Great Scot! Do you ever wonder what your great-great-great grandfather was like? Or what town and country your great-great-great-great grandmother grew up in? Tracing your family roots may not be as hard as you think. If you know of any relatives that settled in Southernmost Illinois, chances are you’ve got a wee bit of Irish in you, Scots-Irish that is. At The Irish Inn in Ozark, Illinois, innkeeper Lynn Moore McCreery can help you rebuild your family tree and look up burial records, deeds and search through reference books from the inn’s own genealogical library. The “Genealogy Holiday” special lets curious guests on a family quest discover who they are and where they come from. According to Lynn, many of the early settlers in the area typically have Ulster Scottish roots along with a Cherokee Indian background. Print out your individualized ancestor chart at the inn and look for more clues at nearby libraries and research centers. Feel free to ask innkeeper any questions about the results over a full Irish breakfast that includes Irish sausages (bangers), fried tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and a strong cup of Irish tea.
If you think you have ancestral ties in New York, make your way to Rufus Tanner House Bed & Breakfast in Pine City, New York. The inn is located less than 10 minutes away from The Booth Library which houses an extensive selection of records inlcuding books, manuscripts, photographic images, maps and architectural records. The library has been collecting and preserving documents since 1923. When you’re ready to take a break, head back to the inn and ask for the “Settle In and Relax” special. Sit by a hearty fire and grab a bowl of homemade soup cooked on an anitque cookstove. The special also includes gourmet breakfast for two, complimentary snacks and beverages.
Try to find a family connection at an Illinois Bed and Breakfast or at a New York Bed and Breakfast to search for your family roots elsewhere.
B&B’s are great places for all guests interested in history and tracing family roots, because so many of them are historic buildings. And innkeepers, once you get them started, will usually be delighted to talk about their own inn’s history. We’re no exception — when we bought Brook Farm Inn, in Lenox, Massachusetts, we immediately went to the local library’s history room, and the courthouse, and the local Historical Society, to research our Victorian building. We wrote the history and posted it on our website. Recently we’ve had guests from two separate families, whose relatives had owned our property! And they found us through the history on our website. http://www.brookfarm.com/history.html.
Comment by Linda and Phil Halpern — October 6, 2009 @ 3:05 pm