Genealogy Pointers

Have you ever hear of the Bayeux Tapestry? If you are a professional historian, genealogist or just a lover of history, you have probably heard about the beautiful hand embroidered tapestry. The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the greatest historical records of the Norman period in English history.

The Bayeux Tapestry is medieval embroidery commemorating the Norman conquest of England, in which William of Normandy defeated Harold II of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Shortly after the victory, many hands stitched the colorful history that was William the Conqueror’s triumph.

The monumental masterpiece is a band of linen approximately 70m (230 ft) long and 50cm (20in) wide, on which there are more than 70 scenes commemorating the Norman Conquest, embroidered in worsteds of eight colors. For you that don’t know about embroidery, worsted is wool yarn that is made of long fibers that has been combed to remove the short fiber that makes them lie parallel. The exact length of the tapestry is not known because the last strip is tattered, although it has been suggested that the tapestry was originally made to fit around the nave of Bayeux Cathedral

The tapestry is estimated to have been completed in 1077, possible for the consecration of the new cathedral at Bayeux, a small town on the coast of Normandy.

In a time when a majority of the population was illiterate, the embroidery told a story in pictures. There are thirty-one scenes total. The opening scene sets the stage for Harold’s visit to Bosham, en route to Normandy (1064), to the scene of William deciding to attack England, to the loading of all the ships, this included hundreds of horses, to the arrival at Pevensey, the battle at Hastings, to the death of Harold, and closes with Harold’s forces retreating from Hastings (1066).

The historical chronicle is told from the Norman perspective and the work is considered a Norman document.

A French fable gives credit for the embroidery to Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, and in France it is referred to as the Tapisserie de la reine Mathilde or “Queen Matilda’s Tapestry.” In fact, most researchers believe that it was commissioned by William’s half brother Odo, bishop of Bayeux, and was embroidered in England and later moved to France. But there is no definite answer as to who actually embroidered the tapestry.

One of the most controversial scenes is the death of Harold. At the battle of Hastings Harold was reported to have been killed by an arrow in or about in the eye. Historians have studied this for centuries. Many believe that the man that is displayed with an arrow in his eye was one of Harold’s knights, not Harold himself. Others still believe that an arrow in the eye killed Harold. The true cause of death of Harold will never be known.

The Tapestry has twice been saved from destruction. In 1792, during the French Revolution, the people of Bayeux were desperate for cloth to cover their wagons. It was removed from the church where it was displayed and draped over a wagon caring ammunition to the northern front. Lambert Leforestier, a lawyer, saw this and quickly offered to replace it with a cloth better suited for the purpose.

Two years later, the tapestry was again placed in danger when it was about to be cut into sections to decorate a festival.

Since the Revolution, the embroidery has only been moved from Bayeux a few times: to be exhibited in Paris at Napoleon’s wish in 1803-1804, to be carefully stored in 1871 during the Franco-German War and from 1939 to 1945 during WWII.

The Bayeux Tapestry is considered a remarkable work of medieval art and a leading source for 11th century history, including details of everyday life not described by other documents. It shows scenes of Norman dress, castle building, hunting, Armour, building boats and other facts of daily life.

Today, the Bayeux Tapestry is displayed in Bayeux, at the Centre Guillaume le Conquerant. The Bayeux Tapestry has special meaning to thousand of people all over the world, including myself. It represents our ancestors that fought for the rightful King of England even to the start of Democracy.

Over the centuries restoration attempts have been made to save the Bayeux Tapestry even filling in the stitching that has deteriorated over the years with modern stitching, with skeptical accuracy.

I have a special attachment to the Bayeux Tapestry because my ancestor is displayed on horse back beside William the Conqueror that became one of his chief-in-arms. If it weren’t for William the Conqueror invading England, England and America would have been a different place today.

If you have been working on genealogy for some time and enjoy it, have you ever thought of becoming a Professional Genealogist? Do you have the necessary skills, experience, and expertise to turn genealogy into a business? If this question has popped in your head a time or two, then, here is some information for you to consider in order too take that step to be a pro.

The first thing you should consider is how much experience do you have. Are you familiar with all the various types of genealogical records that are available, do you know how to locate, and access them? Then, can you analyze and interpret exactly what the records are saying?

If you are not sure about your expertise, then you can always contact a professional genealogist and have the person critique your work. This person can also offer you guidance on what you need to improve on.

The second thing you should consider is your education in the field of genealogy. Have you taken any genealogy classes, attended any seminars and workshops. Do you subscribe to any genealogy magazines, read books on the subject? Genealogy changes everyday. It’s not just one thing you learn, it’s on going.

The third thing you should consider is joining a genealogical society. This way you are working side-by-side with genealogist and they can help you with expanding your skills.

The fourth thing to consider is to volunteer your services in transcribing genealogical documents. This will give you plenty of practice in reading old handwriting.

The fifth thing is your writing skills. You have to be knowledgeable in the proper way to format your source citations. You have to have good grammar in your writing skills to communicate with your clients. The only way of improving your writing skills is to write and keep writing. Submit a genealogy article to a local genealogical society for possible publication in their newsletter.

The sixth thing you might want to consider is joining the Association of Professional Genealogists. This organization is for professional genealogist and also for people who want to further their skills.

The seventh thing is your business skills. You will have to work on your business skill constantly. If you don’t know anything about taxes, accounting, advertising, billing and managing your time wisely, you won’t succeed.

You also have to consider what area of specialty is for you. Not all genealogists just work with clients. Some are teachers, authors, adoption specialists, and bookstore owners. You can chose from just doing research in your local city, to expanding your research area by regions. You can even go as for as an expert for a different country.

There are lots of books out there on being a Professional Genealogist. The best one I would recommend for you to start with is the Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lectures, and Librarians. This book has helped me. It will give you information on everything from abstracting to setting up a business.

Several other things you might want to check into are the websites for the Association of Professional Genealogist, the Board of Certification of Genealogists and the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogist (ICAPGen).

The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogist is an accreditation program that test individuals on both theoretical research in the location and use of original documents that are unique to the regional area in which the person has applied for accreditation. This is a rigorous program and every five years you have to renew your accreditation.

The Board of Certification of Genealogist test and certifies individuals in several different categories and you also have to renew your certification every five years.

Both the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogist and the Board of Certification of Genealogist have a code of ethics and conduct that you have to read, sign, and abide by.

Certification and Accreditation are not required in order to be a Professional Genealogist but the fact remands, people who hire individuals to do any type of work want to be able to see some kind of proof that the individual can do what they claim they can do and do the job right.

Here you are with all this family information that you have collected for several years and you always have to dig through piles to find what you are looking for. You get a phone call or e-mail and someone has a question or your aunt wants to know who married whom. You are about to pull your hair out if you don’t organize this mess so you can find what you want and send what you would like to other people. There is something that you can do to solve all this chaos and that is to publish your family tree online.

Publishing your family tree online is a wonderful way you can share your information that you have researched with family members. Family members have a tendency to contribute more if they can see the work that is being put together. Often people won’t contribute because they just don’t know what you are doing with all the information.

A family Web site is also a great asset for attracting other genealogy and historical researchers that are researching the same surname as you. Setting up your family Web site is easier than you think and it keeps getting easier every day; you don’t have to be a technical genius. If you use a genealogy software program, send email, can upload files and pictures then you can set up a Web page.

If you do have a genealogy software program installed on you computer with all your information in it then your Web site could be as simple as uploading your GEDCOM file to the online database that you have chosen. You can also choose to go as far as creating a hand made Web site that includes all the documents, photos and your reliable sources backing up your information.

Know matter if you choose to just upload your information or create your hand made site you will need to choose the database that will fit what you are looking for and what you are willing to take the time and learn.

First you need to take some time and figure out what exactly all you want to include in your family Web site. Will this site be just on a particular person or the entire family? Do you want anyone else to be able to add information and photos to the site? How about other fellow researchers that are researching the same surname but you don’t have any idea if they are related to you or not? These are very important questions that you need to answer before you go any further. Remember, if you allow other people to add information you will have no control over the space that you are allotted so you may have to fork over more money to keep the site operating.

Now that you have decided what information you want to put on your new Web site, you have to find the space for your Web site but first you need to decide how you want the layout to be. Do you want a written family history including photos and documents or do you just want the family tree of names and dates?

If you decide to just want your family tree then you can use genealogy databases like: FamilySearch pedigree Resource file, RootsWeb World Connect, Ancestry World Tree or GenCircles. These Website databases are as far as I’m concerned are among the best. You don’t have to have hardly any technical knowledge to submit your GEDCOM file and this allows the world to find your family tree.

If you want to actually set up your own Web site then you’ll have to find a Web hosting service that will offer you enough space and support for all your information. There are quite a few Web hosting sites that are offered for genealogy. Some of them are even free but that can limit you on the amount of space they offer for free. Check with your own ISP server, they often offer free space for your won Web site. Go ahead and check out the ones that are not free because they do offer some excellent tools that you might not know how to do yourself with the free sites. They can help you with things like, photo uploads, separate email address to keep your genealogy contacts separate from your personal email, automatically generated reports or charts.

There is a third option for you. How about a genealogy blog? Blogs are becoming very popular and you can use it like a journal to document your family history search, photos and other information you want to include. Blogs for some people are easier than Web sites because you don’t have to know HTML. Just search for blogs and check if there is any genealogy blogs and take a look at some.

Now putting you information online will depend on the hosting service you have chosen. Some will offer you templates and tools you can choose to use or if you know HTML then you can design your own. If you don’t know HTML then you might have to have a program that will let you convert your information that is in your database into HTML to upload it to the Internet.

It’s great to find out that your great, great Grandpa was born in Scotland in 1769. And you have a Grandmother that grew up in Ireland. But what makes your family trees fascinating is the people, not the facts. Learning about your great grandmother who had the courage to travel from Germany to America alone with three children, to join her husband who had come ahead to make a new home for his family. Little details like these are what makes family history so exciting, and can bring a vivid picture of your genealogy research to life.

There are a lot of different resources available that can help you learn more about the time periods, religious practices, and ethnic customs. These resources will help you place your family’s lives in a meaningful historical context.

Starting with your living relatives: The most valuable resource you have right at your fingertips – your living family members. Be sure to utilize this while you still can. They won’t always be around!

They may not talk about what their life was like growing up because they think people will find it boring, but once you get them started, you’ll be surprised how their memories come to life. Below are some questions that you can use to get started. Remember you don’t want just dates and places. You want stories of their lives.

1. Describe the house that you grew up in. Did you have electricity? Indoor plumbing?
2. What is the earliest thing you can remember from your childhood?
3. What kind of games did you play as a kid growing up?
4. Did you have a favorite toy; did you take it everywhere?
5. What was your favorite thing to do for fun?
6. Did you have any chores?
7. Did you receive an allowance and how much did you get?
8. What was school like as a child? Were you in any activities or sports?
9. Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
10.Who were your childhood heroes?
11. What were your favorite songs, music?
12. Did you have any pets? What were their names?

The next resource is your library. Libraries have great sources for background information on the time periods and locations in which your ancestors lived. This includes history books, cookbooks (for period recipes), maps, and fashion (for clothing styles from different time periods). Your library card can be your key to unlocking your family tree. Libraries across the U.S. and around the world subscribe to multiple databases for the use of their members.

Your locale library’s databases may include obituaries, census, and biographies, immigration records, marriage and birth records, and historical newspapers. Certain libraries may subscribe to as few as one to two databases, while other libraries may offer a wide range of free databases.

History in the news: This is one of the most useful databases for genealogical research.
Period newspapers provide more than birth announcements and obituaries. Period newspapers are also a window into the lives of your ancestors through gossip, columns, editorial comments reflecting the community, and product advertisements.

Period newspapers also serve as daily or weekly diaries of local communications and their inhabitants. Newspapers are excellent source that provides a wonderful undiscovered, resource for genealogist, providing events not recorded anywhere else. A genealogical researcher can not only expect to find birth announcements and obituaries, but also announcements of anniversaries, letters to editor, legal notices, and social columns filled with local news of a more personal nature. Whether it’s an urban or rural newspaper, it can open a new window into the lives of your ancestors.

Mapping out your family tree: Being familiar with the area where your ancestors lived is essential in researching your family history. Maps come into play here. Maps can not only help you pinpoint the name, location, and history of the city or town where your ancestors lived, but can also help you find and picture where your relatives were born, resided, courted, married, raised a family, and was laid to rest. Many family history research problems can be solved with the use of maps, atlases, and gazetteers. Maps can help you locate you ancestors’ neighbors and family members, pinpoint county courthouses or town halls where records may be located, and can even be uses to compare other genealogical records to distinguish between two individuals of the same last name. By using maps, you can learn more about the name, location, and history of the city or town in which your ancestors lived.

Researching genealogy as a professional or just as a hobby is lots of fun. You find ancestor after ancestor and if your lucky may be a story or two about their lives. But the hardest thing about genealogy is staying on track with the family line you are work on.

Here you are at your computer, you have allotted the evening for researching on your father’s direct line and before you know it you are looking at your fathers mothers sisters family tree. Then a new message comes over the genealogy message board you’re a member of and someone asks a question that you can answer.

Then a light bulb goes off, you stop, and wonder, how did you get so far away from the direct line you wanted to research and look what time it is!

This has happened to every person some time or another that has anything to do with a computer and the Internet. This is called distractions. In order to stay on task, you have to try very hard to concentrate on what you are doing and nothing else.

I have come up with some tips that you might be interested in that helps me stay focused on my genealogy line that I’m researching. I still have to refer back to them once in a while to remind myself what I’m doing and not doing.

1. Stay Focused
When I first start to research my family, I tried to do every line on my mother and father’s side. I ended up driving myself crazy. You have to stay focused on one direct line, a single-family group, or a single surname. Decide exactly what you want to work on and stay with it.

2. Stop-Organize
If you have been working on your family line for awhile now, I know you have papers, documents, notes from sources you have researched, notes from people you have talked to, records you have found, and notes of theories you have come up with. This has to all be organized together before you can move on. Stay away from the Internet until you have everything organized in an easy-to-refer-to file. While you’re at it, try to put all those little notes you have jotted down, either in one file or copy to a single sheet of paper. This is a lot easier that 20 scraps of paper.

3. Log, Log, Log
Keep a log of where you have looked, what you have found if anything, what file it is in, and the date you looked. This log is called a genealogical research log. This will help you identify gaps in your research and keep you from searching in the same place you have already searched. Plus you won’t be wasting time.

4. Plan
In order to make the most out of your precious genealogy research time, you need to have a plan. You need to review your family file and identify what you need to look for every time, before you set down to work. You can even make a ‘to do’ list right before you end your research time, that way you know right where to pick up at.

5. Distractions
Your all ready to set down and start to work, wear blinders (figurative, of course). Put all other research papers away. Have only out what you need to research what you have decided to work on. Tell family member your working for such and such time and don’t answer the phone. You can even turn the volume down on your computer so you won’t here that “you’ve got mail.”

6.Putting your Genealogy on Hold
Include a “pending” file for each of your family groups. This is an excellent way to stay organized. Each pending file holds copies of outgoing and incoming correspondence and unrecorded genealogy papers. Pending files can even contain your notes from Web site you want to look at further in detail, and information you got in the mail from a distant cousin.

When you come to a good stopping point in your research, you can go through your pending files and what goes, what stays, what needs to be recorded, any notes that this new information will effect your research plan, and any filling that needs to be done.

7. Working Notebook
I know you have walked way from your research for several days or even months. You want to get back at it but it’s hard to do. You have forgot where you were and what you were working on. The best way to solve this problem is to make a working notebook for the family group you are working on. This notebook includes a copy of your research plan, family summary, research log, and correspondence log. This will allow you to review your progress you have made and where you need to go from there. This will also help when your are at a brick wall with one family line so you decide to work on another family line but unexpectedly a break through comes with the brick wall line.

When people see my filling system they are surprised. They think filing papers and records is all there is to it but us genealogist know there is much more than that. If you plan where you are going and keep track of where you have been your family research will be fun and effective.

Even in the field of genealogy you will find companies out there that will scam you if you let them. Even the knowledgeable have been sucked into one scam or another in their career. If you look up the meaning of scam, it is defined as “a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation.” This is exactly what these companies are doing to innocent people like you. The best defense against scams, hoaxes, and other deceptions is to be knowledgeable. The old saying is; if it sounds to good to be true, it’s probably not!

In order to not be sucked into a scam, you have to do your research before you send any of your hard earned money to any company. Below is some information about four different scams that are out there hunting for you. Being a genealogist, I have received several of these myself. You may receive the information by regular mail or by email. Genealogy is so wide known on the Internet that anyone can find you.

1. Your family history scam
A letter comes in the mail that claims to have done extensive research on the history of your surname. They might be introducing it in a form of a book. Saying it’s a wonderful book, one of a kind that traces your family surname back to the 1500’s. This sounds to good to be true, well it isn’t.

These books are just a generic form of your surname. The book usually will contain some general information on how to trace your family tree, a brief history of your surname, and then a list of names, like a phone book. The surname is so broad ranged that your particular family isn’t even in there.

There are a few other items to watch out for: Companies that are offering your family history, and the origin of your surname. These are printed on plaques. These only give you a generic history or the surname origin of some of the people that do hold that particular name. There is nothing on your particular branch of that name.

So any company that mass-produces items on an individual family history is only out for one thing, your money. Stay away!

2. Falsified Genealogy Credentials
Just because a genealogist doesn’t have a professional certification doesn’t mean they don’t know what they are doing. But it is very easy for an amateur family historian to charge for tracing a family tree. The government usually doesn’t require genealogist to be licensed, but professional genealogy organization have required screening programs.
So it’s easy for people to be misled by inappropriate credentials.

Before you ever hire a professional researcher, make sure you do your homework and know exactly what you are getting for your money.

3. Confusion of Coat of Arms
First and foremost, there is no coat of arms for a surname and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. A coat of arms belongs to an individual, not an entire family or the entire world with the same surname. For an individual to have a coat of arms, they had to of been granted one or be a direct descendent in a direct male line from the person whom had the coat of arms originally.

There are hundreds of companies out there that will sell you your coat of arms printed on what ever you would like, cups to t-shirts. Some companies are not out to get you but their advertisements are misleading. They say they have your coat of arms but how do they know if your family line has inherited it and has the right to display it.

I can verify this to be a fact. My father is a direct line back to the first person granted a coat of arms. I have been able to find the original coat of arms and I know who now holds the coat of arms in England. No company that I have found on the Internet can give me the right information for my surname. So if you are looking for something fun, go ahead and order away, but if you are looking for the legitimate thing, keep hunting and stay away from these companies.

4. Phony Inheritance Scam
This is the one I really like. You receive a letter out of the blue claiming that you have an unclaimed inheritance and that it has been found. A full report with details will be sent to you telling you how to claim your inheritance for a fee.

Hundreds upon hundreds of these letters go out everyday and they take in many people. What they are doing is, taking the money people send in for the fee and run.

If you really have an inheritance coming to you, you will be notified by a lawyer.

There are many more genealogy scams out there so always be aware, and ask yourself, can this be true?

As a kid growing up I never took note of all the old stories that my relatives would tell when we would all get-together for holidays or family reunions. I thought it was boring and wondered why would you want to set around and talk about this! Now as the years have passed, I have my own family and most of my relatives have passed on, I wish I had listened to all those old stories. Those old stories are worth more than people will ever realize, that is why tracing your family tree, called genealogy is so important. I have been tracing family trees for 10 years now and the mystery story never ends.

I know, you are saying why would you ever want or need to know about your ancestors that have been dead for years, you never ever met them, and you don’t need to know about them.

About every person during his or her lifetime will run across something that will refer back to their ancestors whether it is an illness that the doctors say is hereditary or a name that has been handed down. Where did these thing come from, how did they start?

In order to answer these and many more questions everyone needs to know where they came from even if it is just back to your grand parents names. Genealogy has become very important in everyone’s lives in today’s world. The majority of the population is entering their final phase of life and they are realizing that family is very important; even the younger generations are taking note of the importance of family.

For myself learning about my accessorial family has brought me closer in realizing that if you don’t have family you have nothing, your life is empty. In learning to understanding yourself you also understand where you came from, how you got here, why do you have the values, morals and beliefs you have.

In working on your family tree or even someone else’s you see things that are repeated from one generation to another, why is one person able to play the piano by ear and the other can’t. You see thing through the ancestors eyes, how they worked, what they wore, what they ate, how they lived. They appreciated their lives more than people do today; things weren’t taken for granted.

In order to do genealogy you have to try to travel back in time in which your ancestor lived. Yes, this can be a difficult thing to do but it is easier to develop an understanding of the social, political, and the working of there daily lives.

By looking at recorded history, document and journals that have survived plus other resources you can develop a picture of what their average life was like. But looking through stacks of papers, volumes of books is not the only thing involved in genealogy, Just by trying to find proof that a particular person existed by their birth and death dates is not enough. It’s an adventure to discover what we call our lives into reality. It’s reality that is hidden from the living to try to understand the facts that were recorded over an allotted period of time.

A genealogist is basically a time traveler that with each new discovery they become transported to that time period and into the lives of that person. They dig through the ashes to discover the details of the lives that lived at that time, they discover forgotten letters, public records, diaries, photos and many more as they push and prod on.

Genealogy is like a mystery story, you look for clues and search for evidence, the more you dig the more you find. What makes this more interesting is it’s your personal mystery story.

Have I got your curiosity up? Are you wondering, right now, who are your ancestors? Thinking to yourself what you can find, what you might not want to find. That’s right with all the wonderful things you can find on your ancestors you will probably come across something you might not want to know. These are the “skeleton in the closet” that could come out. Just remember that everyone has these and time has past so they won’t hurt you or anyone else.

If you would like to start a family tree it is at first an easy process. Just start with yourself; write down your name and birth date, where you were born and where you have and are living. Then add you immediate family. Take some time and write or record (if you have a tape recorder) any life stories you would like to have remembered. Things you did as a kid, vacations you went on, people you met. These stories are more important that any dates you will record.

What ever you do and I know you will be tempted, don’t go to the Internet, this will only confuse you at this starting point. You have to have a point of beginning before you can travel down the road to get to your destination. Everyone that decides to research his or her family tries to rush, wants all the answers now, doesn’t want to wait. Genealogy is a slow process. Think of it as driving your car at a slower speed to make your gas tank go further.

After you have taken the time to record yourself it is time to move on to your parents. If they are alive discuss with them what you are doing and why. Remember not everyone is interested in genealogy or they have never even thought of it. Explaining why you are working on your family tree and how important it is to you will help other people understand your reasoning’s. This process needs to be used with every family member that you will have contact with. Don’t push for the information; people will only give you what they want you to know.

Now that you have your parent’s information then if your grandparents are alive, visit with them. If they have already passed on then see what your parents can remember about their parents. Don’t forget to ask for any stories of their childhood and before you were old enough to remember things.

This is basically the process you will work on with each live individual. Once you have information from your parents and about your grand parents then check with any siblings that they have. Sometimes you will get the same stories and other times you can get a complete different story. This is where the mystery investigation begins, if you want to call it that!

The next step you need to do is to go to the Internet. Now stop, the Internet is a vast system and can give you the right information if you let it but it can also confuse and take you down the wrong path. Don’t just go to the search engine and start typing to see what you come up with. This can also make you discouraged and you’ll end up giving up.

The first web site you need to check out is cindyslist. This Web site is full of information that you have to spend the time reading and I’m saying read. Don’t just start clicking; you’ll end up in “tim-buck-to” if you let yourself. The next wonderful site is rootsweb.com. You will use this a lot. People have posted their family lines, there are hundreds of message boards that you can read and post your own questions on, and rootsweb will even teach you how to start and what to do. After years of genealogy research I still go back to this site often.

Now there are many Web sites that you will come across that in order to use them you have to pay a subscription fee. My advice is to not do this now. There are many people that will be willing to do the look-ups for you, all you have to do is ask nicely and you will get several offers. As time goes by and you become familiar with the process that you do with each generation you will probably want to subscribe to one of the paying sites. The best one that I use is ancestry.com. Every once in awhile ancestry will offer a free service for an allotted amount of time; take advantage of this so you can see what is all available and make a determination if you would like a membership or not.

In working with genealogy research you have to remember to take it slow. Talk to all living relatives and document their stories and dates. Talk to them about past relatives that they remember. Use the Internet as your friend; it will help you if you let it and so will the millions of other genealogist out there.

Genealogy is something that no one can take away from you and you will be leaving behind a legacy for your grandchildren, their grandchildren and so on. Genealogy is an historical blessing that is shared between generations and passed down to them from their ancestors.

Are you at a brick wall in your genealogy research? Did you know that two head are better than one! Finding researchers that are working on the same branch or even the same surname can increase answers to question and fill in gaps.

Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States today, so there is bound to be someone out there who is researching the same family line as you.

How to find that person, is the question and here is a method to try.

Post an Inquiry.
What is an inquiry, it’s a message that lets other people know that you are researching your family line and which one. Message boards are an excellent place to post your inquiry because they reach a wide audience all around the world. Online services like rootsweb and genform are genealogy forums that you can post these types of messages.

Plus posting your own inquiry, you are able to check for inquiries that might relate to your family research that was posted by other people.

So how do you post messages that will get you result?
First thing you have to understand that most message boards are public, so when you do post a message on the Internet it will be out there for anyone and everyone to read. You have no idea who is going to read your message or who might quote portions of it to share with other people. You want to make sure that your message you want to post only contains information that you are ready to share with everyone.

You also need to know that once you submit your message you won’t be able to go back and change it; they are permanent. So double check for any typos and that it’s exactly what you want to say.

Message boards guidelines
Web site usually has rules and regulations that you have to follow. They are usually about the frequency and content of messages that they will allow on their boards. An individual monitors some message boards and some are not. If you look for the words “policies,” “user agreements,” or “terms of use,” these will out line the rules for you.

The key is to post your message in one or two places that is the most appropriate and will receive the best response. Don’t leave the same message in every available message board or you can get kicked of, this is irritating to some people and they will report you. Try to stick with the right topic of the message board.

There are several genealogical message boards that people go to. The most used is rootsweb.com and genforum.com. Visit these sites and get a feel for how they are run before you post your message. Here are something’s that you can do to help ensure that your message receives positive responses.

The more information you can give the less confused people get when they read your message. Make your message rich in details this will attract more responses. I have seen messages that just state “looking for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” This doesn’t tell anyone anything. Someone will probably take the time and email you back to ask you for more details but most people will just delete the message. So the greater the details you provide the greater chance of linking up with someone that is seeking the same individual. Some common thing to include in your message is:

Full name, including any middle name or initials you know of.
Dates: Birth, Marriage, and Death.
Places where the events occurred.
Residence and migration from county to county, town to town, state to state.
Names of their siblings if you know, names of their children and their parents.

Good Grammar
Make sure you have good grammar, spelling and punctuation, this is very important. If you don’t write well no one will respond to your post. Good grammar is like an invitation to others. Your message needs to be easily understood with few errors; this makes it easier for other researchers researching the same topic to comprehend your message. So make sure you proofread your message before you click that “Submit” button.

There is definitely one good reason you want your message posted with no typos; that is the search engine. You want the search engine to pick up your message and display it right when someone else is searching for the same family you are.

Oh, and don’t forget to double-check your email address. You want that researcher to be able to contact you!

About everyone that has lived in America for generations knows about war. If your ancestor started from the colonies or came to America several generations later, all have known war. We as American’s can claim at least one individual who served our country bravely and proudly. Even if you don’t know who that individual was you can do a bit of research and find out.

So where do you start, well, think back. If your in your twenties and your grandfather or your great grandfather is still alive there might lie your answer; either probably served in WWII. If either is not alive then there are ways of finding out if any of your ancestors served in the military.

1. How to determine if an ancestor served in the military.
There are several things you can search for in order to find clues in locating an ancestor that served in the military.

Family Stories: This is usually how people find an ancestor that served in the military, by asking family members that are older than your are.

Grave Markers: Most gravestones will have a military mark engraved on the head stone. It will usually have the initials of the branch of serves and the individuals rank.

Photographs: Try to locate old pictures of family members. Look for anyone in a uniform. Most military personnel had their pictures taken in uniform.

Death Records & Obituaries: Most death certificates will have a place that has been checked or written information, if the individual served in the military.

Newspaper clippings: Newspapers can be a big help if your ancestor lived in a small town. Usually they will list the individuals that went to war.

Local Histories: Check with libraries for the history of the town or county. Most have books written about the people that lived there.

Journals, Diaries, and Letters: These could have been handed down from generation to generation.

2. Once you have determined that an ancestor of yours served in the military, you will want to document their service. Military records can provide lots of genealogical material about your ancestor like birthplace, age at enlistment, names of immediate family members and occupation.

Compiled military service records
If you ancestor served in the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War most of these records were destroyed by fire in 1800 and 1814. In 1894 reconstruction of these lost records was started to collect military documents from a variety of sources. These collected records are called Compiled Military Service Records; they are in an envelope that is sometimes referred to as a ‘jacket’. These jackets can contain abstracts of an individuals service records. These can include muster rolls, rank rolls, prison records, enlistment and discharge documents, hospital records, and payrolls.

Bounty land records
If you ancestor served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, early Indian Wars, or the Mexican War then he probably received land. Receiving a land bounty was a grant of land from the government as a reward for the risks and hardships they endured in the service to their country. Basically these land claims were based on wartime service between 1775 and 1855.

Pension records or veteran’s claims
A pension record was based on service in the armed forces of the United States between 1775 and 1916. The National Archives hold these records of pension payments for veterans, their widows, and other heirs. These pension files can include narratives of events during service, depositions of witnesses, discharge papers, marriage certificates, birth and death records, and other information.

Draft registration records
During World War I there were three drafts; all men that were born between 1873 and 1900 had to register. These draft registration cards could contain information like name, birth date, place born, occupation, physical description, dependents, and nearest relative. The original WWI draft registration cards are at the National Archives, Southeast Region, in East Point, Georgia. In order to access these original records you have to know the individual’s full name and the city, county, and state of residence at the time they registered.

Military service records
These records are basically available at the National Archives and the National Personnel Records Center. All enlisted men that served in the regular Army throughout our country’s history; including discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century. Unfortunately, on July 12, 1973, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center destroyed about 80 percent of the records of veterans discharged from the Army between November 1912 and January 1960 and about 75 percent for individuals that were discharged from the Air Force between September 1947 and January 1964, alphabetically through Hubbard, James E. There has been an effort made to try to replace some of these lost records by asking the public if they have any information to please let the National Personnel Records Center know. The majority of these records will never be replaced.

When you are working in the Genealogy field you have communication with all kinds of people, from all races of life in this world. Some people are Professional Genealogist and others are just doing genealogy for a hobby.

So what is the right way to communicate? What are the dangers to look out for when someone approaches you for your family information and what about those web sites that invite you to submit your information? The answer is, proper etiquette. There are rules to be followed and pros and cons that you need to be aware of.

Here are some basic guidelines to help you when these situations arise.

The most important thing that everyone who does research, know matter what the field of interest is, always be aware that not every person in the world cares who you are or how you got your information. They just want it and will run.

If someone approaches you for your information there are certain thing you should find out before you every hand over yours.

Ask how this person found you; did someone you know give out your name, address? You are looking for honesty. The contact should be able to tell you right away how they found out about you.

Find out if you give out your information, what does the contact have for you in return and when should you expect it? When, is the key word; you could be waiting forever and never receive anything. The general rule is to never give out anything until you have received.

You should ask for examples of what the contact already has. The contact will have to have some information on your family or they wouldn’t be contacting you. This way you will know automatically if this person is on the up-and-up.

If you feel content with this person and they are connected with your family somehow, you are in the position to be generous if you want, but there are string attached. Don’t give out your information until you know exactly what will happen to your material.

This is where you will just have to trust you instincts. You can copy right your material except the information like, documents, birth, death, and marriage certificates. These are in the public domain. Keep a record of the conversation, date and time.

So now you are seeking information from an individual. The first thing you should do is to be ready for the initial conversation. Have your family information ready with copies made and ready to send. This will show that you are honest in your approach and that will go a long way in gaining the confidence of your contact.

You also need to discuss who you are and how you found this person. Make sure you go through everything that you have researched, that includes sites on the Internet, so the contact person will realize you are working hard to gain more information.

Remember, you are digging into lives of people that may be sensitive in certain areas, so you need to tread lightly. You will be communicating with a lot of elderly individuals so don’t be demanding or pestering phone calls. This age bracket of individuals expects courtesy, consideration and patience. The name of the game is give and you shall receive. You will also receive new friends.

Never charge for your information in order to receive a reward. Your information like everyone else’s is not set in stone. When you trade information with other people your research is a conglomerate of sources.

Don’t expect other people to do thing for you without some generous or decent gift like any new information you come across. Keep the communication flowing between yourself and your contacts. This is a common courtesy in return for favors given to you.

Now we move on to those web sites out there that invite historians to submit their information.

If you find a web site that someone has entered information on your family, you have the option of contacting the Webmaster to submit the information you have collected. If you chose to do this, there is something’s to be aware of.

Most website owners are happy that you have something new to be added but don’t assume your information is wanted. You will run across sites that the Webmaster doesn’t’ want any more information. They either don’t have the time or they are finished with the site.

You have to be very clear with what information you would like to give. Don’t demand that your information has to be put on the site; Website owners don’t like to be dictated to. Don’t expect your information to be entered exactly the way you want it and don’t be surprised if you find your information scattered all over the Internet without any attribute to your generosity. This is just the way thing are.

You will probably have one or more bad experiences with someone out there but not all people are out to get your information. If you follow the rules of proper etiquette, be courteous, have patience, and consideration for others, this will go along way. Ask questions, be generous with your information and they will offer theirs. Keeping in contact with your contacts will gain you a world of friendship.

Email is a very important tool for genealogy research. It’s a quick and easy way for researchers to converse from all over the world. Very often it’s not possible for relatives to interview each other face to face. Or you have found an individual that could be a potential cousin or a researcher that is researching the same surname but lives on the opposite side of the world. This person may or may not have the information you are seeking and is also someone you have never met before; you can use email to establish a friendly and, hopeful long lasting connection.

I have listed 5 basic email tips to consider following when you don’t know the individual you want to contact. These basic email tips can also be used for other topics other than genealogy.

1. Simple is the key
When you are ready to email an individual that you don’t know, the rule of thumb is to keep it simple. You should tell this individual who you are and how you received their name and email address. Explain how you are related to the family you are contacting them about. Tell the individual why you are interested in the family history.

Don’t bombard the recipient with questions or your family tree in this first initial email.
Consider this email your introduction as if you were standing right in front of him or her and shaking their hand.

2. The Subject line has to catch their eye!
Today people are overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive. People often scan the subject lines for any important emails and the rest are just left unopened and sent to the delete file. This has become a necessity because of Spam and viruses.

Subject lines that just say “Hi” usually are not opened.

When I’m emailing someone that is new to me, I always include the surname or the full name if possible, of the specific ancestor that I’m writing about in the subject line. Also don’t forget to put the word genealogy. For example, a subject line like, “Mills Genealogy” is apt to receive attention than just “Hi.”

3. Language Barrier
What do you do if the recipient doesn’t speak or read your language? Then you need to see if you can find someone that does. If this fails, there are many sites on the Internet that can help you. There are many that you can type in your text and have it translated to the language you need or want.

Another tip on language translation – When I’m searching for my French ancestors, I use Google. You don’t have to do anything special, just search as usual. When there is a site that has non-English results there is a “translate this link” that will take you to the English version.

4. Be Conservative
Once you have communicated with this new individual, still, take it slow. The individual may have a few reservations about sharing their information. Ask them for just a few helpful basic facts and reassure them of your discretion. If they refuse to share information, don’t press them. Try by showing them some of your basic facts on the family. By doing this slowly, over time the recipient will come to see that you are honest and sincere about your research. Remember though, some people just won’t share anything, just move on with your own personal research.

5. Remember to “Thank” them
When people take time out of their day to corresponded with you and share there hard earned work, the least you can do is email them back with a “Thank you.” It can be easy to get caught-up with new discoveries and just leave the email hanging in your inbox. Remember when you sent your information to someone and you wondered why you hadn’t heard back from them; take the time to thank the person and that thank you will go a long way if you ever have to contact the person again. Also it is nice to keep them informed on your progress of your research with any new information.

If you can try to make these basic 5 tips a routine, then you will have cherished family and friends forever.

When you hear the name “Ellis Island,” most people think of the millions of immigrants that pasted through. Coming from all walks of life to a land they have never seen before. Coming from cramped, unsanitary conditions during their Atlantic voyage, to long lines and dreaded medical inspection, Ellis Island was their “Isle of Hope.” But most people do not know the long historical journey the island had before the first immigrant could pass through its gates.

Ellis Island was known by several names before it was finally called Ellis Island. The Mohegan tribe called it Gull Island in the early 1600’s. The island consisted of two to three acres and during high tide; the island could scarcely be seen. The Dutch discovered its rich oyster beds in 1628 and renamed it Oyster Island. In 1728, Anderson the Pirate was hanged and the island was renamed again. It was called Gibbet Island after the instrument used to hang him. Finally, Samuel Ellis purchased the property on January 20, 1785, and gave it his name, which it has been called ever since.

After the property was passed down through several of Samuel Ellis’s descendents, the island was bought by the state of New York. Then sold to the federal government in 1808 for ten thousand dollars. During the years of 1812 to 1814, Fort Gibson was erected but was dismantled by the government in 1861. The United States Navy, in 1876, used the island for a munitions depot, storing 260,000 pounds of powder. In 1890, the depot was removed, because of complaints from nearby New Jersey residents. In this same year, the House Committee of Immigration chose Ellis Island as the new site for a new immigrant screening station. The original station at Castle Garden could no longer handle the large flow of immigrants.

The island had to be increased to 3.3 acres by means of landfill and a ferry slip to handle the new facility. During the next two years the island was enlarged to 14 acres to handle the immigration depot and other building. In 1892, Ellis Island was ready for business.

On opening day the first immigrant to pass through was Annie Moore, a fifteen-year-old girl. Col. John B. Weber presented her with a ten dollar gold piece, which she never parted with.

The registry room was the most impressive room. It measured 200 feet by 100 feet and has a vaulted ceiling. Divided by iron bars were 12 narrow aisles that channeled the new arrivals to be examined by doctors at the front of the room. The building had its problems, leaking roof, doors that were not on hinges, wouldn’t close properly and sometimes would fall off.

In 1882, the Chairman of a joint House-Senate investigating committee, to survey the condition of the reception hall, hired two architects. They reported that “The main building was constructed badly, the materials were bad, and the foundation insecure particularly that portion resting on wood piles and could not possibly last more than ten years, probably not more than 5, and the leaky roof was weak and to flat.” Also it was possible that heavy rain or snow could collapse the roof, and there was no flooring in the basement. The surveyors estimated that it would cost $150,000 to complete the repairs. After this leaked to the media, several people involved with the construction of the building resigned their positions.

In 1895, another architect was sent to inspect the building. He reported that the roof was in good condition and was not in need of repairs. This angered Ellis Island employees and officials. Leaky roofs and the fear that it might collaps in the winter constantly plagued them.

This wasn’t the only problem Ellis Island had. There were stricter inspection policies that slowed the inspection process and due to the amount of new arrivals there wasn’t adequate living space. Finally, in 1897, a 250-bed dormitory was to be added.

Before this dormitory could be built, a kitchen fire broke out on June 15, 1897, burning everything to the ground except the surgeon’s quarters, the engine house, and the electric light and steam plant. There were 200 immigrants on the island at the time of the fire but no one was injured or burnt. By dawn the next morning, there was hardly a trace of the station left.

The island was forced to shut down and plans were drawn up for a new building. On December 17, 1900, the doors were open again to immigrants to pass through. The building’s architectural design was in likeness to train stations because they were accustomed to dealing with thousands of people and cargo in a single day. It was recorded that 6,500 immigrants, each receiving some individual attention, entered, passed, and cleared through the gates in nine hours.

Ellis Island in 1898 was expanded to 17 acres while a second island was built by dumping rock and earth taken from the subway tunnels and the Grand Central Station excavation. From 1905 to 1906, a third island was built using the same method as Island 2; Island 3 measured five acres and included a wooden bridge connecting to Island 2. The total cost of the 2 new islands, new Immigrant Station, additional dormitories, hospitals, kitchens, a baggage station, an electrical plant, a bathhouse, and the hiring of all personal, the total cost reached $500,000.

Immigration through Ellis Island began to decrees slowly because of harsher and harsher legislation. In 1954, Ellis Island was shut down by the Immigration Services and transferred back to Manhattan.

As of the closing of Ellis Island in 1954, over 12 million immigrant steamship passengers pass through. The main building was restored after 30 years of abandonment and opened as a museum of September 10, 1990.

Yes, genealogy is fun researching generation after generation. The new discoveries are an adventure to wonder down but now that you have tons of information on you’re family lines how about writing a family history book? Sound to daunting of a task, doesn’t it? Well, it really isn’t and it can be fun to put together.

Here are 5 easy steps to follow and you will have that family history book done before you realize it and your relatives will love you for it.

1. Choosing a Format
Try to picture what you would like your family history book to be. Do you want a full-scale, hardbound book for other genealogist to use as a reference or just photocopies of pages for your family to share? What are your obligations and time restraints for working on your family history book project? Would a family newsletter or Web site by better. You have to be honest and realistic with yourself about the type of family history book and your time schedule. Otherwise you will have this unfinished project just laying around and nagging at you for years to come.

Consider the audience, the type of information you have to work with and your interest, here are some ideas that your family history can take:

Scrapbook: If you are lucky enough to have accumulated a large collection of family photos and memorabilia then a scrapbook or photo album may be the fun way to tell your family story. Photos have to be in chronological order and include descriptions, stories and a family tree to complement the pictures.

Memoir/Narrative: Combining stories and personal experiences, memoirs and narratives don’t need to include everything or be objective.

Memoirs do usually focus of a specific time period of the life of a particular ancestor, while a narrative generally includes a group of ancestors.

Family Cookbook: Family cookbooks are fun to put together and help carry on a family cooking traditions. You can write about each person that contributes a recipe and how it has been handed down from generation to generation.

Most family histories are combined of personal stories, photos and family trees; this is narrative.

2. Define the Coverage of your Family History
Do you intend to write about every individual in your family tree or just about one particular person? Next you need to choose a center of interest for your family history book. Some possibilities could be:

Every descendant of a particular individual or couple and all of their descendants, organize each generation by chapters. If you know who the original immigrant was this is a good starting point.

Chapters by grandparents starting with your grandparents; working backwards through their ancestry or forward from his/her earliest known ancestor.

One single line of a descendant beginning with the earliest known ancestor; following him or her through a single line of descent. Each chapter of your family history book would cover one ancestor or generation.

Particular surname or geographical area of a descendant for example, your grandparents that were born, raised and died in a small town.

Choosing any one of these steps would be easy for your time and interest.

3. Deadlines:
Set a deadline even if you think you can’t meet it. This will force you to concentrate and complete each stage of your project. The goal would be to complete each piece within a specific time frame. Polishing will be done at a later time. The best way to make this happen is to set a writing schedule and stick to it.

4. Themes and Plot
You have to think of your ancestors as characters that you would read about in story form. What obstacles and problems did your ancestors face? Your family history has to have interest and focus; this is plot. Some could be:

War Survival
Pioneer or Farm Life
Migration form state to state
Immigration
Slavery

5. Background Research
If your ancestors didn’t leave must of their experiences behind them, then look to the social histories of that particular place. Your family history needs to make the reader feel like they are in your ancestors shoes, in other words, if your family history is dull and boring, know one will want to read it.

Every summer thousand of families hold reunions. Many people enjoy reunions but there are some that agree that reunion are not a good experience. Perhaps you are the one who dreads the reunion the most. Did you find yourself, as the head honcho of this years reunion, don’t despair. Think of the reunion as planning for your next day’s workout: you have to warm-up, work out, then cool down, so you can pass it off to the next reunion organizer.

There are a number of important principles that, if followed, will significantly increase the likelihood of success. This is speaking from the voice of three reunions under her belt.

The key to a successful reunion is organization, organization, organization!
Hear are some essential reunion organizational steps to follow. Don’t miss any or you may find yourself in a crisis during your workout.

Getting Ready
Know who is Family. Prepare an up-to-date family address book and information about who will be involved in the reunion. I strongly recommend doing this early in your planning. Will this reunion be just a smaller, immediate family gathering? Or are you working from one common ancestor and all of his or her descendents? In building your address book, separate families by units and make sure you have all the needed contact information as well as email addresses. This will reduce your time and stress!

Send Out A Survey
Sent out an email or regular mail survey to all potential participants. In the survey, ask for information about timing, budget question, genealogy information and resources, ages and genders of participants, etc. Finding out what everyone thinks will help make the reunion a success.

Select a Date
Once you have the results of the survey, determine the best time that meets the needs of the participants. Understand, you will probably not find a time to accommodate 100% of those invited, but you want a date that will work for most of them.

Select a Location
There is always an expectation that the reunion will be held close to the home of the organizer. However, that is not always the case. There are a lot of factors in determining the location to hold a reunion. Using the budget information you received from the survey you sent out will help you focus your location search. Free is always nice but not always possible. You may have to look for a park, a conference center, campground, a church retreat or even a school. Once you settle on the location, make a map and provide detailed driving directions from nearby landmarks and highways so no one gets lost.

Get Set
Once you have the basics in place as far as date and location, now move into a more intensive planning phase.

Budget for Your Reunion
Now you need to develop a realistic budget for your reunion. For your expenses, identify first what types of things will be included. Will you be a large or small group? Will a reunion committee purchase food, or will all family members be responsible for paying for catered meals? Are you planning any outings? Does the facility cost to use? What about souvenirs, name tags, etc? The following budget checklist can come in handy.

Bank Accounts and Checks
Phone calls
Printing and Mailing Costs
Deposits for various services and facilities
Registration supplies
Prizes
Entertainment
Picnic or meal expenses
Rentals of tables, chairs, decorations
Photographers or film

Now that you have your expenses clearly identified, look at ways to share them. There are several ways you can do this: assess each attendee, divide the cost by families, asses the cost based on the age of the attendees. However you decide to do this, decide it early and stick to it.

Set Up a Bank Account
This is a good idea, especially for a large reunion. This way any expenses you incur can easily be accounted for and reimbursed.

Consider a Reunion Web Site
This is particularly good for a larger reunion. Explore low cost or free web sites with information about the reunion. You could post all kinds of information and links to web sites connected with the reunion like, hotels, campgrounds, nearby restaurants, parks, etc.

Planning the Activities
Decide what you want to do at the reunion, and make sure you have something for all ages and abilities.

Recruit Volunteers
Just because you are the organizer doesn’t mean you have to do everything. Ask family members to volunteer for tasks as being treasurer, maintaining the web site, ordering items like souvenirs, shirts, etc., organizing menus and meals, handling registrations, running events, setting up and cleaning up. Most of these tasks should be delegated so you can be free to focus on the bigger picture, making the plans become reality.

Starting the Reunion
The day the reunion beginnings will set the tone for the rest of the day. Make sure you have a place for people to register, pay remaining fees, and get nametags and so forth. Help family members get better acquainted or renew old friendships. Remember, some attendees will be first timers so make sure they feel welcome and appreciated. Make sure you have a sign in sheet for the attendees; this will help in making final financial allocations and will update your mailing list for the next reunion.

Record Memories
Make sure you are having lots of pictures taken. Digital pictures are fun since they can be posted to the web site later for participants to download after the reunion. Don’t forget to get names with the pictures.

Family History and Genealogy
Take some time during the reunion to catch up. Have people share their research and findings. Make copies of some of the genealogy information they bring. Consider a large family tree posted somewhere during the reunion so people can connect, add to, and correct information.

Send An Evaluation Form
This is helpful after the fact to know what worked and what didn’t. Consider e-mailing or regular mailing an evaluation form, or posting one on the web site with the pictures. Ask for feedback about the reunion in general and specifically, the food, the activities, the location, the cost and for recommendations for coming reunions.

Send Thank You Notes
Don’t forget to thanks those who helped with the planning and execution of the reunion. It’s common courtesy, and the help of the volunteers is often the most important part of a reunions’ success.

Rest and Recuperate
Treat yourself to a little break after the intensive planning efforts. What ever you enjoy doing, enjoy it. You deserve it!

Studying Genealogy can take you on so many different roads of history. Besides learning the names of your ancestors, you learn about different time periods in history.
For example: The great Depression, Civil War, the immigration westward, and the Revolutionary War.

If you are lucky enough to take your family tree back to the original country your family came from, you probably will hit the medieval times. Medieval can open a whole new avenue for you. If you discover your family was nobility, you have opened a whole new and exciting door.

Back before surnames were ever thought of, their trade or skill of labor they performed referred to people. A geographical item, like a lake or river, called some. Stretching back further in time, people used symbols to distinguish who they were. Symbols are still used today but surnames are the way of the world now.

These symbols were and still are called Heraldry. William the Conquer established the first heraldry in the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066. In the 12th and 13th century the popularity of the heraldry symbols grew.

Heraldry is more properly referred to armory. Heraldry is a system of identification that uses hereditary person devices portrayed on shields and later as crest, on surcoats, which were worn over armor, bardings, which was the armor and trappings for horses, and banners, personal flags throughout the Middle Ages, these symbols assisted in the identification of knights in battle and in tournaments.

These devices, marks, and colors are commonly referred to as the greater nobility, first adopted coats of arms for the display of arms on surcoats. By the mid-13th century, lesser nobility, knights, and those who later came to be known as gentlemen also used coats of arms.

The custom during the middle ages was an individual coat of arms belonged to one man only, being passed from him to his male-line descendants. Basically, it is one man, one arms, and reminder of the origin of heraldry as a means of instant recognition the battle.

This is very important to genealogist because the coat of arms is descended through the families. This proves evidence of family relationships. The sons in each generation inherited the original shield, but they had to alter is slightly in a tradition known as cadency, an addition of some mark which was perpetuated in their branch of the family. Upon the death of the eldest son’s father, the original paternal coat of arms was now his.

When families were joined by marriage, the coat of arms was combined. This was known as marshalling, it’s the art of arranging several coats of arms in one shield, for denoting the alliances of a family. Several methods were used, placing the arms of the husband and wife side by side on the shield, this was called impaling; escutcheon of pretense, placing the arms of the wife’s father on a small shield in the center of the husband’s shield; and to display the children, the arms of their parents, wit the father’s arms in the first and fourth quarters, and their mother’s in the second and third, this was called quartering.

You might often here that women did not have arms, well they could and did. They were able to inherit their fathers and to receive grants of coats of arms. They were only allowed to pass theirs to their children if they had no brothers. They were called heraldic heiresses if they did this. Since women usually did not wear armor in the Middle Ages, it became convention to display the coat of arms of her father in a lozenge (diamond) shaped field, rather than a shield, if widowed or unmarried. If married, a woman could bear the shield of her husband upon which her arms are marshaled.

To understand the Coat of Arms you have to know the six basic parts, which is the traditional method of displaying the coat of arms, and it is called an achievement of arms.

1. Shield
The escutcheon or field, which is, placed the bearings in coats of arms in known as the shield. This comes from the medieval times when the shield was borne on the arm of a knight and was ornamented with various devices in order to be identified to his friends in the midst of battle. This is also known as heater, the shield displays the unique colors and charges (lions, designs, etc. that appears on the shield). The shapes varied according to their geographical origin as well as the time period.

2. Helm
Helm or helmet was used to indicate the rank of the bearer of the arms from the gold full-faced helm of royalty to the steel helmet with closed visor of a gentleman.

3. Crest
By the end of the 13th century many nobles and knights had adopted a secondary hereditary device called a crest. It was commonly made of feathers, leather, or wood; the crest was used to help distinguish the helm, similar to the device on the shield.

4. Mantle
A mantle was originally intended to shield the knight from the heat of the sun and to ward off the rain, it was a piece of cloth placed over the helmet, draping down the back to the base of the helm. The mantle was often embellished with the coat of arms to give prominence to the arms and crest, and was usually presented as ribbons over the helm.

5.Wreath
The wreath was a twisted scarf used to cover the joint where the crest is attached to the helmet. Today the heraldry depicts the wreath as if two colored scarves had been braided together, the colors showing alternately. These colors are the same as the first named metal and the first named color in the blazon, and are known as “the colors.”

6. The Motto
This is the writing you see underneath the coat of arms. A motto or phrase incorporates the basic philosophy of the family or an ancient war cry. It doesn’t have to be present on the individual coat of arms.

You can still be granted a coat of arms to day. Coat of arms are granted by the Kings of Arms in England, the six counties of Northern Ireland, the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland, and the Chief Herald of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland. The College of Arms holds the official register of all coats of arms or heraldry in England and Wales. The United States, Sweden, and Australia also maintain records of and allow people to register coats of arms, though no official restrictions or laws are imposed on the bearing of arms.

I’m one of the luck ones and was able to trace my family back to William the Conquer and before. I was able to find the original coat of arms for my family that William the Conquer presented to William de Warenne (Warren). Now you have a reason to start your family tree and see all that you can discover.