Roots & Branches

Self-help Aides for Genealogists

Many times we start out to do a project and we find we quickly become overwhelmed. For the beginner or novice it is can be very discouraging. There are facts and figures, names and names that sound like what are looking for. We have pictures and papers, we have maps and documents. It may all seem to pile up and bury us.

But what do we do with all of this?

There is hope. Do not give up. It will all be worth it when you are able to gather all your info and organize it well. You will be able to actually find what you need more easily and feel so much better about the project in general.

Try some of the following:

“How to Research Your Family History”

by PBS Home Video

Volume I-

Getting Started and Leaving a Legacy

Volume II-

Looking at Home, Gathering Family Stories, and he Paper Trail

Volume III-

Census and Military Records, African-American Research, and Your Medical Heritage.

Volume IV-

Libraries and Archives and High-Tech Help

I found the video series to be very helpful. When thinking of starting out, the information and ideas, can help to get you started.

“The Genealogist’s Question & Answer Book” by Marcia Yannizze Melnyk

Get the answers to your genealogy questions!

There’s never been a better time to discover your ancestors. More family history resources are available now than ever before-making your research options almost limitless. So much information, however, makes determining where to begin, what to believe, and how to decipher it all a challenge.

The Genealogist’s Question & Answer Book helps you overcome these hurdles and make the most of your research time. It provides answers to more than 150 of the most commonly asked genealogy questions in a friendly, easy-to-browse format.

Questions are conveniently grouped according to the different resources you’ll use: from census, church and immigration records to oral histories, websites, electronic databases, and more. You’ll learn what to look for in each document, how to interpret the information you find, and where to go next with your research.

“Through the Eyes of Your Ancestors” by Maureen Taylor

A Step-by-step Guide to Uncovering Your Family’s History

Have you ever looked at an old black and white photograph of a relative, long since dead and possibly forgotten, and wondered what his or her life might have been like? What is you could find out? This book can help you uncover the secrets and adventures of your own family in the “personal detective story” that is genealogy.

“The Weekend Genealogist” by Marcia Yannizze Melnyk

Timesaving techniques for effective research

Let’s face it, life doesn’t always allow you the freedom to make genealogy research your number one priority. And when it does, you still don’t seem to have enough time to accomplish what’s needed. The Weekend Genealogist can help overcome this problem by showing you how to get the most out of whatever time you have available.

*Implement organizational techniques to streamline research and create a timesaving filing system for notes, documents, and forms.

*Get research information more efficiently using mail, fax, and e-mail.

*Utilize local historical and genealogical societies, relative, and microfilm rental programs.

*Let the Internet work for you while avoiding the pitfalls of Internet research

*Master organizational forms-everything from pedigree charts to correspondence logs.

*Make the most of every record you collect by learning the 10 questions to “ask” each document

*Find and access research facilities such as the National Archives and Records. Administration, vital records offices, and local libraries.

*Plan a research trip and make every minute on the road worthwhile

*Create an information network with your fellow genealogists.

Your local library will have many other titles to choose from or there is a multitude of information on the internet.

Part of my job at the library is to field requests for “Genealogy Look-ups”. This means, when a request comes in we basically check the resources available, such as newspapers, cemetery listings, and business directories. Last year a very sweet lady from California contacted me requesting information on a family that had lived in the Green River area in the 1950’s. Let’s say the name was Smith. As usual I went to the library cemetery listings and luckily I was able to find the gentleman she had needed to find.

I sent the information to the lady. I marked this request as completed and went on about my routine. Two weeks later I received a letter from her thanking me for the help and asking for more. In the letter she wrote:

“I am working on a project for my daughter-in-law, who is pregnant. I would like to present her with a Family History for the baby at her upcoming baby shower. There is a little time, but I wanted to get going on this. Here are a few more names, if you don’t mine looking for them. Thanks so much.”

I thought this was one of the best gifts I had heard of in a long time. A pedigree sheet and pictures, poems, snippets of baby lore. How special this gift would be. It took a little time, but I was able to locate most of the people for her. This became a fun project to work on, knowing that a little someone was going to have this lovely book.

The information was sent. Three weeks later I received another letter with a check to pay for the expenses. I was so pleased to hear that the book was complete and ready for its new little owner. The project had spurred the lady to start other researching for her family. She said she has been bitten by the “genealogy bug”. I was happy for her, its one bug you don’t mind being bitten by.
If you too are expecting or have a special someone who is, consider this project for yourself. I must say I wish I had thought of doing this for my own kids when they were little.

Helpful Hint: As I was surfing the web, looking for another item for my blog, I ran across this cute site “The Little Pillow”. On the website there is a download for a baby’s Family Tree. To find this cute “My Family Tree” go to www.thelittlepillow.com/download_Jan2006.htm.

Best of Luck with your research!