Your Family Tree – Interview Your Relatives For Family History Stories and Other Treasures

As you build your family tree, you may find that all you have are names, dates, and places along with a few documents to prove each detail. However, this simply gives you the bare bones of your line of descent from ancestors. To enrich the family history of your relatives and your ancestors, you will need more details and stories. Here are some ideas on how to find stories and other treasure which will give you more of a picture of your ancestors’ lives and times.

Start by looking at your basic family tree and identify several gaps or very limited information on individuals. For instance, you see that you know very little about your grandparents and their brothers and sisters. If you have their birth dates and birth places, where they lived when growing up, you could ask questions of any of the older living relatives. Not sure if they would be interested in answering your questions? You might find that relatives will be happy to cooperate and are interested in what you are doing. And, glad that someone else is doing this research!

At any time when relatives get together, use the opportunity to ask questions. Some of these questions may be about clarifying data you have: such as occupations, residence moves, immigration, engagements and marriages, burial places. But here are some other questions that could bring out more stories, and may encourage your relatives to bring out their old photo albums and other genealogy treasure!

Mail a list of some of the following questions for your relatives before you go to visit, or telephone them. Don’t overwhelm them with too many questions! Then, go over these and other questions with your Aunt Ethel or your Great-Uncle Hal over a cup of tea. You may find it helpful to bring a recorder as well as a few photos of the older relatives.

• Did Grandma and Grandpa ever talk about their engagement or wedding? Or about other relatives’ weddings?


• Do you remember if anyone in our family joined the military, fighting in WWI or WWII, or other battles?


• Did anyone in the family die in the battles? buried where? any medals given?


• Those who did not join the military, what did they do at home?


• Do you know why Grandma and Grandpa moved from Ireland to England, or when?


• Do you remember hearing how they travelled across Canada to BC in 1914?


• Who in the family has been in touch with any of the relatives who stayed in England?


• How did your parents and/or grandparents celebrate holidays or birthdays?


• What kinds of jobs did our grandparents (and/or their parents) do when they were young, when they were older?


• Did anyone in the family like to play pranks on others? or tell jokes? or love to tell stories?


• Do you know if anyone in the family loved to dance or sing, or play an instrument?


• What did they do in the evenings together? What card games or other things did they do?


• What was it like growing up in that time? What were the days like? the weekends? the holidays?


• I saw on the censuses that the family lived in one town for over 20 years – did they own property there?


• What do you remember about the area, the town?


• Where did the kids play, and what kinds of games did they like to play?


• What did your parents or grandparents die of – do you remember?


• Was anything special handed down from one person to another in the family?


• What did you and your best friends do during the days, the weekends, the summers?


• What do you remember about getting sick, about what your parents did about illnesses?


• Were there any funny sayings or things one parent said a lot that you remember?


• Do you know if anyone got divorced? and how that was done? how other relatives felt about that?

Have you found that one line of family relatives seem quite cool to the idea and not very helpful? Other researchers have found that one can get some cooperation by asking very politely for “corrections” to the family history and details, and deliberately make a few errors in dates! Sneaky, but effective!

Bring a few older photographs out of your photo albums, if you have any. You could also bring a 4 or 5 generation family sheet, with a few family group records as well, that they may be able to look at and fill in a few gaps or give you some stories. Sometimes it just takes a photograph and a question to start the details flowing. Happy searching!

Retired from the fields of individual rehabilitation and family counselling, Celia is excited to offer quality information, resources, and services for beginners in Genealogy. If you are a beginner, check out the RootsBasic booklet, at http://www.rootsbasic.com – an inexpensive guide to help you get started, including 16 practical forms to help keep you organized. FREE resources: articles, newsletters, online links and more on RootsBasic: Genealogy for Beginners.

 

Your Family Tree – You Can Trace Your Ancestors With Free Or Inexpensive Online Resources

Your Family Tree: You Can Trace Your Ancestors With Free or Inexpensive Online Resources

As a beginner in genealogy you may be wondering how expensive it can be to get on the internet and build a family tree going back “lepleteen” generations, as my granddaughter counts. You will be glad to know that genealogy can be a recession-proof hobby. Here are 5 sources you can use to help you find ancestors and build your family tree correctly, without breaking your budget.

FREE Family Tree Software Programs

Use a software program designed to keep your ancestors’ details organized the correct way, and in a form that will let you share with others in the family as well. Two possible free options could be the Standard version of “Legacy” from legacyfamilytree, or “PAF” found on the FamilySearch website. A number of other programs are available for under US$60. Remember that some commercial websites offering genealogy resources may provide a free copy of a software program with a one year membership.

FREE Databases To Search And To View

The world’s largest database is also free, on the FamilySearch website. With cameras recording documents, registers, and records all over the world, FamilySearch has information and details available for the searching. From their Family History Centers (in many regions) or from your local public library, you can also request microfilms of specific places and documents for a minimal charge.

Commercial sites frequently carry some specific databases free for searching as well as viewing of the document online. For example: 1881 Canada Census, 1881 U.K. Census, 1880 U.S. Census records are all free on several sites such as Lost Cousins and on Ancestry. Another possibility: WorldVitalRecords provides up to 2 weeks searches and views free on NEW databases it adds, such as a particular state published histories, or civil war pension lists. It is worth searching through any commercial site to find any free databases: contact the company for more information on free searches and free views.

WorldGenWeb or USGenWeb are non-profit volunteer organizations providing genealogical and historical records and resources. They are very variable in quantity and quality of offerings, but are well worth searching for your ancestors.

Your local library may have one or more commercial sites (library version) available free of charge to you with your library card. HeritageQuest and Ancestry.com are two which may be available, so ask your librarian! Family History Centers may have the database of the New England Historic Genealogical Society available for you to search at their centers, and for free.

Finally, remember that many commercial sites will allow you to search free… but charge you to view the original documents that your information is on, such as findmypast in the U.K., or scotlandspeople. If you are very detailed and specific in your searches, you may actually be able to pin down who it is you are looking for through these free searches!

FREE Gravestone Information, Inscriptions, and Photos

An amazing resource, gravestones offer much to the beginner in genealogy. You may be able to trace your ancestors by finding their gravestone with all its details, next to a wife (or two) and children. You may find the wife’s maiden name as well, a great boon. Findagrave is one of several such internet sites devoted to cemeteries inhabitants. It is a relatively large free site, and you may receive photos of your ancestors’ graves simply by making a request. Volunteers do the legwork of photography and then contacting you with the photos, usually emailed. And, as these volunteers are from the village or region, they may also have more information on the family or history of the area. Wonderful resources in finding ancestors.

FREE Paperwork: Charts, Forms, “Tree” drawings

You will need to keep your information organized, remember various document details, list where a family or an ancestor lived at various times, plus all the dates and places. How can you do this? By using forms and charts designed for the purpose. Rather than re-invent the wheel, use the various free charts and forms available on many many sites, which can be downloaded to your computer and printed. Check on Cyndi’s List for free forms; click on “genealogy resources” on government web sites and blogs; click on Get Started on familytreemagazine, and then click on Free Forms to download a number of helpful charts and forms. Use Cyndi’s List or a search engine to search for tree drawings you could use for 2-3 generations “trees”. It is all available for the asking. Your library likely has genealogy books with forms at the back which may be copied for your own personal use, as well.

FREE Genealogy Newsletters & Blogs & How-To’s

These are wonderful resources for the beginner in genealogy. Others have been able to do genealogy research online as well as offline, and love to share their findings. As you search online, look for sign-up boxes for “Free Newsletter” since many commercial sites as well as professional genealogists offer helpful email newsletters. Search for Genealogy Blogs as a topic, and browse through the wonderful variety available online. Blogs are short personal writings, like a brief letter or note, on a specific topic. You can always unsubscribe if you find a blog or newsletter not useful to you.

Researching family history need not be expensive. With these free ideas, you will be able to find your ancestors and build up family trees, learning more and more from genealogy research sites. Enjoy your searches.

Retired from the fields of individual rehabilitation and family counselling, Celia is excited to offer quality information, resources, and services for beginners in Genealogy. If you are a beginner, check out the RootsBasic booklet, at http://www.rootsbasic.com – an inexpensive guide to help you get started, including 16 practical forms to help keep you organized. FREE resources: articles, newsletters, online links and more on RootsBasic:Genealogy for Beginners.

 

Mormon Church Genealogy – The Basics

One of the largest and most popular sources for those researching their ancestry is the Mormon Church genealogy records. The Mormons, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (often abbreviated as LDS), have created an invaluable resource for those why may be on the quest for historical records. The Mormon Family History Library, housing thousands of documents and other records, is located in Salt Lake City, Utah; thankfully for those who are searching, the records are searchable from afar, via several different methods.

Access to the records that have been made available through the Family History Library is not limited to members of the Church itself. The records that consist of a complied collection of millions of microfilms, microfiche, books and handwritten records from across the globe are available, at no cost, to any person who wishes to access them. The records contain data from not only North America but also from Europe, and even as far away as China; the extensive collection of US records includes all of the US Census records from 1790-1920, as well as county and state records that can offers a rare source of family history. In the late ’60′s, the Church created the International Genealogical Index; a comprehensive listing of birth and marriage records of deceased individuals. An enormous amount of effort has gone into the creation and maintenance of this index; including extensive travel and research, by volunteers, into the millions of names that are researchable. The Index also houses military and social security death records that can assist with family history research by providing much sought after dates.

While the Family History Library is open to the public there are a number of ways to access the records in lieu of a trip to Salt Lake City! The most commonly used and easiest method is to search via the internet. It is important to note that while major efforts are underway to digitize the records, not all of the records are yet available for online searching. The information contained within their database is simply data; there are very few scanned copies of actual documents. So do bear in mind that there may be a few errors of the human nature.

An interesting offering by the Mormon Church is the Family Registry; this registry will help to connect you with other researchers who may be doing their own research on another branch of the same tree that you are investigating. A good portion of the research that you are seeking may have already been located by another researcher. Making contact with other researchers is a great way to not only add to your knowledge but it is also a great way to share your own research.

Making direct contact with the Mormon library is, in itself, a good way to get started with your research into Mormon Church genealogy records. While the church staff cannot do your research for you, their helpful hints and tips will go a long way towards pointing you in the right direction to ensure that you get the most out of your searching. Their knowledge of the expansive archives will help to ensure that you are looking in the right place!

Jeff Sallee is a genealogy enthusiast, and enjoys helping others get started in this satisfying hobby. For more information on his no-cost mini-course or other Mormon Church genealogy articles visit http://www.SecretsOfGenealogy.com where Jeff exposes some of the latest secrets of genealogy research to other enthusiasts who want to climb higher into the family tree.

Make Your Genealogy Research Easier With Roboform

Every single day we’re reminded that there are a huge selection of new products offered; and in addition they all look like they’re clamoring for attention. Many of us are busy, must allocate our time. We don’t have enough time to check out all those new products. Since there is so very little of worth within the majority of offers thrown at us, we become calloused and fed up with them, generally just dismiss them all. Usually this works O.K.

You’ll find exceptions, however…

A few are actually quite good, worth a 2nd look. An example of one such, within the genealogy toolkit category, and referred to as Roboform shows promise.

This has been dreamed-up and developed by Syber Systems Inc., who is now offering it. What exactly makes Roboform more advanced than/better than the competition? Exactly why are its sales going up? What it has been doing is putting your password on speed dial.

Specifically, you’ll find three substantial advantages that set Roboform apart from its competitors, 3 principal benefits that customers mention in their many testimonials. These benefit-attributes are no more passwords to remember, log into websites automatically and completely secure with the strongest encryption included. Let us evaluate each of these in turn:

1. Roboform remembers your passwords for you and can even generate complex passwords for you, making your online accounts more secure.

2. No more writing your logins to your favorite genealogy websites and database accounts on sticky notes or scraps of paper. Roboform remembers your accounts and passwords for you.

3. With security as the highest priority, Roboform has undergone numerous security reviews and is confidently used by Fortune 500 companies and the US government.

Very well, we’ve looked over the positive side, what is there on the negative side for Roboform? What are its problems?

Most likely the main limitation/drawback is you do have to remember your Roboform password to log in if you choose to protect your files with a Master Password.

All-in-all, Roboform generally seems to have unique and valuable benefits that cause it to be noticeable. It would be a rewarding investment for you if you are able to use its capabilities. It’s certainly worth thinking about.

Uncover more helpful Genealogy tips and tricks found in my Genealogy Toolkit page at FoundinMyFamilyTree.com.

 

Genealogy Popularity

Everyone describes genealogy as being an extremely popular hobby, up there with gardening and stamp and coin collecting. Many people are interested in the history of their families.

The increasing popularity of family history brought this trend to national attention in 1995. In 1995, some 113 million adults in the US, or four out of ten of us, were at least somewhat interested in family history. This made genealogy one of America’s most popular hobbies.

Most people these days have more free time than ever before. Many also have more disposable income. This means that people are on the look out for something new and interesting to take up as a hobby. Genealogy certainly fits the bill.

Some people take genealogy because they want to confirm the story they heard about a family member, others just want to know their family’s history.

One of the best sources is your parents and grandparents. You can talk with them to find the start point for your genealogical research. Photos and letters are also the source of your information. Some of these things may be hidden in old books.

In these days, you can find many website on genealogy. The Internet makes genealogical research much easier. There are many websites which provide services for helping people explore their family history. These websites include many historical records such as births, deaths, marriages, and military service. On the Internet, you also can find many suggestions and tips about how to find your ancestors and how to write your family’s history.

Genealogy grows in popularity partially because it provides a lot of fun. At the same time, it enriches your knowledge on history. Through genealogy, you can not only know better about your ancestors but also yourself.

Information for Your Life

Click to find more about Genealogy Resource

 

Genealogy Benefits

Genealogy is an interesting hobby that has many psychological benefits. Technology enables even a non skilled researcher to gain more information faster and more efficiently and in turn benefit significantly!

The actual definition of genealogy refers to the tracing of unified languages and the tracing of vital data. Although I will be using the terms interchangeably, family history refers to a number of forms of research which we commonly refer to as genealogy. These forms include;

- Genealogy which is using archival records to trace a living person’s pedigree from the present back in time or the tracing of a historic person’s decadency forward,

- Genetic Genealogy which is the comparison of DNA of living individuals to discover relationships.

- One-name studies which refer to an investigation of person’s with a common surname.

- One-place studies which refer to an investigation of the population histories of a particular location.

- Heraldic and Peerage studies which refer to the investigation of the legal rights of a person to bear arms or claim noble status.

- Clan studies refer to a comparison of individuals with shared patrilineal or matrilineal connection to a tribal chieftain regardless of blood relation or surname.

- Family Social and Economic History which refers to the overview of a person’s place in society or economic achievements. Information about lives from wider historical sources using oral and written records is utilized.

Genealogical research often begins with an approximate notion of the extent of the entity and always ends at or before prehistoric times.

The motivation to conduct genealogical research varies from religious belief systems, pride of decent from certain groups, the desire to know medical and family history of an adopted individual or celebrating resilience of families who survived poverty or slavery. Families can celebrate the success of integration across racial or national boundaries. Families have even been known to emphasize their link to celebrity criminals!

There are psychological benefits to conducting genealogical research. In its most general sense people adopt this past time as a leisure activity. Any leisure activity will have generic benefits. The psychological benefits of this particular leisure activity are much more significant. A sense of accomplishment and independence is gained from the simple act of researching and compiling information. Tracing family heritage can help elderly people accept the concept of death and mortality. They gain the perspective that they are a part of a long line of relatives that leaves a legacy for future generations. Genealogical research fosters a sense of self worth and belonging by mentally digesting that your ancestors and you yourself play a part in history.

From a psychological perspective, family history research satisfies fundamental needs. I will list the benefits in order starting with the most basic fundamental need.

- Social Needs; Belonging Acceptance and Friendship

- Ego Needs, Achievement, Status

- Self Actualization

- Transcendence which is similar to identifying yourself with a character in a movie.

Technology makes the research faster and more efficient than ever before. The more detailed the information the more interested the researcher will remain and the more benefits he will receive. There are multiple websites devoted specifically to this research. There is also a multitude of information instantly available through other sites which can be compiled. Instructional computer software [http://www.thesoftwarespot.com/default.asp?SID=xBC78RWX5R64XT33G8E6D3&S=500&A=F&SearchText=&CategoryID=1695949&NID=6372614] is available to suggest avenues, organize and present your information.

The psychological benefits of genealogy are significant and plentiful. Technology enables even a non skilled researcher to gain more information faster and more efficiently and in turn benefit greatly!

Educational Computer Games [http://www.thesoftwarespot.com/default.asp?S=500&A=F&SearchText=&CategoryID=1693568&NID=6372614]

The Most Important Thing in Your Family Tree Might Be the Family Medical History

You were probably a small child when you first heard the words ‘our family tree’. Without realizing it children are getting familiar with their heritage from the moment they are born. They create their first genealogy project in kindergarten when they bring a picture and brief history of a veteran in their family for Veterans Day. They start to dig a little deeper when they do a small project on their mom, dad and grandparents in the next year or two. These are basic ways to get in touch with our roots and discover the importance of world history and our personal heritage.

A family tree can be basic information like names, birthdays and birthplaces or they can be very detailed. You don’t have to be an expert to do the research. The internet and many software programs created especially for researching family history make it pretty easy to get details we didn’t even think about. These programs guide you through the process and offer new places to look for information. Each service will vary in price and you should look carefully at what each one offers to see if it’s right for you.

You can get the whole family involved and have a lot of fun getting to know people in your family that you never even heard of. You’ll find out what country your family is from and the kind of life your ancestors lived. This can be an amazing learning adventure. You’ll discover how different cultures survived in different eras and learn how we survived before the invention of the cell phone and computer. It might give your children a whole new perspective on life and material objects.

While it is true that tracing your roots can be a fun but tedious task, consider the fact that it could save your life! A family tree should be more than a list of names and birthdays. The health history of your ancestors could save one of your lives today. There are many diseases common to the human race, and some not so common, that can be prevented. While our genes play a big part in our predisposition to a certain ailment, many of these ailments can be controlled if we know about them.

If women in your family have a history of breast or ovarian cancer you’ll want to be aware of it. If the men have a history of prostate or skin cancer they can stay healthier with tests and preventative measures. Any disease that has occurred in your family is important to you and your children. Even a family with a history of giving birth to twins has information that they may be predisposed to getting pregnant with twins themselves.

You might be surprised at all the things you’ll discover about your family when you start tracing its history. Not everything you discover will be important but some things might just save your life. Something that may not seem important today might be a critical discovery for you or a loved one in the near future.

Spark fun conversations and learn things you never knew about your own family history by involving your family. You can add as many new pages and as much information you want to include with one of the easy to use and fun to create downloadable book you’ll find at http://agatheringofmemories.info/.

 

Writing a Family History – Questions to Ask Your Grandparents

Everyone knows the importance of writing a family history, but few actually complete this most important task. Start with the list of questions for grandparents provided here. You can use this same list of questions for yourself, your parents, and your favorite aunts and uncles. Print the questions and answers and put them in a binder. Present to your grandparents and other family members as a holiday gift. You are creating a book that will be enjoyed for years and years to come.

You will want to discuss this idea with your grandparents before you actually interview them. Tell them why you are interested in their stories and ask if you can record this time with them. Set a special date to begin and make it fun! Take a picnic lunch and flowers for your grandmother. Take your camera with you, too. Photos of you and your grandparents will be a super addition to your book. Your new project will be important to them simply because it is important to you. Treasure this special time with your grandparents and let them know how much you love them.

It is possible that your grandparents will want to read your list of questions beforehand so that they can plan their answers. Offer that possibility too. In fact, my 72 year old blind husband simply sat down with a recorder and told the story of his life. In the future, our grandchildren and their children will hear his voice and his story. We are having the recording transcribed, too, so that his work can be easily read as well as heard.

Start with the basic questions:

Where were you born? How many brothers and sisters did you have? What were their names? Did you live in a house or an apartment? Did you live in the city or the country? Did your family own a car?

Where did you go to school? What was your favorite subject? Did you participate in sports, drama or other extracurricular activity?

Did you have a job in high school? What was your job? Did you like it? How did that high school job effect your career choice or did it? What did you learn from that high school job?

Did you have a pet in your childhood? Was it a dog or cat? What was his/her name? What was your favorite thing to do together?

How did your family celebrate holidays? What is your favorite family holiday memory? What did you eat for special holiday meals?

What was your favorite hobby as a child? Did you participate in sports? Which ones?

How did you meet grandma/grandpa? How did you propose marriage? Have you moved often or lived in the same place?

What is the most important advice you would give to me right now? What is the most important thing for parents to remember when raising children?

What was the most memorable historic event in your lifetime? Where were you when John Kennedy was shot?

As you can easily see, these questions will lead to even more questions. You will think of dozens more yourself.

The most important part of this interview is that you enjoy the time with your grandparents and that they have fun, too. There are no rules to this family project. You do not even have to complete it all in one day. But you do have to ask the questions while they are still here to answer them. Do not delay. Get started now. You will be so happy to have this family treasure!

As a grandparent, I can assure you that your grandparents will not only enjoy telling their story, but also will enjoy spending time with you. It is easy to learn how to write your personal history and your grandparents’ history too. If you don’t tell their story, who will?

 

Researching Your Family Tree on the Internet

A lot of people begin their family tree research on the internet. This is because there has been an explosion of personal websites with family websites. In addition there are several large companies willing to charge sometimes large subscriptions to access their data. The problem is that it often is very difficult to prove this internet data to your own family data. Even more problematic other people’s websites may have relied purely on the internet as its sources. There are however several ways out of this trap.

1. Start At Home – It may sound obvious but start your research with your oldest living relatives. Try and find out as much information as you can, using a voice recorder or video recorder is very good.

2. Find A Decent Family Tree Program - Once you start to record your data you will need some way of recording information about your research. There are several good programs and you can google to find programs and reviews.

3. Get copies of documents - It’s vital that you get copies of birth, marriages and deaths of your parents, grandparents, great grandparents and even great great-grandparents if possible. This is your solid evidence base.

4. Other sources - Local libraries hold copies of Parish Records that you can consult.

5. Internet - Having got a good solid base of your own researched information you are now ready for trawling the internet. Good sources on the internet are censuses, military records, parish records, immigration records, birth, marriage and death records. There are also forums you can join for different surnames etc.

So remember don’t start on the internet or base you tree on someone else’s straight away. Build up as much reliable information such as that available from relatives, local libraries as you can. When you do start using the internet cross check your information as much as possible. Don’t underestimate the value of a good family tree program, and there are good online subscription services you can google and see if you like them.

Andrew Peel
Cash Deal Maker
http://www.cashdealmaker.com

Andrew has 8 years experience of genealogy starting from scratch when his parents didn’t even know their grand-parents to over 1800 people in his family tree from all over the UK.

 

Learning About Family History Can Be Fun For the Whole Family

In order to make family history research into your ancestors fun for the whole family, you have to think of what you would find fun, especially for the children. Unless your spouse is interested in finding his or her own family, it may be hard to get their interest.

If your family likes to travel it is a wonderful excuse to go where your ancestors came from. Often, that trip will be overseas and what fun. Start with your immediate family, however, and find all that you can about it. Then you can travel to where the family members lived in the United States and use all the resources available there before you head overseas. Make that trip as enjoyable as possible.

Tell your children about their ancestors. They will love to hear how they resemble grandma and grandpa and maybe an aunt or uncle. How excited they will be to hear about the escapades of their relatives in college or the military.

Children love cemeteries. On a nice day, just amble through one and see if you can find any relatives. Usually the caretaker will have the names of the people buried and the area where you can find them. Just be sure you find the right names. Relatives are not always buried close together and I have an uncle whose first wife is not buried in his plot but clear across the cemetery.

It is fun to make rubbings of the stones and save them. The practice is controversial, however, as most stones are getting old and fragile. Always ask the cemetery caretaker or historical society if they allow rubbings. Some do not even allow the taking of pictures, but if they do and don’t allow rubbings, take pictures with your digital camera and then you can load them into your computer. Children love to take pictures.

If you are allowed to make rubbings, use crayons and large pieces of white paper such as butcher paper. Tape it down over the whole stone and gently and then maybe, use a little more force and rub the crayon over the stone. Never rub over a worn or cracked stone.

If you take pictures, label them with the row and number of the plot, the names of the ancestors, the ages and sometimes you will see the name of the birthplace. Do not write on the pictures but label them on the back or bottom in pencil putting all the information you would need to find the graves again.

Research may be boring for the rest of the family, but your enthusiasm will no doubt rub off onto them. Set a time limit and have treats after so much is accomplished. Dedicated genealogists seem to never tire and go on and on. Use your imagination and you will come up with ideas that will make the search enjoyable for the whole family.

Elizabeth Larsen has researched her family tree for 35 years. For more information on beginning a good genealogy and lots of tips, go to http://www.squidoo.com/basicgenealogy.