People do not live alone, especially in the early days where community relationships were a vital part of daily living. So even though we often treat our ancestors in our research as if they lived in isolation, they were still part of a family, with brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and other relatives. They even have neighbors, co-workers and classmates. They were even part of some organizations and church groups.
Cluster genealogy is a process of expanding your research on an ancestor to the people they were connected to. These connections could range from siblings to neighbors or even distant relatives and witnesses to marriage or deeds.
Importance of Cluster Genealogy
Whether or not you are interested on your ancestor’s siblings, neighbors, best friend or other family members, cluster genealogy could be an effective research technique.
Family members often migrate to the same town. Neighbors may turn out to be relatives of your ancestors and may lead to discovering your country of origin.
An ancestor may not have a record on where you expect him to have or he may be indexed in a different place. Searching for records of siblings and family members may help you find your own ancestor.
Single connection is not enough to prove that someone who lived in the same year, in the same location and has the same name is your ancestor. Researching more people means greater chances of making accurate connections.
Your direct ancestor’s records may not contain connection to the next generation. Searching for records of your ancestor’s cousins, siblings and other family member may give you clues that will lead you there.
Tracing ancestors who moved from place to place can lead you nowhere. Researching the names of your relatives or neighbors who moved with your ancestors can give important information about their new location.
How to Use Cluster Genealogy Search
This process involves expanding your research from your direct ancestor to his or her spouse, siblings, aunts, uncles, neighbors, friends and people whom he or she was connected. Research for as many records of these individuals as you can. Check for major records including birth, death and marriage records; land deeds; census records; family books; published newspaper articles, etc. Collect as much information as you can that can lead you back to your direct ancestor.
Although it is time consuming and may involve some effort and cash, cluster genealogy will give you more accurate and better information about the time and place in which your family lived and not just the history of your direct ancestors.
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