GENEALOGY: UNLOCKING FAMILY HISTORY

An ancestral castle, a compatriot of King Henry VIII, a martyr beheaded in the Tower of London, a Revolutionary War spy, and three cousins living right here in Cape Girardeau.

When Jan Chamberlain began researching her family tree two years ago, she had no idea what family treasurers she would unlock. She has traced ancestors back to the year 99. That's a long time ago.

Chamberlain is among hundreds of people locally looking for the history of their families.

Chamberlain traced her mother's side of the family to the Wyatts of England.

The family's Allington Castle provides the set for ABCs "Covington Cross" series. The series is set in the 14th century (give or take a few hundred years).

Searching for family history is like a treasure hunt, Chamberlain said. And you're never sure what will turn up.

Jean Adams, president of the Cape Girardeau County Genealogy Society, said the hunt for history makes genealogy a very popular pastime.

"I think everyone wants to know where we came from, what our ancestors did and how they lived," Adams said. She said a few people are interested in medical histories.

Adams, who is teaching a course at Southeast Missouri State University on beginning genealogy, said the search isn't that hard to begin.

"Many records are not really hard to find," said Adams. "Local records are comparatively easy to find, and what we don't have here, we can order on inter-library loan. The Church of Latter Day Saints also has an excellent resource."

The Mormons have a history center in Cape Girardeau.

She said almost all counties have a genealogical or historical society to help those looking for records of their ancestors.

Adams has been doing research for years. Right now she is working on her husband's family. "It's at a standstill, and that is still so frustrating," she said. "You think you know where you can find the information, but then it's not there. But something will come along sometime.

"You can't solve it all at once, but it's really fascinating," Adams said. "You get a clue and when you prove one thing, you are so elated."

The local genealogy society, a non-profit organization, was started in May 1970, and now has 50 local members and 139 out-of-town members.

The group meets bimonthly and meets again the fourth Tuesday of November at Riverside Regional Library in Jackson, where books and records of the club are housed. The records are available to anyone doing genealogical research.

Many records are also available at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

The society is quite active and publishes books on a regular basis. "Mostly we publish books on the records that are available," Adams said.

The organization has begun a new project to publish the histories of people buried at Old Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau.

"There are over 1,000 known graves in that cemetery," she said. "Each family has a story."

Club members have been gathering information from a book published by the Nancy Hunter Chapter-Daughters of the American Revolution, the city of Cape Girardeau mortuary records and early newspapers.

"Now we are asking anyone who has an ancestor buried in the Old Lorimier Cemetery, and would like their story told in this book, to please send your information," Adams said.

Include full name, date of birth and death, spouse's maiden name, children, occupation, military service and any other information. Mail it to Cape Girardeau Genealogical Society, 204 S. Union Street, Jackson, Mo. 63755.

It's best to start your search for family roots at a young age.

"The younger you are, there is usually a person you can get the oral history from," Adams said. "Once you have an oral history, then you can check the facts out in the records.

"A story may be passed down for generations, but you need to check it out for authenticity," she said. "But at least, if you have a story, you know where to start."

Many older genealogists must start their quest with very little information to go on.

Chamberlain said: "I was told things when I was a youngster, but I didn't pay attention. I wasn't interested until I was about 50 years old. My mother died, and I started reading through old papers."

The search began in 1990. She did all the research herself, mostly from her Cape Girardeau home.

"This research would have cost about $40,000 if I paid someone to do it," Chamberlain said. "The research cost me about $1,000."

Almost all the research was done over the telephone. Chamberlain talked to libraries across the country and in Great Britain.

"Librarians are really there to help people and serve people," she said. "Plus they answer you right away. Genealogical and historical societies can be very slow because they have a lot of requests."

"The Wyatt branch was handed to me as a child. So the first thing I did was validate everything that I remembered."

The rule of thumb is that genealogical facts must be documented three different ways with birth certificates, marriage certificates, cemetery records, census reports, wills.

In the research Chamberlain found three distant cousins who live in Cape Girardeau, part of the family she never knew she had. She also uncovered stories about an ancestor who was friends with King Henry VIII, another who was beheaded for opposing Mary Queen of Scots' ascent to the throne, and still another who served as a spy during the Revolutionary War.

"Once you start genealogy it gets addictive," she said. "When we go on family trips, I always go to the library."

This summer Chamberlain's husband, Bill, chairman of the art department at Southeast Missouri State University, was interested in touring paper mills in England. It just so happened that the family's ancestral castle was located in the same valley.

Although it is not open to the public, the friars who own the castle allowed the Chamberlains to tour the building because of her family ties.

In 1492 her ancestor, Henry Wyatt, bought the castle and refurbished it. It had been changed from a manor to a castle in 1272.

A group of Carmelite friars currently own the castle. It was given to them in 1950. The friar who showed the Chamberlains through the castle said the Chamberlains might buy it for $4 million.

Chamberlain is now researching her father's side of the family, a tougher task because the records are not as easy to find.

"If the ancestors were prominent people, and if they were educated, it makes research a lot easier. My father's line didn't know how to write."

But she said that information provides a clue when doing research.

Chamberlain also plans to publish the research she has completed.

"If I don't, no one else can benefit from the work I've done," she said. Chamberlain used published works by other genealogists in her search. "That's why I want to share my information."