Beginning Genealogy

Beginning GenealogyMelissa L. GryglaLIBR 210-01 Reference and Information ServicesFall 2009Professor Christensen

Hi! My name is Melissa Grygla, and Ill be guiding you through the first steps of beginning genealogy today. This mini lesson is designed for those people who are interested in genealogy, but are not quite sure where to start. Not long ago I was one of those people, so lets see if I can give you some ideas to begin with yourself. 1GenealogyMillions of people are interested in genealogy, most for personal interest.

When searching for information researchers' need to remember quality is more important than quantity.

Millions of people are interested in genealogy. They search family history for a variety of reasons, some to locate a past for themselves, others because it relaxes them. However one thing which even genealogists, who have researched for years need to be reminded of sometimes, it that quality of the research is more important than quantity. Who wants to be in their last stages of research and find that they did something wrong at the very beginning and it needs to be corrected? 2Where do I start? Many people liken genealogy to a puzzle. Locate information that you already have. Involve family in the process. Begin your Information I Already have sheet.

Starting a project of this size can be somewhat intimidating for some people. However, the rewards are worth the struggle. Genealogy is similar to a puzzle researchers, work one piece at a time, often working years before they can sit back and look at the big picture. We shouldnt rush into this kind of research. Prior to undertaking this large task, find the information you already have. Involve parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins and other family members in the task. Things such as birth announcements, letters, the family bible all contain information which can give the research a basic idea to begin with. Once these documents have been gathered begin your Information I Already Have sheet to start imputing data. 3What do I have?

Figuring out what you have to begin your research with, is often a labor intensive process. Once the basic information has been located, it is relatively simple to sit down and fill out the Information I Already Have form. This form is a good starting point. From here researchers can begin the eight step cycle to locate information about their relatives. In fact a good idea may be to complete the form and then share it with another relative to see if they can fill in any missing pieces. 4Types of SourcesPrimary SourcesSecondary SourcesDiariesPicturesLettersRecords created after the event took place, by someone who was not an eyewitness. Vital RecordsCan be part Primary and part Secondary Sources. Birth Records, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates.

One thing we need to know when beginning this type of research is that there are several different types of records which will be referred to during the researching phase. Primary sources, secondary sources, and vital records. Primary sources are things such as diaries, pictures, letters, the family Bible, and birth certificates. Secondary sources, are records created by someone who was not an eyewitness at an event. Vital records are the most confusing source of the three. These records include birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates. Vital records can be considered primary and secondary sources. For example a death certificate is a primary source for the date of death, however it is consider a secondary source for the date of birth. This is because the birth certificate is the primary source for the date of birth. 5Basic Steps: Use the Genealogy research cycle. (Clifford, 2009)

Using the steps of the genealogy research cycle we will search for information, in order to better understand genealogy as a hands on process. This cycle is composed of 8 basic steps, from setting a goal to organizing they all have their importance to researchers. 6Step 1: Set a GoalMake sure the information you already have is accurate. Work backwards through generations.Choose an event which is missing.Dont make goals too complex. In order to have a common goal for the training the goal is: What day did Rosa Parks die? OUR GOAL

Set a goal for yourself. Its so much easier to be organized if you know what youre looking for. Make sure when you set your goal you work backwards through time. By starting at the most recent date and working backwards the information collected is sure to be correct. Make very specific goals. The more specific the goal is the easier finding the information will become. Our goal for this lesson is to find out the day Rosa Parks died. It doesnt relate specifically to anyone's personal genealogy, however it allows us to demonstrate the steps used to complete genealogical research. 7Step 2: Decide which sourceBelow is a list of some of the sources which can be used to locate specific types of information compiled from Research Your Family History Genealogy for the First Time by Laura Best (2003, pg 27). If you needPrimary Sources:Secondary Sources: Birth Date & PlaceVital records, family BibleMilitary, cemetery, obituary. Death Date & PlaceCemetery, vital recordsObituaryMaiden nameVital, family Bible.Census, newspaper. Marriage Date & PlaceFamily Bible, marriage certificate. Journal, newspaper. OUR GOALIn order to have a common goal for the training the goal is: What day did Rosa Parks die? Source: Vital records.

Once a goal has been decided, move onto the next step. Decide which source will be the most likely to have the information youre looking for. The book Research Your Family History: Genealogy for the First Time by Laura Best, may be a good starting point for new genealogists. It has a complete list of sources which can be used to find specific information. According to the information in the chart above, the sources which can help to answer our question What day did Rosa Parks die? include cemetery, vital records and obituaries. 8Step 3: Locate that SourceKeep a list of all documents which have been searched. Keep a research log of the date, the source, comments and results to stay better organized.Information such as the county of birth will assist searchers in locating information. OUR GOALIn order to have a common goal for the training the goal is: What day did Rosa Parks die? Source: Vital records. Social Security Death Master File

When completing a search for genealogy. During step three its important to stay organized. Keep a list of all documents which have been searched. One effective way to do so is to keep a log of the date, source, comments and the results from the source. The more information you have when beginning the search the less challenging the search will be. For our goal of finding What day did Rosa Parks Die the Social Security Death Master File, link above should be useful. It allows searchers to search for individuals no longer living by entering any or all of the following: the name; birthday; place of birth; or date of death. 9Step 4: Search that SourceBy entering Rosa Parks name and date of birth into the a list of individuals named Rosa Parks is found. OUR GOALIn order to have a common goal for the training the goal is: What day did Rosa Parks die? Source: Vital records. Social Security Death Master File

Now, try some hands on searching through the Social Security Death Master File link on the slide. Enter the information you think will be necessary to locate the date of Rosa Parks death. (Yes, Google would be faster, however when searching for personal relatives, Google may not be an option). 10Step 5: Copy the InformationOUR GOALBy entering Rosa Parks name and date of birth into the a list of individuals named Rosa Parks is found. The top entry listed is Rosa Louise Parks. This is the entry we were looking for. It gives her date of death as October 24, 2005. Ancestry does host a variety of records for genealogical research. However, a subscription is required to access a majority of the information.

Okay, did you find it? It is the top entry listed as Rosa Louise Parks. The date of death is listed as October 24, 2005. In order, to be able to access all of the information available you have to have a membership to the site, however libraries sometimes provide these memberships to their patrons. Step 5, recommends copying the information. This ensures that the information is in the researchers hands. It also ensures that they have a record other than their notes to reflect on when verifying facts. 11Step 6: Evaluate the InformationDoes the information found make sense?Does it follow the research which has already been completed? Is it the correct person? Or just someone with the same name? The more information you have to verify with the findings, the more accurate the results are.

Does it fit?

Step 6: Evaluate the information. Is the Rosa Louise Parks we located the Rosa Parks we were attempting to locate. Verify with other records. Does the time line fit? Does the information make sense? Having the wrong information can skew end results. Evaluate the information. If youre not sure its correct, check again. 12Step 7: Use the ResultsIf the information fits, put the puzzle piece where it belongs. Step 8: Organize & ReorganizeKeep your information organized, in what ever way makes the most sense to you. Concept charts, fan charts and pedigree charts are all methods to keep track of this information.

Step 7: use the information you found. You determined it was the correct information in response to the goal which was set. So enter the information into the Information I Already Have chart as appropriate. Finally keep yourself organized. There are many ways to organize information on genealogy. Research these methods and find the one which works for you. 13Additional resources for beginning genealogists. Print SourcesBest, L. (2003). Genealogy for the first time: Research your family history. United States: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. Helm, M. and A. L. Helm. (2008), Genealogy online for dummies. New Jersey: Wiley Publications. Melnkk, M. Y. (2002). The genealogists question & answer book. United States: Betterway Books.

Renic, P. (2003). Genealogy 101: How to trace your familys history and heritage. United States: Thomas Nelson.

The next few slides consist of a list of sources which can assist you in your future genealogical endeavors. Thank you and good luck! 14More additional resources for beginning genealogists. Local Sources (Tehama County, CA)Tehama County Genealogical and Historical Society. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.tcghsoc.org/. PeriodicalsFamily Tree Magazine. (2009). United States: F + W Media Inc.Online SourcesAncestry. (2009) Ancestry.com. Retrieved from http://www.ancestry.com/?. Ancestry. (2009). Genealogy.com. Retrieved from http://www.genealogy.com/index_r.html. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (2008). Family Search. Retrieved from http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp.

ReferencesBest, L. (2003). Genealogy for the first time: Research your family history. New York: Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.

Clifford, D. (2009) The research cycle. Genealogy.com. Retrieved from http://www.genealogy.com/84_clifford.html.

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