The Hinchman Heritage Society: 30 Years of Preserving Family History

The Hinchman Heritage Society itself has a history worth telling — a story of how a scattered family became a connected community, united by shared curiosity about their past.

Founded in 1994, the Hinchman Heritage Society emerged from a simple recognition: that the family's history was being lost, one elderly relative at a time. Without a concerted effort to collect, preserve, and share that history, the stories, documents, and memories that connected modern Hinchmans to their ancestors would disappear.

The Society's early years were defined by old-fashioned legwork. Founding members wrote letters to Hinchman families listed in phone books across the country. They attended family reunions, set up booths at genealogy conferences, and published newsletters that were mailed to members. They conducted oral history interviews with elderly family members, capturing memories that stretched back to the 19th century.

One of the Society's earliest and most important projects was the publication of "The Hinchman Heritage Society Chronicles," a periodical that featured family research, historical articles, and queries from members seeking help with their lines. The Chronicles became the Society's flagship publication, creating a sense of community among members who might never meet in person but who shared a passion for the family's story.

The Society also established the Hinchman Archives, initially housed in the homes of volunteer curators and later finding a more permanent home. The Archives collected family Bibles, photograph albums, letters, diaries, and genealogical charts — materials that individual families could no longer safely store but that deserved preservation for future generations.

Technology transformed the Society's work in the 2000s. The launch of the Hinchman.org website in the early 2000s made it possible for family researchers around the world to access Society resources without waiting for mailed newsletters. The GEDCOM file — a digital genealogy database containing thousands of individuals — became available for download, allowing members to search the family tree from their home computers.

Today, the Society continues to evolve. Social media has created new ways for family members to connect. DNA testing has opened new avenues for genealogical research. But the core mission remains unchanged: to collect, preserve, and share the history of the Henchman/Hinchman families, ensuring that future generations will know where they came from.