BEGINNING GENEALOGY

Where did I come from?

(Red words in this presentation are vocabulary words; underlined text are links to Internet sites where samples and examples of information can be found)

Where do I begin?• Start with what you know– Begin by listing the family members you know

about– ANCESTORS go BACK from an individual– DESCENDANTS go FORWARD from an individual

– Siblings (brothers and sisters) are not included in ancestor charts

• On the chart:– Males go on top lines– Females go on bottom lines – always with their

maiden name: surname before they are married

Family Charts

• Your handout is a 4-generation chart

• More common chart is 8 ½” x 14”, five generation chart

• There is also an 8 ½” x 11”, five generation chart

Too Much Information?

• There can NEVER be too much information, but you CAN have more than will fit on your five generation chart.– Numbers show how to continue to next sheet

• Other charts are available for showing your information– 9 generation pedigree– 10 generation circular– 10 generation computer generated (produces 8

½ x 11)

But what about those siblings?

• They don’t belong on regular pedigree charts

• There are FAMILY GROUP SHEETS which let you record ALL the information about a family. They allow you to list:– Parents of the main couple in the family– Children– Children’s spouses– Grandchildren

Dead Ends? Really?

• Once you have your information in your charts, you need to look for “dead ends”:– These are end-of-line people whose

parents you do not know– This is where your research begins . . .

Dates, Ages, Places

• If you have dates (or A date) on this person, you will know the time period to look for.

• If you have no date, approximate the age based on what you know of the child.

• If you have no place, you will have to guess based on what you know of others in the family.

Birth Records• Until recently, most states did not have

birth records, so you will be looking for:– Family Bible records– Church baptismal records– Town records– Doctor or midwife records

• Look for marriage records in same place if they are not available from the state; also look for minister’s records – these may be separate from church if the minister was a “circuit rider”

Beginning to Research

• When you go to research, you want to look first for work already done on your family SURNAME.– Family Histories– Surname Index– City Directories

Getting Deeper and Deeper . . .

• Look for ABSTRACTS and INDEXES:– These are records compiled by others

covering the geographic area and approximate time period of your ancestor.• Look for books with indexes• Books without indexes should be saved

until later – they will require more time probably

Types of Records

• ABSTRACTS: books with a brief synopsis of the records they cover

• INDEXES: these index other records or books– Could be index for a book with no

original index– Could be records like court, church,

deed, or census records

Types of Records

• WPA records in Tennessee– These cover a variety of topics in each

county, especially court records– Available in the State Lib. & Archives in

Nashville–Most county libraries have them on

microfilm

Types of Records

• Cemetery records: will list various cemeteries and those buried there– INSCRIPTIONS IN STONE is a good one

for Henry County– There are a variety of ways of

organizing these, so look at how the book is arranged first; see if there are any specific directions for using the book

Types of Records

• Church records may also be found in libraries, but you may have to go to the church to get them– Some of the early ones have interesting stories

about church business, but you are looking for• Marriages• Births• Deaths• Baptisms/Christenings• But if all you can find of your ancestor is where he

was dismissed from the church, be glad you have it: it is better than no record at all!

Types of Records

• Original records– In Tennessee especially, but in other states to

some degree, these are on microfilm – both in the county library and the State L & A

– County court records• Wills• Administrations• Probates• Guardianships• Deeds

Types of Records

• Deeds can show a variety of things:– They ALWAYS indicate a change in

circumstance– Sometimes may say “ . . . late of the

state/county of _____”– Land may be divided among family members

who will be named– Marriage of a child may bring gift of land (“for

love and affection . . .”)– Sale of land to pay debts– Land used as collateral for a loan

Types of Records

• Newspaper obituaries– Obviously give date of death, but – most

importantly – give surviving relatives– In older papers, these are spread throughout

the paper; only in later papers are they clustered together

– May not be available for early dates or in rural areas

• Funeral home records – also very good if available

Types of Records• Census records– By far the most commonly accessed records– Beginning in 1790, there has been a federal

census every 10 years. They are only released after 72 years, however.

– Censuses at other special times – like before Tennessee became a state (or other states also)

– Only census NOT available is the 1890: fire destroyed that census data

– Information on the census has differed from year to year

Census Records• There are census recording sheets for

each census• Before1850, only the heads of households

were listed by name.– There was a columnar numeric system for

showing how many males and females of what age were in the household

• After 1850, all individuals in the household are listed along with some very helpful information for the researcher.

Census Records• Problems with the 1850?– Census takers paid for their own ink – some of

the records (usually only the pages you need) were written with watered down ink and are now so faded they are difficult to read

– Since the census takers were on horseback, they sometimes chose not to ford a swollen river or trek 5 miles over a mountain to get to one house:• They would go into the local general store and ask

for information about outlying households

– But even with its notorious inaccuracies, it is STILL the MAJOR starting place for many researchers

Census Records

• But since the census is taken house by house, there is NO alphabetical way of finding someone. So . . .

• There have been INDEXES for each census created BY STATE.

• There are varying degrees of “in depth” indexing here, but, again, ANY index is better than NO index!

Census Records• By 1880, the population had grown so

much that a new indexing system had to be developed. This system is called the SOUNDEX system:– You determine a letter and number CODE for

the surname you are looking for (the formula for determining this is located near the census cabinet where the microfilm is located).

– Once you have the film, the names are alphabetical by first name (or initial) within each number division. You may need help using it the first couple of times; don’t feel bad, we ALL needed help with it!

Internet?• Just a few brief words about the Internet

and research:– Some people find a lot of information about

their families on the Internet; don’t be disappointed if you are NOT one of those people.

– On the last slide I have listed some URL’s for sites that may prove helpful to you; searching these sites is just like looking anywhere else: you’ve got to be aware of how the information is arranged and how it was accumulated. In other words, just how accurate is it?

Internet?

• And even more so with Internet, be SURE of your source: – always ask for an original source or

copy of original document to back up what you have found

– ANYONE can put down information linking you to Louis XIV of France, but without the proper documentation, it is not worth the paper it is written on

Internet?

• Use “delimiters” when doing a search on the Internet– I prefer using Google.com as my search

engine because its “advanced setting” lets you “fill in the blanks” and specify things to search for or things NOT to search for.

– Remember that unless someone put your family’s information into some database out there somewhere, you will NOT find it!

Internet?

• Also, remember that when you search on the Internet, you don’t want to just type in your surname – or even the surname and a first name: you could get several hundred thousand hits!– Always include the word “genealogy” in your

search– You might also include the specific KIND of

record you want: like marriage records or death records

Ready, Set, Go . . .!• These are just a few things to help you get

started.• There are genealogy societies in most

communities who would love to have you join and who have members who can often help with questions you have.

• Often there are volunteers working at the public library who are willing to help you find the information you need

• But the most important thing you can do is ASK . . .

Ready, Set, . . . Go!

• Ask those older family members who are still living in your family – before they are gone and the history they know is gone with them. This is the most frequent mistake genealogists make - and it is the one that can be remedied if we act in time.

• Take a tape recorder, a video recorder or some such item and record your family’s history . . . future generations will be glad you did!

INTERNET LINKS• The next screen has several links to

internet sites. Remember that not all sites require documentation for people to list information. Always check with the person who posted the information to find out what source they used to find their information.

• http://www.kbyu.org/ancestors– Excellent link to assist in all phases of research

• http://www.ancestry.com– Many records, some free, some by subscription

• http://www.GenForum.com– Excellent way to communicate with others of your surname

(sub-section of Genealogy.com)• http://www.genealogy.com

– Another helpful site for all phases of research• http://www.clarksville.org/pulley/index.htm

– Excellent source of MANY additional links from handwriting to Melungeons

• http://www.cyndislist.com/– One of the most complete lists of sources you’ll find

• http://www.ancestry.com/save/charts/census.htm– charts for recording census information

• http://broadcasting.byu.edu/ancestors/charts/– various ancestor and family group charts – FREE

• http://www.familysearch.org– Excellent site; remember that posting here does not require

documentation: always find the original source