The Genealogist

Recording Historical Information for Future Family Genealogists

One of the most important parts of finding your family genealogy is making sure that it is recorded. This will help when future family members want to find specific information about their family. It will also help you to know exactly where you left off with recording your history, in case you have to set the research aside for a certain amount of time. By recording all of the historical information that you find, it will help to let others know about the facts that you found, instead of living off of the myths that have been passed down.

One of the main reasons behind recording your historical information is to be able to provide others with accurate information. By beginning a search on your genealogy, others in the family will be able to help with your mission of finding lineages. Others in the family can review the information that you find after they have found new resources. This will allow more information to be retrieved about your lineage, as well as a sharing of primary documentation with your family.

Once you have recorded information, future family genealogists can then compare the validity of the information that you have found. Many times, someone else in the family will be able to fill in gaps or holes of information that you were not able to find. By allowing them to be able to find the information that you have, they can then compare their information and add onto the history of the family. This will allow a more accurate amount of historical information in relation to your family lineage to be recorded and continuously added onto.

If the others in your family are beginning to take an interest in the genealogy and history of their family, and didn’t before, providing them with the sources that you have found will help in giving them a jump-off point for their searches. This way, they won’t have to put in any extra energy and search time for information that has already been found. They will know exactly where to go in order to begin their searches. By simply recording where you went to find your information, you are allowing others in the family to move further forward with their searches, instead of having to retrace what you have already done.

If you are not concerned about the future family genealogists finding information in your family, then you should still record your family history for references for future research that you may want to do. This is especially important if you have found a fact later on that is different than the assumptions that have been made. At a later time, you can then go back to the same source in order to find more information in relation to the details. If you may have missed information, or need a jumping-off point to get new information, having the recorded information and location of what you found will make it easier to find more detailed information later. This not only includes valid information that you are using in relation to your genealogy, but also the information or sites that did not include any information that was true or of use to you.

When you are documenting a source, you can use certain basic principles to make sure that you have enough information down for someone else to be able to trace the same information. For books, this includes the title, author, publisher, date published and page number. For recording a census, you can include roll number, state, county, city, page number, and family number. There are several sources available online that will help you to keep an organized and detailed account of the information and resources you are using. By doing this, you can trace back to where you found the information from before and allow others the same access to this information.

Tracing your family genealogy usually requires a large amount of time to find the accurate resources and information about your lineage. By giving others information on the resources that you have found, it will make the recording of the lineage become easier and much more accurate over a longer period of time. It will also give others a jumping-off point when they are finding out about their family. Providing resources and information about what you have found out about your family will help in creating an accurate genealogy

How Computer Software Can Streamline Your Genealogy Research

Computer software can make your family tree research a breeze, relatively speaking – pun intended, of course. Using family tree software allows the creation of online data bases to sort records; the storage of digital photos with other documents, scanning of old records, easy sharing with other researchers, and a world of information at your fingertips through the Internet.

When looking for appropriate genealogy software, look for easy to use features that seem intuitive. Many programs will allow matching of information from various online data bases. Some have features that check various name combinations that are similar and rate connections according to probability. These features are quite handy. It is also helpful if the program allows you to input data from other genealogy programs or data bases and spreadsheets like Microsoft Access and Excel.

The software you choose should be well organized and easy to read, displaying needed information on the screen in an easy to follow format. Many allow you to click on name tabs of a child or a parent and view the personal data, which can include the name of spouse, place and date of birth, marriage, death and of burial. Good software will also allow you to tie in other lineage information, such as adoption records, step children, biographies, descendant charts, and other information you will find helpful.Some deluxe software programs go a step further and offer extra features. These can include a county verifier for counties in the US, allowing the user to view all of the counties in a state with their founding dates to hunt for discrepancies. All genealogists who have tried to find a location in a county that has been dissolved or reorganized can appreciate this feature. Another nice added feature in some deluxe software is the ability to search for a location by various means: county, state, country, town, city or province.

Some software even has a potential problems report, this will highlight dates the genealogist should double check. Another nice feature is the reformatting of inconsistently formatted data bases to make sure that records match. And another deluxe feature is web site creation. Some programs will allow the user to make their own genealogy web sites without knowing HTML or other computer code. By creating web sites a user is able to share work easily with other genealogists without having to retype information, make photo copies or spend a bundle on postage. And think of the time that is saved.

Before personal computers became popular genealogists had to spend many hours in libraries and research centers. The tool of choice was the micro film reader. Photo copy machines received a workout. Handwritten notes were extensive, and subject to misinterpretation. Today’s computers, with good software and the internet provide a world of opportunity for the genealogist that would have seemed like magic only thirty years ago. Additionally the need to visit libraries in many cases is now no longer necessary. While there are times when information is still only available on microfilm, many libraries have converted their microfilm to digital format and have made it available online, allowing a person to do research from the comfort of their own home. Imagine doing your genealogy research in your pajamas, at 4 a.m. if that is the time you prefer. Good genealogy software makes it possible.

When looking at software, remember that most of the best companies have enough faith in their programs to offer a 30 day free trial period. You can try the software out, use it for a month and make sure that it truly fits your needs and desires. Then if you choose to buy, paying online with a credit card allows you to keep using the software permanently without having to reinstall. This is another improvement over the past, and certainly an improvement no one complains about.

Whether you use Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT or XP, there are many good programs on the market for genealogists. And it doesn’t matter if you are a beginner, intermediate or an expert. All researchers can benefit from good genealogy software, so give it a try and you’ll certainly be glad you did.

Historical Museums May Help in your Ancestral Research

Genealogy is, essentially, a historical endeavor. Genealogists attempt to discover not only the history of a family but also the history of individuals living during a specific time period. The importance of understanding the social and cultural forces shaping your ancestors during a particular slice of history can not be overstated. Historical knowledge will shape your research efforts and give you a very personal understanding of your ancestors. Knowing where they lived, what they did for a living, what religion they practiced, and even what they died from can tell you something about yourself and your heritage. Our ancestors shaped history, and history shaped our ancestors. Accordingly, as you begin researching your family tree, it is beneficial to simultaneously study history. Historical museums can offer a multi-sensory learning opportunity, a chance to step out of the book racks and see, touch, and even hear information about the period or place in which your ancestors lived.

Before you try to find the right museums to visit, you must first narrow down the time period and geographical location you want to study. For example, are you most interested in your Great-Grandmother Gretel from Germany or your Great-Grandmother Maria from Italy? Look for social or political upheavals that may have lead to your ancestors’ emigration from their countries of origin. Other changes in society, such as abolition or the end of a war, may have inspired a change of residence or the birth of children. If you construct chronological profiles on the ancestors you are interested in, you may be able to pinpoint seemingly out-of-place events in their life or the life of their family that could be the result of external forces.

Once you have narrowed down the time period and geographical location you want to research, look for museums that specialize in that particular era, region, or ethnicity. For example, if your family escaped the Potato Famine in Ireland, look for museums that specialize in Irish History or have an exhibit on the Potato Famine. If your family was a specific ethnicity, such as Chinese-American, look for museums in locales with a high concentration of Asian Americans. These museums are your best bet for research, but don’t rule out large national museums, such as the Smithsonian. The size and comparative wealth of these museums allow them to have extensive information on a variety of topics and time periods and may be worth a visit.

What will you find once you locate an appropriate historical museum? In addition to informative exhibits, museums might contain archives with special collections, such as maps, atlases, gazetteers, or manuscripts that you could use in your research. The National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, which is part of the Smithsonian, collects a large number of artifacts on a variety of topics, from agriculture to food to sports and leisure. The museum can only display a small number of these artifacts at a time, but the whole collection is available to be researched on an online database. The museum also contains a separate database for its extraordinarily extensive archives, which contains letters and other personal papers, photographs and other images, music, films, videos, tapes, business records, advertisements, sheet music and publications of professional organizations. The sheer abundance of materials that you can research at the Smithsonian is almost overwhelming, and smaller museums may possess equally detailed and unique, if less extensive, collections. Museums are more than just places for the public to see a few exhibits. They are repositories of history.

Curators and other research historians in the employ of the museum are also a valuable, yet frequently untapped, resource. Contacting them and asking for their aid can lead you to valuable manuscripts, collections, or information that you may not have found otherwise. Curators at the Smithsonian, for example, frequently have advanced degrees in American History and knowledge of many other specialties, such as African-American history.

A visit to a museum can also be used to gain information from people who witnessed history firsthand. Some veterans are reluctant to talk about their unique experiences in the military. You can encourage them to share their history by taking them to visit applicable exhibits at museums. Sometimes reliving a war through pictures and artifacts is enough to make them begin reminiscing.