To me, this candle-lighted village epitomizes the concept of collateral research. Everybody in the village knows everybody and most of them are related.
Pamela Bell Dallas gave a super presentation to EWGS in October, 2025. She defined Collateral Research as a common term in genealogy, meaning investigating relatives who are not direct line ancestors..... like aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings ...... to hopefully find information about a direct ancestor.
"Why do this?" she asked. "To help us over come so-called brick walls by finding the answers and information you've been seeking "forever."
Dallas explained that people can be tied together by blood, circumstances, law, emotions, common beliefs and common experiences. Two little girls of the same age formed a bond that lasted a lifetime even though they were cousins with different parents and surnames. "The strongest family ties are between women," Dallas quipped.
Rather than turn this bit into a 20" long column, I'll refer you to Grandma Google. Ask her "how to do collateral research" and you'll have enough hits to occupy a full day of your time.
I want to share my story: While researching James, the youngest son born in the early 1800s, I concentrated on him like most all beginners do. WELL. The oldest child, a daughter, born 20 years before James, never married but cared for siblings and parents all her life. She joined DAR and was very proud of her ancestry. Her obituary reflected this passion for it was inches long listing all her ancestors! Which of course, were James' ancestors too. DUH on me and please learn from my silliness.
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