My First Family Association Conference

This past weekend I attended my first family association conference. A family society conference (or gathering or reunion) is a get-together of people that share the same surname. Sometimes they all come from the same individual immigrant ancestor, sometimes there are multiple ancestors and sometimes it's the surname that is important rather than a blood connection.

In this particular case, I was asked to speak at the Sisson Gathering, a conference for people who are interested in researching the Sisson surname.  The organizers make the distinction that is not a family reunion because anyone interested in researching Sissons is welcome whether they are related or not.

It just so happens that not only was I an invited speaker but I also happen to be a Sisson descendant (though admittedly with far fewer Sisson generations than most of the attendees). I was very keen to see how a family society conference operates and what the participants share and find important to discuss.

The American Sissons originated in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and nearby Dartmouth/Westport, Massachusetts in the mid 1600s. The Sisson gatherings are held every two years in places relevant to Sisson migration or where current Sissons live. This year's conference was held in Albany, New York.

Before the actual conference started there was a day or two of field trips to Sisson ancestral homelands and cemeteries in New York. The full conference got under way on Saturday and was a day chock full of presentations about Sissons.  The session started with a recap of a recent research trip to England to uncover the parentage of 17th century immigrant ancestor, Richard Sisson. There was a detailed discussion on DNA (there are 3 separate Y DNA groups with the Sisson name), a talk about a Sisson who participated in the Civil War,  a story of a serendipitous meeting of two Sissons during a graveyard visit and a recap of the previous days of field trips.

Dave Martin presenting at the Sisson Gathering

I was very touched by the story of one man who talked about meeting his Sisson family for the first time after his parents' bitter divorce during his childhood had kept him from knowing them.  It shows that this kind of gathering can be meaningful both in the here and now as well as for connecting with our ancestors.

My talk, while Sisson focused, was more history related and discussed the westward migration of Sissons out of New England and into New York.

One of the things I found really neat was that there were three Sissons participating from outside the United States. Two were from England and one from Canada. I love to meet people from different countries so it was a special treat for me. But I found it interesting that they valued this type of event enough that they would be willing to make the trip.

During the conference I also had the chance to spend time with Joan and David Sisson who wrote the book on the Sissons.  It's not often that you use a genealogy surname book and actually get to meet the authors.  I also got to meet my closest related Sisson cousin (at the conference anyway) who descends from the brother of my most recent Sisson ancestor, Phebe Sisson. If only I had thought to get a picture of the two of us together.

All in all it was a great experience. I didn't feel too out of place even though I only have 5 generations of Sissons compared to 9 or 10 like most of the attendees.  I got to meet loads of great people from around the country and the world. And I got a glimpse of  how a different side of the genealogical world operates. I'm very glad that they've decided to hold the next conference in nearby Providence, Rhode Island because that means I'll be able to attend again.

If you'd like to find out whether your surname has an established family association you can check this online directory. It is not comprehensive though because the Sissons were not listed there.  You may have better luck just googling your surname and "family association."

Let me know if you've ever attended a family association conference or gathering. I'm curious to hear what your experience was like.

Serendipity with the Sissons

You know how it happens in genealogy - one thing leads to another and then it avalanches. With the aid of the internet it happens much more quickly these days. And so my Sisson tale begins.

The other day I was contacted by my colleague, David Martin, a genealogist with the Genealogical Society of Cape Cod. He knows I'm a house historian and had read my post on Westport, Massachusetts House Histories. He wanted to know if I knew anything about a house in Westport that was built by one of his Sisson ancestors.

I didn't know anything about the house unfortunately but I did reply back to tell him that I am also a Sisson. I also had to admit to him that I had never researched the Sisson family.

The funny thing about my New England lines is that they are so far back that I don't bother researching them. I know, ridiculous you are saying. Most people would jump to have those old lines. I guess my New York ancestors just keep me distracted!

The first Sisson immigrant was Richard Sisson who came over to America by 1650 and settled in Rhode Island. David tells me there's a very good Sisson book called The Descendants of Richard and Mary Sisson by David and Joan Sisson.

My most recent Sisson ancestor is Phebe Sisson (born 1774 - died 1841) who married David Albro, Jr.  Phebe was the daughter of George Sisson, Jr.

Not long after discussing the Sissons with David, I was contacted by Lisa Saunders, another Sisson descendant.  She directed me to a blog post she wrote recently about a serendipitous moment of discovering some Sisson Ancestors in "Is Captain Sisson Reaching Out From Beyond the Grave?"  Check out her blog post even if you're not a Sisson and especially if you love serendipity in genealogy.

Now that I am discussing my Sisson heritage all around, it has caught my interest and I want to know more.  If you are a Sisson descendant too, here are some additional resources for researching the family:

1) The Official Sisson Family webpage

2) A Sisson Family Reunion is held every two years in different locations.  This is more of a research conference for Sisson researchers than strictly a descendants reunion.  The next one will be held in Albany, New York, June 21-23, 2012.

3) The Sissons are also arranging a research trip to England in September 2011 to further trace the ancestry of immigrant Richard Sisson.  It is being coordinated Susan Ashley Blake, a Sisson in England. If you might be interested in participating in that trip send me a line and I will put you in contact with her and others participating in the trip.

I would love to add my house history angle to the Sisson family research.  If anyone knows of existing Sisson family homes please let me know where they are.  It would be fun to do a little research on them.