Institution Guide

by Katharine Korte Andrew at KKA Genealogy LLC

About

Institution Guide formed out of multiple years of researching my (Katharine) family members and client’s families who seemingly “disappeared” or “appeared” from nowhere. Through this research, I discovered a large gap in the genealogical research and historical coverage of United States institutions.

Between the birth and death dates on our family trees and family groups sheets was an individual’s life. Often the people listed on these genealogy charts are reduced to the facts us genealogists find in our research–dates of birth, marriage, death and places of residence and burial. However, our ancestors and family members experienced human life just as we did.

Each had their own strengths and weaknesses, their own failures and successes. Just like us, some of them may have been healthy their whole lives or may have battled various diseases; they may have been upstanding, well regarded citizens of their community or living on the fringes of society; they may have had biologically related family connections, or adopted or chosen families… Just like us, the people of the past experienced the joys and struggles of life, and their lived experiences are just as important as our own.

Because of the real, lived experience of these ancestors and family members, the fact that they were real human beings with everything that comes with that, we, as genealogists, must consider looking at institutional records.