| SaddleBrooke Genealogy Club Copyright 2007 |
| General Information |
Genealogy:
1) an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms:
2) regular descent of a person, family or group of organisms from a progenitor or older form:
3) the study of family pedigrees.
1) an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms:
2) regular descent of a person, family or group of organisms from a progenitor or older form:
3) the study of family pedigrees.
At least that is the definition in the Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. For most of our members, genealogy is finding out who our families are, where they came from and how they got from there to here. Members of the SaddleBrooke Genealogy Club meet once a month to listen to members of the genealogy community share their knowledge with us. Sometimes we have professional genealogists who talk about general places to search for our ancestors. Other times they talk about a specific library and how to use it to its fullest advantage. They also talk about specific countries and how and where to find specific information.
If you are interested in finding your family roots, you should start with yourself. Write down when and where you were born, where you went to school, when and where you married, if you are, and who your spouse is. Then do the same for your spouse, children, grand-children, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents. OK – it sounds overwhelming, but it is not. You just start with one person, and when you complete that person, move on to the next.
In a very short time you have written down all that you personally know about your family. A good “next step” is to talk to your parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents if they are still alive. Ask all of the personal questions: when and where were they born, married, lived, and served in the Armed Forces, etc. Try to go back as many generations as you can. Now be careful. Some of the information that has been handed down from one generation to another may not be correct. Most people don’t want to admit to a parent or grandparent who was jailed for operating a still. And, of course, some information is just incorrect because it was written down many years after the fact. For example, the family “history” tells that a great-grandfather and great-grandmother were married in Ireland and moved to the US. Not correct, I found their marriage license and they were married in Philadelphia.
Some useful tools to look for family members is to search the US Census, US Immigration records, or Ellis Island records. And there are many more records available. Another useful tool is to look at message boards on some of the free website. Just remember that you need to verify each piece of information you collect.
If you are interested in researching your family tree – come to one of our monthly club meetings and meet the club members. Who knows – you may get hooked!
If you are interested in finding your family roots, you should start with yourself. Write down when and where you were born, where you went to school, when and where you married, if you are, and who your spouse is. Then do the same for your spouse, children, grand-children, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents. OK – it sounds overwhelming, but it is not. You just start with one person, and when you complete that person, move on to the next.
In a very short time you have written down all that you personally know about your family. A good “next step” is to talk to your parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents if they are still alive. Ask all of the personal questions: when and where were they born, married, lived, and served in the Armed Forces, etc. Try to go back as many generations as you can. Now be careful. Some of the information that has been handed down from one generation to another may not be correct. Most people don’t want to admit to a parent or grandparent who was jailed for operating a still. And, of course, some information is just incorrect because it was written down many years after the fact. For example, the family “history” tells that a great-grandfather and great-grandmother were married in Ireland and moved to the US. Not correct, I found their marriage license and they were married in Philadelphia.
Some useful tools to look for family members is to search the US Census, US Immigration records, or Ellis Island records. And there are many more records available. Another useful tool is to look at message boards on some of the free website. Just remember that you need to verify each piece of information you collect.
If you are interested in researching your family tree – come to one of our monthly club meetings and meet the club members. Who knows – you may get hooked!
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