Hidden in the Convent: How One Obituary Revealed an Unknown Family Story

Have you ever found an unexpected name in an obituary that made you wonder about a whole branch of your family story you never knew existed? What if that single name could lead you to discover not just one relative's story, but open up an entirely new world of family history resources?

That's exactly what happened to genealogist Sunny Morton when she stumbled across a simple mention in an old obituary: "Sister Mary Bertilla of Waterloo, Iowa." Those seven words would lead her on an unexpected journey into the hidden world of convent archives, revealing a remarkable story of faith, service, and family connection that most genealogists have never explored.

From a Single Name to an Extraordinary Story

When Sister Mary Bertilla passed away, another sister in her community wrote her obituary. Unlike the standard death notices we often find, this one began with an evocative scene: "And then I heard a meadowlark sing..." These poetic words reveal something profound – these women's stories were preserved by those who truly knew them, who understood their calling, their sacrifices, and their joy in service.

But before Sunny ever found this touching tribute, she first had to solve the mystery of who Sister Mary Bertilla was and how she connected to her family tree.  In this week's episode of Stories That Live In Us, Sunny shares how a simple obituary reference led her to uncover not just one nun's story, but a treasure trove of family history records that many genealogists overlook - likely because they don’t even know they exist.  These records tell the stories of more than 350,000 American women religious who shaped our nation's history through their work in education, healthcare, and social services.

The Whole Story

If you haven’t already heard Sunny’s story about Sister Mary Bertilla, take a moment to listen in:

Prefer audio only? Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:

• The unexpected obituary discovery that started it all
• How Sunny traced Sister Mary Bertilla's path from family member to woman religious
• The surprising wealth of family information found in convent archives
• Why these records matter for family historians, even if you don't have a nun in your family (or don’t think you do)
• The touching personal details preserved in the words of someone who knew Sister Mary Bertilla well

The Power of One Story

Sister Mary Bertilla's story reminds us that family connections can be found in unexpected places. While she may not have had descendants of her own, her choice to enter religious life created records that now help us understand not just her story, but the larger story of her family and community.

"In my head they've sort of fallen off our family trees. They're listed there with their birth names and their birth dates and places and maybe they appear in a census or two and then they're just gone..."

But these women's stories didn't end when they entered religious life – in many ways, that's where they truly began.  These archives hold unexpected treasures for family historians. Imagine finding photos your family has never seen, letters that reveal relationships and personalities, even naturalization papers and probate records. When these women passed away, everything they owned – including their precious family mementos – became part of their order's archives.

Your Story

Think about the names in your family tree that seem to disappear. Could they have entered religious life? Remember, these women often maintained deep connections with their families, preserving photos and letters that might help you understand not just their stories, but your entire family's history.

Story Seeds 🌱

Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.

1. What memories do you have of our family's religious traditions? How have they changed over the generations?
2. Have you ever heard stories about relatives who devoted their lives to religious service or worked closely with religious communities?
3. What do you remember about the churches or religious institutions that were important to our grandparents and great-grandparents?
4. Did any of our relatives maintain connections with religious communities even after moving away from their childhood homes?

Story Sparks 🔑

Unlock your family's hidden stories with these research techniques.

1. When reading obituaries for family members, pay special attention to where the funeral services were held or what kind of cemetery they were buried in.  This will give you clues to their religious affiliation.  Also pay attention to any references to the religious life of the deceased or their surviving family members.
2. Set up a custom MyTreeTag for each of the major religious traditions your family followed.  Systematically review each branch in your family tree and add the tag where you know the faith of the individual.
3. Add information to the profile timeline of each person in your tree who followed a religious vocation.  Create custom facts to denote when they embarked on missionary service, took religious orders, or entered the priesthood.
4. Use the Card Catalog on Ancestry to locate religious directories or church records in your ancestors' locations - filter by location and date range for best results.

There's an urgency to preserving these stories that makes them even more precious. According to Sunny's research, about 60% of convent archives will need to find new homes in the next decade as religious communities face declining numbers. Many of these records aren't digitized or indexed – they're waiting to be discovered, but they won't wait forever.

Ready to discover more stories like Sister Mary Bertilla's? Subscribe to Stories That Live In Us wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode touched your heart, please leave us a rating and review - it helps other family story seekers find us.