Genealogy Pointers

How Important it is to Learn to Do Genealogy the Right Way

My interest in genealogy started eight years ago when I was helping put together a family reunion. Interest in family genealogy has grown over the past decade. It has become one of the popular hobbies.
More and more people are wondering where they came from, what did my ancestors do for a living, why am I the person I am today? All these questions can be answered plus more in researching your family information. There is just one very important thing to keep in mind. It can, if you let it, be addicting once you start. With every passing generation you discover, you will become more intrigued. More questions will come up and you’ll work even harder to find the answers.

Once you start your research the best advice I can give anyone is “not to believe anything you read on the Internet with out the proof in black and white.” Now, about everyone has at least one computer in his or her home, the world has opened new doors for genealogy. With hundreds of genealogy websites online and more are released every day, tracing your family line has become easier and easier. But, with more and more people putting their information online with sites like rootsweb.com and ancestory.com. You’ll find that most of the information is wrong. They haven’t done their own research. They attached their line with someone else’s and claim they are right. They have no proof to back up their information. Now, don’t take this, as all “negative.” There are some people out there that are legitimate. There are few-far-and-in-between. I discovered this about 6 months into my research. I had found several places that people had attached my family line with there’s and I knew for a fact it wasn’t right.

I wasn’t able to go to college and get a degree in genealogy but I knew I had to find the right information on how to do genealogy the “right way.” After spending many hours searching for classes on genealogy, I came across a website that offered free genealogy classes that are patterned after the accreditation program of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, Utah but is in no way affiliated with that entity although the instructor is an accredited genealogist. The program was created specifically for internet usage as many genealogist all over the world would like to become professionals, but have no way of completing the training or taking the required examination at the end. This is an approved program of study through the Hawking Institute; Inc. Students receive 2.5 semester credit hours for every month of instruction at the completion of the course. The course is a 12-month course. Go to http://www.motherhubbardscupboard.net, if anyone is interested in taking the genealogy class.
I’m not here to plug for this genealogy class but to mainly stress how important it is to learn to do genealogy the right way. As you will discover there are message boards you can join. You will definitely come across a message that goes something like this; I’m looking for any and all information on Mr. Smith, please send what you have to me.
Just delete this message. This person doesn’t want to take the time to do there own research. They just want the information and that’s it. Genealogy doesn’t work that way. All genealogists are out there to help each other. If you hit a brick wall, real genealogist will help you in anyway they can.

If you are interested in starting your own family research, I have listed an outline for you to follow. Just remember to do your own research, document your findings and have fun!
A. Organize your research; pedigree charts, family group sheets, folders for every person with name on tab, correspondence logs, research logs.

B. Collect as much information from your relatives

C. What complete strangers know about your surname; search different search engines, family tree maker, newsgroups and mailing list.

D. Vital records; doctors records, hospital records, county clerk’s office, family bibles, delayed birth records, church baptism or christening records.

E. Marriage records; county clerk’s office of the county in which it happen, church which they were married, newspapers, family bible, family histories, county biographical histories.

F. Death records; county clerk’s office of the county in which it happened, church which conducted the funeral service, funeral homes, cemetery records, newspapers, family bible, county biographical histories.

G. Wills and codicils; filed with the court and the date of death in county, reading of will announced in newspaper.

H. Guardianships of minor children; filed in courthouse of county.

I. Land records, original land grants (patents) applications and rewards, war 1612, revolutionary war, black hawk and other wars, civil war.
Deeds; grantor indexes (those that sold land), grantee indexes (those that bought land), town/city lost indexes, cemetery plot deed books, plat book, soldiers discharge and pension records, homestead act of 1862

J. Census records; colonial census, 1810 - 1890 census, special census and special indexes.

K. Military records; Indian wars and colonial war records, revolutionary war records, civil war and 20th century

L. Miscellaneous genealogy records; biographies, directories, naturalization and immigration records, printed genealogies, histories, maps native race records, territorial records, tax records, orphans, slavery and bondage records, poor house records (county farm)

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