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Genealogy 101

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Destination Unknown: Following the family tree

Once upon a time, if you were curious to know more about your roots you had to hire someone to research your family history and it would cost you a small fortune. Now, however, there is a tremendous amount of genealogical information that's only a mouse click away. A number of years ago, I innocently offered to do a bit of "poking around" on the internet for my mother who was very interested in our ancestry.

It started out slowly enough, poking around in the LDS records online until I had my first "hit" via the 1880 census. Fascinated as I am by puzzles and mysteries, it was not long after that I found myself hooked (ask anyone and they will tell you, genealogy can be very addictive). I created this lens to help others interested in researching their family tree get started. It is a wonderful way to explore a little history and I've got to admit that playing at part-time sleuth is just flat out fun!

Dating Your Photographs

Just how old is that dude, anyway?

Did you know the first photographs were taken in the early 1800s? Initially produced on pewter plates around 1825, they progressed slowly over the next several years to copper and then to glass by the late 1830s. During the 1850s tin types replaced the glass and remained in use until the late 1800s when a man by the name of George Eastman created the first film.* Color did not come into play until 1907, and was not commonly used until much later in the century.

Vintage photographs are very easily damaged by light, so store them somewhere safe that's dark. Believe it or not, my grandmother had an entire suitcase (albeit a small one) crammed full of old family photos. I opted to scan and print out all of the old photographs and newspaper clippings to use for my heritage scrapbook (I'm doing a lens on that too, if it isn't finished already that is :o)

* Wikkpedia

Keeping track as you look back

I bought two 3 subject composition notebooks to keep track of my research information - a blue one for my father's side, and a red one for my mother's. In the first section I kept track of my own notes, genealogical websites, and even a running list of what I wanted to look up or work on next. The second section I used to trace the paternal side and the third section for the maternal side. In between the sections are pocket dividers that are perfect for storing bits and pieces of relevant information. On the top right hand side of the page, I make a note of the where and the when for that particular family. Parents are placed at the top (father first), and all the decedents are then listed in birth order; marking the one I am following with an asterisk (see photo below). I also include their dates of birth and date and age of death. Sometimes if you cannot find the specific person you are tracing, you can find them laterally through a family member.

In addition to the spiral bound notebooks, I also have two three ring binders in red and blue (the color coordinating makes it super easy to grab and go). In these I keep printed census reports and the genealogy charts I've completed thus far; there's a link to some free forms for you further down this lens :o)

Charming charts and clipart

Free to download (don't you just love free?? :o)

FREE GENEALOGY CHARTS & CLIPART
Free genealogy clipart and freeware family history graphics. Includes themed web graphics, genealogy clipart and associated images.

Start with simple searches

Researching the records

Depending on your age, you will have to go back a couple of generations to search the records publicly (I think I remember reading somewhere it was 20 years after a person dies before the records are available to research). My Mom had my great grandparent's wedding certificate framed and hanging on the family room wall for a bit of genealogical nostalgia - isn't it pretty?

There are several simple ways to follow the family, for example: Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, and obituaries. Many newspapers are now online, along with cemeteries (although I must admit it's a bit weird to think about poking around virtual graveyards :o)

The best place to begin, however, is the LDS church records (see sample record below this module, and their site link below that). The search windows allow for several different levels of searches, including a +/-20 years (which is invaluable if you're unsure of the year).

Discover your inner detective

Be warned: It's addictive!

I'm following Jesse Thacker, one of the children, in this census record found through the LDS Family Search site. From it, I can obtain both her parent's names, where they were born, and an idea of when. This gives me my next "lead" to follow.

Try the LDS Church Records free search

They sure can keep 'em!

FAMILY SEARCH
This is the best free site there is for searching surnames and family trees.

Another Great Place to Go...

(where you can also poke around for free :o)

Free Genealogy and Family History Online - The USGenWeb Project
Free genealogy and family history online made possible by the USGenWeb Project volunteers. Search free genealogy websites for your ancestors.

The Consensus on the Census

It is solid gold!

Census records are possibly the A#1 best resource you can have for information on your family tree. These records include each person's country of origin, their parent's country of origin, age, and occupation; it even has the entire household is listed together in birth order (sometimes even including In-Laws and other family members). it is an absolute treasure trove of genealogical information!

The pages from the LDS website (shown above) offer a more simplified version of the census reports, but still allow you to work out birth years and locations as well as moving back to the next generation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of the census takers had gorgeous handwriting, with fabulous loops and swirls that any scrapbooker would die to have. Unfortunately, in reality it's a pain in the patootie to decipher :o)

Ancestry.com

If you can swing it, it's money well spent :o)

THE BIGGEST GENEALOGICAL ARCHIVE ON THE WEB

Discover your ancestors with the world's largest family history website. Start a family tree, browse census records and more...

The Name Game - Who???

What's in a name? A lot!

One thing to watch for is spelling changes in surnames. It was fairly common for immigrants to change their names when coming to the United States in order to "Americanize" themselves. Be sure to check a large variety of names when conducting a search (e.g. O'Reilly, O'Reily, O'Riley, Reilly, Riley, etc.)

It can also be helpful to note the names of all family members when you find them. The most frustrating wall I hit when researching my father's side, was my grandfather's sudden name change in between census reports. Originally named for an ancestor, his father (my great grandfather) decided to change his name and make him a "junior" somewhere between the 1910 and 1920 census reports. Had it not been for the other family members listed on the report, I would never have figured out what happened to the little guy (Of course I already knew he could not have died, or I wouldn't be here :o)

Check out your own name

and see where it originated - it's neat!

FIRST NAMES

The meaning and history of first names.
SURNAMES (LAST NAMES)
The meaning and history of surnames.

Where to write for records

Where to Write for Vital Records - Homepage
The links below are provided for those users who want direct access to individual state and territory information. To use this valuable tool, you must first determine the state or area where the birth, death, marriage, or divorce occurred, then click on that state or area.
Vital Records - Birth Certificates, Death Records, Marriage Licenses and more
Information about where to obtain vital records such as birth certificates,
death records and marriage records from each state,
territory and county of the U.S.
International Vital Records - English, Canadian, Irish, Polish, Australian, German, Italian
This page contains links to international vital records pages.

Pulling your past into your present

The leather cover shown on the far right had fallen off an old (and I mean OLD, as in mid-1800's) family bible my mother had kept in a closet. Rather that leave it there, I put it in a shadowbox frame with some photographs of that side of the family; it made a great addition to the living room wall. The bible belonged to my great-great grandparents - their photos are in the two rectangular frames on either side of their daughter (my great grandmother - wow).

For a monster list of genealogical links visit Cyndi's List

Out of wall space? Try a tiny table instead!

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Epic Farms is a small family run non-profit striving to share the big picture with horses. We have kid-friendly programs geared toward area service organizations and small groups; our goal is to share the wonderful world of horses with everyone!

So how about it, are you ready to blast into your past?

  • Shadrosky Mar 17, 2012 @ 3:33 am | delete
    Can't wait! Its something I should have done a long time ago
  • Genjud Sep 17, 2011 @ 11:17 am | delete
    Nice lens and great ideas for displaying old photos.
  • debnet Sep 4, 2011 @ 12:04 pm | delete
    I'm glad you made a point to add about spelling variations. Here in the UK, church records vary greatly as different vicars, vergers, parish clerks etc, each put their own variation in the records, especially when the person being recorded can't spell. I have Veronelli's in my line and you should see the variations on that one!! Love your old photo's. Blessed by a Squid Angel ;)
  • pkmcr Oct 17, 2009 @ 10:02 am | delete
    Excellent genealogy lens packed with great information. SquidAngel blessed
  • a_willow Sep 30, 2009 @ 3:00 pm | delete
    Great lens! And packed up with good tips! Blessed by an Angel!
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Wysiwigs

(a.k.a. Jen) I'm a daughter, wife, mother, artist, horse crazy grownup, scary christian chick, paper folding fiend, acronym junkie, breast cancer survivor,... more »

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