Genealogy and History Fan

Have you ever read a historical article, novel or old death certificate and come across a strange sounding ailment or disease? The following are some of the more common diseases or sicknesses and what they were called in “bygone days”.

Pneumonia might be called Lung Fever or Winter Fever. Tuberculosis was commonly called Consumption, but might also be described as African Consumption, Galloping Consumption or Lung Sickness. Influenza was La Grippe or Grippe.

The common cold might be called Coryza. General terms for infection were Corruption of Mortification. Anemia was Green Sickness. Skin infections were sometimes called St. Anthony’s Fire. A boil was called a Whitlow.

Tonsillitis was known as Quinsey. Other names for Malaria were Congestive Fever or Remitting Fever. Ague was the persistent recurring chills and fever of Malaria. If a person suffered a stroke it was called Apoplexy.

Small pox was also known or Black Pox. A concussion might be listed as a Commotion. Whooping Cough was called Chin Cough. A sun stroke was known as Brain Fever. Various types of mental illnesses were called Bethlehemite.

I recently saw a number of these diseases listed as cause of death on an 1870 Mortality Schedule. Hope this list helps you identify some “strange” sicknesses that really aren’t so strange after all.

A family tree is another name for a pedigree chart. Filling out a pedigree chart is a good way to begin doing genealogy or also known as family history.

The first ( free and easy) step is to go to http://www.familysearch.org/ and download the PAF program. The Personal Ancestral File (PAF) genealogy program is user friendly and free! Go through the tutorial if you need some help getting started.

The second step is to pull-up a pedigree chart. Your full name goes on line #1. Line #2 is for your father’s name. Go to line #3 to record your mother’s first, middle and maiden name. Below each name is space to record dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Now you are linked to your parents on your pedigree chart. Then you continue on linking your parents with their parents. This pattern repeats itself for every generation. The father’s names on your chart have even numbers and the mother’s have odd numbers. Hopefully you will be able to fill out the info for your parents and grandparents from your own knowledge.

It is best to write out the months, years and place names. The usual format for writing a date is the day, month then year 26 March 1852. For place of birth, marriage or death record the city or township, county and the state Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana. If you don’t know the city put , Marion, Indiana or ,, Indiana if you only know the state.

Once you have filled out all you can on your own, you will want to contact your extended family members to see what help they can give you. Also go once again to http://www.familysearch.org/for a free search of over 2 billions names of deceased persons. You may hit gold on your first search!

After you have filled out your pedigree chart as much as you can, it’s time to start on the family group charts using your PAF program. You will want to make a family group chart for each person on your pedigree chart. If the husband or wife has been married more than once, a family group record needs to be created for each marriage. The family group chart lists the names of the children associated with each couple. As on the pedigree chart, there are spaces for each birth, marriage and death record.

For more genealogy know how, read my articles in this blog under the category genealogy tips.

Genealogy begins as an interest,

Becomes a hobby,

Continues as an avocation,

Takes over as an obsession,

And in its last stages,

Is an incurable disease!

Author unknown

Read this article to learn about the two types of resources that every genealogist will need to become familiar with.

Tracing your Family History - A primer on resources, research methods, problems and solutions

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Yakel]Joseph Yakel

People who decide to trace their family histories seem to fall into of two groups: A) they know next to nothing about their family, and need to begin researching from scratch, or B) they already have a wealth of knowledge about their family, but need to document it properly and fill in some blanks. In both situations, the records review will be the same, albeit it more intense for people in situation A.

Researchers rely on numerous public and private resources and records to confirm family connections. I fit these into a couple of categories as well: Primary and Secondary, or Supplementary resources. Both categories of resources are important and fulfill their own purposes in developing the family history. In fact, they share a mutually complimentary effect with one another that should not be overlooked by the diligent researcher, and will be explained hereafter.

Primary sources are the biggies, such as civil and church records describing births, baptisms, confirmations, marriage, and deaths, census data, naturalization records, newspaper articles, family bibles, and grave markers. All of these records contain hard facts, with names, dates and family relationship landmarks, and serve as the foundation and structure for the family members you are researching.

The Secondary or Supplementary resources provide filler information. You may think of these resources as the ones that add details to bind and hold the structure and foundation together. In other words, they round out the histories of the family members you are discovering. These resources include city directories, tax rolls, voter registrations, property indentures, letters, local history books, photographs, and oral history. Don’t discount these resources! They provide excellent details and can be crucial as you progress through your research work.

If you are starting your research from scratch, the best way to begin tracing your family history is to start with yourself and work your way backward. Consider the important facts, events and dates related to your own life, and what you know about any siblings, and your parents. It’s best to keep a notebook handy to jot things down as you begin your investigation. I also recommend using a genealogy software program to input your research data and notes. After recording details about your parents, move back to your grandparents, being careful to document your reference sources as you regress.

I liken the research process to that of an ebb tide. It is a back and forth flow of information, with highs and lows related to the amount of information available during particular periods in our history. You may actually find it harder to research family history in the 20th century than it is in the 19th century. Why? Well, one reason is the federal census. Census information can only be released to the public after 72 years. The 1930 Federal census was released in 2002. Access to other recent public records, such as birth certificates, can also be much more difficult to come by. I have found that records from the mid-to-late 1800’s through the early 1900’s seem to be most plentiful. As one regresses in time prior to the mid-1800’s, public records become increasingly more difficult to find.

Consequently, one of the major problems with regressive research is that it becomes increasingly difficult to verify family ties. Older records may be missing first names, surnames, list only initials, or be so poorly written that they lack sufficient or specific details to bind a connection (such as linking a child to parents in a birth record, or linking a woman to her parents in a marriage record). Another ‘show stopper’ problem is that, eventually, the researcher will ‘hit the wall’ with the regressive research, and reach a point where there simply aren’t any written records left to review. Generally, as one regresses further and further in time, the more difficult it becomes to verify family relations.

These problems are more often the rule, rather than the exception, for ‘common folk’. Researching families of stature or royalty is often less onerous (up to a point), because these people have well documented historical references. With an abundance of additional documentation and history to rely on, royals and families of status can be traced back, in some cases, hundreds of years further than common stock families. Rest assured, however, that one will eventually hit the wall no matter who is being researched. For common people, the wall is usually reached sooner, which translates into the verified lineage with a smaller number of generations than that of royalty.

However, all is not lost if royal blood does not course through your veins and leaves of stature do not fill the branches of your family tree. It may be possible to extend your reach, and bridge ‘the wall’ for a period of time. For starters, your research must be exceedingly thorough and balanced in approach. If it is, and the conditions are right, you may be able to use a deductive reasoning technique in your research processes to bridge the wall.

What do I mean by this? First let me tell you what deductive reason is not. It is no guessing game, a stab in the dark, or a linkage of names simply because you have found someone else with a family tree with the same surnames as yours.

Deductive reasoning involves using a foundation of known information, and analyzing it in such a way as to make valid, objective, educated arguments for a family ancestral connection. Making such a case requires multiple pieces of information, oftentimes with supplementary resources, that logically tie personal circumstances together, consider facts that would otherwise exclude or negate the relationships in question from being established (in other words, it would take into account known details that would clearly contradict the relationship that the researcher merely ‘wants’ to make), and at the same time, having met those prior conditions, methodically and logically seems to ‘fit’ in with the known family history. The more pieces of complimentary facts and information that can be considered, obviously, the stronger the case becomes. Depending upon the particulars, there may not be enough additional supplementary resources to make a deductive reasoning insofar as establishing an additional family tie.

In my own case, I was able to apply the deductive reasoning approach with great success. My family lineage stopped six generations back. However, I had strong suspicions of linkage between my 6th generation ancestor and those who I believed were his 7th generation parents. No single piece of information explicitly showed this relationship. Partial names on birth certificates, marriage records, etc., prevented a definitive family tie from being established. However, additional details, like birth dates, Godparents names on baptismal records, names of marriage witnesses, references to known siblings, and other supplementary details were enough to bridge this wall, and conclude that a direct family tie existed between the 6th generation male and the 7th generation parents.

Once I made this connection, I was able to follow the 7th generation father back another two generations. So, it was the deductive reasoning technique that bridged the research wall, and gave me three full generations of lineage to claim as my own. I hit the next wall when I determined the 9th generation father. This wall was reached when my research records ran out. This time frame was about the 1600’s, when the first written church records began in the Rhine area where my ancestors once lived. With no earlier records to review, I do not have enough secondary resources to deduce further ties earlier than the 9th generation family. However, I continue to research, and if I come across additional resources, I may, yet again, be able to bridge the genealogy wall.

Reviewing my case, I was reasonably sure that the family tie I deduced, based upon all of the evidence I had collected, validated and objectively compared, and not being contradictory to anything already relevant to my known ancestors, was enough to confirm this 6th-7th generation relationship.

As it so happens, about a year after I had used my deductive reasoning technique to determine this linkage, a friend from Germany sent me some very old records he had obtained. Included therein was proof positive that the father-son link I had deduced was, in fact, correct. Obviously this proof pleased me, but it went further, confirming my own objective, meticulous genealogical research processes. That confirmation was quite satisfying.

Deductive reasoning is not a technique that can be applied by everyone, but it is a possible solution to consider when you’ve hit the genealogy wall, and are looking for a way to break through it.

Best of luck as you trace your history!

Joseph Yakel is a freelance writer and author. His articles have appeared in publications such as Communications Technology, The Pipeline, and Army Reserve Magazine, and have been highlighted on USAWOA Online, USAR Online, and other Internet websites. For great humor, or genealogy and family history resources, visit his bookstore at http://www.lulu.com/yakel

Joe offers free chapter previews of his books, and welcomes reviews and comments. His books are available in paperback, or downloadable format. For previews and purchasing information, visit Lulu Publishing at: http://www.lulu.com/yakel

Joseph Yakel is available for interviews, and accepts e-mail correspondence at [mailto:armeuv1@yahoo.com]armeuv1@yahoo.com

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Doing genealogy is my favorite kind of mystery! In my opinion, no mystery novel can be as exciting as one’s own family history.

“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance!”

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

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

From the following article we learn some of the reasons why people trace their family history. Ready this for some interesting ideas.

What is Genealogy?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Javier_Colayco]Javier Colayco

Genealogy, generally defined, is the study of one’s ancestry. However, in actuality, genealogy is much more involved and interesting than its general definition lets on.

When you begin studying genealogy, you realize just how much interesting information your family history can reveal. Genealogy can shed light on where your ancestors came from, where they lived, what they did for a living, who they married and what property they owned.

Almost everyone, whether they realize it or not, has participated in some form of genealogy activity. In grade school, did you ever make a family tree? That’s genealogy! Genealogy can be as simple as making a record of your family tree from you to your great grandparents or as complex as tracing your entire lineage back to ancient times.

The history of genealogy dates back to the Old Testament of The Bible. In the very first book, the Book of Genesis, we see a family’s bloodline narrated and the importance of genealogy. The New Testament would later also reflect the importance of genealogy in religion and society. Both the Books of Matthew and Luke outline the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth.

But The Bible is not the only written record that lends credence to the importance of genealogy. Throughout history we find records of disputes, murders and even wars where genealogy played a part in the story. Ties to royalty, rights to inheritances and eligibility for rulership are all tied to a person’s heritage, and genealogy provides the map that illustrates who has right to what claims.

There are a number of instances throughout history in which genealogy played an important role as certain dramas unfolded before humanity. From something as significant as the lineage of Jesus of Nazareth to something as modernly-trivial as the true father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, genealogy has oftentimes been at the forefront as history played itself out.

Genealogy also played a large role in England’s historical claim to the throne of France. King Edward III was a Norman-French descendant. When his uncle, Charles IV of France, passed away Edward tried to lay claim to the French throne.

He tried convincing the powers that be that even though his mother could not lay claim to the throne because she was a woman, she could pass on the bloodline’s right to the throne, making him the rightful ruler of France. Of course, the descendants of the male side of the bloodline didn’t agree and the argument eventually led to the Hundred Year’s War.

England and France aren’t the only countries to have disputes over who would be the rightful heir of a throne because of genealogy. Rowena’s, Byzantium, Portugal, and even ancient Egypt all have histories that are rich in bloodline disputes.

Genealogy finds aren’t all ancient history. Modern genealogy issues have hit the media recently. Al Sharpton’s recent discovery is proof of the ironies that genealogy may uncover. Mr. Sharpton, who earlier this year stated that he might run for president in 2008, recently discovered through genealogy research that his great-grandfather was a slave owned by none other than Senator Strom Thurman’s great-great-grandfather. In fact, the two may be related by blood.

Then, of course, there are the less-significant genealogy disputes that don’t have nearly as much importance as some of these historical and political events, but they get enough media coverage to make them world famous. The true family tree of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter is just one instance. Perhaps this dispute over lineage wasn’t historically significant, but it appears that many found it to be a topic of intense interest.

There are a number of reasons why people pursue genealogy. From something as simple as a mild interest in one’s family history to something as significant as trying to find the parts of a broken family and piece them back together, the reasons for studying genealogy are numerous.

Genealogy can help a person get in touch with who they really are. You can find out who your ancestors were, what they did, where they lived, and more. By tracing your roots, you not only learn about those in your bloodline who have gone before you, but you can research and gain an understanding of these members of your family that you never had the chance to meet.

While genealogy doesn’t always dig up buried treasure, it is indeed a possibility. Did you have a rich great uncle who died without any heirs? One you never knew about? If you did, genealogy could help you uncover the details that would help you claim what was rightfully yours.

There have been times throughout history when extreme circumstances split families apart. World War II, for instance, tore brother from sister and mother from child. Genealogy is a tool that can help piece broken families back together and thousands of people have done just that.

Sometimes genealogy is just plain fun. Wouldn’t it be exciting to find out you were a distant cousin of a famous celebrity, or that your great-great-great-great grandfather was a king? Many times genealogy can uncover interesting and exciting facts about a person’s family tree.

Genealogy, while always important, didn’t experience such a widespread explosion in popularity until the advent of the Internet. Gone are the days when researching your family tree meant running from one public records facility to the next, hoping you could find missing pieces to the puzzle by mailing away for information that might never arrive.

With more and more public records being made available online, priceless genealogy information is just a mouse click away and easier than ever to create a fluid family tree. Its no wonder millions of Internet users have started tracing their family lines on the Web. What used to take years to accomplish can now be done in a matter of days or weeks.

With genealogy becoming more and more popular and advanced genealogy tools now so readily available, there really hasn’t been a better time to get involved. Whether you only want to trace your family history back a few generations or you want to see just how far back you can climb up your family tree, the genealogy tools now available will make the process faster, more efficient and much more enjoyable.

Javier Colayco is the founder of TribalJunction.com ( http://www.tribaljunction.com), a site that makes it easy to create a family tree and find distant relatives. With additional features like group email, customizable user profiles and more, Tribal Junction also helps families keep in touch.

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Recently we learned that Barack Obama is distantly related to six presidents and to Brad Pitt. Hillary Clinton is distantly related to Angelina Jolie, Camilla Parker-Boles and Madonna. John McCain is a 6^th cousin of first lady Laura Bush. In my own genealogy, I have a President (Harry Truman) and an outlaw (Jesse James) from the same family line. You never know who might turn up in your family!

“Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Marriage records are such a vital part of family history research. It’s also fun and very exciting to find an unknown maiden name. That new found name opens up a whole new family line! Read the following article to learn more about marriage records.

Using Marriage Records In Your Genealogy Searches

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon]Mike Selvon

Building a family tree involves trying to locate as many marriage records, birth records, and death records as possible as these three types of documents are integral to genealogical searches.

Generally, these three events are commonly included in a family tree. They are important to follow a woman’s paths through time as she usually changed names to use the surname of their husband after marriage.

Since marriage records are vital to compiling an accurate family tree, these records should be near the top of your genealogical research list. How to gather them will depend on the particular period and location of each marriage.

Modern marriage records are usually compiled by the state, city and/or county through the vital records department. Many genealogical sites online offer one click searching of vital records databases, or you can visit each location’s vital records department website.

Depending on each department’s policy, you may be able to order full copies of them online, or you might need to send a written request accompanied by a small fee.

In modern times, we safeguard our information and records as much as possible by backing up and archiving computer files to prevent loss. In earlier times, security of written documents wasn’t as easy, and many marriage records may have been destroyed.

While people attempted to protect information and store it in safe places, fires could wipe out the documents of a whole town. Also, persecuted individuals or groups may have had their documents destroyed or records simply were never completed.

Some genealogical societies have compiled their own databases of early ones, as well as birth and death records. These databases generally consist of information that has been submitted by member researchers.

While they strive for accuracy, inconsistencies or guesswork may creep in. Take advantage of these excellent resources, but be sure to document your sources. If you hit a dead end or false trail, you may need to consider that the information you obtained might not perfectly accurate.

Marriage records can provide more information about your ancestor than simply the date on which he or she married. They often document the names of the couple’s parents, social security numbers, pre-marriage addresses and other pertinent information. Therefore, it is important to get a full copy of the original document if possible.

Marriage records can be difficult to track down for unions that happened a long time ago. However, it is worth taking the time to do so. Along with birth records and death records, they are among the most critical documents that you can find when researching your ancestor and his or her daily life.

Discover more about how [http://genealogy.micronicherecommends.com/Marriage-Records.php]marriage records in genealogy from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. We appreciate your feedback at our [http://www.mynicheportal.com/family/marriage-records-and-your-genealogical-searches]Genealogy blog.

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The subject of marriage records made me think about wedding attire. I remember reading that the first wedding veil was worn by George Washington’s step- granddaughter. In 1799, Eleanor Custis, decided to wear white lace over her face on her wedding day. Her fiance inspired this when he told her how beautiful her face looked through a lace window curtain.

“At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”

Plato (427- 347 B.C.)

The Family History Library (FHL), of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,(Mormons, LDS) has the world’s largest collection of genealogical records. The library is located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in 1894 but the current facility was built in 1985. The building is 5 floors with 142,000 square feet. It houses 2.4 million microfilm rolls, 742,000 microfiche, 310,000 books, and 4,500 periodicals. There are over 2 billion records of deceased people on databases. All of these records and more are available free of charge. The library averages about 2,500 visitors daily and is open 72 hours weekly on most weeks.

If all of this is not great enough, Ancestry.com, has recently teamed up with the FHL to provide free access of their records to library patrons. Thirteen (of the 3400+) Family History Centers will also offer this service. These 13 centers are some of the largest regional centers. The centers are in California at Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange, Sacramento and San Diego; in Idaho at Idaho Falls and Pocatello; in Utah at Logan, Ogden and St. George. Also included are Mesa Arizona, Las Vegas Nevada as well as Hyde Park in London England.

Ancestry.com began in 1997 and has grown steadily to become the number one online genealogy site. It has over 24,000 databases, including 5 billion names with family history records. Ancestry has the only complete online U.S. Federal Census collection (1790-1930). They also have the largest online collection of U.S. ship passenger lists, military records and African American records.

Visitors to the FHL or selected Centers will now have an even greater opportunity to be successful in researching their family history.

“If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.”

Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973)

The Freedman Savings and Trust Company was established in 1865 as a bank for freed slaves and former soldiers who were African American. It began in Washington D.C., but had 37 branches in the south and also in New York and Pennsylvania. This bank with it’s branches had about 72,000 clients. It is believed that 8 - 10 million African Americans living today have ancestors on these records.

The records contain the applications forms that were filled out to open accounts at the bank. Some of the questions asked were of course the name of the applicant, also age, place of birth , where they were raised, occupation, employer, names of spouse, children, parents and siblings, military service etc. What a wealth of information! The problem was they were not in alphabetical order so they were very difficult to search.

Several years ago The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with the aid of prisoners from the Utah State Prison, worked to extract and organize these records.
These records contain 480,000 names in alphabetical order, and are on an easy to use CD-Rom. The cost is $6.50 - yes six dollars and fifty cents and that includes shipping! If you have African American ancestors, there is an excellent chance you will find them in this database.

The Freedman Bank records were said to be the main records that Alex Haley used to find his ancestors for his famous book “Roots”. Speaking of family history and Alex Haley - he once said “My fondest hope is that “Roots” may start black, white, brown, red and yellow people digging back for their own roots. Man, that would make me feel 90 feet tall!” If Haley were alive today, I’m sure he would be standing tall for his sparking a desire in millions of people to search for their family history.

To order the Freedman Bank records go to http://www.familysearch.org/ and click on order/download products (upper right hand corner)

We all want to be as successful as possible in all our pursuits. The following article has great tips to help us be more successful in our family history research.

Researching Genealogy Online? Here are Ten Tips

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Cristopher_Fowers]Cristopher Fowers

Researching your family history can be a rewarding and satisfying experience. Here are some tips to make your exploration go smoothly.

1. Gather All of Your Genealogy Information

Before starting any type of genealogical research, it’s a good idea to gather all of your known information. This way you will not waste time searching for people that you could have easily found with just a phone call or a letter. You will be amazed at how many names, birthdates, marriage dates and other details about your ancestors you can collect just by talking to family members.

You can also look through old records that family members may have including journals, wills, deeds, baptism records and marriage, birth and death certificates. Spread the word that you’re beginning a family tree or pedigree chart, and other family members may want to get involved.

2. Become a Member of an Online Genealogy Chat Room

Computers and the Internet connect thousands of people from all over the world each day and there are tons of genealogy chat rooms. Take advantage—you can learn a lot from other genealogists. This is a great way to learn the tricks of the trade and share success stories.

3. Subscribe to an Online Genealogy Search Website

Genealogy websites come with various features and capabilities. You may want to use more than one during your research. Some websites are free of charge, like Rootsweb.com, while more comprehensive sites, like Ancestry.com, require a subscription fee. Before choosing a site make sure it’s going to provide the information that you need. Remember some sites search by country or ethnic background—these can work to your advantage if you’re looking for ancestors from a certain country. However, if you’re not, the site will do you little if any good.

4. Make Genealogy Research Fun and Gratifying

There is usually no monetary award for doing genealogy, and knowing who your great-great-great-grandfather is, typically won’t get you ahead in life. So—why do people do genealogical research?

People research their past for a number of reasons, but everyone who is involved in genealogy does it because they enjoy it. They find satisfaction in learning about their roots. Remember you are learning about real people who once walked the earth. Instead of just learning names and dates, try to find stories about your ancestors, look for pictures and diaries. In some cases, you may be able to interview someone who knew the person.

5. Use Various Genealogical Resources

There are so many sources available to genealogists it’s a good idea to use a number of them during your investigations. Don’t put all of your efforts into one website. Use a number of different websites and databases.

There are also genealogy libraries where you can conduct your research. The largest of these libraries, The Family History Library, owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has satellite libraries all over the world and is open to the public at no charge. It houses the records of close to a billion people and offers other resources as well. A library like this can be a great asset if there is one in your area.

6. Involve the Entire Family

Build a family tree and family relationships at the same time—genealogy is a project the entire family can work on and contribute their findings. You can start an email or snail-mail newsletter to share experiences and information with family members. Family reunions are also a time when the whole family can get together, share stories about forefathers and foremothers and work on genealogy.

7. Subscribe to a Genealogy Newsletter

Many online genealogy websites offer a newsletter. Newsletters offer great tips on how to locate those hard-to-find ancestors. Newsletters will often explain how to use different databases or tools and let you know when new databases become available. It’s also great to hear motivational and inspiring success stories of others, or share one of your own.

8. Create a hard copy of the Genealogy Information

In today’s world of technology, we tend to want to digitize everything, but there are some good reasons to create hardcopy information to go along with your digital data.

Primarily, you’re going to come across a lot of hard copy information as you do your research. Remember computers have only been used to store information for a quarter century. You will likely come across old documents, journals, records and photographs.

Making a scrapbook of your findings is a great way to present your research to others. Looking at a computer screen with scanned documents just isn’t the same as flipping through a book. It really helps some people to create a giant pedigree chart or family tree in their office or den so they can visualize the entire puzzle at one time.

Binders are a good way to store information. As your library increases, develop a binder system so information is organized and easy to find.

9. Backup Genealogy Data Often

Maybe you’ve heard horror stories, or have one of your own that ends with the words, “and that’s when I lost everything.” The importance of backing up computer data cannot be stressed enough. Today’s backup software makes protecting and storing your valuable data more convenient than ever. There are a number of different programs to get the job done. Find the one that has the features you need, is user-friendly and in your price range.

There are also various ways of storing data. You can use 3.5-inch floppy disks, zip drives, CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives and external hard drives. Again, choose the one that suits you best. As you gather more information, you may want to invest in a safety deposit box or a fireproof safe to protect your family history.

10. Verify Genealogy Information Found on Web Sources

We like to think that everything found on the web is accurate and true. However, you should always verify any genealogy information found on the web, no matter where you found the information. The best way to verify information is to locate and research the source. Many databases include a list of sources but sometimes you’ll come across one that doesn’t. In this case, look at dates and the type of information and ask yourself what type of source would provide that information.

At some point in your research, you will encounter conflicting information—maybe different middle initials or birthdates. Carefully evaluate each source and try to find other sources with the same information to shed light on the inconsistencies.

Genealogy is an exciting and rewarding pastime that will link the generations and bring families together.

References

Casselman, Bryce. Why Backup your Computer Data?. [2005] 22 Sept. 2005

Powell, Kimberly. Five Steps to Verifying Online Genealogy Resources. [2005] 22 Sept. 2005

Sowton, Robin. The History Slice: Getting Organized—Setting Up a Binder System. [1999] 22 Sept. 2005

Cristopher Fowers

Cristopher Fowers is a Writer/Reviewer for [http://genealogy-search-review.toptenreviews.com/]TopTenREVIEWS.com. TopTenREVIEWS features expert reviews for technology and entertainment products and services. For more information and an in-depth review on online genealogy search websites, see [http://genealogy-search-review.toptenreviews.com/]http://genealogy-search-review.toptenreviews.com We do the research so you don’t have to™.

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We can learn a lot from Cristopher Fowers’ experience. Doing things right the first time will sure save us a lot of frustration down the line. I highly recommend we implement his great advise into our research.

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!