They interviewed relatives. They uncovered U.S. census, immigration, military and land records using the Internet.
And they compiled all of their research findings into colorful presentations, complete with genetic and genealogical charts, family crests, old photographs, family heirlooms and copies of official documents such as papers from Ellis Island dating back more than a century.
As students developed a better understanding of their own connections to history, the project also generated an unexpected byproduct: a greater appreciation for family.
"It has led to them having connections to their family that they didn't have before," said Annalee Good, eighth-grade American history teacher. "It totally exceeded our expectations."
From an educational standpoint, students discovered how historical events - such as World War I, World War II and the Great Depression - affected their own ancestors.
"When we talk about westward expansion, they can see that they are a part of history," Good said.
Students recognized their ties to the Bitterroot and Montana, and also to the rest of the world.
"It's awesome to see them get so excited about their families, especially for middle-school kids," Good said.
In their presentations, twin brothers Scott and Brian Sheahan, 13, detailed stories of their ancestors' lives. They also noted that twins run on both sides of their family
Scott dressed up as a potato farmer to represent his mother's family which traveled west in covered wagons in the early 1900s and settled in Shelly, Idaho.
He traced his mother's ancestors to the 1700s and learned they came from Scotland and Holland. His great-great-grandmother was one of several relatives who arrived at Ellis Island in 1889 to pursue her Mormon faith.
Brian donned a miner's hat to represent his father's ancestors, whom he traced back to Finland and Ireland. Great-grandpa Sheahan walked from Illinois to Colorado, where he earned a living providing supplies to miners and bought a 1,200-acre ranch. During the Great Depression, a banker swindled him out of his land and money.
The brothers said they learned a lot from interviews with their relatives.
"I feel a little closer to them now," said Scott.
Dayna Moerkerke, 13, dressed in her grandfather's old pinstriped coveralls to represent three generations of her family who owned hardware centers in the Bitterroot Valley. One still operates today, she noted, showing a photograph of Al's Car Care Center in Hamilton.
Moerkerke's great-grandmother loved to weave baskets, and the teen displayed one of the original creations at her booth.
"She made one for every child born and filled it with nuts, a layer of candy, homemade cookies and ... if you were lucky ... a gift on top," she said.
Her great-grandfather, at 17, left Belgium in the early 1900s to escape war. Her mother's ancestors migrated from Norway.
Moerkerke used the Internet and spent a lot of time interviewing her grandmother to collect most of her information. "It made us closer," she said.
Jason Schallenberger, 14, researched his mother's family for his presentation. His great-grandfather Joe Satterlee once played for the Chicago Cubs in the 1920s or 1930s, and his great-great-grandfather Joseph Satterlee was a professional gambler who traveled the world.
In his booth, Schallenberger posted several old but well-preserved black-and-white photographs, including one of his grandmother's basketball team. On a table he displayed family heirlooms: a stack of poker chips, an old manicure kit and his grandmother's original glasses.
He learned he inherited his dark eyes and hair from his mom's family.
"I thought it was a good project because we learned about our heritage," Schallenberger said. "I know a lot of kids don't know about theirs."
He already had a close relationship with his grandmother, he said.
"But I think it made her happy that I asked about her life," he said.
Reporter Jane Rider can be reached at 523-5298 or at jrider@missoulian.com.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)