If you’re looking for excellent watchable genealogy how-to videos, you would be hard-pressed to find better than Jen Shaffer, the Formidable Genealogist. We’ve never been introduced, but for some time I’ve been watching her do the good work her job requires…and get unwarranted grief for it.
Earlier this spring she debunked the popular myth about immigrants’ surnames being forcibly changed at Ellis Island. (And yes, it’s a myth; I’m not entertaining a debate.) Many families have this legend: Your flatcap-wearing great-great grandpa walked off the boat in New York and told them he was Wiśniowiecki or Kovačević or Bellincioni. But then an evil immigration officer changed Grandpa’s name to something “more American”—Weck, Kovak, Bello, etc. Poor Grandpa didn’t even have a choice.
We are blessed to have a city home with a large backyard, and a neighbor who keeps it filled with plants and flowers. We also have a kitchen door with four little windows, perfect for enjoying the whole view of the yard and the alleyscape beyond.
One day last year I was at the door, when I saw a brown rabbit in the garden bed. This happens a lot in the city. We two were having a quiet moment—me the hidden watcher, while this unaware bunny hopped between the dahlia stalks.
And then I thought: I bet the pheasant happened like this.
Every day, my Brooklyn genealogy adventure inches closer. The Google Map is primed and bristling. I have a color-coded schedule that would impress any cruise director. I no longer have to scroll down on the Asana calendar to see the dates—they’re right there, reminding me of what I haven’t gotten done yet.
Real and present life has required my attention, as always. I caught two colds and broke a dental crown, so it’s been a real fun time. My research has thus been a bit sidelined. But the good news is that I got an awful lot of planning done early, and the work now is all online. It’s been hours of internet searches, trying to scoop up every bit of digital info I can now, so that my in-person experience is as good as I can make it.
Subbing in for Weinpahl: Weinpahls
One result of all those searches: I’m starting to think that my great-great uncle Gus Weinpahl never played pro baseball in Brooklyn. I can’t find anything that supports the newspaper article that claimed he played for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. I can only find mentions of semi-pro and club ball. Ah well.
However, the upside is that all those newspaper searches for him reminded me of all the other Weinpahl mentions I hadn’t spent a lot of time on: Legal notices.
My family kept their lawyers BUSY. This is a list of land transfers and other legal events involving the Weinpahls, over 8 years.
I already know that some of these records are in Albany or no longer available. But some others might be in Brooklyn. And putting these events in a timeline is helping me understand some things. I’d call that a win.
Swing and a Miss
Despite my efforts, the goal of finding experts to talk to is just not panning out. Cold calls are always going to be iffy; I get it. So I’m moving on from that goal. I will do as best I can to get as informed as I can some other way.
Next Up
Last night I talked out my in-person research strategy with my husband (ex-librarian). He helped me divide it:
Industry research (candy/baseball/alcohol); and
personal research (names of individuals and the associations/orgs they’re connected to).
So when I show up at a library or museum, my search can start from one of those two angles and expand from there. This should keep me from being overwhelmed, losing my place, and giving up and going to get a bagel.
(There will still be bagels. They’re on the map.) ☗
At this stage I’m identifying who I want to focus on and what resources can be helpful.
In some cases (NY Municipal Archives) I’m casting a wide net, and I know that my chances of finding anything there are a toss-up. In other cases, like the church, I already know that an ancestor was a member there. My hope is that in those places, I’ll have better odds of finding a record or reference.
The goal of “gaining context” is a little more amorphous. As I mentioned before, there are three ancestors I’m particularly interested in understanding because, frankly, I think they had cool and fascinating lives.
3X great-grandfather Benjamin Huppler, a candymaker.
Great-granduncle Gus Weinpahl. Semipro ball player in Brooklyn, Sayville, and Connecticut, from about 1895-1910.
Gus’ father and my great-grandfather Justus Weinpahl. German immigrant, Civil War veteran. Buried at Green-Wood. He operated a liquor-dealing business (like a wholesaler) for almost 40 years.
I’ve started hunting for experts who can talk to me about these topics and are willing to spend the time (and I’m planning to compensate them).
Obviously, all of this–locations, experts, goals, itinerary–is a lot to keep track of. Below I’ve listed the sites I’m leaning on most heavily. All are free–important as I’m trying to budget for Brooklyn hotels AND expert hours. And none of these companies are paying me to promote them. I wish.
Asana I’ve used the project manager system Asana in other contexts, so I was already familiar with it. The free (“personal”) version has limits, but is still plenty useful. I’m able to do everything from creating a color-coded itinerary, to managing to-dos, to compiling a list of gear I’ll need to buy ahead of time.
My Maps/Google Maps My husband will tell you that I never plan a trip without using Google’s MyMaps. I use it A LOT. My one gripe is that it doesn’t integrate with Google’s directions finder (why? someone please fix this). But otherwise, I love using it for pinning locations and generally laying out adventures of all sizes.
Google Docs This one, you probably already know about. Google Docs is where I keep anything text-based: my suitcase packing list; the slide laying out my goals and strategy; and a big list of genealogy locations with addresses and hours. And anything I create with Google MyMaps also shows up there. I’m sure I will be adding more as the weeks go on.
ChatGPT I know, I know.
I was compiling my list of possible genealogy locations, and I decided to ask ChatGPT a few questions, on a lark. Ta-da: it pointed me toward two genealogy locations I hadn’t heard of or thought much about. Now I have a scheduled consultation with a librarian from the NY Public Library*, to find out if I can and if I should visit their genealogy archives.
So take ChatGPT with plenty of grains of salt, and plenty of fact-checking, but don’t count it out. ☗
*THE library from Ghostbusters. I hope they let me use their services!
Planning the big genealogy trip that I’ve been talking about for years.
“The profession of “fact-finding“ is mostly encountered in companies where people are sent to investigate. … From an artistic point of view, fact finding is about working with first-hand experiences, not with references. The important thing to keep in mind is that the truth is not the ultimate goal in this process.” — Alex Bodea, operator of The Fact Finder art gallery
This spring we finally made it back to New York and Brooklyn. It was the first time my husband and I had managed to get there since 2019, with two cancelled attempts between then and now. It was far past time.
Unlike our previous trips, this time I planned no genealogy activities. I wanted this visit to be purely vacation. So no to archives, libraries, or spontaneous research sidetracks that erode people’s patience and time. Yes to museums and tea shops and bakeries. Yes to getting a slice, and a detour to Coney Island. Yes to an Italian restaurant that felt very much like being at someone’s house. Yes to a trip about life, not the dead.
We did visit a cemetery, but one without any of my people in it. It was fine.
And yet.
On our way to LaGuardia I caught sight of the old Domino Sugar factory, and thought wistfully again about Benjamin Huppler. My 3x great-grandfather, he was a Swiss confectioner who ran a candy shop in Brooklyn for many years.
As I’ve mentioned, Brooklyn is the core of my proudest genealogy work. The borough was home for two of my great-grandparents, and the nebula of family around them. I knew none of this history while I was growing up—but without any documented history, this branch has been mine to explore. From the one name I started with I now have generations. I have brought entire people back to light, even the smallest and the forgotten. And while I’ve been able to uncover a few things about Benjamin Huppler, it’s never been enough.
My great-great-great grandfather.
I found myself saying out loud the thing that I’ve said on every single visit: “I should just spend a week here, and just work on genealogy.”
This time my brain came back with: “You could DO THAT, you know?”
****
And my brain was right: I absolutely could. I’m lucky to have a generous vacation policy through my employer, so getting the time off is not a problem. I’ve traveled solo before. With some planning, the expenses could be managed. I can handle the MTA. The whole thing is entirely doable.
In the weeks since the idea crystallized, I’ve started to conceptualize what this trip might look like. I keep using that word for it, “conceptualize,” as if I were designing a jungle adventure for 100 people instead of a trip to archives and libraries for just one person, who is also me.
Seeing the sights, hitting the heights
I’ve also told people that it’s a fact-finding tour, which sounds impressive, like I’m carrying a briefcase and fixing a crisis.
But after reading that Bodea quote, it fits. I’m going in person because while online research can be amazing, it’s nothing like standing in the church your great-great grandparents attended. In person, I can have the first-hand experiences that shift genealogy from research into time travel.
****
The Plan as it Stands
People-Focused: There are three particular relatives I want to know more about.
3X great-grandfather Benjamin Huppler, the candymaker mentioned above.
Great-granduncle Gus Weinpahl. Semipro ball player in Brooklyn, Sayville, and Connecticut, from about 1895-1910. He later went on to run his own candy shop and then a café. I bet he had a time.
Gus
Gus’ father and my great-grandfather Justus Weinpahl. German immigrant, Civil War veteran. Buried at Green-Wood. He operated a liquor-dealing business (like a wholesaler) for almost 40 years. My hunch/hope has always been that this kind of business could have put him in connection with government officials and also less savory types (Brothels? Bars? Race tracks?).
Hence my theme: “Candy, Baseball, Alcohol.” Because doesn’t that sound fun?
If I can’t learn about these men specifically, I want to know more about their worlds. Ideally, I am hoping to connect with some experts in these histories. I want to hire them for an hour so I can ask questions and learn more.
Location-Focused: On a broader family level, I want to visit some of the spots around Brooklyn that might have more resources than I can access online. That would be places like the Othmer Library, the church that I mentioned, and other places I can identify ahead of time. (And this time, I’ll be making strategic visits to investigate specific research items—no fishing expeditions.)
I may also take a day to go back to Green-Wood Cemetery and hunt down some of the graves that eluded me on my previous visits. With enough time, maybe I could visit TWO cemeteries.
That’s the strategy, for now. It occurred to me just today that I could probably also squeeze in a trip to the New Jersey town where my grandparents met. No doubt the plans will continue to shift as the months roll on.
****
The one thing I can’t plan—and don’t like to think about much—is what happens when this trip is done. I can’t imagine being done with Brooklyn, but if this trip is meant to answer some of my longstanding Brooklyn questions, what comes after that?
I also know that there is a finite amount of facts and information out there for me to uncover. What if I’ve already found most of it?
Graveyard Snoop 