Genealogy System – Organizing Your Family History Search
Do you have a Genealogy System that works for you?
How do you organize all your records and information? Or should we be asking do you organize your genealogy records and information?!
Just days into a genealogy project and you can have more records and information than you know what to do with. Not to worry, there are a number of tools and systems you can use to get organized
Read more at Genealogy System – Organizing Your Family History Search
Genealogy Military Records
Genealogy Military Records can be a significant source of information about your Family History
Trying to build a family tree and information on long lost relatives? Military records may be exactly what you need to fill in the gaps. Whether it’s a good thing or not, almost ever generation in every major country has gone to war.
As a genealogist, the records kept during these times can be valuable information. Here are a few steps to take to use military records to build your family tree.
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Quicksheet Citing Online Historical Resources
Are you considering buying the Quicksheet Citing Online Historical Resources to help you with your Genealogy research?
The Quicksheet Citing Online Historical Resources was designed by Elizabeth Shown Mill, an author of various books on Genealogy and a university lecturer on this subject.
Quicksheet is a necessary resource tool for everybody using the internet for Genealogy.
You can read more at Quicksheet Citing Online Historical Resources
Using City Directories For Genealogy
Many major cities, and even some smaller ones, have been tracking the information of their residents for centuries. In fact, in some of the older major cities you can find records that date back to the 1700’s.
This is a great source of information if you’re trying to build a family tree. However, these directories can be overwhelming, particularly if you’re looking at a major metropolitan area.
You can read more at Using City Directories For Genealogy
The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy
Genealogy is a favorite pastime for many people trying to understand their past by piecing together family history. These days there are millions of historical records available on the internet that could shed light on your family’s past. This book tells you how and where to find them.
The author, Kimberley Powell, creates a guide that allows you to get started on your own online Genealogy search. She provides a wealth of information on how to get started and how to record your progress and findings. She passes on her knowledge about online searching and guides you through an online search. You will learn to use the right keywords, be creative with names and use search engines.
You can also read up on free membership sites, Soundex (phonetic search system), peer-to-peer record swapping, how to get hold of government records, what to do with census information and lots more.
With the help of this great guide, you can start on your exciting search for your family’s past and create an accurate family tree for yourself and your family as well as future generations.
Tracing Family History
I am sure that you will find our new lens at Tracing Family History very helpful.
Individuals choose to begin Tracing Family History for a variety of reasons. After spending time going through family documents and searching for more information about their ancestors, they realize the importance of tracing their family history.
They want to gather as much documented information that they can pass along to those who will follow behind them.
Take the time to learn about your family background: where did your family came from and who are the people who have gone on before you?
After you’ve traced your family history, you may have learned more than information about your family; you may have also learned more about yourself in the process.
Where Can I Find Death and Birth Information?
One of the things you look for when trying to trace your family history is people’s birth and death dates. You may be wondering where you can find this information. The truth is you may have some of it easily accessible to you.
The easiest place to begin looking for death and birth information is your family Bible, if you have access to it. Bibles were often used for more than religious reasons. In times past, most families would write down important dates in the front or back so the information was preserved. Of course, not all families are religious or keep a family Bible, but that may be one place you can look should your family have one.
If your family did attend church, you may be able to find some information through church reports. This is particularly helpful if your family went to the same church for a long period of time or if they were Catholic. They might record births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths of their members.
Some families also keep important records such as birth and death certificates or at least newspaper clippings of those events. There may be a family scrapbook which contains copies of these things. In more recent years, you could expect this type of information to be kept in a baby’s book, so you may want to see if there are any of those available, too.
If the above aren’t available to you, there are other places you can find the information you need. You can find a good deal of information online by visiting websites such as the United States Social Security Death Index (SSDI). This website will allow you to type in your family member’s name and will pull up information about them. Of course, there are some limitations as social security numbers weren’t given prior to 1936. The SSDI will also list the person’s birth date and last city of residence, as well as their actual social security number.
Some people have family members who emigrated to the United States from another country. Many of these people, particularly in the 1800s and early 1900s, went through Ellis Island prior to landing on US soil. You can visit EllisIsland.org to see if your family went through the immigration station there and which boat they were a passenger on. In many cases, if the family member is found, there will also be information about family members which traveled with them.
Check with obituaries for the newspapers in the area where your family member lived. Most newspapers have old papers saved to microfilm, microfiche, or in the newer digital format so you can find who you’re looking for. You can also look for obituaries online at websites which offer this service.
Do you know where your family member was buried? You can go to the cemetery and find their tombstone. This should give you their date of birth as well as their date of death. And, since many families are buried in the same areas of cemeteries, particularly older ones, you may also find other family members there you didn’t know anything about.
When you’re trying to find death and birth information for family long-since passed, it’s helpful to know which resources to turn to. Much information can be found by visiting family cemetery plots but you can also find a good amount online if you know where to look. Remember to write down, make copies, or take photographs for documentation for your records.
What You Need to Get Started in Genealogy
It’s important to know about your family background; it gives you a sense of who you are and where you’ve come from. It can also be important because knowing how your ancestors died could have an effect on your own medical history. If you’re not sure what you need to get started in genealogy, these tips will help you along your way.
You’ll need to have some basic office supplies available when you get started. File folders can be used to keep any blank charts you’ll need; they can also be used to keep your ancestors organized. Start a file folder for each surname you find during your search. When it is too full, you can always separate the information further.
If you’d rather not keep everything you gather in paper form, you can invest in good genealogy software such as Roots Magic 3, Legacy Family Tree 7.0 Deluxe, or Family Tree Maker. These range in price between $30 and $100. You can also find free software, such as Personal Ancestral File 5.2 or Family Tree Builder 4.0.
The important thing to remember is to keep things organised, no matter which method you choose to keep notes on your family members. Be prepared, however, as you may find delving into your family background so interesting that it takes over a good amount of space in your home.
Go to Ancestry.com or another website to find free printable pedigree charts or other forms which will help you keep your information organized. Adobe Acrobat is generally used for most forms so you can print off as many as you need.
Consider finding or purchasing a small tape recorder. Spend some time with older family members and ask them to tell you as much as they can about your family. Ask them about when they were growing up. What did their father or mother do to make a living? What stories can they remember that their parents or grandparents told them? They may be able to find old family Bibles, photographs, or other paperwork which will make your search easier.
If your family members have birth certificates, deeds, baptism certificates, or marriage certificates, ask them if you can borrow them to make copies. You can return the originals and still have something to verify information you’ve received.
Access to the internet can also be important when you need to get started in genealogy. The internet is a wealth of information. There are many websites which offer search capabilities to help you find elusive family members. They also have articles and helpful information to make finding your family something you can do and enjoy.
If you’re starting down the genealogy road, it can be a little discouraging when you get stuck. Start with what you know – your own information and that of your parents, grandparents, etc. – and then work further into the past to find other information. Once you know what you need to get started in genealogy, it’s a matter of pulling what you know together and then finding out what you don’t know.
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