyes bleary from staring and forgetting to blink. (It's a known fact ...) Bookmarking links, LIKEing posts, commiserating.

This is the BEST GROUP EVER! The ultimate BSO! You are all just like me!! Crazy (in a good way) genealogy people! You have Caves. You have an encyclopedic knowledge of people dead since the 1700's. (No longer living anyway - my ancestors are always crowding my Cave like an overstuffed elevator, bickering and poking at each other, looking over my shoulder and pompously withholding the key piece of information I am searching for.)

I have learned so much from this group. And everyone is so helpful. Genealogy is ultimately a solitary pursuit unless you are lucky enough to have a relative who is also obsessed. But still, that relative, unless a sibling, is only interested in part of the family.

I am not nearly as far along with my official Do Over as I had naively believed I would be back on January 2. But I have learned some new techniques. Considered different perspectives. Been both encouraged and gravely discouraged (weeping, lots of weeping ..). Discovered I am not alone. Discovered that the more I learn, the more there is to learn. (My mind boggles!!) Had to come to terms with the knowledge that I still need to apply the tools being presented. And that requires stepping out of my comfort zone, trying some things out and formulating my own conclusion as to what is right for me.

Oh, and this miraculous transformation was NOT going to happen in 13 weeks.

But I'm OK with that.

Now.

I was experiencing information overload. I was a crazed madwoman prone to bouts of spontaneous weeping. And my paper bag had developed a hole from overuse. I was living in my bathrobe in my Cave. Only emerging when necessary. (My idea of 'necessary', and that of other's differed greatly for some reason ...)

So today I am thrilled, and grateful for being a welcomed member of this amazing group. I am glad Thomas, in a bout of mad genius (?), crafted this Do Over and released it to a naive and unsuspecting audience. Eager to Do It Over, but not entirely aware of the trials and tribulations to come.

I may not be as far along as some of you. I may be farther along than others. I am working at my own pace now, taking what I need and knowing that all that glorious information and the wonderful group members will be there when the time is right for me.

I lurk and learn every day, but now I am free to leave my Cave.

I'll get there.

I am getting there.

Genealogy is never "done", anyway. ("Hey!! I finished my family tree!!! Think I'll bake a pie, and maybe rotate the tires.")

And I'm so very happy that this whole magnificent adventure will roll on for another 13 weeks ...

See you 'round the clubhouse, er, I mean Group!