Day 6 - A Search for Answers

 

We began our morning at school, completing our gathering of questions and people to research at the Clayton Library. Once the group and our research questions were assembled we made our way through the Museum District to the library to begin our deep research! Upon arrival we got right to work, most went to the second floor for international research, however, I and a few others remained downstairs to research further into the U.S. I wanted to find some answers to my questions about my Native American heritage. I knew that my great-grandfather is a part of a smaller tribe in Maine, however, he lived with the Cherokee of North Carolina. Thanks to the assistance of the librarians at the Clayton Library and some long reading I was able to find some family names in a Cherokee census, leading me to believe my great-grandfather lived with family within the tribe! 

After a long morning of research, we set off for the McGovern Centennial Gardens. Ms. Harrison filled us in, upon our arrival, on the meaning of the busts of famous Latinx figures (and one Scottish, shout out to Robert Burns).  We enjoyed the cool weather and the beautiful landscape of the gardens as we ate our lunch. Once we were all done we climbed to the top of the center hill for a group photo. After this, we returned to the library, refreshed and ready for an afternoon of study. 

Once we were back at the library we dove back in. I began to look for information on a rather mysterious family member, John -or more likely Jean- Brisbois. In previous days I had been looking to find Jean and his family before they moved to Missouri. I have plenty of records of the Brisbois's residence in Missouri (especially during the Civil War), but no such luck in France. This begged the question of whether they were even from France! To start my research on Jean at the Clayton, I began with what I knew, his role as a Union soldier in the Civil War. Low and behold, I found him! His name was hidden in military records. Unfortunately, these records yielded no information on Jean's whereabouts before 1960 Missouri. Thankfully, I met with a librarian and she gave me some strategies to use to possibly find Jean Brisbois.

    With this, it was time to leave the Clayton Library, and while the hunt for Jean Brisbois continues, many found valuable information about their families where previously there was a brick wall. The library was very helpful in our search and we learned a lot. Especially that research into genealogy is more of a lifelong pursuit rather than that of two weeks. Many thanks and much love to the staff at the Clayton and to Ms. Harrison for helping us to answer our questions about our history!