When thinking about ancestors, most of us don’t think about their social lives and it’s a fact that most Americans didn’t have much leisure time until the 1800s.
In early colonial days, survival pushed fun out of the picture, but in spite of the need to work to live, all cultures had some kind of relaxation periods.
My mom was one of those people who had lots of sayings for every eventuality. One adage that I remember hearing was “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” I wondered about the origin of those words and a quick online search pointed out that although it appears in James Howell’s 1659 book of proverbs, it had been around long before that time.
Granted, most of our ancestors’ early recreational activities weren’t formal organizations that left records. However, formalized groups and societies had already come into existence by the 1600s and 1700s.
With the advent of the 19th century, and that leisure time which we take for granted today, there were many types of social, cultural, civic, religious and political organizations open to both male and female membership.
How do we find ancestors who belonged to one or more of these groups?
The answer to this question, for the most part, involves searching local – very local – items and records.
For example, I own several quilts made by my husband’s great grandmother and I’ve been told that, because of her small, regular stitches, that she was an excellent quilter. I’m thinking she may have belonged to a formal quilters group in Hillsboro, Texas, where she lived later in life.
An item found in my grandmother’s possessions after she passed away was a certificate of membership in the Red Cross Ladies Auxiliary at the local hospital during World War II.
My great grandfather was a Mason and my other grandmother belonged to the Rosary Society at her church.
The two places at the top of my search list for all of these ancestors would be local newspapers and the local public library and/or historical society.
Event notices, annual meetings and society elections might all be found in the social column of the daily or weekly newspaper.
Libraries and historical societies might have pamphlets or booklets about an organization or even specially published anniversary books.
If you’re thinking that your family didn’t really belong to any formalized groups, you are probably wrong.
Here’s a list of possibilities to consider, but it’s far from comprehensive:
Local
Church Groups – choirs, men’s and women’s societies, Bible study, Sunday School and children’s organizations like Pioneer Girls in the Dutch Reformed Church
School Groups – Clubs, class events, sports teams
Town Groups – YMCA, YWCA, YMHA, YWHA, historical society, sports leagues like baseball and bowling, bridge club, garden club
Regional/National
Hereditary Societies – sons of the American Revolution, Sons of the Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, Children of the American Revolution, Grand Army of the Republic, United Daughters of the Confederacy
Service Groups – Rotary Club, Lions Club, League of Women Voters, Elks, Masons
Interest Groups – 4-H, skilled trade guilds/organizations, political affiliations, Veterans of Foreign Wars, labor movements, medical societies
Wikipedia offers even more suggestions:
Civic and Political Organizations in the U.S.
Religious Organizations in the U.S.
List of Ethnic Organizations in the U.S.
Remember, any occupation or trade, hobby or belief might have led to formal memberships in organizations for our ancestors. Cast a wide net, but delve deeply into local resources as they will likely provide the most success.
