Cluster genealogy

Cluster genealogy is like a big puzzle game where we try to figure out who our ancestors are by looking at the people they were friends with, lived near, or were related to. It's like trying to piece together a picture by connecting the dots. These dots could be people, localities, or events where our ancestors lived, worked or socialized.

So, let's say we are trying to find information about our great-grandmother. We know her name and where she lived, but we don't know much else about her. To help us find information about her, we can look for her friends, neighbors, or relatives and try to piece together her life story.

We can look at census records, marriage licenses, or obituaries to find out who her friends and neighbors were. Then, we can look at those people's family members and friends to see if they had any connection to our great-grandmother. By doing this, we create a cluster of people who are all connected to each other in some way.

This approach can help us find missing pieces of information about our ancestors' lives, such as their occupation, hobbies, or even their personality traits. It also helps to identify family connections that we may not have known about previously.

So, in summary, cluster genealogy is a way of tracing our family tree by looking at the connections between our ancestors, their friends and family, and the events and localities where they lived their lives. It's like being a detective, trying to piece together clues to solve a mystery!