Getting Started in Genealogy

LDS Family Search: How to access un-indexed records for the Genealogy Beginner

Most beginning genealogists very quickly become familiar with the LDS Family Search site.  No surprise there, as Family Search has 2.34 billion free searchable records currently indexed.  Millions of family history enthusiasts regularly use the search fields on the home page to explore these records. However, when this search tool fails to result in finding an ancestor, many beginners give up; believing the record they are searching for is not there.  This is unfortunate, as there are 312.4 million names yet to be indexed and they can be accessed through the image collections known as “Browse Only”.

If you cannot find the record you are searching for at familysearch.org. Do not give up too easily it may just be hiding somewhere else on the site.

Browse only collections

Browse only collections are filmed images of original records that are waiting future indexing.   Family Search has made these images available to researchers through a technique referred to as Waypointing.  The Waypointing method operates by grouping images by record type, year range and geographic location.  One way to think of it is as a digitized microfilm reader that allows genealogists to view images from home.  Images they would otherwise have to visit their nearest Family History Center to see.  If you do not find your ancestor by conducting a regular search, try using browse only.

How to use Waypointing

Let us assume that a genealogy beginner is searching for the marriage record of their ancestor Leander Russel.  They have found a death record that puts him in St. Clair, Michigan in 1875.  The death record also shows him being born in St. Clair; however, there is no information about his marital status other than widower.  Our beginning genealogist takes a logical step and logs onto Family Search. Unfortunately, the search yields no results.  Here is where knowing how to use the browse only images can make the difference between finding the record and hitting a brick wall.

Waypointing walk through

Accessing the Browse only images collection is easy.  Going back to the Family Search home page our beginning genealogist scrolls down until they find “All Record Collections”. Clicking on this brings them to the Historical Records Collection page.  From here there are two options, either scroll down the list to see if there are any records for Michigan or use the search field at the top of the page.

Typing Michigan into the search field brings up two browse only image collections and one of them is for Michigan County Marriages 1820-1835.  Clicking browse images from the right hand column opens a page that lists all of the counties in that collection and St. Clair is among them. Following that link opens another page giving year ranges for the marriages. Our genealogy newbie selects the most likely range and begins going through the records.

Navigating the document is simple. On the top of the page, a navigation bar allows the option of jumping to a specific page. This is a good thing when you are looking at a document containing hundreds of pages.   Using this method the marriage record for Leander is found and another genealogy beginner hits pay dirt.  Of course, this search would have been much faster and easier were the record previously indexed.

Wrap Up

Family Search is a free search site and volunteers are the key to getting information online. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer indexer, more information can be found at:http:

//www.genealogybeginner.com/community/genealogy-in-general/indexing-records-for-family-search#p51

Do not forget to use the browse only image collection the next time a regular search produces a negative outcome.

Genetic Genealogy: What is it, how does it work and why should I be interested

In 1997, a story hit the presses about an English Schoolteacher who was genetically linked to a 9,000-year-old skeleton known as Cheddar Man. Since then genealogy researchers, beginning genealogist and pretty much everyone interested in researching their family tree has become interested in genetic genealogy. However, it was not until 2008 that the genealogical community began to make great strides in using this research method. Today several genealogy groups and genetic researchers offer services that can map your DNA and set you on the path to digging up some very deep roots.

Before considering genetic genealogy as a research method, I think it is important to understand exactly what you can and cannot gain from it. In addition, it might be helpful to put some perspective on where it fits in your genealogical toolbox.

What it will do and what it won’t do

Genetic genealogy does have its limitations; it cannot reveal who your ancestors are. Thus, it is no shortcut to good solid investigation. What it will do is impart evidence about your deepest origins and trace the lines of geographic descent coded in your DNA. When record trails run dry, your genes can reveal the rest of your story. For instance, if your last known ancestor resided in Scotland, a DNA test could point to other global areas and provide some useful clues for continuing research.

Using your DNA as a research tool can also:

• Confirm or eliminate the possibility of descent from a particular family or person
• Connect you to other researchers using DNA for surname studies
• Substantiate or refute findings and conclusions in your family tree research.

This short video by Bennett Greenspan, gives a great short explanation on the subject.

How it works

Should you decide to pursue this method in the search for your roots you will be pleased to know that it has become a relatively simple thing to do.  DNA test kits are available from a number of testing facilities and you can order kits by mail or online at a reasonable cost.

The testing kit typically consists of a swab, which is used to collect cells containing your DNA from the inside of your cheek.  Once you have employed the swab, the next step is simply to send in your sample. Results are generally available within a few months.

Once the samples arrive at the lab, two types of testing may be used, one for Mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA and one for Y chromosomal DNA.

Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA is found within the cytoplasm of a cell and is passed along the maternal line to both male and female children. Male children however, do not pass it to their offspring. The mtDNA in your cells is a match to your mothers as well as your grandmothers.  This type of DNA is better for testing whether or not a genetic relationship exists because it changes at a very slow rate. An mtDNA test will reveal if there is a common maternal ancestor in a genetic line. It will not determine how close that relationship is, so your match could be within a few generations or span hundreds of years.

Y chromosome tests

Y chromosome tests, Y Line or Y DNA tests are tests for men only, as women do not possess a Y chromosome.  The Y chromosome passed from father to son, holds chemical markers with a distinctive pattern.  This pattern called a Haplotype, clearly differentiates one male genetic line from another; shared patterns in the markers signify relatedness. In spite of this, they cannot distinguish the extent of the relationship. Y chromosome testing is most useful to determine if males with a common last name are the product of a shared ancestor.

Haplogroups

A haplogroup can be determined from markers on both the mtDNA and Y chromosome affording you the information on early ancestry for both the maternal and paternal lines.

Interested in further information?  Join the discussion on the forums at “Stumped”.

A Well-Kept Secret: The Internet Archives is an Amazing Resource for Genealogists

The Internet Archives is front-page news for all beginning genealogists and family historians. Internet Archives is taking a lesson from the lost library of Alexandria.  Alleged to be the greatest repository of knowledge in the known world, the Great Library housed books written by the most renowned scholars and philosophers: but all that was lost when it burned to the ground. In collaboration with the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress, The Internet Archives is actively working to digitize and preserve written records for coming generations. This is great news for genealogists.

The archives has an ever expanding compilation of resources consisting of  items from the National Library of Scotland, The University of Toronto and the Boston Public Library to name a few.

What you will find at the Internet Archives

Some major genealogical resources you can find on their site include Biographical documents, Vital Statistics and books on surname origins. Perhaps most significant to genealogy research is their collection of Old Parish Registers from Great Britain, Canada and the United States. Even better is the fact that accessing this information is easy and free.

How to access records

For beginning genealogists or those new to online research it may seem a little complicated at first.  Do not be intimidated, it is actually effortless to get straight to the information you want in three simple steps.

Because Genealogy Beginner is here to help you, we have put together a little walk through to get you started, just click to Old Parish Registers and scroll to the Record of the parish list of deaths. 1785-1819 – Bentley, William, 1759-1819, Salem Mass.

Step one:

Click on Record of the parish list of deaths. 1785-1819 – Bentley, William, 1759-1819, Salem Mass. and it will take you to http://www.archive.org/details/recordofparishli00bent

Step two:

Click on “editable web page”  at the bottom of the first text box and it will take you to “Open Library”

Step three:

Click “read online” at the top of the right hand column.  Once you are here, you are ready to read.  At the bottom of the page, you can use the page-turner icons or simply drag your mouse to select a specific page. The richness of genealogical information is astounding. For instance, on page 143 of this document you can find entry # 1087 that gives the following account:

“Nov.7. Margaret, widow of Benjamin Nurse. Fever, etc.,  67 years. She was a Welcome in Daniels Street. Married at 26, and lived thirty years in married life. Her husband a baker. Left two children: eldest son in Boston. Her Brother Thomas married a Lambert. A sister Foye only one left. Daniels Street.”

Wrap up

In addition to the main collection, there are also sub collections that cover passenger lists, Military records and books from the Brigham Young University Family History Library. The Internet Archive is a wholly not-for-profit organization. It was founded for the sole purpose of building an internet library that offers unending access to historical collections for researchers, historians, genealogists and the public. The Internet Archives is a site that all genealogists need to bookmark.

Genealogy or Family History?

For many beginning genealogists, the line between the concrete facts of genealogical research and the personal lore of family history are easily blurred.  This article by Genealogy Beginner’s resident genealogist, Ramona Hartley clearly demonstrates the difference between the two related but separate fields of study. Do you know the difference between genealogy and family history? When you are a beginning genealogist; taking those first tentative steps in researching your ancestry, it can be difficult to distinguish the difference between them.

The terms genealogy and family history refer to two separate but equally significant approaches to exploring your roots. The fundamental difference between the two methods lies in the sources of information used to conduct the research. These sources consist of primary, secondary, and tertiary information.

Genealogy

The study of Genealogy refers to the fact based inquiry into your ancestry. It is the concrete process of searching for your genetic origins by gathering and documenting the names, dates and locations of your predecessors. Genealogy requires adherence to the precise information presented within public record to provide irrefutable evidence of your lineage.

A genealogist’s tools are the source materials such as Statutory Index Records for marriages, births, deaths, and baptisms, although at times family bibles and Census Records can be primary sources. To correctly conduct genealogy research you would want to use only primary source information, which means using any record showing a first hand account of an event and containing the signature of a witness.

Family History

Family History refers to the study of the unique details and personal events in your ancestor’s lives; it is their story as told by you, their descendant. Family history research fleshes out the full account that gives life and character to your family tree by including the private details of your generations past; these being the fine points of lives lived that are not found solely within public records. A family historian can use secondary and even tertiary information such as, old photographs, diaries, letters and family lore.

Tying it together

That is not to say that you can not use primary sources for family history research. The study of family history often requires the need to read between the lines of public documents and dig a little deeper to find the tale that lies within. Some truly wonderful opportunities for family history stories are hidden in genealogical data.

Using a fantastic clue found in an Old Parish Record, I will show you how the two can work together.

Genealogy Data + the Family Historian = A Great Story

OPR Extract:

Parish of Carstairs, County of Lanark. Dated May 2nd. 1790

“May 2nd, this day Alexander Gibson in Longflush and Christian Weir had a daughter {Begot in Fornication}. Baptized, Named Janet Gibson.”

The Family History element

This baptismal record from Scotland 1790, tells us that the child being baptized was “begot in fornication”. Even so, both father and mother were listed in the parish record.

Sensing a good family history story, I researched what the term “Begot in Fornication” would have meant to the lives of these individuals in 1700’s Scotland.

What I found was that, the community was very narrow-minded in those days, quick to bring transgressors before the sessions. In this case the father of the child came forward and admitted his liabilities. Due to this he was listed in the record even though he did not marry the mother. The parents of the child being from “good church going families” would have been brought to task publicly and admonished for their sin, this over a period of three Sundays at normal services. Having then been deemed publicly humiliated they would be, so to speak, brought back into the fold and the child baptized.

Wrap up

The short and sweet answer to the question; do you know the difference between genealogy and family history is… You are a genealogist when: you are searching for and documenting records from primary sources and your concern is for factual, proven accounts of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths. You are a family historian when: you are using those facts in addition to reported events that although probable, may not be substantiated by first hand account in the available records; for the purpose of telling the story of your family’s unique and very personal past.

No matter what your method, don’t be surprised if when rediscovering their lives’, you gain a better understanding of your own.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ramona_Hartley

Wondering How To Make A Family Tree – It Boils Down To Just Three Core Documents Your Searching For!

I receive great feedback every day by email. I wish more people would use the comments form below to share their experience.  Please don’t hesitate to do so yourself. Regardless, keep the questions coming. I wanted to write right away and respond to everyone with the answer to a great question I received. One beginner genealogist wrote, “All this about government resources and talking to your family is great but it’s still not clear what I’m looking for.”

 

 

Has this same question crossed your mind?

Here’s the bottom line.  You want to trace your ancestors back as far as you can.  By that I mean identifying your direct ancestors (your parents, your grandparents, your great-great grandparents, etc.). Brothers and sisters, Aunts and Uncles, they are all great people to keep notes on but your core family tree is just the parents of the parents of the parents of you (and beyond).

When you find a direct mother or father in your lineage, you need to have documentation that proves that they are a part of your lineage You do this with formal documentation.  Namely, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates. You’re ultimately searching for these three documents for every person on your family tree.  This is how you do a family tree.

These documents will provide you with the critical information you need to go back to the previous generation.  For example, a birth certificate will tell you who the parents were.

Does that help?  Stick with it… you’re doing great.  Just take it one generation at a time.

How To Do A Family Tree – 4 Critical Public Resources

I thought it would be helpful to review the public resources available to you when trying to figure out how to do a family tree. We cover each of these in detail in The Genealogy Guide so I won’t go overboard here. Sometimes knowing the list of resources available is half the battle.

 

 

 

How To Do A Family Tree – Four Must Know Resources

• First of all, you need to know that much of the Social Security database can be accessed as a part of public record in the United States. This is a great place to start

• Other Government resources include the Office for Vital Records and the Department of Veteran Affairs

• Don’t overlook your local courthouse or other public records like those kept by the Knights of Columbus

• Finally, local records from the main ports of call in the US are a great source for immigration records

This is just the basics. What do you think? Am I missing a fundamental public resource? Use the comments area below to add your favorite basic public source for genealogy record hunting.

Making a Family Tree – The Challenges of Beginning Genealogists

We did a survey a little while back where I asked the original visitors to this website what their biggest challenge was when making a family tree. The idea was to make sure the website was a resource that would help people overcome these initial barriers.

 

 

 

This is what people said was their hassle.

• Trying to figure out how to complete a formal family tree chart (like the one you downloaded)

• There was confusion on whether or not cousins should be on your tree

• Some folks had a terrible time understanding how to obtain birth, marriage, and death certificates (and when or why they were important).

• Surnames (especially when immigrating relatives changed the spelling) were a problem.

We actually received 182 different responses, but these were some of the more popular ones. We built this site around the results of that survey, and developed the tools you’ll find on this site around solving these problems. How are things going with you? Are you finding that any of these relate to what you’re experiencing? Use the comments area below to post your biggest genealogy challenge.

I’ll answer what I can. Please feel free to comment as well if you know an answer or resource that might help.

Making a Family Tree – What to Record

In case you are a novice, researching the genealogy of your family, you will know that you have to begin with yourself and move outward to your immediate family next. Keep a blank family tree and pedigree chart handy since you will have to record all the information there.  You should record the following data for each person: name, date and place of birth, date and place of death, spouse, children and parents. If there is any other interesting fact, you can add that as well.

 

For relatives beyond grandparents you will need to consult secondary documents for data compilation.

Find out how to make a family tree

For affiliate info, visit: make a family tree

How to Make a Family Tree – The NARA

Below is a great article about how to make a family tree through the eyes of a first time visitor to the NARA. In it the author discusses the value of the color guides used to assist researchers with the NARA’s most common records. Make sure you visit the link below to visit the source of the guides online. These resources will surely help you figure out how to make a family tree.

I recently made my first visit to the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA). This is one in a series of articles inspired by that visit to help you make your first visit to the National Archives.

Colored sheet finding aids

National Archives staff have prepared over 160 pages of finding guides to assist researchers with their most common records. These guides are printed on various hues of colored paper. They can be found on a rack in the lobby once you arrive at the Archives.

Not 100% sure the purpose behind the color. These might have been a way to help them stand out or perhaps a coding system. If I learn more I’ll update this post.

While the National Archives has decided not to put these guides online, fortunately, the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society has decided to fill this void. The Mount Vernon Genealogical Society is located in the Washington, DC suburbs where society members are lucky enough to make frequent visits to the National Archives. Some members work there.

Harold McClendon, publicity chair for the society, says,

To make these sheets available to everyone, the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society is placing all of the guides on its web site in PDF format. The guides are organized into the following categories: African Americans, Asian Americans, Census, Citizenship, Civilian Federal Employees, District of Columbia, Early Congressional Private Claims, Immigration, lands, Military, Native American and 1885 State and Territorial Censuses. As new sheets are issued by the National Archives, copies are being added to the web site.

To access these finding aids, go to http://mvgenealogy.org/NARA_Guides.html. McClendon recommends printing the guides related to your research.

As you review the guide, you will then be better able to determine the specific publication to review in search of the desired records. You might even find that the National Archives has publications that you never knew existed.

Thank you, Harold McClendon and the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society for extending this service to the genealogical community.

(This posting is from The Ancestry Insider.)

Great information thanks to the folks at The Ancestry Insider. Use the link above to visit the original post directly and browse their site overall. When trying to figure out how to make a family tree every little bit of information helps.

 

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Where to Next?

Blank Family Tree with Step-by-Step Instructions

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You’ve Got your Blank Family Tree Form to Print, What Next?

In this article, Mr. David Chandler tells us what we need to do after we’ve downloaded our blank family tree form to print. He walks us through the idea of “audit trails” which will help you move from step to step.

The Family Tree

By: David Chandler

There are numerous genealogy sites out there that feature an assortment of articles on documentation of records for doing your genealogy search. We will look at how genealogy sites and the tools they offer will assist you to carry on a search.

Genealogy sites have plenty of tools that you use to keep records of your searches, but keeping records is not enough. You must know where to search next once you have found that piece of information that you are looking for. Genealogists usually draw conclusions from their records, to continue to dig deeper into the roots of their ancestry, which is often referred to as and audit trail.

An ‘audit trail’ requires that the thought process and analysis be included by documenting sources. Genealogy sites generally offer some software that is capable of analyzing the data and there are services from expert genealogists.

The fees from experts vary from site to site, but they are not always needed unless you get stuck and cannot find the additional information that you are looking for in your search or if you cannot go any further on your own. There are many purposes for an audit trail but one of the main reasons is for subsequent searches to obtain the records that were used and see how the initial researcher came to their conclusions. Keeping records is very important, along with maintaining them in a secure and good condition.

Suggestions for making an audit trail:

• When you make an assumption, clearly state why you came to the conclusion and any other information that could be useful. This can be the on the front page of your record and can be edited at anytime, remember that new information changes the search direction.
• By learning any historical background of the time period and region, will allow you to have a better of idea of what direction may be the next direction to head in. Most genealogy sites offer this information to you for this purpose.
• Learn as much information as you can about your ancestors, such as how they lived, their culture and any other relevant information that will help guide you in your search.
• Cite your sources, as this can lead you back to the information you need, or may add additional information for future searches that are completed.
• Writing notes in detail will make it easier for people who carry on your work in the future. This will allow them to see your thought process.

Make sure that you information is as accurate as possible, do not jump to conclusions. You can make the search nearly effortless, by leaving and audit trail which allows you or others to carry on the search easily.

(This article was written by David Chandler. Please visit some other articles written by Mr. Chandler by clicking on the link which is the author’s name.)

 

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Where to Next?

Blank Family Tree Template

 

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