In this post I will touch on two things, sources and Family Group Sheets because they go hand in hand.
Firstly, sources and citing your sources is very important in genealogy because you want to be able to direct anyone looking at your work to the exact spot you found your information so that they can verify it. This sounds like a very daunting task and it is, but in the end it is well worth the time you spend on it. This wiki article on sources footnotes explains it better than I ever could! Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes)
Myself I don't follow that model because I found it became very daunting. I prefer to save my sources on separate sheets. I use a sheet for sources, that includes the citation to the source so I know exactly where I got the information from, also I record what document I have and who it is for and some of the information I found on the document. Then I print the sheets out and put them with the family unit in my binder as well as keep a copy in my One Drive. For records that do not have documents attached I use a Research Extract sheet to record the name of the suppository, the information found and again I copy the source citation from the website (if provided) and again I print these sheets off and put them in the binder with the family unit.
Here are the links for the sheets I use, I made these myself and the links are for google documents. You can save them and use them if you like, they should be editable in google doc's or open office. They will get longer as you type in them,
Family Source Summary
Research Extract
When it comes to first hand knowledge or information you got from Grandma, (remember our list and color coded legend) you can use the Research Extract form and in the Source Citation section write down:
Information obtained by (your name), on (date) from (sources full name) at (address or place you talked to the source).
Now on to the Family Group Sheets.
These are to store more detailed information about your family members.
Remember that list we made in the last post? Remember I said we will transfer this information later? Well now we are going to do just that.
Note the flowing 3 family group sheets are PDF files that will need to be printed and filled out by hand, if you are crafty with a word processor like word, open office or even google docs you can easily make your own editable copies. You will only need to make one copy and save it. To use it you open the copy you saved fill it out and use the save as feature and give it a different name like family group sheet Jane doe, this will save a copy of the original with the information you just filled in while leaving your original copy blank to be used again.
For my family unit packets I use the following sheets:
(each family packet keeps track of one couple and their children/ grand children etc)
Family Group Sheet 1 (page 1)
It's a simple information sheet list only names and dates on this sheet.
Family Group Sheet 2 ( page 2 and so on)
You can use sheet 2 more than once if there are more than 8 children, here you will record the parents and the children and the children's spouses. There is an area at the bottom of sheet two for other marriages (I use it for notes as well) and sources (here I would note any sources that I wasn't sure of or hadn't put in the source summary yet, or for extra note space.)
Family Group Sheet 3 (pages after family group sheet 2 is completed)
This sheet you will use for each child of the couple listed on Family Group Sheet 1. You will record the child's family including their spouse, and children and their children's spouse. I also use these sheets to record information about the children's families.
Relationship Chart
This is a really handy chart, it helps identify your relationship to the people you are researching.
After I have filled out the sheets I paper clip them together. Then I make a folder for each branch of the family I am working on, ie Doe, Robinson, etc etc and file the sheets in the proper Family Folder.
There are many different ways to organize your family tree information, but that's a whole other post on its own!!!
Sources:
1. Family Group Sheets 2 sheets were found on the Cite Your Sources (Source Footnotes) link above.
2. Family Group Sheets 1 and 3 and the Relationship Chart were found at Digging For Ancestors.There are a lot more sheets on this page if you want more.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!!
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Start With What You Know......
So, where does one start making a family tree?
The answer is as simple as it is complicated! 😉
Start with what you know!
Sounds simple enough, right? 😊
First you are going to make a list of everything you already know. You might be surprised at what you know or can piece together in a few minutes with a pencil and some paper. So go ahead and grab a pencil and a note book! ✏📓
Always start with yourself and work your way up the tree! List everything you already know!
A good format to start your list is this:
Name: First, middle and last! (if this person is a female always use their maiden name here, if their maiden name is unknown leave it blank you can fill it in later)
Born: Place:
Christening/Baptism Place:
(here you can list any other religious rites or sacraments and the place they occurred, if there are any)
Marriage: Place:
Spouse:
Died: Place:
Notes: (here is where you can list any important notes about this couple, include how many children the had, but do not include names you are going to be listing each child separately next)
Now make a list of your/couples children using the same format as above, remember this list is to gather the information that you know and you will be transferring this information to other documents or software later.
Once you have completed the list of children you will want to list your parents and your spouse's (if you have one) parents and their children and spouse and grandchildren if applicable. Again, write down everything you know, you can use a separate piece of paper for each couple or whatever works to help keep you organized. Don't worry if you are not sure about dates or places, just make the list and leave the sections blank for now.
If you are lucky enough to have a family Bible on hand or some hand written notes from family members this is the time to have a look in them and see if you can add any information to your list. If you are transferring information from a family bible or notes you need to record this information in a different color pencil or ink and make a legend on the bottom of the page or on a separate piece of paper. The legend should look something like this:
Blue pencil/ink = information from Doe Family Bible
Red pencil/ink = information from Grandmother Doe
Green pencil/ink = information from grandfather Doe
Remember to include a color for the information you wrote in the original list, as that will be considered personal knowledge of (insert your name here). This legend will be the making of your first sources.
With your completed list in hand start talking to living relatives. If you don't know your Grand mother's maiden name, and she's still alive call her up or better yet drop by and visit her, and ask! Most of the older generations love to talk about their past and pass on stories. If you find the odd relative that just does not want to talk about their past, that's fine do not push them to talk, be respectful of their privacy, there are other ways to find out information later, if you feel compelled to dig around at a later date.
So there you have it, the beginnings of your Family Tree. That wasn't so hard was it? 😁
Remember that patience is the key to a good, well researched, well sourced family tree, this isn't going to happen over night!!
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!!
The answer is as simple as it is complicated! 😉
Start with what you know!
Sounds simple enough, right? 😊
First you are going to make a list of everything you already know. You might be surprised at what you know or can piece together in a few minutes with a pencil and some paper. So go ahead and grab a pencil and a note book! ✏📓
Always start with yourself and work your way up the tree! List everything you already know!
A good format to start your list is this:
Name: First, middle and last! (if this person is a female always use their maiden name here, if their maiden name is unknown leave it blank you can fill it in later)
Born: Place:
Christening/Baptism Place:
(here you can list any other religious rites or sacraments and the place they occurred, if there are any)
Marriage: Place:
Spouse:
Died: Place:
Notes: (here is where you can list any important notes about this couple, include how many children the had, but do not include names you are going to be listing each child separately next)
Now make a list of your/couples children using the same format as above, remember this list is to gather the information that you know and you will be transferring this information to other documents or software later.
Once you have completed the list of children you will want to list your parents and your spouse's (if you have one) parents and their children and spouse and grandchildren if applicable. Again, write down everything you know, you can use a separate piece of paper for each couple or whatever works to help keep you organized. Don't worry if you are not sure about dates or places, just make the list and leave the sections blank for now.
If you are lucky enough to have a family Bible on hand or some hand written notes from family members this is the time to have a look in them and see if you can add any information to your list. If you are transferring information from a family bible or notes you need to record this information in a different color pencil or ink and make a legend on the bottom of the page or on a separate piece of paper. The legend should look something like this:
Blue pencil/ink = information from Doe Family Bible
Red pencil/ink = information from Grandmother Doe
Green pencil/ink = information from grandfather Doe
Remember to include a color for the information you wrote in the original list, as that will be considered personal knowledge of (insert your name here). This legend will be the making of your first sources.
With your completed list in hand start talking to living relatives. If you don't know your Grand mother's maiden name, and she's still alive call her up or better yet drop by and visit her, and ask! Most of the older generations love to talk about their past and pass on stories. If you find the odd relative that just does not want to talk about their past, that's fine do not push them to talk, be respectful of their privacy, there are other ways to find out information later, if you feel compelled to dig around at a later date.
So there you have it, the beginnings of your Family Tree. That wasn't so hard was it? 😁
Remember that patience is the key to a good, well researched, well sourced family tree, this isn't going to happen over night!!
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!!
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Where To Start.....
When I first started looking at making a family tree that was my first question, Where do I start? So me being me, I plugged my great-grandfather's name into the google search bar and got one hit for a man by the same name, in the same family but was not my great-grandfather. Well that was no help at all, but I do not give up that easy! So, I thought well let's see what happens if I just leave out his first name and google his last name. Google had a heart attack! Apparently he has a HUGE extended family, and there began my plunge into genealogy. What a trip it has been over the last almost 10 years. I've always has a certain curiosity for knowing where my family came from but it wasn't until that night about 10 years ago when I put my google skills to use that I started to find out just how much fun and rewarding it can be to find documents and pictures and learn how my ancestor's lived and where they came from. I have learned a lot over the years and continue to learn more every day.
One of the first sites that I came across back then was Ancestry.com, now it's a good site, has some really good information on it, lots of data bases, some that are hard if not impossible to access anywhere else BUT it's a costly site and I am far from a rich person! After a few free trials and a couple of 6 month paid memberships, I came to the realization that although the site itself had some good information and data bases there were far to many "cooks in the kitchen" so to speak.
Looking more closely into the family trees on this site revealed that some of the relationships/trees on the site had the wrong information or the completely wrong family line or documents were connected to people they didn't clearly belong to. This site was getting me nowhere. So I decided that it was time to branch out and do some exploring on my own I didn't NEED to pay good money to find incorrect information, be told by people that my information was wrong when I knew for a fact that it was not wrong or told that the original documents I had in my possession were "fake". Yes some people are that brutal, even when faced with the correct information and documentation they refuse to believe that someone might know a little more about their own immediate or close extended family than a person that lives in another country and has no connection to that branch of the family what.so.ever.
This was the beginning of something beautiful..... gathering free documents and information online and building a well documented and finely sourced Family Tree. I won't say it's been easy, because that would be a lie, but it has been a fun learning experience. I have found some amazing documents and stories, and met some amazing people. Fine tuned my research skills to a point it no longer takes me months to find information or documents. Of course I am only human and I have at times forgotten to save a source or two....maybe more than that but I almost always stumble across the site again and for the most part remember to save the link or at the very least bookmark the website so I can add the source later.
In future blogs I will share some of the interesting sites I have found as well I plan on sharing some of the family lines I am working on, hoping to help other researchers with their family lines.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
One of the first sites that I came across back then was Ancestry.com, now it's a good site, has some really good information on it, lots of data bases, some that are hard if not impossible to access anywhere else BUT it's a costly site and I am far from a rich person! After a few free trials and a couple of 6 month paid memberships, I came to the realization that although the site itself had some good information and data bases there were far to many "cooks in the kitchen" so to speak.
Looking more closely into the family trees on this site revealed that some of the relationships/trees on the site had the wrong information or the completely wrong family line or documents were connected to people they didn't clearly belong to. This site was getting me nowhere. So I decided that it was time to branch out and do some exploring on my own I didn't NEED to pay good money to find incorrect information, be told by people that my information was wrong when I knew for a fact that it was not wrong or told that the original documents I had in my possession were "fake". Yes some people are that brutal, even when faced with the correct information and documentation they refuse to believe that someone might know a little more about their own immediate or close extended family than a person that lives in another country and has no connection to that branch of the family what.so.ever.
This was the beginning of something beautiful..... gathering free documents and information online and building a well documented and finely sourced Family Tree. I won't say it's been easy, because that would be a lie, but it has been a fun learning experience. I have found some amazing documents and stories, and met some amazing people. Fine tuned my research skills to a point it no longer takes me months to find information or documents. Of course I am only human and I have at times forgotten to save a source or two....maybe more than that but I almost always stumble across the site again and for the most part remember to save the link or at the very least bookmark the website so I can add the source later.
In future blogs I will share some of the interesting sites I have found as well I plan on sharing some of the family lines I am working on, hoping to help other researchers with their family lines.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)