You have decided to dig into your family history. Your notebook contains everything you could recall about your relations. You began by recording your vital statistics and proceeded backwards jotting down all the details you could think of. So where do you go now?
Have you rummaged around your home to locate any documents that can support the information, provide clues to work with or add interest and personality to the history you are compiling? You probably got out a birth or baptism certificate and a few old photos then concluded that is all you have to contribute. You are ready to make a trip to your parent's house or some other relatives to discover what treasures they have. STOP! Go back and look again. This time gather up everything you can lay your hands on that may (even remotely) add some interest or provide clues.
You are not ready to interview family until you have established every thing you know. If you want to produce a family history ... you want to find out more than the vital events. With genealogy you start with yourself and with family history you do too.
Most of us do not truly start our research with ourselves. We know what we do for a living and where we went to school. What about the future generations? A family history is not just for you ... it is for your descendents and other kinfolk who will come after. Do a thorough investigation of your own life first. Not only will you establish a good foundation for your family history, you will learn what to ask others. When it comes time to contact other family members, you will have specific questions in mind. You will also have a background of material to work with that can be helpful in triggering memories.
Hunt through your files, drawers and closets. Locate that box of childhood mementos. Pull out a copy of your resume. Take a close look at your keepsakes or family heirlooms.The items you gather will help to create a comprehensive documentation of your own life. You will find that the list of possible resources is endless - these include more then official certificates and photographs. Look for report cards, school papers, newspaper clippings, postcards, letters, insurance papers, licenses, property or business records, diaries, old passports, calendars, address books, and greeting cards. Even awards and trophies are records of events you should note.
Once you have gathered up all the bits and pieces of your life - study each one. Use them to help recreate your story. Note down the mundane and the exciting. As you do not live in a world by yourself, you will probably be coming up with plenty of stuff on other family members. This is okay. You will find as you get deeper into your family history that while looking into the life of one member of the family you will discover information about not just them, but other kin. Take meticulous notes - of everything that comes to mind.
This may all seem a bit much to you. You might think it does not matter that when you were young you won a bowling trophy in the town league. Whether you studied piano, made model airplanes, are an excellent cook, can rebuild a car motor from the ground up, or collect salt and pepper shakers... it all counts. What you do, have done and enjoy doing, should go into your family history. This information gives insight into you as a person.
You might even want to include some interesting anecdotes. All those documents and other mementos probably have you reminiscing. Write it all down. These memories will bring your family history to life.
Remember start with yourself. Make note of the exciting and the trivial. If you feel funny musing over your life by yourself, get your spouse, sibling or child to sit down with you. Let them take the notes. Just put it down on paper.
You have stories to share that will mean much more to others than the date you were born on. After you have completed this groundwork, scrutinize what you wrote to uncover the questions you will ask others. Make a list of these questions.
Kamis, 30 November 2017
Kamis, 16 November 2017
8 Common Family Tree Research Challenges and Their Solutions
Every amateur genealogist is bound to hit a dead end every once in a while. Don't lose hope. The information you're looking for IS out there...it just might take a little more digging to find it. Here are some common problems - and their solutions -- that trip up many family tree researchers:
1. Sorting out names.
Names can get you into a muddle if several of your ancestors share a name. Names were often passed on from one generation to the next, so you could find that three of your ancestors are all called James Clifton Sterling. Who's who? If you're confused about names, the answer is to talk to the older members of your family, NOW. This is a vital first step. If you don't talk to them first, you'll have to do it later. Ask for full names and nicknames, plus dates of birth, marriages, and dates of death of your ancestors. Ask whether anyone in the family has an old family Bible. You may even find that someone in the family has already traced his or her family tree, which will give a boost to your own searches.
2. Where do I start? Which line should I trace?
This is up to you. If you try to trace all your ancestors, it will likely take years because of the huge number of people involved. Start with your own surname; the surname you were born with. If you're a married woman, this means your maiden name. If you know your four grandparents, start with the family that used to live, or still lives, close to where you live now, because you can use the public library and the record's office in your area. If you don't want to follow that line, then choose the rarest of the four surnames, because, ironically, a rare surname is often easier to trace than a common one.
3. I can't find my great-grandfather!
Whenever you come to a complete dead-end, your first step is always to send for the birth certificate of the ancestor that you do know. Yes, it's frustrating to wait, but when you receive the document, you'll probably see why you were stumped. Let's say you're looking for your great-grandfather, Edward Thomas Carmichael, and he doesn't seem to exist. By sending away for your grandfather's birth certificate, you may find that his father was David Thomas Carmichael. In other words, someone's memory has failed them, and they gave you an incorrect name. This is very common; don't simply believe what your relatives tell you - people often confuse names and places and one branch of the family with another.
4. Why is it so hard to find information on European ancestors?
Everyone who was born in England or Wales since 1837 should have had his or her birth registered by the state. However, it's estimated that in some parts of the country, as many as 15% of all births were not registered in the decades after 1837, because there was no penalty on parents for failing to register until 1875. Also, some parents believed that it wasn't necessary to register the birth if the child was baptized. Therefore, if you're looking for your English ancestors.
1. Sorting out names.
Names can get you into a muddle if several of your ancestors share a name. Names were often passed on from one generation to the next, so you could find that three of your ancestors are all called James Clifton Sterling. Who's who? If you're confused about names, the answer is to talk to the older members of your family, NOW. This is a vital first step. If you don't talk to them first, you'll have to do it later. Ask for full names and nicknames, plus dates of birth, marriages, and dates of death of your ancestors. Ask whether anyone in the family has an old family Bible. You may even find that someone in the family has already traced his or her family tree, which will give a boost to your own searches.
2. Where do I start? Which line should I trace?
This is up to you. If you try to trace all your ancestors, it will likely take years because of the huge number of people involved. Start with your own surname; the surname you were born with. If you're a married woman, this means your maiden name. If you know your four grandparents, start with the family that used to live, or still lives, close to where you live now, because you can use the public library and the record's office in your area. If you don't want to follow that line, then choose the rarest of the four surnames, because, ironically, a rare surname is often easier to trace than a common one.
3. I can't find my great-grandfather!
Whenever you come to a complete dead-end, your first step is always to send for the birth certificate of the ancestor that you do know. Yes, it's frustrating to wait, but when you receive the document, you'll probably see why you were stumped. Let's say you're looking for your great-grandfather, Edward Thomas Carmichael, and he doesn't seem to exist. By sending away for your grandfather's birth certificate, you may find that his father was David Thomas Carmichael. In other words, someone's memory has failed them, and they gave you an incorrect name. This is very common; don't simply believe what your relatives tell you - people often confuse names and places and one branch of the family with another.
4. Why is it so hard to find information on European ancestors?
Everyone who was born in England or Wales since 1837 should have had his or her birth registered by the state. However, it's estimated that in some parts of the country, as many as 15% of all births were not registered in the decades after 1837, because there was no penalty on parents for failing to register until 1875. Also, some parents believed that it wasn't necessary to register the birth if the child was baptized. Therefore, if you're looking for your English ancestors.
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