Genealogy Path

A civil war hero, a pirate, an African tribe, or an Indian Princess all of these people of the past could be in your family tree. For those who know all about where their family comes from or has a written history, you are very lucky. The truth is, that most people only have an idea of where their ancestors came from and don’t know much about any of them. Knowing where your ancestors came from and who they were is a great way to help you learn more about your family tree and some of the hereditary conditions that you might face later in life. No matter if you are interested in genealogy or not, then the time has never been better for you to search out your long-lost ancestors. Due to the popularity of genealogy sites on the Internet, you can find all your ancestors and family without leaving your home.

Before the Internet, people who wanted to research genealogy had to go down to the library and spend hours upon hours of sifting through old microfiche forms and old newspapers to find traces of their ancestors and family tree. They would listen to the stories that their parents and grandparents told and then see if they could find any trace of those people in death records, birth records, and land records. It was a long and tedious process that most gave up on pretty fast.

But, now, you can search out your family tree from generations past by sitting at home in your spare time. There are thousands of great websites out there who can help you search through millions of databases that will help you find your relatives, no matter where they are or where they came from. You can search through: the death records, birth records, land records, marriage records, ship logs, immigration logs, and even through personal records that have been kept by millions of people. These great searches can turn those long hours of work into a few short minutes to find every branch in your family tree.

Some sites are free, and some are pay sites, so you should look at each one carefully before agreeing to any type of fee. You need to know if they are free, and if not, do they charge per search or as a monthly membership fee. So, it doesn’t matter how much you do or don’t spend on these sites if you are finding the information that you need. If you find that you cannot get any information, you can always email their support department for help or tips on what you might be doing wrong. Most of these web sites offer great email support to help you find your whole family tree.

So, if you want to know about your past, the best way to do it is to get into genealogy and seek out your ancestors. Search around several different Internet sites and see what you can find, no matter what, you will always find something interesting that you didn’t know before. Who knows, you might find a long-lost member of royalty or a great hero in your past!

Jerry Cahill authors articles related to personal family trees. He publishes an interesting website on family genealogy related topics at: http://www.familygenealogytreesite.com/

Tags: family research, genealogy research, online research, research
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When it comes to genealogy research, there are many different tricks of the trade that you can use to find and gather the information that you need. No matter what methods you choose to follow, however, there are a few basics that always remain the same if you hope to have a successful and fulfilling search.

Record Information

One of the most important steps you should take when conducting genealogy research is also one of the most overlooked: make sure to maintain accurate logs of the information you have collected. In order to keep accurate loges, you need to document the resources you used for each piece of information you collect. This makes it far easier to do cross-references down the road and to verify information that you may collect elsewhere.

Gather Evidence

When conducting genealogy research, it will be necessary for you to create your own hypotheses when it comes to piecing information about your family together. Don’t get carried away with romantic ideas of your lineage and fool yourself into believing them. Make sure to test every hypothesis and theory you develop by finding credible evidence to back it up. If your hypothesis is not supported by the evidence, reject it and move on to another hypothesis.

Go Original

As much as possible, always use original documents when researching your genealogy. If you use ones that have been reproduced, you run the risk of having documents that have been altered. This, of course, may cause you to have inaccurate information. When it comes to published works, compilations, communications, and other electronic or paper guides, you should use them as guides in order to help you find the original documents.

Never Stretch the Truth

Never communicate something as a fact when it comes to your genealogy until you are completely sure it really is a fact. You should never mislead another researchers – either purposely or out of carelessness – when stating information. If you communicate information as facts to other genealogists and have your “fact” disproved, you will lose respect within the community and others will be less likely to help you in your search. Also, site your reference when providing information as fact.

If you are still uncertain as to whether or not a piece of information you gathered is fact, then you should state that the information is probable or possible. Once again, cite your resource for the information that has led you to believe the information may be true. Be sure to acknowledge the research that others may have conducted for you.

Work Together

Genealogy research is a collegial interest. Therefore, you should openly and freely communicate with other researchers and share the information you have gathered. In order to do this, you should publish your work in some manner so it is available to others. You might also place copies of your research in repositories and libraries. In addition, you must be open to constructive criticism.

Since genealogy research is collegial, you should also feel free to read the information that has been gathered by other researchers. Never feel afraid to ask questions or to ask others to share the information they have gathered with you.

Keep an Open Mind

Since genealogy research is a process that involves formulating and testing a variety of hypotheses, it is important to always keep an open mind. New evidence may appear that discredits other evidence you once had and proves something other than what you had thought to be true. Do not set preconceived ideas about your genealogy and then refuse to change them. Also, be open when listening to the conclusions others have drawn and when they make comments on your work. If you listen with an open mind, you just might discover new ideas you had never thought about before.

Genealogy research is a rewarding, fun, and interesting experience. Just be sure to go into it with an open mind, with flexibility, and honesty. Be willing to share your information with others and to listen to their information without being judgmental or by taking offense to their thoughts. Unraveling the mysteries of the past is like a large puzzle, and the more ideas and help you have solving the puzzle, the great the chance of creating a beautiful family picture.

Tags: genealogy, instruction, tutorial
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Funeral records are documents kept by funeral homes detailing the funeral services that were registered with them. When it comes to conducting research on the death of an individual, death records are often the first recourse while funeral documents are often (unjustly) overlooked.

One of the primary reasons why funeral records are ignored is that, unlike death records, they are not considered public records. Funeral homes are not required by law to release funeral documents unless there is just cause. But as of late, more funeral homes are allowing the general public to request for this information, provided that the name of the deceased and the date of death are provided accurately by the requesting party.

Since the funeral home director is tasked with the responsibility of filling out the death certificate, the latter is also part of the funeral records they keep at most funeral homes. Aside from the date of birth and death, other information that you can find in the death certificate includes the name of the spouse, name of parents, the place of residence at death and the name and location of the cemetery.

On the actual funeral records, one can find a list of surviving family members of the individual who passed away. Sometimes, even the names and addresses of the in-laws and grandchildren are included on this list, since this will be needed for placing obituaries in newspapers.

Although not often the case, there are instances when funeral documents also reveal the deceased person’s last will or testament, birth certificate, insurance policy and military record. These information are of course especially relevant for those trying to trace their lineage, track down ancestors and uncover their own family history.

Funeral Records Go ‘Live’ Online

Due to the sheer volume of funeral records, many mortuary facilities have chosen to digitize all their records and offer them online. Being able to access funeral documents online is advantageous for mortuary facilities since this saves them the additional cost of having to maintain a separate physical archive, sometimes even employing the services of a third party record keeping company.

For people wishing to acquire copies of funeral records, retrieving them online preserves these records for posterity. Digitized copies mean that the risk of these records getting lost, stolen or damaged is significantly reduced and are more likely to be able to withstand the test of time.

One caveat for anyone accessing funeral records is that these records may not be entirely accurate since most of the information is supplied by the surviving family members and then compiled by the funeral director. As such, any information that you learn from funeral documents has to be double checked against other sources of data before they can be deemed as conclusive.

The registrar of vital statistics, the county of death and cemeteries may also have some related records that can be utilized for research purposes and serve as excellent supporting documents for funeral records.

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As a means of researching family trees, interviewing relatives can be a really enjoyable experience for both parties. But, there are some important rules. As with anything worthwhile, genealogy does have guidelines that must be followed if you are at all
serious about family history.

5 Simple Rules

* Contact them first – DON’T just turn up on their doorstep, cassette recorder in hand. Get their permission to do the interview and be honest about why you would like to speak to them.

* Be careful not to offend them by asking questions that maybe too personal or of a very sensitive nature. Some people will answer any question you throw at them whereas others will be more guarded. Obviously if you already have a close relationship with Uncle George, he will be quite relaxed in talking to you. Aunty Madge, however, who you wouldn’t know if you fell over her, is
not as likely to be so forthcoming in laying out the laundry, clean or otherwise, of the family!

* It’s important to have a list of questions ready. You may not ask them all or you may need to alter the focus of some during the interview, but you should have a list of core questions ready. Why? Because this will ensure that you don’t forget anything important and secondly it gives the impression that you actually know what you are doing. Dithering and looking up at the
ceiling every 5 minutes trying to remember what to ask next does not inspire confidence and will likely make the interviewee uncomfortable.

* DON’T outstay your welcome. You are the only one that can judge when that might be.

* Show your appreciation for their time by either presenting them with a small gift or simply saying those magic words, “thank you”.

Verify Or Else

Family interviews are a fantastic way to fill in the gaps in your family trees, and will provide far more information than you could ever glean from a marriage certificate. The quality and detail can be extraordinary and enlightening, BUT don’t accept
everything Uncle George says as being entirely accurate. His “true story” may not be true at all. THE FIRST RULE IN GENEALOGY IS VERIFY – wherever possible. The truth can be stretched, twisted, bent and made to disappear altogether. That doesn’t mean Uncle George is lying, he may just be repeating what he was told by someone else or may have forgotten the details over time.

Handy Interviewing Questions

Okay, so here are some sample questions to get your family trees talking. These are in addition to the mandatory ones such as names, dates of birth, marriage
death etc.

1. Describe your childhood – relationship with parents, siblings.

2. The greatest joy of your childhood was …….?

3. As a child, what was your worst fear?

4. What was your father’s occupation and what was the quality of your life like as a child?

5. How would you describe your parents and or grandparents – physical characteristics and qualities?

6. What is the most pleasant memory you have of your parents and or grandparents?

7. What was the dumbest thing you ever did as a child?

8. What was your most memorable holiday?

9. What was one thing that attracted you to your spouse? Why?

10. What was the most difficult moment for you as a parent?

11. What one thing would you change in your role as a parent?

12. What would you like your children to most remember about you?

13. What was your greatest fear as a parent?

14. What activities do you enjoy?

15. What do you find really annoying in other peoples actions or characteristics?

Play with the questions. Add to them if you wish. They are just to get you thinking.
Good hunting!

Tags: family history, interviewing
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I came across these 2 interesting videos dealing with genealogy research.  I use to subscribe to Robert Ragan’s Genealogy Treasure Maps newsletter.  Some time ago, Robert developed the Pajama Genealogy system.  Looks like he made these 2 videos to help explain the system.  I’d be interested to hear from others on what they think of his system.  Post a comment here or on the Genealogy Path forum.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Tags: genealogy research, How-To, pajama genealogy system, ragan, research system
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The following video is an excellent lecture on how you can preserve digital information.

Tags: archives, digital information, lecture, preservation, preserving
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