The Problem-Solver Who Found Himself in His Family Tree
Have you ever dismissed something as "just data" only to discover it held the key to understanding who you really are? What if the family tree you've been avoiding could transform from a tedious collection of names and dates into a profound journey of self-discovery?
That's exactly what happened to Josh Harman, a former Ancestry product manager who originally saw genealogy as nothing more than "familial Sudoku" – just another puzzle to solve. As Josh reflects now, "I'm literally the result of hundreds of generations of people striving and struggling and succeeding and failing and trying again, and the further I look back at that, the scope and the scale of it is very humbling." His journey from skeptic to passionate family historian offers valuable insights for anyone who's ever wondered if family history research is worth their time.
From Technical Problem-Solver to Story Seeker
When Josh first joined Ancestry's digital imaging team, he was there purely to solve technical problems. "Initially, it was just a job," he admits. "They're cool problems to solve." But everything changed during a genealogy conference where he was testing new scanning software.
A woman brought in a collection of love letters her recently deceased mother had exchanged throughout her life with a Jewish boy she'd met during their families' flight from Nazi Germany. Using high-powered cameras, Josh discovered faint pencil markings on the envelope flaps – revealing the full name and return address of this mysterious correspondent. The woman's emotional response to this discovery marked Josh's first realization that his technical skills could create profound human connections.
The Whole Story
If you haven't already heard Josh's remarkable journey, take a moment to listen in:
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🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:
- How a newspaper article about his father transformed Josh's view of family stories
- The surprising discovery about his blind great-grandfather's career as a truck driver
- Why finding his great-grandfather's human interest piece brought him to tears
- How understanding his ancestors changed the meaning of being a "Harman"
- Why giving someone their complete family tree wouldn't actually help them
The Power of One Story
Josh's great-grandfather's story perfectly illustrates how family history transcends mere data collection. This blind man who built houses, drove trucks during the Depression, and offered to teach other blind people to be self-sufficient didn't just fill in a branch on Josh's family tree – he fundamentally changed Josh's understanding of his family's legacy.
"I had never known until now that I could love someone so much that I've never met," Josh shared, describing the moment he read the newspaper article about his great-grandfather. The discovery transformed what it meant to be a Harman from what Josh describes as "a stick with which to beat me" into something "very aspirational." Now he finds himself asking, "Am I a worthy heir of this man's legacy?"
As Josh explains, simply having access to your completed family tree isn't enough: "It doesn't mean anything to them... what you're giving them is a filled out Sudoku sheet." The real value comes from the journey of discovery itself.
Your Story
Every family has its own version of Josh's great-grandfather – someone whose story could change how you understand your own identity. Think about the family sayings or expectations you've grown up with. What stories might be hiding behind them? What records might be waiting to transform your understanding of who you are and where you come from?
Story Seeds 🌱
Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.
- What sayings or expectations in your family have shaped how you see yourself? Have you ever wondered about their origins?
- Are there any family members whose stories you've heard bits and pieces of but never fully understood?
- What skills or traits run in your family? How far back can you trace them?
- If you could interview any of your ancestors about their life experiences, who would you choose and why?
Story Sparks 🔑
Unlock your family's hidden stories with these research techniques.
- Search Newspapers.com for your ancestors' names, but don't stop at the first mention. Look for human interest pieces that might reveal their character and daily lives.
- Use MyTreeTags in your Ancestry tree. Create custom tags for family traits or occupations that seem to run in your family. Tag everyone who fits the pattern to see how these characteristics have been passed down.
- Note family sayings or expectations associated with specific ancestors. Add them as comments to their profile pages in your family tree. This helps preserve the connection between family culture and its historical origins.
As Josh discovered, "The more that I have learned about a lot of people in my life, even closer to me, the more context that I have, the easier it is for me to see them as very complex, very well rounded people." Your family story is waiting to be discovered, and like Josh, you might find that solving this particular puzzle reveals far more than just names and dates – it might just show you who you really are.
Ready to start your own journey from family history skeptic to passionate story seeker? Subscribe to Stories That Live In Us wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode resonated with you, please leave us a rating and review – it helps other family story seekers find us.
© 2024 Crista Cowan. All rights reserved.
