How To Research Your Own Geneology And Get It Right...Who Were They? Your Ancestors?
Posted: Wednesday, January 25, 2012
by elle kynzer
The past week has gone quickly, because I did some preliminary research on my ancestors, or should I say the people who predetermined my appearance, beliefs, and quirky traditions. I've never been extremely interested in geneology, and I've laughed at others who are obsessed with where they came from, or who they were descended from. Something happened to give me "an itch" to find out....'who where they?" and "Why did they come here?" Some things we know from family conversations growing up, but some things are a surprise.
To begin you must gather every piece of known information about your parents, grandparents, great grandparents. What wars did they serve in and where. What are their birthdates, and death dates. What year did they get married, where, and which church. Can they give you details and birth dates, identifying markers, and anniversaries or death dates.
“A special thanks to Christofer French for the geneology comment that sent me on this journey of ancestors! This is in the Christian Group because the reason many immigrated to America was religious persecution during the Inquisition. Afterward, most people rushed to freedom!”
Spell both first and last name correctly and give alternative spellings, add their birth date if known, if not use either married date or death date, state if you know it; and remember that middle names weren't popular until after John Quincy Adams was President. So don't panic if they do not have one in 1600-1700s. Be willing to let go anyone, just in case you have made a mistake.
Some French or Spanish ancestors will have names with 'de la' or some other identifying prefix to the surname. If you have a Royal Ancester you may see a square bracket around a number, which identifies how many 'relationships' back to an Emperor, etc on Royal websites. Some ancient books in Europe can shed light on important people of their time. Note that many were deposed of their properties, titles, and land during the Inquisition; and forced to become Catholic or flee.
Please, make sure those close to you are complete entries, and use a geneology sheet where two lines go from each person for information on parents. The page should hold no more than eight ancestors, because you need room for notes.
The immigrants to America:
Many went to the Netherlands; Amsterdam. A place taking the displaced and poor for awhile, but then overcrowding forced them into Ireland or the New Netherlands (NY) usually; or Philadelphia; some spread out as pioneers to other places...fighting Indians for land and place as overcrowding pushed them out of the cities. Palantines, first to Albany, NY...and then Pennsylvania, those who were Quakers or Mennonites had passage paid to come to America by Queen Anne, many locating near Lancaster, Pa.
In 1600s almost all of mainline Europe was in chaos and relocating or being slain, with war all around them, it was how our nation was built so quickly.
The major concern you will find is people with the same name in any area, with closer birth dates will need extended family connections for verification, etc. Always find siblings and parents whose names you know are correct, and always work backword to make sure you are doing it correctly. Do not be surprised to find a person born in one state, married in another, and died in another, if you are searching 1600-1800s. America was just being settled, and 'freedom' was a new concept the new immigrants were enjoying. Use Census records freely...there are a few lost to fire in the Revolutionary War as Britain burned courthouses. Use local records, taxes, and other records not destroyed.
Knowing full names of siblings and grandparents is a must for those who have little knowledge handed down regarding their ancestors. You have to be able to know with reasonable certainty this is your 'set of genes', because a DNA project can seperate the paternal and maternal genes, and even put all of your types on a map that distinguishes whether it's even possible you are descended from a particular person or certain group of settlers who came to the new America. Science is great now, and if you find important link you must prove it, and usually that means DNA to get registered on certain lineages.
What you want is the truth, and not try to make yourself fit where you believe it should be, and that will give you a sense of belonging as your lineage reveals itself. As you go backwards, the number of people you find doubles with each generation, and gives you great possibilities; there are some ancestors you will not be able to trace successfully due to lack of paperwork, how they came here, or records do not exist where they came from, so accept that and move on to what you can find. Study where they came from for clues as to how to research.
Remember the territories and what the conditions were in that particular time, and that some families held large tracts of land, or were moving constantly across the plains. Accept that some ancestors are not traceable, and move on, because someone may fill in that blank down the road, or bring forth a family Bible with the data you are looking for. Join Ancestory.com and if you have European roots you will need the World Connect site. Do all you can first.
Working backward keeps you proofing "who was who", and if you had a great Aunt Polly, and you can't find her as a sibling of a particular name that agrees with your grandparent...don't dispare, because mistakes were made in records, and on geneology websites due to a relative not knowing about Aunt Polly or having generation information wrong. Double check your research by using another relative or descendant you can tie to her. You may even be able to correct some errors, if you do a great job, and can prove the error.
Here are a lists of helpful guides, that are very valuable to your research:
First check with the 'geneology society' of your county, state, just in case someone else has done all the work; then just proof it, and add to it.
Check local court houses for Registrar of Deeds Office, which is where deeds, deeds of trust for land/homes; and marriage bonds and death records are kept, if online sources cannot be found. Some states did not keep birth and death records until 1800s, but you can use deeds for transfers, wills, or other data that was kept. All this information was free in 1970s and 1980s, but now most want money for data, however you can type in ancestor name, birthdate, state, and see what google pulls up...some of that comes free from former research.
At Registrar of Deeds for land transfers: Know that the grantor was the seller, and grantee is the buyer; look at names of adjoining properties used as descriptions, in case there were other family names involved or lived next door.
Marriage bonds were kept back as early as 1700s. Check with church records, if you know denomination or the place someone married, if all else fails.
Check local libraries for family books; geneology room records, or family records donated to local geneology family researches.
USE Family Bibles that registers births, deaths, marriages, etc, but then verify.
Grave site websites which include details of persons buried there are helpful, and birth date and/or death date will usually bring them up with correct name, death date or birth date, and state..
Government military war records, pensions, and from the Revolutionary War many soldiers were given land grants for their service. Use those military records freely, as lots of info was given you may not find elsewhere.
Old maps, and you can view online or at libraries, because States, Counties, and Land barriers kept changing from 1700-1900, as each State was formed, and one county might be formed from others. So if it says they were born in County A, but it's now County B...formed from C and D...look at it as the time of the record.
One example is "Kentucky State" which was once Kentucky County, part of Virginia. Dates are relevant to what the territory was at that time, it also has to do with getting the right census records for research.
Beware of census takers comments, columns, spellings, or claims to person's ethnic identity. I've found all kinds of things, and names spelled 4 or 5 different ways... Check birth dates against marriage dates, and children's birthdays...because it's unlikely an 80 year old man fathered a child with someone who died the year before the child was born...it's all common sense. Write it down the way you find it, but put question marks by it if it looks right, but does not fit with what has been handed down. Note conflicting information, and keep verifying until you are sure it is correct.
Never discount an ancestor because you don't like them, or what they stood for, because we have all had people we did not want to claim in our geneology. If the person is famous, Royal, or a hero in a War...make notes, and keep that info seperate from general research, for some places to confirm that identitly may be available at a later date.
When you research and find a 'notable' conncetion, go back and make sure you have not chosen a relative who isn't your relative, for you do not want to make a huge mistake that cannot be confirmed at some point. Check and recheck. A lot of families have already done the research for you, and World Connect, Family Treemaker, Ancestor.com or some other connect has it already prepared, and you just fit yourself in, but be sure to determine it connected properly, and can be proofed. Knowing your ancestors can be a window into your life.
The records are out there, and most ancestors can be found...happy hunting.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)i missed Geneology with Genealogy, and i read all the article perusing what i wanted.but i was wrong it is a practical content.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Fantastic stuff. Full of info. This is my first love, actually. I will tell you that story some time. Wonderful.Please log in to respond to this comment.I would love to hear that story....and I bet you have some very interesting ancestors.Please log in to respond to this comment.
This is absolutely marvelous- conscientious and precise- I really enjoyed reading it and learned so many things I wanted to know- thanks elle Always EllaPlease log in to respond to this comment.
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