Digging Grandma’s Privy for Family History Data

Presented by Craig Pfannkuche

Where can data sometimes be found concerning individuals who are not well represented in the mass of available paper records? Grandma’s Privy! This presentation will show that not everything that went into privy holes, latrines, and outhouses was a mixture of … organic wastes. Into these holes went bones, bottles, toys, money, clothing, jewelry, dishware, cutlery, and watches among many other things; in fact, a wide variety of inorganic material which represents a full spectrum of the artifacts (articles of use) used by the people who made use of the privy.

“Hundreds and thousands of those privies, treasure troves of a variety of family artifacts, remain safely buried in both city and countryside. Using basic archaeological techniques, a minimally trained excavator can build from these artifacts both a picture of who deposited the materials, when they deposited those artifacts and how they lived. Information that cannot be found in paper records. Join us and learn.

Craig Pfannkuche is President of Memory Trail Research, Inc. since 1993, and is the Genealogical Archivist for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Historical Society since 1984. He is on the Board of Directors of the McHenry County, Illinois Genealogical Society & the Chicago Genealogical Society. He has presented numerous workshops in history, historical & genealogical research & archaeological techniques at both the local and national level.