Lost and Found!
by Marvin Kusmierz
Illusive and Confusing
I have been on my ancestral journey since May 2000, and I have learned how illusive and confusing the process can be. I initially thought the findings would be straight forward and was freely posting my genealogy software with the joy of another finding. It didn't take long to realize that what might be obvious is not always a fact or the truth.
As my data increased, so did my confusion with some of the previous information I had posted. As an example, I was pleased to learn from census data that my grandfather Jozef Kusmierz had a brother Michael and quickly recorded it into my genealogy software program. A few weeks later, a friend shared an obituary with me that clearly showed Michael was not my grandfather's brother, rather he was the brother of another Joseph who had lived in my home town of Bay City during the same period that my grandfather was raising his family there. Reluctantly, I removed Michael from his linkage to "my Jozef" and created a new family set. While I was disappointed to have lost Michael, I was excited that maybe I had found my grandfather's cousins and, thereby, increasing the depth of my family roots.
Greatest Puzzle
I like to refer to my ancestry search as the greatest and most satisfying puzzle I have ever attempted. Besides the example above, there are other similarities such as naming conventions and references. Is Katarzyna, Katherine, Catherine, Kate, and Katie? Is Jozef, Josef and Joseph? And, recorded data is only as good as the recorder who attempted to capture the information. So is that Kushmich, Kusnierz, Kuzmierz or Cusmier my Kusmierz? For me, this is indeed a puzzle full of trial and error to find the pieces that seemingly fit while setting aside those that do not for future reference.
Group Participation
Unlike the typical puzzles that we are familiar with, this experience is more like a large number of people dumping the pieces of each of their puzzles on a table top knowing that many pieces can fit into more than just one puzzle's design. That is one reason why "group participation" can be beneficial to everyone. As we work on our puzzle, we can also see how the other person's puzzle is coming along. Everyone now and then, we may find that a portion of another person's puzzle can be used in furthering a portion of our own puzzle.
Spiritual Guidance
It is quite certain that I will not complete this puzzle in my life time. My challenge is to fill in enough pieces so that other members of my surname families can pick up where I and others left off. I will then be content to watch from above with my ancestors (known and missing) where we can provide spiritual guidance to those who will continue this great adventure.
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