Preserve the Past for the Future! by: Ann McRoden Mensch, Professional Historical Genealogist
Historical Genealogy is a wonderful, lifetime learning pursuit! With the help of the post office, libraries, archives and Internet, it can be enjoyed by young and old, healthy and those who may be homebound. In this article, I will first present some of the often over-looked reasons for beginning to research your family tree, then help you get started with an example of 'How To Begin'. REASONS Notice I hesitate to use the word hobby? The word "hobby" may imply it is only a pass-time...I believe it is a great deal more! Yes, it is entertaining, and can be pursued, during spare time, alone or in company and regardless of the weather. However, it is also a pursuit which can INSPIRE a greater appreciation for history and the tapestry of cultures, ethnic traditions, religions and occupations which appear during research. Additionally, it may prompt preservation of memories and events from the lives of "average" men and women who actually LIVED, our human HISTORY. Lives that otherwise may be forgotten, though they continue to effect our world! -- It is amazing to contemplate that I am writing, and you are reading this article, in part, due to our ancestors’ lives and choices they made! Just think, if only one had not attended a party where they met their "sweetheart", or not tripped up a hill, allowing a bullet to narrowly miss... HOW TO BEGIN When researching your family ancestry, simply gather evidence, Sherlock Holmes style, which may help to:
mother to her parents, and her parents to each other, and father to his parents, and his parents to each other, and so on....through each generation. A variety of resources may support these connections, including: personal interviews; family Bible entries; birth, marriage and death certificates; church records; obituaries; probate and Will records; gravestones; town/county histories; military records; city directories; census; journals and letters. As you become familiar with the varied resources, you will learn which may be the most helpful. The availability of resources will be influenced by the specific location and era you are researching. You will be "building a case" to support an "argument" for the probability that each connection is, indeed, a family connection. Some resources may be more "reliable," or less subject to error, than others, and, therefore, more "convincing." Generally, primary documents, those which were created at the time the event occurred, or by someone who actually participated in the event, are less subject to errors of memory, and may be considered more reliable. However, these are not always available, and they, too, may contain errors. Therefore, secondary documents are often helpful, and are often necessary as well. You may quickly find that a single document may be both a primary and a secondary document at the same time. For example, a death certificate would be considered a primary document when used as evidence for a death date, since they are typically created at/near the time of death. However, a death certificate would be a secondary document when used as evidence for a birth date. To gain familiarity with the varied resources available, and the types of information they may contain, it is recommended that you begin by "documenting" your own birth and connection to your parents. Do you have a copy of your own birth certificate? Take it out and examine it. Your birth certificate should contain the date of your birth, the location of your birth and the names of your parents... So, you already have 1 document which connects you to your parents. Can you locate 2 or 3 additional pieces of evidence to compensate for the chance of error? Now, do you have a copy of your parents marriage certificate? If not, you may want to try to locate the original, or send to the appropriate town/county/country office for a copy. The contact office varies by location and era, and there may be both a civil and a church record for a marriage. Though a marriage certificate may contain additional information, such as the name of the officiate, name of church, witnesses and parents of spouses, the information may vary. It should at least identify the date of marriage, the location of the marriage, and the names of both the bride and groom. If you have this document, you now have evidence connecting your parents to each other! Other documents which may help to connect parents to each other may include: Family records entered in the family Bible, church records, city directories, census, Wills, Probate, Deeds, obituaries, letters, newspaper announcements and so forth. You now have two generations already documented. It is that simple! The following are recommended "tips" which
may be very helpful to keep in mind from the start:
1. Along the way, you will want to note and preserve information on collateral family members as well (siblings, cousins, and so forth), since these may not only be necessary toward documenting your own ancestors, but were most likely very important people in your ancestors' lives. (One of your ancestor's siblings may even have introduced your great great grandparents to each other). 2. Remember that since you will really be documenting historical events, you will want to keep bibliographic style references for each piece of evidence (including e-mail correspondence). You may, later, find you need to obtain the source again for further research, to publish a family history, or to help a "cousin" obtain documentation as well! 4. You will likely discover certain aspects of particular ancestors' lives or mysteries will spark your interest...
Ann McRoden Mensch is a Professional Historical Genealogist.
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Ann McRoden Mensch, Professional Genealogist Researching at The Allen County Public Library |