Genealogy and History Fan

Read the following article to find out what makes up a family history.

Getting Started With Genealogy
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrea_H._Burke]Andrea H. Burke

The word genealogy brings to mind a Bible page, mementos or an
obituary, especially when a close relative passes away. A
dictionary definition reads: A record of the ancestry and
descent of a person.

Today, it’s family history, instead of just genealogy. Family
history is about people who lived, worshipped, and toiled to
make our world better than theirs.

These things are what make up a “Family History”, a complete
accounting of their lives, their times and their ways; things
which make each of us unique, and individual. Taken together,
they create the ‘glue’ which holds us together in family ties.

So they are no longer “just” the donors of our unique DNA, or
the building blocks of our biology, they are part of us in a way
that no other small group of people could be- even adopted
children become a real part of our family by taking on family
characteristics.

Begin now to write your own unique history, including you, your
parents and grandparents. Ask questions, find names in Bibles,
legal papers or journals; keep dated news clips and certificates
too.

A local Family History Library can help you get started with a
free computer program; this will help you by grouping fathers,
mothers and children together. It will have a place for notes,
sources, and other important information, like maiden names.

Generally the next step is to search census records as they
list every member in each household. Keeping notes and filing
is important, especially when you get large amounts of
information.

A good way is to use a small tape recorder and record
conversations with grandparents and older family members; it can
be transcribed later and printed. Military records are online
and are great sources of information, and it’s all free at your
local Family History Library (just look in the telephone book).

Next, write your history. It’s a good idea to present the
family information in story form, following the generations as
they move from place to place. Your computer will store
information and pictures of family members along with the
written history and charts. The genealogy programs available
today have places for pictures of each individual. Or you can
print, copy or have them professionally published.

However you decide to do it, your history will be cherished by
your children and grandchildren; they’ll know who they are,
they’ll develop pride and self-confidence as they read about the
accomplishments of their own predecessors.

Andrea Holycross Burke, genealogist/consultant with the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Affiliate with the website Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness [http://www.raogk.org]www.raogk.org; submitter to [http://www.findagrave.com]www.findagrave.com and [http://www.Rootsweb.com]www.Rootsweb.com

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Take steps now to insure that your family knows “from whence they came.”

“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness.” Alex Haley 1921-1992

Make history come alive for your family by putting your ancestors in their rightful place in history. The following is a great article to get you started on your journey of discovery.

Finding Your Genealogy

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kadence_Buchanan]Kadence Buchanan

One activity that many families find rewarding and exciting is researching their genealogy. Who doesn’t want to know where they came from? Plus, if you research your roots back far enough, odds are that you could be surprised with some type of connection to a historical figure. While there are many sites that provide genealogy packages, doing the work yourself can really be rewarding when it comes to getting to know your relations.

First, when researching your genealogy, you should get some paperwork organized. You should create forms that you should distribute to the relatives that you know of that consist of places to fill in information regarding the births, deaths, marriages, and spouses of those that they know of in the family. Some people find it important to make the entries as complete as possible, listing family stories, occupations held, and other information about the entrants. You may also want to consider purchasing a program that helps you to log this information to ease the amount of paperwork that you will be doing. When you get information from a relation, be sure to ask them if they have any genealogical information that can help you in your hunt. Family bibles are one thing that can provide information about lineage that you may not be able to find elsewhere.

Once you seem to have reached the end of the paper trail when it comes to those that you can contact, you may want to turn your search towards census records. Census records have been around for almost the complete history of America, with censuses being conducted formally since 1790. These records can provide a wealth of information when it comes to finding relations that you may not know about due to the long length of time. Other sources of records for genealogy may include birth certificates, death certificates, adoption papers, divorce papers, and school records. Searching on the internet for your family name can also prove to be effective.

Now that you know the basics when it comes to finding your genealogy, indulge in it! Get your whole family in on the fun, it’s exciting for everybody to find out about their roots.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including [http://itsfamilytime.net/]Family, [http://letsdosomeyardwork.com/]Gardening, and [http://yourealestatesource.com/]Real Estate

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You and your children or grandchildren can develop a meaningful and worthwhile hobby. You can learn together and grow together as you unravel your family heritage. It’s a great adventure awaiting you and your family!

On March 1, 1790 the U.S. Congress passed what is known as the Census Act. The first census was taken that same year and was completed by August 1^st.

The 1790 census showed a population of about 4 million people in the U. S. and it’s western territories. This was quite a jump from the estimated population of a little over 2 million just 10 years earlier.

It was determined by the 1790 census that African Americans made up 19% of the population with, as expected, most living in the South. Native Americans were not counted in that first census, but it is estimated there were at least 80 tribes with a total of about 150,000 people.

The average age for the white population was under 16 which makes sense since most of the families had 8 children. By the 1810 census this white population had almost doubled to nearly 6 million.

In 1790, the largest U. S. city was Philadelphia with about 42,000 people. Next followed New York with 33,000. A few of the other more populated areas were Boston with 18,000, Charleston had 16,000 and about 13,000 called Baltimore home.

The main purpose for taking a census is to apportion seats in the U. S. House of Representatives. The number of residents in a state determines how many seats that particular state gets in Congress.

Of course, the main purpose for genealogists is to track down our ancestors and to find out more about their lives. In some cases, the only information we may find of certain ancestors, are on those wonderful census records. Thanks to James Madison who introduced the Census Act bill and to George Washington who signed it into law!

While working on my family history, I have gone through page by page of the Sullivan County, Indiana census records from 1850 through 1910. As I did this I began to notice something unique about those records. There were many, many, twins! Maybe it’s because I have twins (born in Vigo Co., Indiana) that I noticed all these twin births.

Throughout history, about 1 in 80 births results in twins. Although I haven’t counted the Sullivan County twins, I believe that they far exceed these statistics.

Does anyone out there have twins or is a twin or has twin ancestors who was born in Sullivan County? I would love to hear from you.

I have read that the rate of twin births varies greatly among ethnic groups, but I don’t know if this applies to Sullivan County. Could it be the water??

For a bit of twin trivia: Did you know that Cleopatra and Mark Anthony had fraternal twins? A boy named Alexander Helios and his sister Cleopatra Selene were born in the 1^st century B.C.

I always learn something when I go to the Family History Center and I’m always glad I went. About eight years ago, a visit I made greatly expanded my vision concerning genealogy and family history research. As I walked in, two of the librarians were discussing a website called Ancestry.com. They told of finding hundreds of ancestors and various records about them. They said the site had billions of family records and that it was easy to use. The easy to use part sounded too good to be true, but they convinced me to hurry home and sign up for a free trial membership. After being on the site for a couple of hours, I thought I had died and gone to genealogy heaven!

My census records that I love so much were there along with many birth, marriage, military records and death records. And yes there were countless pedigree and family group charts. Through the years, the message boards have also provided me with a wealth of information. It has been fun and exciting to meet formerly unknown cousins from posted messages. The weekly newsletter that comes in my e-mail is always a treat for me to read. It is very informative and entertaining. I especially enjoy the editor, Juliana’s, insights and wit.

On most days I spend 2 - 4 hours on Ancestry.com. If I could I would be happy to spend at least 8 hours a day going through their records. They are continually adding all sorts of records, so there is no end to what or who you will find.

If you have never been on their site or haven’t been on recently, I urge you to give it a try. Hopefully you will love it and benefit from it as much as I do. I will always be an Ancestry.com subscriber. Check it out for your self and see what you’ve been missing.

Census records are some of my favorite genealogy “tools”. Through the years, I have spent countless hours going through those wonderful records viewing each person that was listed.

I remember the first time I was introduced to census records. I was seventeen and had decided to “try my hand” at family history research. I went to our local public library which was the Emmeline Fairbanks Memorial Library in Terre Haute, Indiana. They had a great genealogy section. One of the librarians showed me how to load and work the microfilm reader. The first film I looked at was the 1850 Jackson County , Indiana census. The librarian had explained how important the 1850 U.S. census records are. They were the first year of census records that listed the names of each member of the household. The previous census records only gave the head of the house and the number of males and females in the household, according to an age range.

What a blessing those 1850 census records (and all census records) are to us. It is still a big thrill for me to look through those records and anticipate who and what I will find. View a census record and see who you can find!