26 May 2009 - Cliff
A few years ago I decided to do some research into my family line. I knew my great grandfather’s name (another Cliff Hatch), but that was about it, I just figured I’d go back a bit and be done with it. Maybe find the old family crest and make Christmas cards. Ancestry.com had a special for a free month and I thought it would be fun. I was in for quite a surprise. Genealogists have come a LONG way. Ancestry has taken the time scan hundreds of thousands of records into their database- census rolls, birth certificates, death certificates, and military service records. Then even have manifests from ships; you can see exactly when your Great Uncle Roger came over. As I worked my way backwards from my grandfather, each new name in my family tree turned a leaf- which is ancestry’s way of showing you there might be a match to your relative. Clicking the leaf takes you to a page that talks about the records, and you can attach them to the person in your tree, so you have documentation on your lineage. They also let you link into other family trees, both public and private (with permission) from other researchers just like you, have been putting together- I had a few links that added ten people to the line. They even show you celebrities you’re related to- for me it was interesting to learn I had distant cousins in Myles Standish, and John Wayne! One pleasant hour after another passed, and when I looked up I had a documented line back to 1603. Holy cow, 400 years of history, I was thunderstruck. The internet is an amazing tool for researching your lineage, after I had finished with ancestry I set to looking for other Hatch researchers. There’s Hatch.net, which is a fun read. There’s also the Hatch Family Association, which has some cool old pictures.
There’s some Hatch stories starting with Thomas Hatch of Barnstable, who just happens to be the oldest relative I can support with documentation, and the Hatch Genealogy society has put together a great family tree. I also found all kinds of great stories about Thomas Hatch and his descendants. Once I had a good idea of the line, I was interested in other Hatchs. That’s when I discovered DNA testing for family lineage. It’s not just for busting crime on CSI, you can have your Y markers from a male in the family tested and link yourself into a line even if there’s not paperwork to support it. They keep a database of the results, and if you consent to release you can match your markers against other members and find relatives with an interest in genealogy. For me it proved conclusively who my ancestors were, and I was even able to see a few other Hatch lines. Craig Trout has put up a meticulously researched page on Hatch DNA. From the DNA testing it looks like my roots are Nordic or Viking! How cool is that for just knowing your great grandfather was named Cliff Hatch?