GENEALOGY 101
An Introduction to YourAncestorsGENEALOGY 101
Pulling your ancestors out of the tree. ..Does this look like
you trying to find your ancestors?
1. What do you already know?Fill out a pedigree chart with all
the information that you already knowCall or write relatives who
may be able to fill in the holes.Gather information around your
house that will provide more information
Try to fill this chart in with names, birth,death and marriage
dates, as well as the places where these events happened.PEDIGREE
CHART
Maybe your ancestors will be famous. . .Or Infamous. . .
The man you see in this picture is my 10thgreat grandfather,
Alexander Pearis. He embezzled most of the kings money from the
colony of South Carolina. His brother went to Salem, Massachusetts,
and STARTED the Salem Witch trials.
2. Contact as many of your family as you can:
Email your cousinInterview an aunt or uncleWrite a letter to
your grandmotherCall your dadMake a note of what information you
need and about whomAsk specific questions, e.g. Do you know where
your mother was born?Record the source of each piece of information
you obtain: date, person, relationship of person to information.
The best way to accomplish that is to use a research log.Generate
new questions from the information you obtain and reach out again
to those who might be able to answer those questions.
Plan for your contacts:
Using a research log like this one will help you keep track of
your efforts.
Gather InformationAt home
photosFamily BiblesVital records
Old letters
#3What happens if you do not organize your records?
When you first start out, you wont have much information. Easy,
you say. This will be a breeze to keep organized. . .A year or so
into your genealogy research, and this cartoon may be more
accurate.4. Set Up a Record Keeping System:
If you didnt record it, it didnt happen
Using a system of colored hanging folders, you can easily keep
family information together and find what you are looking for with
ease.Assigning colored notebooks to various surnames is one method
of keeping documents, photos, and group records for one family
together.Always begin with what you know the most about: your
family.Fill out a family group form to enable you to see what
information you have. BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH
#5Put Your Information on an Online Family Tree
Family Search is one option, but there are others available.
Ancestry.com is another choice, as is My Heritage.
Recording InformationWhen you are recording information on your
family tree:Names: Write the entire name the person was born with.
For women, this means giving their entire maiden name.Places: Give
all jurisdictions from smallest to largest. Separate with commas.
Do not use any abbreviations. Important Note: You do not have to
use the word county. In this area, you might record Scottsville,
Albemarle, Virginia, United States.Dates: Use the format
dd/mm/yyyy. Use no commas.
Fill in what you knowabout your family tree
Once you click search records, a lot of possible matches come
up. If you find one or more that matches your ancestor, you can
attach the source to the record in your family tree.If you do not
find any, you will have to look for records elsewhere on the
internet, by traveling to the location where your ancestor lives,
or by using a large repository such as the Family History Center,
the Library of Virginia, or the Library of Congress.6. Searching
for Records
We leave a paper trail as we move through life.Records have
always been kept, although we keep more today than in the
past.Churches keep birth and death records, as well as marriage
records. Often you will find that birth records are not available,
but baptismal records are.Governmental jurisdictions also keep
vital records: cities and towns, counties, states, and national.
This is true in most countries, although they may be labeled with
different words.Dont forget military and census records, although
the latter may not always be accurate.Often records include
additional information, such as occupations and other
relatives.
Searching RecordsRemember them
