Knowing who we are and where we came from can greatly enrich our lives
today. Our ancestry is more than just names on a pedigree chart; it is
the blood line that flows through us today and future generations. This
knowledge must be what is leading millions of people to search each day
for their own roots.
Beginning your family history or genealogy can be an overwhelming task
if you don't know where to begin. Expert genealogists all agree that
the place to start is with your own personal information. After all, it
is the family history of your children and grandchildren. Why not start
it for them? Once you have written down your full name, using the
maiden name for a married woman, you need to fill in what is called
your vital statistics. This is your birth date and place and the date
and location of your marriage, if married. You may also want to write
the date and location of a baptism or christening.
Next, write down everything you know about your parents. If you are the
"trunk" these are the next "branches" on your family tree. Again fill
in all of the vital statistics you know about these close relatives.
From there you can work your way up the tree to grandparents and great
grandparents, including death dates and burial places for those who
have passed on. Be sure to ask living family members all they remember
about their parents and grandparents. These are excellent leads to
finding verification of the spoken information you obtain.
Verification of family history is important. Memories fade and facts
can get confounded. The city and town courthouses will contain records,
as well as national census databases. Birth, marriage, and death
certificates contain usually, but not always, the most accurate
information for verification. Many of these records are available
online through subscription services and the volunteer efforts of many
genealogical societies.
This is the beginning of a legacy you can leave your children. You can
help them know all about their ancestors and understand just where they
came from. There are many skills associated with the research such as
note taking, verifying, record finding, using the U.S. Census and
Archives. The detailed procedures that will help you find those long
lost ancestors are contained in the pages of the electronic manual.
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