| TODAY'S TOP 3 SITES |
|
| Genealogy and Family History Resources |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
What Is Genealogy
The word genealogy is derived from the Greek, and means the study of family history and descent.
Types of Genealogy Records
- Birth, Marriage, Divorce, and Death Records
- Census Records
- Immigration Records
- Historical Newspapers
- Obituaries
- Photographs and Journals
Who Does It
Genealogy is one of the world’s most popular hobbies. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe are actively engaged in some form of family research. It seems as if everyone, in some part of their lives, wonders where they came from. Maybe it's the red hair that your mom says has been passed down from your Irish great-grandfather. Or perhaps a curiosity as to why Grandma never spoke about her family. Some people have become intrigued after visiting a battlefield and wondering if one of their ancestors fought or even died there. For others its the box of old photos or clothing which has been left to them by a relative.
Why Do Family History Research
People get involved in researching their family's history for any number of reasons, all of which are right for them. Here are a few of the most popular:
- To satisfy your curiosity about yourself and your roots.
- To provide your children with a sense of who their ancestors were, where they came from and how they lived their lives.
- To preserve family cultural and ethnic traditions for future generations.
- To compile a medical family history to give family members an advantage in the battle against inherited diseases or defects.
- To qualify for a lineage or heritage society.
- To assemble and publish a family history book, whether for family members or for profit.
- To discover facts that others have overlooked and solve the puzzle of a lifetime.
How To Do Genealogy
- The first step of your research is to decide which branch of the family you want to begin with. The best place to start is usually with one of your grandparents - your maternal grandmother, your maternal grandfather, your paternal grandmother and your paternal grandfather. You aren't limited to these four branches, of course. You may select a family group or branch even further back in your tree if you have enough information, the point is just to choose a particular section of the family so that you have a defined goal as you start out on your research. There is nothing more discouraging than blindly searching the Internet for information about ALL of your surnames at once. The bits and pieces of info start swimming around in your head making it very easy to miss potential clues. There will be times, such as a trip to a distant library, where it makes sense to research more than one branch at a time but, for the most part, start with a single surname or family group and stick with it for a while.
- Once you have selected a family group or surname to research, the next step is to learn a little about the geography and history of the area in which they lived. Having a good understanding of the political and historical events of the time period in which your ancestors lived may give you insight into where to look for records. Geographical and political boundaries as well as place names have also changed over time. For example, several areas which were once in Poland are now a part of Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. You don't need to be an expert, but you will find yourself less frustrated with your search and more fascinated with your ancestors if you have at least a passing familiarity with the area and time period in which they lived.
- The final step is to set a research goal - look at the blanks in your family group sheet and decided what you want to learn about your family. Some people stick to just names, dates and places, choosing to collect as many ancestors as possible. My preference, however, is to put the "history" in my family history. Beyond the names and dates, I also look for information which will help me "walk" in my ancestors footsteps. This includes things such as their occupations, their property (land and personal), their friends and neighbors, their religious denomination, military participation, education, recreational activities and more. Basically, my personal goal is to collect every scrap of information I can find on my ancestors. Your personal goal may be either of these two extremes, or somewhere in between.
Where To Do Genealogy
|
