The Ties That Bind: How to begin work on tracing family lines

Starting From Scratch:

You are without any family records—no journals, biographies, vital records, and limited memorabilia (e.g., photographs). No problem. This is exactly the predicament I was in when I began doing genealogy work. Rather than be overwhelmed by the seemingly daunting task of linking generations together without a solid base to launch from, or being afraid that the process of piecing your family history together may be tedious if not arduous, consider this an adventure. You are on an exciting quest! As you delve into searching records, which, fortunately, are usually cataloged and accessible online, you are not only finding your ancestors you are discovering more about yourself. All you need to begin doing genealogy work is a computer, a pen and paper (to take notes), a disk (to save the information you have found), some blank genealogy charts (e.g. "family trees"), your memories, and a sincere desire. For instance, when I first started doing family history work, all I knew were the names of parents, their siblings, their parents, and some of their siblings. I proceeded to write down every name that I could remember, and found that I had a list of about 25 people (all of which I had not seen or heard from in almost a decade; or who have since passed away) that I could enter into the online searches. In all honesty, I said a little prayer each time I went online to do family history searches. I tried to envision what my ancestors looked like and what kind of people they were. I remembered my mother telling me, when I was 10-years-old, that her relatives were Irish decent. So, I pictured hard-working potato farmers with thick Irish accents. I pictured these people making the long journey from Ireland to New York (where both my mother and father were born), spending weeks on ship with the hope for a brighter future in America. Then, after I slowly began to think of these names as "real" people, I prayed to have insight and inspiration as I typed their names into my online searches. In turn, results came to fruition. And bonds began forming.

Methods of Searching:

As mentioned before, a majority of records such as census reports, marriage licenses, adoption records, and death certificates have been a cataloged and are accessible via the Internet. Virtually all legal documents and vital records are accessible via the Web. Thusly, doing genealogy work online is a popular and convenient method. I have found a significant amount of information about my ancestors through accessing important records on credible online databanks devoted to genealogy. Alas, because the Internet is convenient and easily accessible to and by the masses; there aren’t moderators to monitor who is posting information on the Web and whether that information is credible, or even accurate, it is important to double-check the information you find. In other words, consider your source. Rarely do I document information about a person, unless I have seen a scanned copy of an authentic legal document such as a census report or death certificate. It is then that I compare that scanned legal document I found on a credible, reputable, and respectable Web-site, to the information I have pieced together. Upon which, I then re-check my information, yet again, against other documents such as birth and marriage certificates (whether it be a scanned copy online or a tangible copy furnished by the State in which the birth and/or marriage took place). After all, there numerous individuals with the same exact name who are born in the same state in the same year. This is why, as with any research, it is important to reference reputable sources and to document from which sources you obtained your information. Conventionally, genealogy work has been done through writing letters to different local and national government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Vital Records, to obtain copies of birth, death, and marriage records. Fortunately, this process of writing letters has been streamlined by the Internet. Yet, it is still a good idea to obtain tangible copies of such records to have on file. Furthermore, the vast majority of public libraries have access to census records and immigration reports that have been bound and cataloged. It is always fascinating to see your ancestor’s name hand-written and to read the notes that the census recorder took concerning your ancestor. For example, I recently discovered that my Great Grandpa Drake, my maternal grandfather’s father after whom he was named, worked as a superintendent of parks and forests in New York State, and that he worked as a volunteer for a youth correctional facility that mentored displayed, orphaned, and abused boys. I would not have found this if it weren’t for a census report. And since I, unfortunately, do not have access to any personal journals or memoirs that may have been kept by my ancestors, it is lovely to know that there is a census record, written by hand, that captured a small snapshot of my Great Grandpa Drake and hence gave me a clue into the kind of man he may have been. Once again, a large number, if not all, of these census reports (both U.S. and European censuses) have been scanned and are available online through various sites solely dedicated to genealogic research. In sum, utilize all of the resources that available for each resource will provide with you additional pieces of crucial, even interesting, information that will assist you with your genealogy work.

Narrowing your Search Criteria:

While a list of 25 names may seem modest and manageable, it is best to narrow your search. Personally, I consolidated my list by organizing it under last names – "Whites", "Drakes", "Nashes", and "O’Tooles". I then organized those names by gender and by family relationships so that I had a list of immediate family members (e.g., husband, wife, and children). Thereupon, I conducted online searches by last names. I typed in the first and last name of each immediate member of that particular family, entered the estimated birth and death years for those whom I had no information on, and thereby entered countries of origin and where they settled. Fortunately, because both my mother and father were born in New York, my search became considerably conical to a certain specific state. Furthermore, because I knew that my mother’s ancestors were originally from Ireland, and that my paternal grandfather was also of Irish decent, I formed a logical guess that, perhaps, my Irish ancestors came to America around 1840 when a devastating potato famine in Ireland nearly left the country starved and desolate. Thereby, I entered searched for Irish individuals, with the aforementioned last names, who settled in and around New York during 1820-1850. Soon, my meager list of 25 names grew into a list of 200+ family names in a matter of months. Albeit, that genealogy is an investment of time and energy, as is any form of honest, diligent research. The rewards it yields, however, are in immeasurable. When you invest time, effort, energy, and work on behalf of your ancestors your life becomes richer, fuller, and more meaningful. Your relationships with loved ones grow; your love and appreciation for them deepens and thereby strengthens your bonds of friendship and, in turn, eternal kinships are formed. Additionally, your sense of self, coupled with your overall perspective on life, changes in profoundly positive ways. It is an addictive hobby, yet one in which its fruits strengthen, nurture, and bless your life, as well as lives of those nearest and dearest to you.

About the Author: Danielle White is a client account specialist for 10x Marketing. For more information about family kinships, or evengenetics, check out GeneTree.