Getting Started in Genealogy and Family History

If you have had limited or no exposure to genealogy and family history, the most difficult part of getting started is often knowing how and where to begin. Searching and documenting your family roots can be one of the most rewarding activities you will ever engage in… and frankly it can be quite addictive. Like most worthwhile activities, genealogy and family history require a modest level of commitment and dedication and a fair amount of patience. Here are a few ideas to get you started on the fast track.

1. Designate and set aside some specific time to work on your genealogy each week and then stick to your schedule. Begin modestly so that you don’t get frustrated and quit. Be consistent. Even if you are able to set aside just an hour per week, do it religiously and you will begin to see dividends over time. Be careful not to spend more time than you budget, at least in the beginning. Family History can become an all consuming black hole if you are not careful.

2. Begin first by collecting all of the items that you personally have access to. This may not amount to much. But you may be surprised at what you will find. Specifically you will be looking for photos (of yourself and others in your family and extended family), journals, documents, letters and postcards, paperwork, family heirlooms, and any information that you may be able to get your hands on that will shed some light on your ancestry.

3. Next, call on relatives and friends of the family who either have records, photos, documents, etc. or who have firsthand knowledge of specific ancestors. Explain what you are doing and ask if they would allow you to make copies of photos, papers, documents, letters, and other family records. Make sure you are extremely careful about returning originals in the same condition in which they were received. In cases where records are not available but personal relationships existed, ask if you could schedule a brief interview to gather information about either the ancestor or a deceased relative. Most people will be gracious and obliging, particularly if you agree in advance to limit the visit to a reasonable length of time. Be courteous and stick to your time commitments. It is not unreasonable to request to either record or video tape the conversation in order to preserve the information. You may also just come with a notepad and pen. You will be looking for any and all information that may shed light on the character, life, accomplishments, family culture, etc. of your ancestry. But you will also be interested in gathering as much specific information such as birth dates and places, death dates and places, burial places, baptismal and other church records, marriage dates and places, etc. as you possibly can. This is the information that will be most useful in documenting your family heritage and history.

4. As you gather information you should begin to organize it and label it. A filing cabinet with file folders can be useful for keeping things in some semblance of order.

5. Once you gather information begin to enter it into a pedigree chart. One of the best free genealogy programs is available through the Mormon church. Go to familysearch.com for a multitude of great resource information. Once you download the PAF (personal ancestral file) program, fill in as much information as you can and then see where the holes are. As you identify specific pieces of information that you still lack then you can begin searching the growing number of genealogical resources to discover the missing pieces of information. This is where the real fun begins!

Author: Christopher L. Dunn

Christopher L. Dunn has an active interest in personal genealogy research. He resides in Salem, UT.

For more information, please visit more of the authors websites:

http://www.mtworld.com

http://www.cixx.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_L._Dunn

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Tags: blank family trees, find my ancestors, free genealogy websites, geneology com, geneology search, happy tree family

Common Google Searches on the Subject of Family Trees

This is just a quick post. I just did some research on what the most common searches on Google were concerning family trees and genealogy. I was trying to find what my readership was interested in so I could tailor this blog more closely to interest.

Here are about 30 common Google searches:

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Popularity: 21% [?]

Technorati Tags: blank family trees, find my ancestors, free genealogy websites, geneology com, geneology search, happy tree family

Tags: blank family trees, find my ancestors, free genealogy websites, geneology com, geneology search, happy tree family

When you are tracing ancestors, one of the most common problems you will come across is the variation in surname spellings.

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Here are some of the reasons why this happens.

1. Until the 19th century there were no standardized spellings for surnames. Around 90% of the population could not read or write, so spelling was not important.

2. Most documents were written by someone in authority, and when writing someone’s name, he could only go by what was given to him by speech. So, when one of my Reid ancestors got married, he would give his name to the presiding priest (the Reids were Catholics), who would write it down as he heard it. Therefore, this line of my family can be found under REID, REED or READ - and possibly even REDE, all of which sound exactly the same.

3. Some foreign immigrants would anglicize their names because they wanted to fit in with the local community or because of discrimination. The German name, ALBRECHT could therefore become ALLBRIGHT, and the Jewish name COHEN could become KAHN.

4. Strong accents could result in surnames being mis-heard when given to someone from a different area. If your ancestors have moved from place to place, this could often change the spelling of their surname drastically.

5. Where surnames have been indexed in more recent times, the indexers have had to decipher some difficult handwriting, and very often names have therefore been mis-spelt.

It is very important, therefore, that you look at all variations of a surname when you are doing your searches. NEVER assume that someone is not your ancestor because the spelling is not correct!

With some surnames, this can cause time-consuming searches. I have experience of this with my own family tree. My maternal grandfather’s birth name (he was adopted) was MCEWEN. The variations on this surname appear to be endless. I have found the following possibilities so far, and there are many more: MCKOWAN, MCEWEN, MCEWAN, MAGOWEN, MCKEON, MCKEOWN, MCKEWEN, MCKEWAN, MCCUNE and so on.

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Most index search engines will do a phonetic search, which does help to a large extent. However, these do not always cover every possibility, and it may sometimes be necessary to use your imagination and try a few different spellings in the search box.

Sometimes surnames can evolve into something surprisingly different from their original spelling. I once discovered that the Northamptonshire family surname of PETTIFER had evolved from the 17th century name of PECKOVER.

It is a good idea to say the name out loud using the dialect of the region they lived in, or came from, and seeing how the vowel sounds flatten or widen. Don’t forget that consonants can also sound different with a heavy accent, and particularly if a person had a cold at the time!

Common mis-spellings also need to be taken into consideration. For example, the "S" at the end of some names, such as SIMMONS, could be dropped, or a double letter shortened to one. Modern typing errors often involve a key that is next to the correct on, so NUNN could become MUNN.

Some of the letters used in old handwriting can look very different to the same letters today, and even experienced indexers can make mistakes when transcribing these. For example, the letter "t" can look like a "c", and "o" can look like "a". On one of the census indexes I found that my BOTT ancestors had been indexed as BATT.

Genealogy is never straight-forward! But this is what makes it such an absorbing hobby, and when you have used some imaginative detective work to work out your ancestors’ different surname spellings you will feel all the more rewarded by your efforts when you eventually find your missing person!

Author: Rosamunde Bott

Ros is a professional genealogist and writer, and offers free help and advice and an ancestry tracing service at her website, Tracing Your Ancestors In The UK.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rosamunde_Bott

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Technorati Tags: blue-eyed genealogy study, family tree printable template, german surname meanings, spanish surnames coat of arms

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If you were to sit down and make a list of all of the various ways the Internet has changed our lives, you would be at it for quite some time. One new way that the Internet is helping to make all of our lives a bit easier is through online searching and ordering of genealogy records.

It used to be that if you wanted to trace your family tree, you had to track down where to order genealogy records from, place and order and wait months to receive them. Now, there is an online clearing house that will let you order from anywhere you are in seconds.

There are massive websites that claim to be able to help you trace your family tree for you, but these sites don’t always provide accurate information and they are incredibly expensive, as well. By ordering your own public records online, you can cut out the middle man and get the hard evidence you need fast without having to pay outrageous fees.

Best of all, these sites can also be used to help replace any lost public records you might need, such as your birth certificate, your marriage license, any kind divorce documents or even death certificates of people in your family. It only takes a moment to order and you can have all of these documents shipped right to your home in just days. It really is that easy thanks to the Internet and the magic of online public records searches and ordering.

Trace the lines of your family lineage like never before with online ordering of public records and genealogy records. You can finally find out where your family tree branches out to and you don’t have to run across the United States trying to track down records. Simply order them from one spot and you’re on your way.

Author: Rick Evin

Rick Evin is an enthusiast of genealogy research. He specializes in researching and writing about public records on the internet. Check out http://recordsproject.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Evin

Popularity: 100% [?]

Technorati Tags: drawing of a family tree, example of a family tree diagram, free family and friend search

Tags: drawing of a family tree, example of a family tree diagram, free family and friend search