Obituaries - Road Maps to Information
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Send to a friend by YMAuthor: Nola Redd
I used to think obituaries would only yield me new family names. Then I found my great-great-grandfather's.
Although they don't offer first-hand, serious, objective data, I have always found some of my most interesting and rounded data on my ancestors in newspapers. Consequently, I dream about archiving the Roanoke Times & World News in Virginia, the area where both my mother and father's family have lived for around 200 years. With that many relatives in the area, I argue, it should be relatively easy to find information and stories on my family.
I would like to take a few moments to share my journey in locating my grandmother's grandfather. I already had his name and vital statistics. In a routine search, I attempted to locate his obituary. What I found was a full page layout commemorating his life!
Unbeknowst to me – and a sudden 'oh yeah' from my grandmother – Sylvester Philip Siefert was the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia on two instances. First, he filled in 1912 as acting mayor for approximately nine months. A great deal of research has never revealed what happened to the existing mayor, but I am sure continuous digging will yield the truth. Then, on September 3, 1930, he was again elected and served until 1934, when he chose not to seek re-election.
Using the scattered information in the obituary, I called up various news articles on him following each election. Further information yielded that, while working for the railroad, he served on the City Council, joined the Elk's Club, was a member of St. Andrew's Roman Catholic church (where my parents were married), was a member of the Knights of Columbus, and was chairman of the troop for the Boy Scouts of America, going on to be a part of the Boy Scout national council and receive the Silver Beaver. In short, he was a rather social fellow.
Furthermore, I located an article by a reporter remembering my great-great grandfather. In it, the author (no byline) stated, " Mr. Seifert had lived an exemplary and useful life in the fullest sense of the world and he enjoyed the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens to a degree that impressively attested their admiration for the qualities of integrity, uncompromising honesty and loyalty in all the relationships of life that marked his career both as a public servant and as a private citizen." In the final paragraph, it is noted that, " "Syl" Seifert, as he was affectionately called by his friends, was tireless and energetic in his devoted service to the great railroad of which he was an efficient and trusted employee, and to his church and the community which honored him with its chief municpal office. He leaves behind him the priceless heritage of a good name and the memory of a well spent and useful life."*
Always check the obituaries. You never know what they might teach you about your ancestors and their characters.
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