{"id":61241,"date":"2016-12-01T10:17:50","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T16:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=61241"},"modified":"2021-05-29T21:08:32","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T02:08:32","slug":"how-to-do-your-genealogy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/relationships\/marriage\/how-to-do-your-genealogy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do Your Genealogy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Last week we discussed why every man should delve into his genealogy<\/a>, arguing that doing this kind of family history research is not only fascinating, but constitutes a moral obligation. Filling out your family tree both enriches your personal sense of identity and honors the ancestors who bequeathed the gift of life to you.<\/p>\n

Today, we present the how<\/em> of genealogy \u2013 a comprehensive guide to the basics of getting started with researching your family history and keeping the memory of your forebearers alive.<\/p>\n

Pre-Gaming Your Genealogical Research<\/u><\/h3>\n

Family research is a journey. And like any journey, you want to do a bit of planning before you set out. Here are a few things to do before you throw yourself headlong down the genealogy rabbit hole.<\/p>\n

See What\u2019s Already Been Done<\/h3>\n

Before you start looking up names in census records, see what genealogical research has already been done in your family. Chances are you have that one aunt or cousin who\u2019s really<\/em> into family history and already has a great deal of it gathered and recorded. Connect with them and ask if they can share what they\u2019ve collected thus far.<\/p>\n

If you sign up for a family history service like Ancestry or FamilySearch, you may find that a lot of your family tree has already been filled out by your relatives, both close and distant.<\/p>\n

For example, when I recently started doing my own genealogy, I knew a good amount of my family history had been done on my mom\u2019s side, but thought it was pretty much non-existent for my dad\u2019s side. But when I signed into FamilySearch a few months ago, I discovered that my sister had been quietly entering in history for my dad\u2019s half of our family tree, and making connections to research that had been done by others on the site.<\/p>\n

So, as you begin doing your genealogy, first browse through the research that\u2019s already been done and enjoy the feeling of learning more about your family\u2019s history. Then start looking for places where you can add to the story.<\/p>\n

Perhaps there\u2019s a family line that suddenly stops because there\u2019s a missing piece of vital information. Or maybe your family history buff relative has information like dates of births and marriage for your great-great-great-grandparents, but not much biographical information about them, such as what they did for a living. That\u2019s an area you could look into.<\/p>\n

In short, use the genealogical research that\u2019s already been done to guide the direction of your own research.<\/p>\n

Collect Perishable Information and Digitize It<\/h3>\n

Genealogy is more than just a family tree. It\u2019s the story of you and your family. Remember, we\u2019re trying to prevent the \u201csecond death\u201d of our ancestors by recording and remembering their stories. So when you first start out, spend your time gathering information that will help you put together the narrative of your family, particularly information that\u2019s perishable.<\/p>\n

What are perishable sources of genealogical information?<\/p>\n

Humans, for one. Living people die, but living people often have the most useful and meaningful family history info stashed away in the treasury of their still extant craniums. Extract that family information from them before they depart mortality. Interview older relatives and record their personal stories and what they remember about your ancestors. Your grandpa will likely have stories about his grandpa. Ask him to tell those tales while you record him with a digital recorder. Make interviewing older relatives a top priority in your genealogical research; it\u2019s something you always swear you\u2019ll get to\u2026until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

Other sources of perishable family history information include photographs, diaries, letters, and other documents. That stuff will deteriorate with time and can be lost. Once it\u2019s gone, it\u2019s gone for good. Collect and scan such records for digital storage. Regarding photos, make sure you can identify everyone in them. That may mean asking an older relative for help.<\/p>\n

You can do the digitizing of perishable information yourself, but that\u2019s a laborious process. If you\u2019re short on time, consider outsourcing the job to a service that specializes in digitizing family history photos and documents. Sites like Memories Renewed <\/a>and DigMyPics<\/a> can do that.<\/p>\n

Establish Genealogy Goals<\/h3>\n

When you first start out, genealogy can seem intimidating. There are so many directions to follow with your research. It can be so daunting that it\u2019s tempting to give up before you even begin.<\/p>\n

To overcome this genealogical inertia, establish some very specific and very modest goals for yourself.<\/p>\n

Your goals depend on how much information you have and what genealogical research has been done already. For someone who\u2019s starting from scratch, a good goal is to fill out the family group sheets (more on these in a bit) for your family, going back to all eight of your great-grandparents. This goal will provide plenty of information that will lay the groundwork for the rest of your genealogical research.<\/p>\n

As you complete this goal (and others), focus on one family unit at a time<\/em>. It\u2019s tempting to jump from one line to the next, but in order to keep your work organized and progressing, don\u2019t move on to another family line until you complete the research and recording for the one you started.<\/p>\n

If you find in your pre-game research that a lot of your family tree has been done for one side of the family but not the other, focus on the side that doesn\u2019t have much work done, remembering to take it one family unit at a time.<\/p>\n

If your family already has a well filled out family tree on both sides, start going deeper in your genealogical research. If the low-hanging fruit has already been picked, go further back than anyone else has. Or, concentrate on fleshing out the biographical information of the ancestors already captured to create a more thorough family story: Interview distant relatives and record their memories; visit archives to find primary source documents relating to an ancestor; read history books about the time and place a particular ancestor lived so you can get a better understanding of their way of life.<\/p>\n

The deeper you go with your family history research, the richer the family story you\u2019ll develop.<\/p>\n

Print Off Blank Family Group Sheets<\/h3>\n

While you can keep track of your genealogical research online or with a program, with family history research, I\u2019ve found that there\u2019s one form that\u2019s worth filling out by hand: family group sheets\/records.<\/p>\n

Family records are the roadmaps for your family history research. A family group record shows the names of the mother, father, and children in one family unit. It also shows dates of birth, dates of marriage, death dates, names of the parents\u2019 parents, additional spouses of the parents, and the names of children\u2019s spouses.<\/p>\n

Some family group records have places where you can fill in even more details like occupations, religion, military service, and property acquisition. Great for fleshing out the story of your family!<\/p>\n

The information you record in your family group record can provide clues on where to take your research next or places in your family line that need to be verified or better documented.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve filled out a family group sheet by hand, filling out your digital family tree is a breeze. When I first started filling in blank spots on my family tree, I tried just doing it online and jumping from tab to tab with research that I had done. I quickly found myself losing track of what I was searching for. Having a paper copy of the family group record next to my computer eliminated the confusion. Also, because a family group record focuses on one family unit at a time, it forces you to stay focused on just that unit. There\u2019s no temptation to jump around from one line to the next.<\/p>\n

Starting Your Genealogical Research<\/u><\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve done your prep; now it\u2019s time to dig into your family history. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n

Create an Account on FamilySearch and\/or Ancestry.com<\/h3>\n

Thanks to the wonders of the web, genealogical research has never been easier. Just thirty years ago, genealogical research required visits to family history libraries and hours upon hours of scrolling through microfiches to find ancestors. Now you can search billions of records online in a matter of minutes, thanks to online family history services.<\/p>\n

In the world of online genealogy stand two behemoths: Ancestry<\/a> and FamilySearch<\/a>. Both allow you to search billions of genealogical records and to create and organize family trees.<\/p>\n

However, there are differences between the two.<\/p>\n

First, FamilySearch is free. It\u2019s owned and run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and they\u2019ve made it available to Mormons and non-Mormons alike at no cost.<\/p>\n

Ancestry.com will cost you about $20 a month for their entry-level package.<\/p>\n

Both boast extensive libraries of genealogical records. Ancestry has indexed and scanned all the U.S. Census records from 1790 to 1930. FamilySearch doesn\u2019t have all those records in its database. However, FamilySearch offers international records and immigration records for free that Ancestry charges a pretty penny for ($150).<\/p>\n

Moreover, FamilySearch has begun indexing Freedmen\u2019s Bureau Records — records of freed African-American slaves that were created after the Emancipation. If you\u2019re primarily searching for genealogy stateside, you\u2019ll likely find more leads on Ancestry. If your research is more international in scope or you have African-American ancestors, FamilySearch might be more helpful.<\/p>\n

Regarding searching for genealogical records, the online chatter amongst family historians suggests that FamilySearch has a more useful search algorithm, allowing users to find the information they need more quickly.<\/p>\n

Finally, the ways FamilySearch and Ancestry do their family trees are different, and they both have their pros and cons. Ancestry has a nice feature that will provide hints for further lines to investigate for possible connections. If the system finds a possible link, a small leaf will appear on the corner of an ancestor. Just click on it, and you\u2019ll be shown their possible relatives. I was able to fill out an accurate family tree in a matter of minutes based on these hints from Ancestry.<\/p>\n

FamilySearch opens up family lines to be edited by anyone (including FamilySearch librarians who verify information). You can quickly piece together a family tree based on the work of others who have been using the site.<\/p>\n

Overall, I did find the family tree on Ancestry much easier to use than the one on FamilySearch. Though I did like the cool format that the latter can put your tree in (see image below).<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/p>\n

Another nice feature about both Ancestry and FamilySearch is that they have forums where people can ask questions and swap research. I\u2019ve come across useful discussions about ancestors that I\u2019ve been investigating in both forums.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the bottom line? If you\u2019re just starting out and don\u2019t want to spend money, go with FamilySearch. You\u2019ll likely find connections in your family tree pretty quickly with their crowd-sourced info. If you\u2019re coming up against some dead-ends in your family history research, sign-up for an account with Ancestry.com to get access to records you might not be able to find on FamilySearch.<\/p>\n

Other Places to Look for Family History Information<\/h3>\n

While FamilySearch and Ancestry are the heavy hitters in the genealogy game, you shouldn\u2019t limit your research to them. Other online services exist that allow you to search and store your family history. They include:<\/p>\n