Getting Started & Treasures in the Attic

http://ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/2082.asp Step 1 & 2

Fewer hobbies anywhere offer the reward of genealogy. This hobby can and will take you on a journey of discovery of your ancestors and their lives.

This journey can:• Take you to places you have never been• Learn who you ancestors really were and their personalities• Every journey begins with a single step. This first step is you!

We will discuss some of the areas that you can collect and things you can do to start on this journey.

Where do I start?

• At your own home

1. Collect all the birth certificates, ordinations, baptisms, education, marriage certificates, military records, and anything else you can find.

2. Write down on a family group or pedigree any information you find in these records

3. Remember the Who, What, When, Where, and Why questions.

Who• Write the persons full name, including any middle

names, and titles. Spelling does matter here.

1. You can find the name spelled several ways, make note of all the spellings.

• For females you always use their maiden name. You can write her married name like this (Jones) if all you have is a married name.

• If they have a nick name or go by something else, you can do the following. William “Billy”. Nicknames can serve as a clue.

What• Identify every event as clearly as possible.

Examples:

1. Graduation – tell what level of school they graduated from

2. Schools – list the city, county, and state• Abbreviations should be standard ones IF

used. Such as b = birth, bap = baptism. Use as little abbreviations as possible. Someone coming after you might not know what you mean, so it is better to write it all out.

Where

• Record everything you know about the locations. Keep looking for further information. If a birth happened at a hospital, then record the hospital name, city, county, and state.

• Do not abbreviate places, Temple Ready will not recognize them

• Learn as much as you can about the areas your ancestors came from. Did the city names change, did the boundaries change

When

• When writing dates use the standard form for genealogy. Example 4 Mar 2003

When you use 04/03/03, it can be interpreted several ways.

• Always include all four digits of the year

Evidence

• This is the most important area of our research.• Record your sources as thoroughly as possible.

Could someone find your source by what you have given?

• If you have recorded your sources thoroughly, it could save you from retracing your steps, it can lend reliability and accuracy to your work.

• Maintain a list of your sources that could serve as a bibliography for a finished book. PAF can store these sources for you.

Record your Research• 3 x 5 cards – can be used to record information that

needs to be input into your PAF program. Record all that you can find

• Pedigree Charts – place you as number one. You could color code these to go with your filing system.

• Family group sheets – document all information that is on your sheet. Do you have a source to prove every event?

• Research logs – this is a most valuable tool in your research. This can track the Who, What, Where, When, and Why’s. These are also helpful at the libraries. Please use pencils at the libraries.

The Attic, The Basement, or Where Ever!

• Where do you or other family members store their treasures?

1. The Attic

2. The basement

3. An extra room

4. A storage unit• Use these storage places and go through the

treasures.

Do you have Pack Rats in your Family?

• This could be a very valuable find!– Journals– Letters– Histories– Photos– Diaries– You name it, it could be there!

Example: Bob and Barbara

Other Items

• Old family bibles, with names and dates• Certificates of all kinds – birth, death, marriage,

blessings, christenings• Funerals and funeral cards• Wills• House property papers• Report cards• Old news papers• Naturalization papers• Any of these documents could give names, dates, and

family names, occupations, and places.

Letters

• Can give you a glimpse into the past

• Important dates and events

• Feelings of the person writing the letter

• Place they have lived or visited

Scrapbooks

• These can have some interesting facts about a family• Mementos – what was important to the individual

– Athletics

– School

– Work

– Entertainment

– Vacations

• While these might not have much genealogical information you can find out about your ancestors

Military memorabilia

• This is a major source for genealogical data– Group photos

– Weapons

– Uniforms

– Unit histories

– These can put a person in a particular place and time, could lead you to further information

School Records

• Report cards• Registration papers could show names of parents• School year books• Student essays • Certificates of achievement• Diplomas

All give a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors

Licenses

• Drivers licenses• Professional licenses• Hunting/fishing licenses• Social Security cards

All of these could give you valuable information and documentation to your research.

Family History Do’s & Don’tsChurch News March 23, 2002

• Concentrate on your own lines• Check your names for duplication against Temple

Ready by using the update, then use the search function, then check against the IGI at www.familysearch.org After these steps you are then ready to complete a TempleReady to take the names to the temple

• Do not submit names for celebrities, historical personalities or persons of European countries prior to A.D. 1500

• Do not “invent” ancestors by adding Mr. and Mrs. You will get error messages on TempleReady

• Put the name descriptions in the “known as” area on the input screen of PAF. Such as Jr., Dr., Reverend, Colonel, General etc.

• When a name is unknown it is best to leave it blank

• Instead of putting names in quotes use the word, Example William or Bill

• Do not estimate dates if there are exact dates obtainable

• Submit only enough names that can be completed in a reasonable time

• Proofread you records for accuracy• Most ordinance duplication is caused when members

submit the same records more than once• Consider the feelings of others when submitting

names that are not directly related to you

Journals & Life Historieshttp://www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/aug01/journal.html

• You could have a journal and record what you are finding and how you feel. Record your joys, frustrations and feelings about your searches.

• Journals vs Research Logs – Both can serve a very important purpose

• 5 perks of journaling1. Analyzing and organizing - sort out what you find2. Reviewing and planning – journals have room for you to write why

you feel the way you do about your searches3. Recording and researching family histories – record those stories

you have heard many times4. Sharing your search – good way to share your excitement5. Telling the whole story – As you uncover new evidence of stories

you can document your finds

Web Sites

• Life Journal – software program for journalers. http://lifejournal.com/

• Journal writing for You – Different stories and helps http://www.journalforyou.com/

Learning how to Web Sites• Center for Family History and Genealogy at BYU

http://261.byu.edu/ notice the other links along the top bar at this site.

• Genealogy.com’s site for beginners with how to lessons http://www.genealogy.com/genehelp.html

• This site was set up for Family History Consultants, however there is a lot of great information here. http://members.cox.net/fhconsultants/

• RootsWeb.com lessons – http://rwguide.rootsweb.com

Family History Story web sites

• Creating a Family History Book - http://www.genealogy.com/21_prze.html?Welcome=1046753170

• The Mechanics of Writing your Family History - http://genealogy.com/202/lesson6/course6_02.html

• Biography Assistant - http://genealogy.com/bio/index.html • “Fundamentals of Life Stories Writing” workshop –

www.writersonlineworkshops.com • How to write a family history: the lives and times of our

ancestors – www.familychronicle.com/fitzhugh.htm • Genealogy time line – http://home.netcom.com/~genealogy• Time lines – http://dmarie.com/timecap/ • Perpetual Calendar Calculator -

http://www.searchforancestors.com/utility/perpetualcalendar.html

Web sites for Worksheets• KBYU Ancestors -

http://www.byubroadcasting.org/ancestors/charts/ • Individual Data Compiler

-http://www.michiganancestry.com/files/individata.pdf • Family Tree Magazine forms -

http://familytreemagazine.com/forms/download.html • Ancestry.com charts -

http://ancestry.com/save/charts/researchcal.htm • FamilySearch.org forms - Search/Research helps/Sort by

document type http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rhelps.asp?Page=./research/type/Form.asp&ActiveTab=Type

• Cyndislist.com forms - http://www.cyndislist.com/supplies.htm#Online

• Rootsweb.com http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/get_started/charts_forms.html

Genealogy is all about clues. We are a detective looking for what clues are out there.

It is a hobby that provides great pleasure.

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Keep in mind that you have embarked on a journey that could prove to be the most memorable you have ever undertaken.

Defrag hard drives

• This should be done once a month. It takes parts of file and puts them into one place. It helps your computer to run faster and smoother.– Steps:– Start– Programs– Accessories– System Tools– System Defragmenter– From here it varies with each windows version what you would

push to make it start.– Windows XP you can analyze and then defrayment

• Always remember to keep your recycle bin emptied also.