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eLearning Series: Geneology
My Family Tree is Important to Me
( 50 articles in this series )
Clues
To Your Ancestry: Local Library
Joining the world of genealogy research can
be quite exciting at times. At other times, though, it can
be confusing and difficult. It can be hard to locate sources
of information about your family; it can also be hard to figure
out who is related to whom. Starting your genealogy research
can be a difficult and daunting task. With so many resources
at your fingertips, it can be difficult to decide where to
start your research. One of the best places to begin your genealogy
research, though, is your local library.
There
are a number of different reasons to rely on your local
library for the beginnings of your genealogy research. The
first reason, though, is that they have trained personnel who
can help you find what you are looking for. Working on your
family history involves more research than you have probably
ever completed in your life. In most cases, the research you
will be working with is not simple research, either. It is
both complex and tedious. This is one reason to rely on your
local librarians for help. Most have degrees in library science,
so they know where to find the information you are looking
for. Moreover, many librarians deal with hundreds of people
each day, so it is possible that they have helped others with
the same difficulties you are experiencing. It is not beyond
the realm of possibility that they have already looked through
the copies of the 1890 census information ten times in the
past month. As a result, they might be able to give you a leg
up on where to find some of the information you require.
Another reason to work with your local library in the beginning
stages of your research is because over the past hundred years
or so, they have been accumulating material to help you with
your research. Everything from local newspapers to programs
from important town events might be contained in your library's
archives. In fact, many libraries have a special genealogy
section to help you with your research. Most compile thousands
of family histories, so you can cross reference your own work.
Many have census data dating back to 1790 on a federal, state,
and county level. Many also have city directories dating back
to the time the city you live in was founded. Moreover, if
you live near a port of entry into the United States, it is
likely that your local library has passenger lists of vehicles
carrying immigrants. Some local libraries even index military
records of local veterans.
Even if your local library has very little accumulated material
or if your family history does not begin in the town you currently
reside in, your local library will have online databases to
help you with your research. Most of these databases are only
accessible from your library, not from your home computer.
Many of them also have some pretty extensive instructions which
your local library can help you sort through as you begin to
use them.
As you begin your library sources, there are a few
things you should consider. First, you will want to rely mostly on
primary sources. A primary source is any document that contains
first-hand information. For example, your great-grandfather's
military record would be a primary source. Similarly, the 1890
census that lists your great-great aunt would also be considered
a primary source. However, this will not always be possible
with genealogy research. As a result, you should evaluate your
secondary sources carefully. You must decide how accurate the
information contained within might be. For example, if you
are looking at an autobiography written by the mine owner in
a small Kentucky town, you might be given a very different
view of the working conditions your grandfather was dealing
with than if you took your information from some letters he
wrote to your grandmother at the time he was working. The accuracy
of either source, though, can be doubtable at times. Both sources
can have wrong dates, and both can list wrong countries of
origin. If you end up being seriously stuck, sometimes it is
best to consult a professional genealogist for help, as they
have run up against the same problems you have many times over.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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