In this article I'll show you how to begin to research and build your own family tree using free geneology tools available on the internet. You will find that this can be a lot of fun and fascinating.
What is Geneology?
Genealogy, the study of ancestry and family descent, is an indispensable handmaiden of history. In post-Roman Britain, it was important for monarchs to claim impressive credentials, however unlikely.
The Society of Genealogists was founded in 1911.There is a remarkable growth of interest in tracing family history among lots of people these days, a normal Genealogists would begin his/her research by collecting family documents and stories.
This creates a foundation for documentary research, which involves examining and evaluating historical records for evidence about ancestors and other relatives, their kinship ties, and the events that occurred in their lives. It is best advised to be in the present and work backwards in time.
A genealogical DNA test allows two individuals to find the probability that they are, or are not, related within an estimated number of generations. Individual genetic test results are being collected in various databases to match people descended from a relatively recent common ancestor.
If you are beginning your journey through your family genealogy, you may find the idea a little daunting. However it can be very interesting and, dare I say it, a lot of fun. I’m going to share with you the places the professionals look to find information on our past so that you can build your own family tree.
So, what is a family tree?
A family tree is a simple chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure form. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.
As normally presented, a family tree "grows" down from the top, from the oldest generations at the top to the newer generations at the bottom. A tree showing the descendants of an individual will more closely resemble a tree in shape; one showing the ancestors of an individual will be wider at the top than the bottom. The convention is usually to show successive generations moving down the chart. As you move down the tree you get into the more recent generations. While doing your research there are a few important things to keep in mind. Things like occupation & given names.
Occupational information may be important to understanding an ancestor’s life and for distinguishing two people with the same name. A person’s occupation may have been related to his or her social status, political interest, and migration pattern. Given names are of utmost important as well, since the surnames and middle names provide additional information and narrow down our searches so that we can create an accurate family tree.
Records that will be helpful in making a family tree
Before you begin your search, your should first start at home. You may find that you or your living relatives have documentation or photos that are very helpful. For example when I began my own search I found that my great Aunt had a huge an old shoe box filled with a whole range of photos and certificates that made building m family tree so much easier. Here is a list of some of the records that you should be looking to find:
• Birth records
• Death records
• Marriage and divorce records
• Adoption records
• Biographies and biographical profiles (e.g. Who's Who)
• Census records
• Church records
• Diaries, personal letters and family Bibles
• Emigration, immigration and naturalization records
• Land and property records, deeds
• Medical records
• Military and conscription records
• Newspaper articles
• Occupational records
• Oral histories
• Passports
• Photographs
• School and alumni association records
• Ship passenger lists
• Social Security (within the USA) and pension records
• Tax records
• Tombstones, cemetery records, and funeral home records
• Voter registration records
• Wills and probate records
Essential tools to use
There are a few things that I recommend you use to help keep your search on track. Here are my top 5 essential tools.
A. A folder with clear loose-leaf sleeves to keep all of the pictures, documents and website page prints together. You may even want to use some dividers to keep certain information or generation together.
B. A dedicated notebook is great also to keep track of all of your leads. I made the mistake of using a notebook around the house that was later used for something else and lost a lot of information and ha to find it again. Trust me, buy a separate notebook and take care of it.
C. A computer with an Internet connection. I assume because you are reading this on the Internet that you have this already. The Internet had made the job of finding your family tree so much easier than it was even 10 years ago. The reason is that so many public record systems are available from the comfort of your own home.
D. I found a very helpful book that was brilliant when I a dead-end (that’s a genealogist joke) and didn’t know what to do next. The book is called “How to Create and research your own family tree” and you can download it straight away. Their website is here.
Seven simple steps to construct you own family tree.
So you have collected all of you information you can find at home and with your family. Now it’s time to begin your research.
1 Check out the Family History Library Catalog. The heart of every FHC is the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC), an indexed record of the over two billion records in the vaults of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can visit this place while taking a holiday as well and get their hands on some valuable data, which can help you in your search. Though you may not find that the kids enjoy it as much as you do. You can find the website here.
2. You can ask to look at older versions of the International Genealogical Index (IGI) it is one of the largest genealogical databases in the world and is available in all FHCs in computer disc format. The IGI is a living index since tens of thousands of new names are added each month and the IGI is updated on a two-year cycle that can see as many as 25 million new names added. You can find the website here.
3 Do a surname search of the Family History Library Catalog. The computer software installed in FHCs is called Family Search and is designed to help you gain access to the over two billion records in the vaults of the Family History Library. One search that is frequently overlooked but which can pay big dividends is a simple surname search that can be found on the Family Search menu. You can find the website here.
4 When you complete a successful search of the IGI, make sure you check the source data. When searching the IGI it is often possible to obtain additional information beyond that which is included in the computer record. By pressing enter, the source of that information will be shown and this can be of tremendous value.
5 One can also do the above searches at home once you become a member of the organization. Ask if you can use the Family Search computer software to copy your data to a computer disk. For those researchers who do not have a computer at home and wish to enter their ancestral information into a computer file to be able to submit it to archives and online databases, Personal Ancestral File (PAF) may be the answer. Thus you might be able to find other members of your family whom you have never seen but may find them also making the same family tree.
6 Ask if there is a Research Outline for the area in which you are researching. Most FHCs keep a file of research outlines on every US state, Canadian province and most countries of the world. These are filled with information on the location of record repositories for birth, marriage, death, military, family history and genealogical societies, national and regional archives and special records collections.
7 Talk with a country research specialist in Salt Lake City these officials may be able to help you in your research as they have better contacts and access to different church records like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City maintains a staff of research specialists who can offer suggestions on which of the FHC records would be most likely to contain information that will help you with your research.
8 As I mentioned earlier, this book I found called “How to Research and Create Your Own Unique Family Tree” which has been very helpful indeed. If your looking for a great starting point, or find your research is becoming stalled please have a look at it. It can be found here.
A family tree is generally the totality of your ancestors represented as a tree structure, or more specifically, a chart used in genealogy. It is an integral part of your history as it describes your own roots as to from why, how, and where did your ancestors come from. A Family tree tells us how significant our ancestors were in history and what they contributed to the world so that it became a better place for us to live in today.
I wish you all the very best in your search for your family tree.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
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