BEGINNING GENEALOGY Ellen Miller Reference Assistant Midwest Genealogy Center Copyright 12 March Welcome. Thank You For Your Time Today.

Transcription

1 BEGINNING GENEALOGY Ellen Miller Reference Assistant Midwest Genealogy Center Copyright 12 March 2013 Welcome. Thank You For Your Time Today.

2 INTRODUCTION: Who Am I? My name is Ellen Miller. I am a full time reference assistant at the Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence, Missouri. We are part of the Mid-Continent Public Library System.

3 TODAY I WILL DISCUSS What to do when you are just starting your genealogy Using forms to record information Ideas on how to organize your records Briefly what you will find in different types of records and places Vital records Census records Libraries Courthouses

4 HOW TO RECORD... Names Surnames are recorded in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS Maiden names are put in (PARENTHESIS) and in all CAPITAL letters How to tell a 1 st name from a surname or a maiden name from a middle name Example1: GEORGE, William Example 2: George, William Example 3: Destiny (ROSE) JOHNSON Example 4: Destiny Rose JOHNSON

5 ... Dates Dates are recorded in Day/Month/Year format. 6 February 2013, not 2/6/13 Always use two numerals for the day; spell out or abbreviate (using Alpha characters) the month; and use four numerals for the year. Remember you are going to be recording a variety of dates from different centuries. 02 April 77 could be 1777, 1877 or 1977

6 SO, WHO ARE YOU? Start with yourself. Record as much information about yourself as you can. Birth, marriage dates Baptism/Confirmation dates School graduations/awards Military Service, Civic Activities Divorce date(s) Employment History Real Estate/Land Ownership

7 WHERE (AND WHO ) ARE YOU FROM? Record as much information as you can about your parents, grandparents, etc. Full names (include nicknames, if any), including women s maiden names. Where they lived and worked Get as much information as possible. Important dates Marriage Divorce Death Immigration

8 DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! BE A COPY CAT Copy any original record you can get your hands on. (Your own as well as those you come across in your research). Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce records Church records Military records School records Awards Employment records Census records Wills, Probate, Land records

9 STORIES AND ANECDOTES Record family stories and anecdotes so they aren t forgotten. Make audio/ video recordings or transcribe them From relatives, friends, neighbors or anyone else who has known your family. Talk to as many people as you can. Not just relatives but also friends of the family, old neighbors, anyone who may have known your family.

10 REMEMBER Whatever information you want to know about your ancestors, some of your descendents will want to know about you!

11 FLESH OUT YOUR FAMILY Did anyone serve in the Military? Which branch When and for how long Where: stateside or overseas See combat, what war(s) or actions What did the people in your family do? Occupations, Hobbies, Volunteering, Vacationing, Traveling

12 A NOTE TO REMEMBER Memories are powerful but not infallible. Keep in mind you won t know what is important until you need it. Don t forget to document and copy what you find! Remember to always cite any sources you use. Keep a record of every source you look at and what you found in it so you don t repeat your research efforts.

13 BOTTOM LINE Gather as much information from as many people as possible while you still have them as sources. Once Grandma is gone, you ll never again have the opportunity to pick her brain and what she knew about your family is gone forever. Don t miss your chances to gather information and find out those family secrets. Open all those closets and get the skeletons out.

14 OTHER THINGS TO DO Look at family documents Family Bibles Baby books Scrapbooks Diaries (only if owner is deceased or w/permission) Boxes of photos and photo albums Newspaper clippings Old family correspondence

15 Forms WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION? Six-Generation charts Family Worksheets Individual Worksheets

16 FAMILY TREE CHARTS Generation charts, Ancestor charts Person whose ancestors are being recorded is #1(i.e. yourself) Can start with anyone Males are even numbers Father of person #1 goes on line #2 Females are odd numbers Mother of person #1 goes on line #3

17 SIX GENERATION CHART

18 FAMILY UNIT CHART Spouses, partners If there are other relationships for either person, they go on a separate chart Children from the two individuals above If there are children from other relationships they go on a separate chart. If there are others in the household regardless of relationship, they go on a separate chart. ONLY ONE FAMILY PER CHART

19 FAMILY UNIT CHART

20 INDIVIDUAL WORKSHEET One person per sheet Don t forget to do one for yourself Fill out as much information as you can This will show you where your holes are and suggest areas for future research.

21 ORGANIZE Notebooks Many people will put their research into 3-ring binders Alphabetically, by surname By family grouping Files Hanging files Portable file boxes File cabinets Save to electronic media Flash drives CD s

22 GENEALOGY SOFTWARE Many people choose to use a software program specifically made to keep genealogy records. There are many different software options available, however we cannot promote any of them over another. We do suggest that you compare the options/packages/features and the cost. Always remember to make a backup of anything you save to a computer.

23 WHAT NEXT? NOW IT S TIME TO GO VISITING Libraries Archives State Historical Societies Genealogical Societies County Courthouses Cemeteries

24 PREPARE FOR RESEARCH TRIPS Be sure to call ahead Make sure the facility is open and you don t need an appointment Find out what you can/cannot bring with you Pen/pencils Paper Laptop Cameras Make sure the records you want are where you think they are Many places utilize off-site storage for their archived records

25 WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU As much information as you can about the people you are researching Ways to record what you find Pens, pencils and paper (if allowed) Laptop, digital camera (if allowed) There are places that will not allow copying Plenty of money and change for copy machines Not everyone will be able to give you change Some places charge up to $1.00 for copies

26 Books Periodicals Databases LIBRARIES Microfilm & Microfiche Trained Staff Audio/Visual materials Maps Classes

27 STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, ARCHIVES, & GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES Family & Area histories Local State and/or County records Newspapers Original documents Old photographs

28 COUNTY COURTHOUSE Original Documents Birth, death, marriage records Deeds, property records Criminal records Court records

29 CEMETERIES & TOMBSTONES Dates of birth, death Names of spouse, children Religion Affiliations Scouts Masons Shriner s Order of the Eastern Star

30 THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE Cemetery records Mortuary records Death records Church records Newspapers Obituaries News or Society Articles Engagement/Marriage/Birth Announcements Business, School or Civic Announcements Internet Census records Wills and Probate records Land and Real-Estate records

31 NEARLY FINAL THOUGHTS Try to find someone to do research with. It will be a lot more fun researching with a friend. Sometimes having someone else around helps to keep you motivated and focused, kind of like going to the gym. Genealogy research should be something you enjoy doing. Don t be afraid to put it away for a while if it ever stops being fun. The people you re looking for aren t going anywhere.

32 WE RE ALMOST DONE We are here to help you. We offer a variety of classes designed to help you in many areas of research. If there is a topic you want to see a class on let us know, perhaps we can develop one. We have experts in different areas of research. Make an appointment for some one-on-one assistance. Foreign research Irish French German Italian Brick walls

33 IN CLOSING MGC has extensive holdings you can use in your research. If you can t find what you are looking for in one type of record, look in another. Be creative in figuring out your family's history. If there is something we don t have, we can usually borrow it from another library.