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eLearning Series: Geneology
My Family Tree is Important to Me
( 50 articles in this series )
How
To Research Your Family Tree
Researching
your family tree can be one of the most rewarding things
you will ever do. It can help you
to gain a sense of place. It can help give you a background
that you can understand and identify with. It is, however,
an arduous, and at times, overwhelming process that will take
years. When you get ready to start your genealogy research,
consider the following four areas: the family home, your own
information about important family events, interviews with
family members, and research that has already been completed
by others.
The first thing to consider when you start your research is
the family home. This may be your home or that of another relative.
While you don't necessarily have to be examining the home itself
(though you could be if it is been in the family for years),
you should be looking at heirlooms, gifts, and papers that
have been handed down from generation to generation. These
things can give you little bits of information about your relatives
from the past and their lives. They can also help to give you
some context in which to start your research.
When you begin this search, it is important not
to overlook anything, as items can have dates or manufacturer's stamps
that can help you identify places and dates. These relics can
also help you understand your relatives in the context of time
in terms of their tastes and social status within their time
period. Clothing like wedding dresses and military uniforms
can help demonstrate your relatives' sizes. Furniture is a
good indicator of social status. Jewelry is likely to be engraved
and, therefore, provide some dating clues. Books and letters
can provide some clue as to the educational status of your
family members. Toys and other kinds of collectibles can provide
some level of understanding as to the popular past times of
the period you are researching.
Once you've located the heirlooms that are valuable to your
research, be sure to store them properly. Light, temperature
changes in any extreme, insects, moisture, dust, and mold are
all real problems with object storage. Be sure to choose a
storage location and container that is free from these problems.
Before you do any sort of cleaning or displaying, be sure that
you know how to best care for the type of object you are dealing
with. Sometimes simply handling an object can destroy it. Do
a bit of research on how best to deal with your particular
object or consult a conservator. Once you've determined how
to handle the object, clean it carefully, and choose the best
method of display for it. Be sure to let relatives know, whether
in person or on paper, a little about the object. After all,
the secret treasure shouldn't go to the grave with you as it
did with your ancestors.
Once you've found your family heirlooms, work
on researching your own memories. Start by making a simple family tree with
birth dates, death dates, and any other information you can
come up with. Start with you and your children and work back
as far as you possibly can. This list, no matter how incomplete,
will help you decide where you have gaps in your information
and where you need to start your research. Once you've made
your list, consult a few other relatives to determine where
you are correct or to fill in the missing pieces.
This brings us to our next step: interviewing
family members.
You should not only interview them to discover the basic information,
you should also interview them to assemble some sense of oral
history: a story of their lives from their perspectives. Remember
that open ended questions get the best responses, and try to
be respectful at all times.
One thing you should consider as you begin the path to family
research is looking at what others have done before
you. If
you already know someone in your family who is working on a
family tree, contact them to share notes. You might also try
looking at places like the World Family Tree to see what has
been submitted about your family lines.
Discovering your ancestral roots can be a challenging process,
but it is usually well worth the information in the end. # # # # #
by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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