Connecting to Your Heritage After You’ve Traced It

So, you’ve been constructing a family tree and learned that your family has roots in St. Louis. But how can you learn more about what their daily lives were like? Where did they live, work, play? What was their neighborhood like in the past, and what’s it like now? And what brought your ancestors here to begin with?

Luckily, there are many ways you can connect to your heritage as you continue to trace it. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

1. Connect with Local Historical Organizations

One of the best ways to deepen your knowledge of your roots is to connect with existing local history organizations. In addition to larger organizations like the Missouri Historical Society—which operates the Missouri History Museum, Library & Research Center, and Soldiers’ Memorial—and the State Historical Society of Missouri—which has locations in St. Louis and throughout the state—many neighborhoods and municipalities have their own local historical societies. In addition to housing archives, local historical societies may operate museums, manage historic sites, or collaborate with local groups or governments on preservation, among other activities. Museums, historic sites, genealogy groups, and preservation commissions may also function as independent bodies.

How to find local history organizations

St. Louis Regional History Organizations (StLRHO) is a great place to find out if your area has a local historical society or other organization to connect with. StLRHO is a member organization that includes historical societies, museums, historic sites, preservation commissions, and more, both public and private. Check out their list of history-related organizations by region.

Another way to connect with local history organizations is through St. Louis County Library’s annual History & Genealogy Expo. This event brings together local historical societies and museums so they can connect with genealogists who are interested in furthering their knowledge of their ancestors’ lives. Coloring in the leaves on their branches, so to speak. In addition to this annual event, St. Louis County Library hosts local history and genealogy-related events throughout the year, some virtual and some in person. Keep an eye on their event schedule here.

Ways to Get Involved

Now that you’re familiar with how to find area organizations, what are some ways you can get more involved? Local historical societies, museums, historic sites, and commissions thrive on community participation, especially from volunteers. Here are just a few of the ways you can get involved:

• Are you a pro now at this family research thing? Volunteer to help others with their research or to work on a specific project with your local historical or genealogical society.

• Do you like going through old documents and artifacts? You might like to help with processing museum and archival collections.

• Are you eager to meet people with similar interests? Join a local genealogy or family history group in your area. The St. Louis Genealogical Society and the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society are just two examples.

• Do you have fundraising experience? Local historical organizations are almost always looking for fundraising help so they can keep their important work going.

• Are you interested in historic preservation? You might like to attend a public meeting of the St. Louis Preservation Board to learn about such efforts in St. Louis City.

• Do you have specialized skills like accounting or event planning? You can volunteer to help your local group with specific needs they might have.

• Are you a people-person? See if you can help out at upcoming organizational events by greeting people at the door, serving refreshments, doing registration, or other activities.

2. Dig Deeper with Your Research

Another way to connect to your heritage after you’ve traced your family history is to keep going with your research. There are things you can do yourself to keep learning, or you can also hire a researcher to help you dig deeper. Here are some questions you might ask to get started:

Where did your family live?

Research the property your family lived in when they first moved to St. Louis. You can search City and County Directories and land records through your local library or the Missouri State Archives-St. Louis location.

What was your ancestor’s profession?

If you know that your ancestor worked at a certain business, school, hospital, restaurant, church, etc., research whether it still exists or not. Either way, you may be able to find archival records or an oral history.

What can you learn from photographs?

Maybe your ancestor played a sport, performed at local music venues, or was active in politics. You might find pictures of them in newspapers, pamphlets, or yearbooks.

What brought your ancestor(s) to the region?

Scholars sometimes refer to the “push-pull factors” of immigration. Perhaps your ancestor(s) migrated due to conditions in their homeland, such as lack of food, religious or ethnic persecution, or underemployment. Those might be considered push factors. Or maybe they came to join family already in the area, to attend a particular school, or for the promise of available land or work. Those might be considered pull factors. Push-pull factors are not mutually exclusive, but they can provide context for your family’s migration. Consider, for example, the life of Gottfried Duden, who migrated from Germany to Missouri along with tens of thousands of others in the mid-1800s.

If you are African American, you might trace your lineage to the descendants of enslaved people who were forcibly brought to the region. Many Black families face unique challenges when trying to learn more about their ancestors, especially since the U.S. Census did not list enslaved people by name until 1870. Organizations like the St. Louis African American History & Genealogy Society, as well as the St. Louis City and County Public Libraries, often offer specialized programs and training in this regard.

​​3. Tour the Area

Visiting your ancestors’ stomping grounds in person is a great way to get a feel for your roots. You can do a micro-tour of the area where your family lived, learning about their neighborhood and thinking about what everyday life was like, as well as how things have changed or stayed the same between then and now. Walk the streets of their first neighborhood. Eat at a local restaurant and patronize local businesses. Visit landmarks in the area. And don’t forget to look up at the buildings and down at the pavement—you never know what you might find in the bricks of St. Louis.

Here's a sample tour: if your family traces itself back to the village of Carondelet and its French history, Carondelet in South St. Louis is a perfect place to visit. You can further your research at the Carondelet Historical Society, home of the first public kindergarten in the United States. Try to locate the street your family lived on—its name might be different now—and see if you can find their home. Visit the local public library, which dates back to 1908, and take a walk in Carondelet Park. Explore the grounds of the old St. Boniface Church, which closed in 2005, but has been used as a theater space in recent years. Maybe your family’s history was tied to the nearby River des Peres or Mississippi River; you could check out sites along the River des Peres Greenway or the Mississippi Greenway trails. To conclude your day, grab a bite at Stacked Burger Bar in the Ivory Triangle, one of the best places to get a burger in St. Louis, or if you’re a fan of craft beer, stroll on over to Perennial Artisan Ales.