If you decide to search on your own, you will find yourself looking through dusty books in libraries and halls of records, staring at a computer screen as you scroll through list after list, wearing your fingers thin copying ship lists, death records, birth records, marriage lists, immigration lists, and myriad other lists that might yield a clue to great Aunt Josephine, of whom, you know only her name. And how about all those other interesting names that you have accumulated. You know they fit in somewhere, but where? If you persevere, a genealogical search can lead you down all kinds of interesting roads and if you are a dedicated genealogist, it is fun. There can be great excitement in finally finding a record that has been illusive or discovering the maiden name of your great grandmother, which brings another line into your tree.. .
Doing your own search can be expensive if you travel, do a lot of phoning and mailing or join the many genealogical web pages that charge. But for the price of a stamp, I have gotten great results. And a trip to Ireland resulted in my finding the final resting place of my father's great-great grandparents. It also allowed me to walk in the same places as those ancestors who had emigrated from the very spot on which I stood. Very little had changed in that particular place and I got a great feel for what it had been like to live and farm in that area. A great grandfather was missing from all records. Then, another cousin went to Ireland and found his grave. Michael had died in Ireland, before the family immigrated. We might never have found him save for a trip to Europe. If you are lucky enough to find a cousin or two who want to join in the search, welcome them warmly. They may have resources that you don't have, be closer to source material than you are and be able to get information that is unavailable to you without great effort.
What equipment do I need?
The least expensive equipment you will need first, are several binders, (at least 4 or 5",) a few reams of paper and a good pen or two. As your information increases or if you are doing more than one family line, you will need to add binders. A box of envelopes and a few books of stamps will come in handy. You will need a good, thick, ruled notebook,(one for each family line) in which to keep notes as you gather them.
I find that the standard letter size (81/2 X 11) paper works best and I purchase the 3- hole punched type so that I don't have to bother punching holes in the paper to fit a binder. .You can get 3 hole punched computer paper, 3 hole ruled notebooks, (serrated for tearing out) and 3-hole plain binder paper at most any stationary or office supply business.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Resources
Professional genealogists:
Professional genealogists across the world will find records for you, sometimes even complete your family tree, for a fee. This route can be expensive but professional genealogists can get records that you might never be able to access. This is especially true if the records you seek are in a language that you can't read. They have access to and knowledge of where documents can be found in their specific locale. If you have the money, this is an easier way to get your family tree than searching yourself.
You might want to search yourself and use professional help too. A professional genealogist would be able to help find, ancestors in a foreign land, while you could find their descendants here in America. The fees for service vary. You would have to find out the costs involved. Depending on the area being searched, and how difficult it is to find the particular records you are seeking, the cost might or might not be worthwhile. Professional genealogists are listed in genealogy magazines and on the net. Information about professional genealogists should be available at your local library.
LDS centers
(Morman Church)
The Morman church offers extensive help in searching genealogy. They have a center in Salt Lake City with a massive library and all kinds of records that can help you. Throughout the country, the Church maintains local centers where you can go and search their genealogy records. They have indexes. When you have found a record you want to look at, they will obtain the records for you and there is no charge. At one time, they found, for me, an obscure record of marriages in a very small hamlet in Ireland. I was amazed at all the resources available through them.
The local churches are listed in the telephone book. They have specific times when you can visit their genealogy center or you might have to call and arrange an appointment. Depending on what is available locally, you might have to wait a few days to see the record you want to view.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City contains millions of records and help with language translations and searching. There might not be another single resource as valuable as this one. There are also excellent books and magazines distributed from Salt Lake City where genealogy is very important. If you can swing it, a trip to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library would be worthwhile.
Computer Programs
Several good computer programs deal with genealogy.
Family Tree Maker is one that I have used. Most recently, I have purchased Family Quest. Both of these programs will allow you to enter information and keeps it in a genealogical format. You can retrieve information from Ancestry.com., merge, store and share data. Both programs have tutorials to help you learn the various options available on the software.
You can edit the information and add to it as more data comes your way. Both programs will produce charts and graphs from your information. Both programs allow photos to be added. The programs allow you to turn your information into calendars, scrapbooks, charts and trees. Family Quest allows you to make a slide show presentation and even to add video clips to your file.
It takes a good amount of time to enter your information but after it is in the program, it will be possible to see all of your family data in a neat, easily understood form. Other genealogical software can be found at some office supply or software centers. I purchased Family Tree Maker as part of the software when I bought one of my computers a few years ago. I purchased Family Quest from their web site.
You don't have to use a ready-made program at all. If your information is limited or you are not sure that you want to do genealogy for the long run, then just enter your information into your binders. You can always purchase the software later. When your information base is quite large, then the software makes it easier to handle.
There are also hundreds of web sites dedicated to genealogy that offer aids such as graphs and charts that you can download and fill in yourself.
Professional genealogists across the world will find records for you, sometimes even complete your family tree, for a fee. This route can be expensive but professional genealogists can get records that you might never be able to access. This is especially true if the records you seek are in a language that you can't read. They have access to and knowledge of where documents can be found in their specific locale. If you have the money, this is an easier way to get your family tree than searching yourself.
You might want to search yourself and use professional help too. A professional genealogist would be able to help find, ancestors in a foreign land, while you could find their descendants here in America. The fees for service vary. You would have to find out the costs involved. Depending on the area being searched, and how difficult it is to find the particular records you are seeking, the cost might or might not be worthwhile. Professional genealogists are listed in genealogy magazines and on the net. Information about professional genealogists should be available at your local library.
LDS centers
(Morman Church)
The Morman church offers extensive help in searching genealogy. They have a center in Salt Lake City with a massive library and all kinds of records that can help you. Throughout the country, the Church maintains local centers where you can go and search their genealogy records. They have indexes. When you have found a record you want to look at, they will obtain the records for you and there is no charge. At one time, they found, for me, an obscure record of marriages in a very small hamlet in Ireland. I was amazed at all the resources available through them.
The local churches are listed in the telephone book. They have specific times when you can visit their genealogy center or you might have to call and arrange an appointment. Depending on what is available locally, you might have to wait a few days to see the record you want to view.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City contains millions of records and help with language translations and searching. There might not be another single resource as valuable as this one. There are also excellent books and magazines distributed from Salt Lake City where genealogy is very important. If you can swing it, a trip to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library would be worthwhile.
Computer Programs
Several good computer programs deal with genealogy.
Family Tree Maker is one that I have used. Most recently, I have purchased Family Quest. Both of these programs will allow you to enter information and keeps it in a genealogical format. You can retrieve information from Ancestry.com., merge, store and share data. Both programs have tutorials to help you learn the various options available on the software.
You can edit the information and add to it as more data comes your way. Both programs will produce charts and graphs from your information. Both programs allow photos to be added. The programs allow you to turn your information into calendars, scrapbooks, charts and trees. Family Quest allows you to make a slide show presentation and even to add video clips to your file.
It takes a good amount of time to enter your information but after it is in the program, it will be possible to see all of your family data in a neat, easily understood form. Other genealogical software can be found at some office supply or software centers. I purchased Family Tree Maker as part of the software when I bought one of my computers a few years ago. I purchased Family Quest from their web site.
You don't have to use a ready-made program at all. If your information is limited or you are not sure that you want to do genealogy for the long run, then just enter your information into your binders. You can always purchase the software later. When your information base is quite large, then the software makes it easier to handle.
There are also hundreds of web sites dedicated to genealogy that offer aids such as graphs and charts that you can download and fill in yourself.
The amateur genealogist
My name is Dot and I have been doing genealogy for several of my family lines for years. Let me say, at the outset, that I am not a professional genealogist. I hold no certificates or diplomas for the study. However, I have been an active amateur genealogist for more than forty years and along the way, I have picked up a fair amount of knowledge on the subject.
Genealogy is defined as a record of descent from some ancestor, the science that treats pedigrees. It is that, but it is much more. It is history, your history. It is the rediscovery of family lore, and the reconnecting of family branches that may have been separated for years. Through searching my genealogy, I have discovered cousins that I did not know I had and relatives on three continents. For the most part, they have been delighted to be found and to discover their place on the family tree. Some of them became so enthusiastic with the idea that they have joined in the search.
But be warned before you begin. The search for ancestors has its downside and not everyone will cooperate. Some people will think you are foolish to bother with ancestors gone from this earth for a hundred or more years. Some people will be suspicious, thinking you are just nosy. Some will not talk to you at all, protecting family secrets or because they just can't be bothered. Many, many people have absolutely no interest in their roots and think you are strange if you do. They think you are even stranger if you spend time searching for those illusive relatives whose records are sometimes impossible to unearth.
You will be frustrated at times. Very few records will fall into your hands. There are some records, for instance, that you will never find. Some countries have superb records, many don't. Some records are easy to obtain, many are nearly impossible to locate, let alone look at or copy. Many records of births were not even officially recorded and you will never be able to document the birth unless you find a baptismal record in a church somewhere. But there is an upside too. Records in the United States are becoming easier to get as the interest in genealogy increases. Many countries are setting up Heritage Centers. There is an increased interest in genealogy throughout the world of late and that can only help make more records available.
Genealogy is defined as a record of descent from some ancestor, the science that treats pedigrees. It is that, but it is much more. It is history, your history. It is the rediscovery of family lore, and the reconnecting of family branches that may have been separated for years. Through searching my genealogy, I have discovered cousins that I did not know I had and relatives on three continents. For the most part, they have been delighted to be found and to discover their place on the family tree. Some of them became so enthusiastic with the idea that they have joined in the search.
But be warned before you begin. The search for ancestors has its downside and not everyone will cooperate. Some people will think you are foolish to bother with ancestors gone from this earth for a hundred or more years. Some people will be suspicious, thinking you are just nosy. Some will not talk to you at all, protecting family secrets or because they just can't be bothered. Many, many people have absolutely no interest in their roots and think you are strange if you do. They think you are even stranger if you spend time searching for those illusive relatives whose records are sometimes impossible to unearth.
You will be frustrated at times. Very few records will fall into your hands. There are some records, for instance, that you will never find. Some countries have superb records, many don't. Some records are easy to obtain, many are nearly impossible to locate, let alone look at or copy. Many records of births were not even officially recorded and you will never be able to document the birth unless you find a baptismal record in a church somewhere. But there is an upside too. Records in the United States are becoming easier to get as the interest in genealogy increases. Many countries are setting up Heritage Centers. There is an increased interest in genealogy throughout the world of late and that can only help make more records available.
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