May be distributed and/or reprinted so long as (1) original credits and this notice are not removed, (2) any revisions, deletions, or additions are clearly identified, and (3) no charge is made, except possibly a nominal charge to cover copy costs. The authors offer this information freely to the community and make no warrantee as to its accuracy. How to Get Started Discussion Leader: phall@PrimeNet.Com (Peggy Hall) BEGINNERS GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED IN GENEALOGY It doesn't matter what reason you have for doing genealogy. It may be that you just want to fill out the tree in the family bible and get to know who your great-grandparents were. You may want to join a heritage or historical society that requires a compilation of information. You may want to learn about your family in a particular period in history. You may want to write a book. Or, you may just want a fascinating, relaxing hobby. Whatever the reason you have for getting started in genealogy there are methods that everyone will use to make the process easier, quicker and more rewarding. These methods will save countless hours and avoid duplicating efforts. How do you get started doing genealogy? Begin with yourself and your immediate family. Before you even think of making a trip to the library, gather information from your close family. They may have such things on hand as family bibles, marriage licenses, birth certificates, newspaper clippings, obituaries, journals, scrapbooks and other sources of immediate family information. Never ask to borrow treasured items, but do ask to see them and record the information contained therein, or ask relatives for photocopies. Write down what you know about your family and ask your relatives what they know. Record all the vital information about you and your family on FAMILY GROUP SHEETS. These can be purchased or you can make a form to be photocopied. Take care in recording all of the data and note your sources for even the smallest bit of information. Write down family traditions, but don't etch them in stone yet ! Sometimes they can be helpful and sometimes they can lead you astray, but they almost always contain some valid information. Don't be a "name-gatherer" who collects every name that even sounds like the lines you are working on. Be systematic in your efforts and work from a known ancestor to the next level. A LINEAGE CHART (Pedigree Chart) will help you in keeping track of direct ancestors and provide an at-a-glance reference for the surnames you are researching. ================================================================= Assemble available items from your immediate family. family bible records family trees documents birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates, military papers, social security records, insurance papers information birth, marriage and death notices from newspapers, etc. newspaper clippings photo albums, scrapbooks diaries and journals Have these supplies on hand. lineage chart family group sheets sharpened pencils/eraser (to record undocumented data) pens (to record proven or documented data) 3-ring binder with dividers for surnames loose-leaf paper for notes ================================================================= LINEAGE CHART Start the lineage chart (you don't need a pre-printed form to start) and place your name as number 1. Your father will be number 2. our mother will be number 3. Sample Lineage Chart -------------------- Generation #1 #2 #3 #4 ---------------------------------------------------- |8.___________ | (g-g-father) |4.__________| | (g-father) |9.____________ |2.__________| | (g-g-mother) | (father) | |10.___________ | | | 1.__________| |5.__________| (you) | (g-mother)|11.___________ | | | |12.___________ | | | |6.__________| | | |13.___________ |3.__________| | (mother) | | | |14.___________ | | |7.__________| |15.__________ You will notice there is a pattern to follow after the number one. Your father is number 2, his father is number 4 (twice the number). Your mother is number 3, one number higher than her husband. All the husbands will have an even number. All the wives will have an uneven number, one higher than the husband. Each succeeding generation will have a number double that of the generation before. This chart will help you to see what you have and what you need. It is a quick reference for surnames you want to research. You can take it to the library with you. ================================================================= AHNENTAFEL An ahnentafel (family tree) is like the lineage chart, but the format is different. Sample Ahnentafel ----------------- Generation 1 Birthdate #1 (name) Deathdate ----------------------------------------- Generation 2 (parents) #2 (father) #3 (mother) ----------------------------------------- Generation 3 (grandparents) #4 (father's father) #5 (father's mother) #6 (mother's father) #7 (mother's mother) ----------------------------------------- Generation 4 (great-grandparents) #8 (father of #4) #9 (mother of #4) #10 (father of #5) #11 (mother of #5) #12 (father of #6) #13 (mother of #6) #14 (father of #7) #15 (mother of #7) ------------------------------------------ Notice that each generation is double the number of persons of the generation before. This will continue in the same manner ad infinitum. ================================================================= Sample Family Group Sheet ------------------------- The typical Family Group Sheet should have the following headings. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Husband/Father Name (Full Legal Name) ("nickname") Birthdate / Place Baptism Date / Place Marriage Date / Place Death Date/Place Burial Date/Place Parents' Names Wife/Mother Name (Full Legal Maiden Name) ("nickname") Birthdate/ Place Baptism Date / Place Death Date/Place Burial Date/Place Parents' names ----------------------------------------------------------------- Child Name Birthdate Birthplace Marriage To #__ Baptism Date Place Date M/F Death Place Place ----------------------------------------------------------------- | |.............|..............|.............. | |.............|..............|.............. |__________________|_____________|______________|______________ | | | | (Continue for each child, using additional pages and note parents names on 2nd sheet.) At the bottom of this sheet note the sources for the information. You can place a small circled number next to the data and carry that number down to the source area. ================================================================= TIPS FOR RECORDING INFORMATION ------------------------------ Names ----- Always record the full legal name. Place nicknames in quote marks. Never guess at a name. Never abbreviate a name. Don't guess about the sex of a person based on the name. If you know the name of the church where the couple was married, indicate it on the marriage line. If the marriage ended in divorce note that also. Dates ----- When recording dates use the format day-month-year as 15 Oct 1902. This will avoid any confusion that may result from transposing the numbers day/month. Also, when working with European records note that the format month-day-year is often used. If you have the month written as a word the date will be very clear. Always use the complete year. Write 1842 not '42. Always use "about" or "circa" or "c" to indicate an approximate year. If you estimate a birthdate from a source, as in "8 years old in 1850 census" indicate that in your notes on sources. Always specify whether the place names are towns, counties, states or countries. And, when recording the names they are recorded in that order. It is very important to specify the county. This is the place where you will find most of the vital records in doing U. S. genealogy. Children -------- Record children in their birth order. If children are adopted, make a note. List their other names in notes, if known. List a child's first spouse on the group sheet. List additional spouses in notes. If a child's first name is not known record as (unknown) or if sex in known then write (daughter) or (son). If a child died in infancy then draw a diagonal line through the marriage space, so you won't keep looking for that information. Don't assume all the children belong to the same mother. Sources ------- If the source of information is a person, write that person's name and relationship in notes. Get a possible source if you can. If the source of information is a family bible or document record the name of the person who owns it. Keep a list of sources you have researched. You may forget a year from now that you checked it and you will be doubling efforts if you do not not have a reference list. ================================================================= Formats may vary, but the essential information is the same. Once you fill out all information from the available documents, you will readily be able to see what information you have and what information you don't have. From the available information you have recorded you will be able to make out a research plan. Research goals and activities will be discussed in forthcoming lessons. ***************************************************************** Discussion ** Maps: If you are researching US families you will want maps that show the county boundaries. The state highway maps that you can pick up at state tourist welcome centers will usually show the modern county boundaries. These boundaries are pretty stable now, but during the first 250 years of settlement in what is now the US, county (and even state) boundaries changed at lot as people settled farther and farther west. Where these boundaries actually were at different times is important to anyone researching US families, because many records you will want to use were collected and held by the county government, and even those that were actually collected by the state or Federal government may (like the census) be organized by county within each state. County divisions are also reflected in the way published data may be presented and the way libraries organize their holdings. Two references that help US researchers keep track of counties, how they changed, and what records may be available there are Everton's Handybook for Genealogists and Ancestry's Red Book. -- Alicia E Towster . : ====== ** Sources and Backups: Regarding "Sources", Sources are vital, but I can't figure out how or where the best place to note them. My computer has a input available, however, the sources must be very short. Where on a handwritten "Family Group Sheet" do you place these sources ? (I always keep handwritten genealogy sheets to back up any problems on my computer) -- Deanna Dowell **** Where you put sources on a computer depends on the particular program you're using. Some people just use word processors, and make up their own ways to keep sources, with plenty of computer memory available if they want it. Different genealogy programs handle the source question differently. In my case, I use Family Origins for Windows, which has a "Source" field which I never use. Instead, I put material for which a source is necessary under "General Note", along with the source. Even this leads to a memory problem, since this program limits the length of a "General Note" (although a "General Note" can be considerably longer than a "Source"). I overcome this by entering a person's name more than once as the child of his/her parents when more than one "General Note" is needed, with a mark to show the duplication. For example, my grandfather Charles Wiley FISHER is entered as the son of his parents 6 times at present, as FISHER, Charles Wiley FISHER, Charles Wiley + FISHER, Charles Wiley ++ , etc. As to keeping a handwritten copy of family group sheets, I take it your program won't print out family group sheets (which my program will), or that you don't have a printer available. Of course, I also keep backups of my genealogy file on diskettes (and even a backup on my hard disk, along with the database itself). I don't keep my data on family group sheets at all (unless they're requested for somebody else's convenience). I prefer to print out parts of modified registers, Ahnentafeln, or GEDCOM files, with or without notes included (all possible with my program, and I expect with other good genealogy programs). -- Gordon Fisher (FAC_FISHER@vax1.acs.jmu.edu) **** I keep my original records ie birth death and such in a acid free plastic sleeve. I keep them in a safe place where I won't have to replace them. I have copies made of them and use the copies for use and to handle. I would rather replace a .10 cent copy than a $10 dollar copy I got from the vital records. -- Lawrence Harvey Dunbar **** I use Brother's Keeper for my computer program and it has an area for sources, as well as short notes. The advantage I find is that I can link text files to a particular name so the histories of the people can be added with a notation of where the source came from. I also keep hard copies of my Family Group sheets along with photocopies of where I got the information from. On the back of each person's sheet is a notation of where the original material came from. At least that way when the hard drive crashes I at least have all the info available to put back in. Obviously I keep a Gedcom backup as well. -- Gordon Lane Thanks, Gordan for the helpful info on noting sources. I have Roots by Quinsept, which allows me lotz of room to note all the little details I'd like to know about the individual, but then I basically run out of room for the sources...And, (this is terrible - - -I must be old), my program prints out all kinds of groups, personal, descendent, pedigree, whatever sheets, and I do have a printer - - but the information just looks - - - - good when it's handwritten. I think I'm scared that no one will be able to run this program when I kick off, so I'd rather have it the old-fashioned way....Boy, do I make genealogy hard!!!!! -- Dowell, Deanna **** Whatever you do, keep citation of sources. I didn't do this in my pre-computer days, and I'm sorry now. Since then I have compiled a bibliography that runs half a dozen full-size pages in 9-point type. Whatever you do, BACK UP everything on disk! I have everything in duplicate--plus a periodically-updated copy at my daughter's house out-of-town, in case of fire. -- camfield@olympus.net (Tom Camfield): **** One thing about clippings, Always get the top of the paper that the clipping came from, The name of the paper and the date, also the page no. if it is a big paper. In years later it isn't much help to have a clipping about an obit but not know which paper it came out of. Always get where you got something from. NOTES NOTES NOTES My wife was stumped for a long time and then she went to Ron Bremmer's seminar and got his book he stressed going back to basics and not skipping anything. Since then she has made great progress. -- Lawrence Harvey Dunbar ====== ** Organizing For Your Research Trips: When we go on a trip either to the local family history center or to a distant library or genealogical center, like the mid continent library in Independence MO or the national archives in KC MO., We use a program that is a utility for PAF. It prints the main information on a person in condensed print on a 3 x 5 card. We put it instead, on the top of a new sheet of paper, under that we print the notes on that person. We now have all we need to do research on that person. We know what we have on him and in the notes we know where we have looked and what the results were. The next best thing would be a lap top. -- Lawrence Harvey Dunbar **** Buy a small paperback address book for Genealogy - Mine is about 3" x 5". Use the SURNAMES as the alphabetical filing focus, rather than the names of the people you're corresponding with. In other words, if you're looking for the surname, BROWN, list all the addresses of the people, libraries, courthouses, etc. you're working with under the "B's" for BROWN. This way, all the information for one surname is kept in one place. I keep mine tucked into my workbook while at the library, etc, and can always check to see 1.) how many copies I need of the item I've found, 2.) quick calls to someone for clarification, 3.) quick back-up for courthouse addresses, etc. -- Deanna Dowell **** The best way I have found to keep my information organized is with a 3-ring binder. I take copies of every record I find pertaining to my research. This way I have actual documentation as well as my sources in hand. Is this incorrect? I find this way of organizing less time consuming and it gives me more time to search records. Please let me know your opinions. -- cath1019@aol.com (Cath1019) **** The 3-ring binder method is one I've been using since 1989 when I started making trips to the areas where my ancestors settled. My mother's 67-year-old brother has made his retirement home not too many miles from where several generations of maternal ancestors are buried in a country cemetery. And so I have made several trips to this area and am likely to keep going back. In my binder are detailed maps of the area, photocopies of documents, photos of ancestors copied from past trips when I have visited relatives with the originals, and a list of new people to contact with addresses and phone numbers. Cousins much younger than I am are now getting interested in this ongoing detective story. And since they live much closer to where the family settled, they have been able to come up with all kinds of useful material -- like old newspaper clippings and photos of yesteryear run in small town newspapers. Back for a funeral in October, I stayed with this uncle who is closer to my age than he is to my mother's age. (She was 14 when he was born.) My uncle is interested enough in my genealogy project that he drove me to the country seat and waited while I checked on marriage records, wills and other information. I found a marriage license of my great grandfather's sister there and then a couple of days later visiting the widow of my mother's first cousin, I found a photo of the couple and copied it on the spot. This time I had remembered the close-up lenses for the camera. Genealogy has kept me in closer touch with cousins whom I played with as a child on visits to my maternal grandparents and then didn't see for many years. -- daleoc@interaccess.com (Dale O'Connor) **** I do not use formal descent charts. I do not use genealogical software. All of my information is in text form, with the addition of descent charts inserted wherever I take a notion. (They're easy; all one needs are vertical and horizontal lines, plus tab stops. . . and a little patience.) All of my material is in text form. Each surname has a separate "chapter" and a separate computer file. The good part is that: at any given moment, I can print and bind everything I have into book form. The downside is: trying to find anything in a hurry. I don't particularly advise following my lead. I just happen to be rather remotely located, well beyond school age--and self-taught on computer use, software use, etc. This is just how I turned out. -- camfield@olympus.net (Tom Camfield): **** I have a laptop that will run off it's battery and always take it with me, it is more portable and contains more information than any amount of paper that I could carry. That way all my paper remains at home in a file cabinet where I don't have to worry about losing it. I do have paper that I carry with me, blank certificates of various sorts, I make notes on the computer and also on paper, I can file the paper when I get home and use it for documentation if I need it. Otherwise, I will get to a library and find something unexpected and not be able to see where it fits in. Libraries and courthouses have little objection to small computers. -- Pat Thomas