Genealogy Tips

The first thing just about every genealogy book will tell you to do is to talk to your relatives. They are your very best source. And unfortunately, they are not an inexhaustible one. I cannot tell you the number of times I have kicked myself for not talking more to my mother about her family. I have come to a wall when it comes to my grandparents.

Sit down with your parents, grandparents, even older cousins, ask them a few leading questions and just let them talk. Take a tape recorder along. It may intimidate them at first, but after a few minutes, it will be forgotten. Be sure to ask them if they have any documents or photographs you could borrow. I had a great Aunt who had lent out the family Bible, only to have it returned in poor condition. She was very reluctant to let anyone take it, even to the nearest copier machine. Fortunately, my husband was able to photograph the documents and photographs. One caution, when photographing pictures behind glass with a flash, place your flashes at a 45 degree angle to the picture, shooting the photograph directly. It should lessen the glare. Of course, this cannot be done with a 'point and shoot' camera. I have had fairly good luck with shooting the pictures outside using only natural light.

Plan another visit soon after the first. Your first conversation will usually jog their memory. I believe that genealogy is not just names, dates and places. It is their stories, their lives. If you don't capture those stories now while your older relatives are with you, you will have lost a wealth of information. What I like to do is write down the histories using footnotes to denote where I got the information, such as, "As told by Ann Smith to Zoe Erickson, April 4, 2001."

Organize Your Information

My next suggestion is to organize your information. There are several software programs available on the market. Check them out and pick one that suits you. If you do not want to put your information on your computer, there are forms available to organize your information. The Family History Centers of the Church of the Latter Day Saints are a great source of not only printed material, like forms, but also people to help get you started. I have organized my information on my computer, but I also have a paper copy of my forms in a binder. I have the binder divided by surname and the documents filed most current to oldest. I strongly recommend visiting Cyndi's List of Genealogy of Sites on the Internet. She has a great list of sites that can help you get started.

Working On The Net

There are some great websites on the internet to help you get started. I have already mentioned Cyndi's List. RootsWeb is a wonderful resource and it is free. I am not going to list other genealogy sites. The three I have mentioned will get you started. Take your time. Just jump in and start looking. You will be surprised at how much information is available.

Warning:

Remember your mother saying, "Believe only 1/2 of what you see and none of what you hear." That applies to the internet. After I had input all my genealogy information into the software program I had purchased, I received an offer to download that information unto the net. I was told that the information would be made available to other researchers. I was not told that they would have to pay! I have since found that that information is available for purchase on CD! Unfortunately, I had included information that I had derived from secondary sources and have since found that some of it is inaccurate.

Several years ago, I read a historical novel that followed several generations in Britain. A gentleman hired a genealogist to write his pedigree. His great-great grandfather was actually a peasant, but the better the pedigree, the more money the genealogist received. So, the 'gentleman's' tree had improved their family history. In my own family, my great-great grandmother's first husband had been reported to be a ship's captain. Documents show he had been a seaman, but he and his wife had sailed steerage from Australia to San Francisco. It appears that he had been promoted during the last 3 generations. So, remember, it isn't factual until you have documentation. Primary sources are documents; i.e., birth, death and marriage certificates, church and government documents, family Bibles, etc. Secondary information is information derived from websites like mine, pedigree charts, etc.

Remember Your History

Jump in and get started. I have been working on my family history since the early 1970's. Months may go by before day to day life lets me get back to it. But then one day, I will get an email from a 'cousin' who has found my website and I am pulling out books and driving my family crazy again. Fortunately, my husband enjoys history and can help me with background. I wish I had paid more attention to my history, because now I wonder what life was like for my forefathers. Fortunately, there are a lot of historical websites also. Look up the history of the area and time of your family and it will enrich your understanding of their lives.

Putting Your Information On The Internet

If you want to put your information on the internet, do so. There are sites that will allow you to put a website on the internet for free. However, if you put it out there, it is fair game. There are some genealogists who will tell you not to publish it on the internet. I have heard of one researcher who shared her information, only to have a cousin publish it in a book as her research. If you are going to publish it and have received information from others, it is only fair that you acknowledge their contribution.

Share Your Information

One of my most favorite things to do is to go to my son's school and share some of the information I have found about our family. Because we are fortunate to live in the same area that my great-great grandparents did, the children all think that we must be famous. What I tell them is that they should look back into their families history and they will find that their ancestors played their parts in history as well.

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My "How To" Suggestions To Researching Your Family History

Talk to your relatives or rather, listen!