Summary
This regular posting contains a
list of pointers and suggestions to help somebody who is approaching
the subject of Genealogy for the first time. It should be read by
anyone who wishes to post to the soc.genealogy.* newsgroup hierarchy.
This document is part of a
regular series of postings which are sent to all appropriate groups
and mailing lists. This particular document is posted on the 15th of
every month.
If you have any comments or
changes, or any suggestions for new topics to be included, or you
would like to write a note for inclusion in the archive, then please
contact John Woodgate, (john@meertech.demon.co.uk)
I am new to Genealogy and would like some help
For those just starting to
research their family history, these short notes might help:
1. Visit your local library and
do some reading on genealogy. This should give you some basic
guidance on the methods to use, and where the information is held.
There are many useful introductory books on Genealogy and family
history, which will provide you with more complete and coherent
guidance as how to get started than you could expect to get merely by
posting a series of questions to the newsgroup or mailing list.
2. Develop a plan. Think about
which lines to follow. You have two parents, four grandparents, eight
great-grandparents, and so on. You have to draw the line somewhere.
You can use your time better if you develop a plan to guide you.
Start with talking with and writing to all your kinsfolk with your
questions, (while they are still alive), and do it soon.
3. Start by talking with, and
writing to all your kinsfolk with your questions, (while they are
still alive), and do it soon. Overly general questions such as
"What do you know about the family's history?" may
overwhelm your relatives. Asking specific questions (when did you get
married? Who were your parents? grandparents? brothers and sisters?
Where did you aunts and uncles live?) may get you more information.
Use photographs and old family possessions to help get the
conversation started.
4. Visit your nearest Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) Family History
Center. You can find them in the phone directory. The family History
Library catalog, on CD-ROM and microfiche, is your key to accessing
millions of original records and published genealogical works kept by
the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Microfilms can be
borrowed for research in the local Family History Center for a
nominal fee. The local centers have two excellent indexes on CD-ROM:
the Ancestral File and the International Genealogical Index (IGI).
Neither of these are available via the internet.
5. Document. You may need to
review your sources again, someone may want to verify your research,
your work may imply something to someone who will need to access the
same records, or someone may need to pick up where you left off. Too
many people underestimate, or never consider, the importance of
documentation. If you have found information in a reference book,
make sure you keep enough reference material to enable you to walk
back into the same place five years later, locate the book and find
the reference again.
6. Keep a careful record of what
searches you have done so far, even if you found nothing. It may well
save you from searching the same record or source again in the future.
7. Don't sell your project short.
You might start this with the idea of just finding a handful of
people just for your own interest, only to find it blossom into a
lifelong study. If you begin with some planning, some learning, and
good documentation, then nothing is lost if it stays a small project,
but you will reap great dividends if your little project turns into a
big one. Remember that it is not uncommon to drop the project for 5
or 10 years and then go back to it again.
8. Be prepared to step back and
catch your breath. When you look at the ambitions for your project
and think about the effort involved, or when you are faced with
dozens of trails that you want to follow, it may seem like trying to
move a mountain with a teaspoon. When that happens, take some time to
remind yourself that this is supposed to be fun, then do some more
planning to get back on track.
9. Watch for all the FAQs which
are posted to the various newsgroups and mailing lists. These
Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) should answer most of
your initial problems.