Conducting a
Family Search
by 10x Marketing
The purpose of genealogy has remained the same -- to find your ancestors.
However, the advancements for genealogy have changed greatly, attracting
newcomers to start their genealogy work and assisting experienced
genealogists with a surplus of resources.
Depending upon how much information you know about your ancestors, there
are many different ways of approaching your family search.
1. Using the Internet - The Internet provides valuable resources with
numerous
family search sites. The site that I visit most frequently requires
that you know the first and last name of an ancestor who has been deceased
for over a year. I looked up my deceased grandfather’s name and the site
provided his date of birth, birthplace, the date of his marriage, and his
date of death. It also included his parents’ full names and his wife’s
name, all of which were hyperlinked. The hyperlink advantage meant their
names included their own history. I pressed onto my grandmother’s name and
found the identical information of her birth and death dates, and her
parents’ names. I also pressed onto my great-grandparents names and could
examine their history. While I received a lot of information from just
typing in my grandfather’s name, detailed information is not always
available. In many cases, the amount of available information relies on
the amount of work that the family has done.
2. Contact an older relative - Getting
a relative involved will be the best personal support to help start your
family search. My aunt is an avid genealogist and through correspondence
on a family website, I was able to confirm ancestors and also discover
other relatives from the searches on the Internet. Your older relatives
have connections and knowledge of your ancestors and this helps the
discovery process of the
family search. Older relatives who have done the work can be
passionate about their genealogy and that will be a positive force for you
as you begin searching. Contacting them to assist with the genealogy work
is a continuing service for your descendants and an advantage for your
future posterity.
3. Visit a Family History Center- If
you want to find historical evidence of your ancestors, a family history
center can be invaluable. There are over 1,800 centers in the U.S. that
offer patrons access to a
family search. When I visited a family history center, I had helpful
access to archived microfilm. In one section of the center there were
aisles of microfilm stored according to surname and year of birth. After I
found the correct microfilm from a 1920 census, I located my grandmother’s
surname. In what appeared to be her father’s handwriting was his name, his
wife’s name, as well as the names of their young children. My grandmother
was four years old and her family was residing in Hawaii. It was
exhilarating to see a sample of my great-grandfather’s handwriting. It was
written during the great depression, a time period which I studied
extensively in grade school. Tracing my relatives back into time helped me
to personally identify with my ancestors during that historical era.
The genealogical advancements are continuing to increase. Passionate
genealogists have even gone to great lengths to prove relationships
through DNA testing. Because of the advances in technology, it is easier
than ever to find relatives and confirm relationships. With just the name
of an ancestor, you can discover a line of relatives, and educate yourself
about your descendants. Many tools and resources such as the Internet,
your relatives, the library archives and even scientific advancements are
available to assist you in your family search pursuits.
Stephanie Tuia is a web content specialist with interests in Genealogy.
For more information, see how Relative Genetics can greatly enhance your
genealogical pursuits for your
family search.
10x Marketing may be contacted at
10xseo@gmail.com
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