Genealogy 101
Compiled by Clarissa Loyd, 15 Jan 2006.If you are just starting out or are stuck, don't fret! here are a few helpful hints to help you get started or to break those genealogy "brick walls". I am not a Professional Genealogist, however these are some tips that I have learned over the years of researching my own family history and I wanted to share them with fellow researchers.
Organize your Notes in a Notebook or Binder
Before you begin or after you start researching, keep your notes and correspondences organized. You can organize them any way you want, but make sure it is easy to find what documents you may need quickly. I personally, have organized my binder's by surname. You can download some forms to keep track of information from Ancestry.com for free. Each folder has a section for:
- Correspondence's (letters, emails, etc.)
- Record Logs
- Census Records
- Images
- Family History
- Interviews
- Vital Records (birth, marriage, divorce, death)
- Obituaries
By starting with yourself, you are starting with what you know as a given. For family members you don't have birth or death dates for, ask others in the family or you can find birth records online in the TXGenWeb Archives or for other states in the USGenWeb Archives. Some records you will have to get from the courthouse or order them.
In Texas history or any county, state or country history, research the time period.
Briscoe County hasn't always been Briscoe County. Before the county was organized it was part of the Béxar County prior to 1876. So, if you are researching: John Smith, born June 1, 1870 in Briscoe County, Texas; you would need to look in the Bexar County records prior to 1876. Bexar County was organized in 1836 and its parent county was the Old Mexican Municipality prior to 1836. For a complete list of Texas counties with the year they were organized and their parent county, please click here.
When researching on the Internet, don't always take someone's word for it, research it!
Double check on your own through books, census records, deeds, etc. Check their sources or ask where the researcher received their information from first, before entering any information. You may find that after you entered someone else's information, that it was wrong. This can be easy to correct, but can be very frustrating. Research on your own before entering someone else's information and always ask permission to download or enter information from the Internet. If you didn't research it, it is not yours to take! Always source your information!
Use the Courthouse & Libraries
The County Courthouse's have a wealth of information from the documents they house. Vital records (birth, marriage, divorce & death) can be a life saver for those "hard to find people". Personally, these records have helped us in our family research. On my husband's side his Great-grandfather said he was one age, but in his death certificate it showed he was actually 10 years older than what he said. Back in the day people didn't celebrate birthday's like we do now. A lot of families just wanted to survive and some were not well educated. By using the Census record you can estimate birth dates to a year as well as marriages.
You can see if they could read, write or speak English. Census records are vital because they will show the place of birth for the Mother & Father and if they are Naturalized Citizens and it will give the year. Libraries house many collections of vital records and you may be able to find a book on your surname with your family history in them, so check out your libraries. The National Archives and Records Administration has many of these and even more records. Make sure you arrive early to the NARA sites because the Genealogy Center can fill up quickly and a lot of times the microfiche viewers are usually taken, so make an all day affair at the NARA. For more information about the NARA and regions where you can find them, please click here.
Funeral Homes
You may not think of this resource, but they are great for information as well. I was researching my husband's side and wanted to know which funeral home might have his information so that I could find out where he was buried in Oklahoma. I went online and did a quick search for funeral homes in the area he died. By chance the first funeral home I called had his record on file. I told them his name and death date and they pulled his file. In the file it had his mother, father and the person who took care of his funeral arrangements. The file even had his occupation and religion! These types of documents are good to have as well, you may have to spend a little money to buy them but they are worth it in the long run to have for future generations. It's okay to have this information written down as well, but the document itself for you to have is great, too.
Helpful records to use
Census Records, Vital Records (birth, marriage, divorce & death records), Probate & Court Records, Land & Deed Records, Tax Records, Church Records, Immigration & Emigration Records, Naturalization Records, Military Records, Cemetery listings & Obituaries.
Genealogy Brick WallsBreaking Genealogy Brick Walls can be very hard, but with patience you can break them down. When you are stuck try looking at the history of how the family may have move through the years. If your family just stayed in one area, it may be pretty easy to locate further generations. However, that is not always the case in history. Many families would move to find work or when they married they may have wanted to establish their own roots elsewhere. Regardless of the reason, you can overcome these obstacles. Check your records (some are listed above) and interview family members.
My Grandfather never really talked about his childhood until I told him that my husband and I were researching our family. My Grandfather told us all kinds of stories from his childhood and even some stories he had heard through previous generations. When interviewing family members, be sensitive to their wishes. If you know a certain subject such as a recent death of a loved one, don't ask too many questions that may offend the interviewee.
Respect your elders when talking with them, so things such as War, should not be asked. Asking where they toured is good, but don't ask if they ever killed or saw anyone kill someone; this isn't an appropriate question because it has no revalance to genealogy.