Genealogy Blog – Learn How to Research Your Family Tree

Archive for January, 2010

A project to trace family tree information can be done more efficiently and quickly by using the internet.  There are many online tools available that enables easier research on genealogical records.  The construction of a family tree can serve as a bonding mechanism among the immediate members of the family and close relatives by assigning an individual to focus on any of the tools available online.

One family member for instance can trace family tree data on online data bases offering convenient access to such information as such as birth, marriage and death records, real estate, land, military, court and census records.  There are many free sites that could be good sources of genealogy records online but some of these may not be as user-friendly as paysites entirely dedicated to those on a mission to trace possible family tree entries. Sometimes it would be advisable for a family member who may be assigned to these particular databases to shell out a fee for a more convenient genealogy research.

Another way of spreading the task of tracing family history is for one close relative to join any or some of the genealogical societies with online presence.  There are thousands of these groups and most of them operate worldwide, so the researcher can cover a lot of ground without having to travel too far if the endeavor to trace family tree data requires venturing into sources outside of a family’s state or country.

What’s also good about these societies as allies to trace family history is that most of them have a specific area of focus.  They have the capability to focus on a particular  geographical area, surname, ethnicity and even provide historical recollections of events that may yield valuable information on possible ancestors and their descendants.

But prior to going online to trace family tree data, the assigned researchers must be armed with common basic information.  They have to first be familiar with the names and surnames of close relatives.  Maiden names shouldn’t be left out in the initial data gathering. All these names could be gathered by talking to grandparents and great grandparents, the farther back in time the better. Much preliminary information could also be gained by browsing through the old family albums.  Each picture has to be examined for clues on kinship, oftentimes indicated at the back of the photographs.

With these basic data, the research can now shift online, and have the initial information gathered overlaid with whatever is available from online databases, or inputted into search efforts through genealogical societies or other online groups of similar interest.  Having the names, surnames and maiden names of family kin will facilitate a more efficient and thorough research of online archives and public documents.

Those records that would be most desirable to trace family tree, especially if the information data are available online, are census documents.  These records oftentimes include all members of a household, and hence it will help researchers pinpoint with accuracy those relatives that may be missing from the family tree having been forgotten from narratives of aged grandparents or great grandparents.

“…[S]laves were obtained by only two important methods, viz., by birth to a slave mother or by delivery in slave ships to domestic ports…In the United States…nearly all of them, or their ancestors, originated from Africa,” said Robert B. Shaw.

Dorothy and Carl J. Schneider wrote in “Slavery in America:  An Eyewitness History” that, “All in all, scholars estimate, Africa exported some 11,698,000 people to the New World during the Atlantic slave trade.”

Of the estimated 41.1 million African Americans, the vast majority of their ancestors arrived here in slave ships.  Upon arriving on the coast, these captive Africans were conditioned for a life of bondage.  The lifestyle that was forced upon them formed the basis of the problems facing African Americans today.  However, there is one clear way for African Americans to regain their healthiness, which we will discuss at the conclusion of this paper.

Clayton E. Jewett and John O. Allen noted in Slavery in the South:  A State-by-State History, “Human chattel brought directly from Africa often had to go through a ‘breaking-in’ period to learn work discipline and the proper subservient behavior.” Slave traders, owners, overseers, laws, and businessmen in related industries conditioned African slaves in the Americas to a life of forced servitude defined by race.  To maximize profits and prevent slave revolts, slave owners, related businessmen, and legislators separated slave families, took away their names, languages, cultures, religions, and, by default, their unity and humanity as extended families, ethnic groups, and members of nations and empires.  This unfortunate process was an intentional theft of heritage.

As a consequence of this rape of parentage and human rights, many problems arose for African Americans.  These resulting issues included health problems, complexion/racial prejudice, broken homes, different castes of slave and free Black society, financial concerns, crime, and so on.  These harmful side-effects of the breaking-in process were to occur to de-unify slaves (and their descendants) while slave owners and business persons in related fields (and their descendants) hoarded wealth and power.  Meanwhile, slaves of African descent (and their offspring) suffered as a de-unified group without the ties of kinship and culture that link and empower strong groups of people.

“Putting families back together and reuniting long separated members formed the first task most newly freed blacks attempted,” said Ibid.

In conclusion, research has shown that as a cure to these deleterious outgrowths of the breaking-in process, a person whose ancestors were captive African slaves in the Americas and Caribbean should learn their heritage.  Clearly, newly freed slaves knew that the unity, power, and healthiness that come from heritage had been stolen from them.  As evidence, these emancipated bondsmen immediately sought to rebuild their families after being freed.  African Americans today should take the lead of their ancestors who fully understood the root causes of our problems and sought a cure in the best way these former slaves who had been broken-in knew how.  However, now we can take their quest further to its logical end and thereby do away with our problems once and for all.

This newfound understanding of heritage will undo the many problems that we as individuals and families face that we have not dealt with thereby repairing health problems, complexion/racial prejudice, broken homes, outdated/problematic divisions of Black society, financial concerns, and crime rampant in our society today.

Locating the lifetimes and lifelines of genealogical is interesting and satisfying, irregardless of any known or infamous forefathers. On the other hand, the historical stories of family trees are what make genealogy so absorbingly interesting. Do an individual ever wonder if these stories are true? We can be related to any number of famous or infamous forefathers and various captivating kinfolk in somewhere between. Do somebody know who your ancestors are? Do anyone know where they came from, each of them? All the answers your wants seek to know yourself are waiting for the public with the study of your genealogy, which is ancestry.

The best means of tracing your ancestors and family history is by visiting and listening to the stories of your oldest residing relative such as your grandparents. Ask them to list for anyone any facts concerning their own grandparents, parent, siblings and cousins. Learn as much as a person can from them and you should use that info to further your pursuit. Seek out if any relative have an old family bible that includes notes of births, deaths as well as any old paperwork or photographs you can scan for copy. Numerous times while tracing family history the public may come across a distant relative that’s doing family history as well. Undoubtedly a mesmerizing hobby. Exchanging notes with relatives is a wonderful source.

While researching for family history, you’ll will look up a huge selection of detail by using your computer. Yourself can searches though old historical documents have been transcribed or scanned and and then uploaded into online databases. Years ago you will would travel quite a few miles or pay a researcher to search these types of documentations. Today a person can do this online. Nonetheless, the public may have to pay to access some online databases.

Using these listings is simple, people enter information such as names and birthdates and then click investigation. Keep in mind that way back when there are misspellings of names as well as wrong dates which were commonly a year or so off depending on historical record book entries. Get note of location as well, such as the city, state or territory. These things can change with the dividing of territory or state. If you’ll run into difficulties, view out if the location of your ancestor changed over the years.

The USGenWeb Project is a solid beginning place meant for researching your relatives record. The info is divided into person county and state websites that also encompass directories for locating immigrants. Such resources may can comprise family trees, birth, marriage and death paperwork and several other types of historical documents. There are onsite researchers there to help you searches for detail. You can consist of traveling to areas of family history or to find them by visiting the area in which they lived. Visit the department of vital documents and the courthouse to locate detail. You will get data from churches that your ancestors may have attended. You can search for further leads on birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates.

Search one of this free of cost social security death indexes to obtain data on social security cards. You can get a copy of his or her social security card application for a fee, which may provide you with data such as the names of mum and dad, address and date and place of birth. Cemeteries, funeral homes and obituaries can provide you with useful data. As soon as you begin constructing your family tree, you will enjoy the time you spend learning about everyone; even if there are difficulties of acquiring certain family background data. You may find you are related to some highly interesting characters and then you can share your findings with future generations.

DNA testing and the whole process that goes with it can be confusing for anyone, particularly if you’re never experienced the process before. It is packed full of complicated scientific jargon that makes very little sense to most people and requires an knowledge of genetics to even remotely comprehend. Luckily, we’ve compiled this basic list of DNA testing definitions to help keep you on track throughout it all:

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the acid within each and every one of our cells detailing everything about the way in which our bodies will function and appear. Think of DNA as the plans to your body – the blueprint to how you’re going to work. Inherited in equal measure from both the mother and the father, no two persons’ DNA is alike, making it ideal for identifying criminals from crime scene DNA evidence and for determining paternity in contentious situations.

Avuncular Test: The testing of the alleged father’s relatives alongside the sample from the child in question in determining paternity. This can be used where the father is not present or not available to give a sample for DNA testing, and can help determine (albeit with lesser accuracy) whether or not particular samples are genetically related. It is nevertheless desirable to conduct all DNA testing with the father having previously been sampled to ensure more accurate results.

Paternity Test: The most common form of DNA testing, paternity testing, establishes whether or not an alleged father does indeed share a genetic relationship with the child in question. By matching up the DNA of the mother, the father and the child in question it is possible to identify parentage by looking for a 50/50 split in genetic material from both parents.

Oral Swab: The most effective and easiest way of collecting a DNA sample. Achieved by simply scraping the swab against the inside of the cheek in order to glean genetic material from the cells of the cheeks, before being sealed and sent off to the lab for testing at which point it can be matched with additional samples from the other parties involved. Oral swabs are preferred to other samples because they are comparatively easier to read and compare.

Chromosome: The location of the genetic material (that is to say, the DNA) within each cell, in which there are 23 pairs of chromosomes in total. The male chromosomal partnership is identified as X and Y, whereas females do not possess this distinct Y chromosome. Therefore it is possible to test male relationships of a genetic nature through the Y chromosome which in itself very infrequently mutates as it is passed between father and son.

DNA Testing: The overall process by which DNA samples are compared in order to identify a particular individual in criminal, medical or legal circumstances, or purely out of curiosity. DNA testing can be used to determine paternity, or place a crime suspect at the murder scene, and has been proven to be highly effective in boosting conviction rates for serious criminal offences.

Interest in family tree research is growing rapidly, with North America, the UK and the Antipodies leading the way. Perhaps this is hardly surprising as North America, Australia and New Zealand are the ‘New World’ seeded by Europe, and by Britain and Ireland in particular. The histories of all these countries are intertwined and for any English speaking family historian looking further back than the 1900′s, it is likely that part of the family is located in these areas. For those living in the New World, who are not from the indigenous population, all roads lead to Europe, at least as far as family history research goes.

Luckily, family tree research and creation has never been easier, even though distance from the source can still be a problem. There are numerous free family tree software packages on the web giving information and support on how to create a family tree and enabling users to create and print their family tree in ever more interesting ways. One downside of these “free” family tree products is that sometimes they are integrated within commercial websites that require you to use their other (paid for) services in order to access this “free” service. Also, always check the terms and conditions to ensure that by using a free site to begin building your family tree you are not giving the provider any rights over the family tree information that you add. The website My Heritage is an exception and offers free access to family tree charts and other helpful services with no strings attached.  Family tree software is also free to download from the Legacy Family Tree website, and the Family Search site, whereas the very popular Family Tree Maker by Ancestry.com has to be paid for.

Most people hoping for success in discovering and building their family tree now start out on the web in marked contrast to previous generations who had to make physical visits to government buildings and archives.  It is even possible to discover some of your family tree by using a search engine.  Interestingly, three of the most commonly performed searches are ‘family tree maker’, ‘free family tree’ and ‘trace family tree’. The words ‘family tree’ imply so many things; the visual aspect of an actual tree that can be nurtured and which will grow with research, the uniqueness of each family tree (just like real trees), the sense of ownership but also sharing with others that comes from visualising the family as branches and leaves.  These ideas are not conveyed in the same way by the word genealogy which sounds more difficult to do, more boring, more about pedigrees. Family tree perfectly conveys the inter-connectedness of many of us with British and European heritage. This has undoubtedly been behind the recent moves by many of the internet data and software providers to try and bring people together to share their research and to enable distant cousins to work on tracing and creating their family tree together.

For those who are digging deeper into their past the new kid on the block is family tree DNA. As well as being able to confirm whether or not people are closely related for example in paternity cases,  DNA (your genetic code) is now being used to identify the human groups to which families belong. This is a less specific but no less interesting course of research and is probably the fastest growing area within the world of family history. For some it is, perhaps, one step too far, since it involves providing a sample of your cells (a mouth swab is sufficient) in order to begin the process, and the idea of having one’s DNA stored on a distant database is too Orwellian. We will see how things progress!

To map your family tree online for free please visit: www.ancestralatlas.com

Genealogy Research and Its History

?My great-grandparents would have been incredulous at how very easily genealogy research can be done today with just the click of a mouse! Information that once used to take years of research to discover and compile is now found so quickly.  In days gone by information was verbally passed down from generation through generation relying solely on memory of those doing the recording. When keeping records through writing evolved,  myths were some of the first things recorded and stored on these written genealogy records. Ancient ancestors believed they were children of mythical gods and their family history was born out of a myth. The earliest genealogy research records are based upon myths.

.
Genealogy Research and The Bible

One of the more famous bits of genealogy research perhaps is written in the Bible. “So and So begat So and So who lived to be 480 and begat so and so….”  The famous passages from Genesis and the Gospel are often referred to as “The Begats.”  The Bible is often looked at as the genealogy research record of Jesus.  Nearly all the Old Testament characters are somehow related to Jesus Christ.

In wondering why our ancient ancestors bothered with keeping genealogies it more than likely was due to squabbles over inheritances  In the times when the King James Bible was comprised (1611) this would have especially been an issue of contention while countries were under divine right monarchies. In these times people who hoped to have a chance at all of property or a title needed to prove they were related to the recently deceased owner.

The 1900′s

My Aunt Ruth use to take me on genealogy research trips with her in the mid 1960′s in my family’s home state of New Jersey.   In those days it was not possible to do any type of substantial genealogy research unless you traveled physically to the place that your ancestors had lived and died.  Their lives were traced through dusty, faded and quite often illegibly scribbled notes on yellowed, brittle pages in the halls of public records in the town that you thought your ancestors may have once lived in. As you searched for any trace of them and their lives.In the past, two of the very best resources of genealogy research were cemeteries and the family Bibles.  Our ancestors would record all the important family information in the blank pages of their family Bible and pass this book down through the generations.  Family Bibles are true gems to genealogists as they were recorded by the very people they’re researching.

The next best resource was a cemetery headstone.  It was common genealogy research practice o hold a sheet of paper over the headstone and rub it with a pencil to more easily read the information and take it back home where it would then be added to the rest of the genealogy research.