Family Tree - Research

Family Tree - Research
Building A Family Tree Genealogical information abounds on the Web. What would have taken months of research and letter writing previously can now be accomplished within a few minutes. Even so, be prepared to wade through volumes of genealogical data in an effort to find one piece to your puzzle.Short Introduction A genealogy search marks the beginning of a private adventure into your own history. You'll find delightful surprises, family secrets and heartaches.The treasures you find will be enjoyed by generations who follow.In this guide we’ll talk to you about writing down everything you know aboutyour family history.

You begin with yourself and work backward to your parents and their parents.Note: You don’t normally include your Aunts, Uncles, or Cousins in your family tree. Not everyone agrees with this. Some feel that to ignore your extended family is to miss out on great leads and a rich part of your heritage. I believe success comes from focus. Explore all leads and sources but don’t get confused by trying to include your extended family at this point. This is your tree.You’ll search for documents that can verify family stories - birth certificates,military records, wills, marriage licenses, and deeds.You can consider a family reunion or otherwise visit with relatives to obtain all the information you can. We’ll talk about a visit to your local council to learn about searching public records. We’ll address countless genealogy search web sites and look through their database for your family information.You can hire a professional genealogy search company to find missingancestors when your own leads are exhausted. But I know that after you’vegathered your initial information, you’ll focus on one ancestor at a time.You'll be more successful and get less discouraged if you research oneperson at a time.

Ready? OK, let’s get started.

Get Your Paperwork in Order. To start, have your family history information handy. It should be focused on you and work backward towardyour parents and then their parents. You can organize the most obviousfamily history information using a simple organizational chart format. Itshould start with you and branch backward including the names you know..Once you’ve interviewed yourself, it’s time to speak with your family.Speaking with Your Family. Family members remain one of the best beginning sources of knowledge in your genealogy search. However, likeany serious research effort, you should be organized before sitting down with your familyFor many, family interviews are the least expensive and most rewarding tool in any genealogy project.

The ten steps below when followed carefully, will make the most of your family interviews.

1. Write down all the names you know on both sides of your parents'families. Begin with your name and work backward to your parents and then their parents.

2. Find your birth certificate. This contains your parents' legal names and birth dates.Note: A good family tree will have an official document that verifies every name, birth date, date of marriage, and year of death. Start with yourself by making a copy of your own birth certificate. Ask your parents for theirs and get copies made.Your ultimate goal is to obtain these official records and have a physical copy on file for every name on your family tree.

3. Contact your parents, if possible, and solicit their help with names and dates. You'll likely find names of relatives you've never heard of but who were an integral part of your parents' early childhood experiences.

4. Check with your parents to see if they'll let you look through their family legal records (birth certificates, death certificates, military records). Make photocopies and return the originals to a safe place.

5. Go through old family photo albums. Look for writing on the backs and below the photos in the albums.

6. Look at framed photographs. Sometimes something such as an obituary notice is stored behind a photo in a picture frame.

7. Examine journals. Leaf through old books looking for notes written in them or papers placed between the pages. These are often found in old trunks in attics, but can even be found on everyday book shelves.

8. Look behind old mirrors and pull out dresser drawers and look for taped messages.

9. Visit or call your relatives. Tell them what you're doing and what you've discovered. In most cases, they'll be delighted to help with your search and want to add missing names and dates.

10. Solicit stories from relatives. You'll find lots of treasured tales this way. This information can be added to a "note" section about each ancestor.

These stories transform an ordinary genealogy into a piece of art. Family members are sometimes reluctant to provide information for whatever reason. Be prepared for this, and remember that the living is more important than the dead. Creating a Family tree can be all consuming - enjoy gaining knowledge of your origin.