Recently, Kansas City's Fox4reported a story about the late Katherine Shirley and her half-sibling who was located in California. She was located in time to attend the service of her 99-year-old half-sister in Kansas City, Missouri.
The article stated the half-sisters had not seen each other in over four decades. A previous report in July 2024 was about the search for next of kin and the desire to provide Katherine with the burial she wanted. Katherine, who died on May 18, 2024, was finally laid to rest on August 9, 2024.
Because of the outreach of the forms of media, people and a genealogist in Nevada helped with the search. It's an amazing story. It's an example of the good that can result from media reporting.
I was touched by this story because I've been performing my own research to locate the half brother my brother and I have. He's someone we've never met and he may be unaware he has family in the Midwest.
Genealogy research is powerfully effective in helping to locate a long-lost sibling. I use Ancestry.com and continue to be amazed at all the family history, types of records, and recorded information available online.
Leave no stone unturned. When performing a search, be meticulous. Begin by gathering any information you already know. List all names, dates, and places. This can be your foundation to build onto.
It’s time-consuming but any information is a reward. Go through census records, marriage licenses, birth and death certificates, old draft records, and any official documents containing details you can grab and add to your family tree.
Photo byMidwest Genealogy Center via Facebook.
There are also offices and agencies in the Kansas City area you can reach or go in person for additional record information.
When researching, you need to be persistent. If you enjoy research, the fun part is the detective work involved. It's like working on a puzzle and you need to find and connect a missing piece. Imagine finding that piece and connecting with a family member you've been looking for or finding one you didn't know existed.
I've spent hours on my journey and look forward to the reward of finding our half-sibling. It's amazing how family history can guide you toward a reunion or answers to questions you've been waiting for.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local Kansas City, MO
Most Popular
Comments / 0