The Genealogist

Genealogy For The Beginner

By MIKE SELVON

Genealogy is a popular pastime. It is natural to be curious about one\’s roots and family history, and genealogy allows all of the information to be compiled and passed along to future generations.

The internet has proved to be a powerful tool for genealogists, allowing easier searches of records as well as the sharing of information between genealogists who share a common line. This article will discuss some of the common questions surrounding genealogy and family history that may help you find your ancestors.

What is genealogy?

Genealogy can be defined as the study and recording of one\’s family history. The information is recorded in a document known as a family tree. Information that may be documented in the written record includes birth, death and marriage dates, names of spouse(s) and children, and perhaps pertinent historical or medical data.

Why is genealogy important?

We are ultimately the product of those who have gone before us. In order to understand ourselves better, it is important to understand where we came from. Additionally, genealogy may be used to find lost relatives or trace a line of descendants from a well-known ancestor.

Genealogy is also a way to acknowledge the importance and life history of our deceased loved ones. Genealogy can be used to put together the life story of an individual family.

I have done all the research I can within my immediate family. Now what?

Now it is time to take the information you have compiled and use it to move backward through your family line. Your first step should to be to check with the major research societies and online forums to see if anyone else is researching the same surnames as you are.

It is possible that a completed or in-process genealogy will link to yours, so be sure to research any current genealogies that seem plausible.

What are some of the problems I might run into when performing genealogical research?

The biggest problem that most of us will face is loss or destruction of records. Virtually every bloodline has in its history an era of persecution, flood, fire or other disaster.

At a time when all records were on paper, even a small local fire could be enough to destroy all of the town\’s records. Those who fled persecution often changed their names on the spot and went into hiding in a new location.

There will be gaps in your records and you might hit a wall beyond which it is impossible to trace a certain branch of your family.

When you run into these problems, think outside the box. Try to connect an ancestor whose trail has gone cold to someone else in your family whose records you have.

Odds are good that a connection is there, although it may take some detective work to figure out the link. Patience and perseverance are the keys.

About The Author

Discover more about genealogy from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. We appreciate your feedback at our Genealogy blog.

How Important Is Vital Records In Your Genealogy Searches?

By MIKE SELVON

Vital records provide many details for those seeking to complete a family tree. A vital record provides birth, marriage, and death record information, allowing individuals to fill in missing areas of a family tree with a more complete portrait of the life of an past family member with accurate dates and locations.

Therefore, it is important to understand how to access and use vital records. A major advantage of official vital records is that they are both complete and accurate. The information contained within has been verified instead of being based on estimates or guesswork.

Depending on the country, city and time period of the event, they are kept by a variety of sources. Some European countries began keeping them at the national level during the nineteenth century.

In the United States and Canada, record keeping is left to the individual state and/or city. New Orleans has the oldest required vital records in the U.S., dating back to 1790, while South Carolina did not require their registration until 1915.

Prior to official registration requirements, they were generally kept by churches. Those early records may vary widely in the information that they contain, but can be a valuable resource when official records are unavailable.

It is important to understand prior to beginning your genealogical research that vital records will not be available for all locations and all periods. Prior to official registration requirements, the registration rate was only 55% or so at best.

Even now, registration only occurs 90% to 95% of the time. Additionally, before the days of computerization, records were handwritten and kept in fairly secure locations. Nonetheless, one act of God such as a fire or flood could destroy the records of an entire town.

Depending on the time and location of the creation of vital records you need, you may find more or less information than you expected. At the very least, you should expect a birth record to have the name, date of birth, and names of parents indicated, and a death record will mention the date and location of the deceased\’s passing.

Marriage records contain the full names of the individuals in the union, as well as the location of the event, and a divorce record will list the individuals involved, the date of marriage and the date of divorce.

Many vital records provide a wealth of knowledge beyond these basics. It may be possible to ascertain names of parents or descendants, previous addresses, information about previous marriages, siblings and many other details from them.

Since they vary so widely, it is smart to request every record that you can for each ancestor you wish to research. There is some overlap between records as well, meaning that if you cannot get one particular type of record you may be able to fill in the blanks from a different record.

Vital records are an important part of any genealogical research. Remember that you will not be able to obtain every record for every person in your family, but request as many as you can.

These records can provide a host of information about your ancestor and his or her immediate family.

About The Author

Discover more about the importance of vital records in your genealogy from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. We appreciate your feedback at our Genealogy blog.

Tips When Using Surnames In Your Genealogical Searches

By MIKE SELVON

In today\’s society, surnames are generally known as last names or even family names. Except for those who choose to drop them, such as Madonna or Cher, virtually everyone in the modern world has one. In some cultures, they are written before given names (what we would call a \”first name\”).

While surnames are now taken for granted, there was a time when they were not common. In some more remote areas, they\’re still not. People were identified from those who shared the given name by housing location, occupation, physical characteristics or other criteria. It is believed that these descriptions gave rise to the first surnames.

Surnames have evolved and changed over the centuries. When researching your family genealogy, it is important to consider ways in which the surnames you are studying might have changed. Spelling is one of the most common changes. If your last name is \’Smith\’ it might at one time have been \’Smyth\’ or even \’Smythe\’.

Dangerous lineage and persecution caused many people to completely drop their family surname and replace it with a new one. Secrecy for these people was key to survival, and many people simply made up new surnames to be able to hide or blend in with a community.

Scattered families who fled one location to find safety in another often changed their surname, making the search for the truth rather difficult.

Many websites and books can help those building a family genealogy to research their surnames. Keep in mind that most of these sources give general information about the name that may or may not directly apply to your particular genealogical research.

Document your sources carefully in case you need to revisit them or change items. Some sources are also available to help you determine spelling and other variants that may affect your family genealogy.

Of special genealogical research interest are maiden names. Finding the original surnames of your female ancestors can be especially tricky. Female names were commonly dropped or never recorded because women were considered the property of their fathers and husbands.

When researching female names, keeping in mind a few tips may aid in your genealogical research. The best place to seek female names is in marriage records. Not all marriages were recorded, but marriage records should provide the full names of both partners.

In addition, check cemetery records, as your female ancestor might never have married. Finally, look at divorce decrees. While divorces were difficult and expensive for women to obtain, many more women filed than actually received the divorce. Nonetheless, the record of filing may exist.

Researching surnames is a fascinating and interesting branch of genealogical research. You may follow many dead ends prior to reaching a solid lead, but this should encourage rather than discourage you. You never know when a lead will circle back to solve the mystery of a former dead end.

About The Author

Discover more about using surnames in your genealogical searches from Mike Selvon portal where a free gift awaits you. We appreciate your feedback at our Genealogy blog.