Many people are interested in finding out more about their family. The study of your ancestors is called genealogy. Some genealogists have traced their family back hundreds of years. You may be wondering how you can get started tracing your family tree. Getting started is generally easier than people think. Here are a few easy tips and steps to get your started on finding your elusive ancestors. The first thing you should do is print out a couple blank pedigree charts and a few blank family group sheets. You can find free copies of these forms at genealogy websites like Ancestry or Rootsweb. These two forms will help you keep track of what ancestors...
A good genealogist collects facts on his ancestors and family members and assesses them for accuracy. When direct evidence is not available, assess the facts you do have. It may be indirect evidence but the weight of the facts allow for reasonable conclusions. A strict genealogist may say your evidence is all secondary because you do not have all the documents about your ancestor. One or two census records may be considered secondary evidence, but if you can find the whole family with the right name, ages, occupations, religion and address in the right town, county and state, I say that is very good evidence. From 1850 to 1880 the Federal Census...
Long lost family members are just as likely a kissing cousins just hired by your company, or the ex-offender who moved in down the street. Most people wonder about their ancestors or other relatives who they do not know. After all, you never know if you are a distant cousin of someone famous unless you bother to take a look at your family history. Years ago, families would keep family trees in the family bible. They would write in the births, deaths and marriages of all of the members of the family. There was a special person who kept these records, and all too often the phone rang asking Aunty “when is cousin Barbs birthday?” Only...
When doing ancestral research, be prepared to find a few skeletons hanging around. Most of us are not blessed with a family tree that is squeaky clean. When doing family research, be prepared to uncover family secrets that you did not know existed. Here are a few examples of skeletons some researchers have found. Jill Pedeg was researching her family history. She heard a rumor that she was a descendant of a wealthy businessman from 14th century Italy. Allegedly, her ancestor made millions in international trade. After months of research, her studies brought her to a church in Rome. She found some records of his name on old church documents....