New to family history? Some things you should
know...
Start with yourself, and work backward.
You
must prove even your own name and birth date. Gather
"home sources" for yourself and your family, such as vital records (copies
of birth, marriage and death
certificates), school, health, employment, religious or other records. When
you have completed this information
for yourself and your family, work backwards one generation at a time.
Arm yourself with knowledge
before diving into family history and available
sources! Family history research
has its own terminology. You may have greater success if you are familiar
with the terms, records, and methods
of genealogy. Read a basic beginners' genealogy guide; take classes; join
a society; attend seminars.
Basic beginners' books
include:
-
Family History Made Easy
by Loretto Dennis Szucs
(Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Inc., 1998)
-
Finding Your Roots: How to Trace Your Ancestors
at Home and Abroad
by Jeane Eddy Westin
(New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1998)
-
First Steps in Genealogy: A Beginner's Guide to
Researching Your Family History
by
Desmond Walls Allen (Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 1998)
-
Unpuzzling Your Past: A Basic Guide to Genealogy
by Emily Anne Croom (Cincinnati:
Betterway Books, 1995. Now in its third edition)
Several others are available in bookstores or at your
local library.
Classes
are offered at libraries, colleges,
park districts or through local Family History Centers (operated by the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Genealogical societies offer
meetings and classes.
Conferences and seminars are sponsored by many local societies and
almost all state societies. These may run anywhere from one to four days.
For instance, the week-long Genealogical Institute of Mid-America is offered
by the Illinois State Genealogical Society and the University of
Illinois-Springfield.
National conferences are presented by the National Genealogical Society,
the Federation of Genealogical Societies, GENTECH, Palatines to America and
other organizations. These are hosted in different cities each year.
Online classes, as well as a home study course, are offered by
the National Genealogical Society. RootsWeb
also offers online genealogy lessons. Check our page of Internet links for
addresses of many of these groups.
Which society should you join? That depends
on your preferences and research needs. Do you want a society...
-
NEARBY:
You can attend society meetings and
use its facilities
-
ANCESTOR ORIGIN:
You may find your ancestors
in that society's facilities or publications
-
ETHNIC/RELIGIOUS GROUP:
These sometimes offer
maps and sources not widely available.
-
SURNAME:
If your surname is uncommon, you may
link up with someone searching your name
-
COUNTY OR STATE:
If you have ancestors in many
counties of a state, or if the society offers benefits
useful to you, or if there is no society in the geographic area you are
interested in..
How do you find these groups?
-
ONLINE SOURCES:
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
on the Internet <www.cyndislist.com> and
Juliana's Links, accessed through <www.ancestry.com>.
-
BEGINNER'S BOOKS or GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINES
(see
below).
-
HANDBOOKS:
The Handy Book for Genealogists (Logan,
UT: Everton Publishers); The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book
by Juliana S. Smith (Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry) Elizabeth Petty Bentley's
The Genealogist's Address Book (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Co.) and several others.
NEWSLETTERS and PERIODICALS :
often published
by societies; feature news, records, research hints, etc. Sometimes restricted
to society members; sometimes available by subscription.
GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINES: These are commercially published and offer
information on records, sources, technological and Internet research, etc.
Some examples are:
-
Ancestry
(published by Ancestry.com)
-
Everton's Genealogical Helper
(published by
Everton Publishers)
-
Family Chronicle
(published by Moorshead Magazines
Ltd.)
-
Family Tree Magazine
(published by F&W
Publications)
-
Heritage Quest
(published by Heritage
Quest)
-
Don't skip generations. Record information in
a genealogical software program or on forms designed for that purpose. These
methods help you pinpoint inconsistencies which could lead you down a wrong
ancestral line.
-
Find out what sources contain information you
seek.
A basic beginners' guide shows what records are available and what
records you will probably not find. You can find information from libraries
or genealogical societies, but you must do your homework before contacting
these sources. You cannot walk into a society or library to ask "Do you have
a book with my family tree?" Family history research doesn't work like
that!
-
What is expected
when you call, write or visit?
Is a fee required? Can you pay by cash, charge or personal check, or is a
money order required? Must you pay in advance? Must you include an SASE
(self-addressed stamped envelope, required with most correspondence)? When
in doubt, include the SASE.
-
Exhaust all local sources first
before traveling
to the ancestral village. Local repositories may have records on microfilm
or in book form. Sources may be online or via interlibrary loan. Read beginners'
books for more hints.
-
Offer to share.
When contacting someone who
may have information, do you have photos that you could copy? Could you look
up information in your library or society? Can you submit a query to a
periodical, or write an article for publication? Genealogists are known for
sharing expertise and information. However, don't expect "everything you
have on the Smith family" from one who has painstakingly compiled research
for two decades.
-
Be considerate.
We're pleased that you are
interested in family history, and look forward to assisting you. Remember
that millions of others are also interested. Library and archives staff are
usually not able to perform research or provide personal assistance. Genealogical
societies are usually volunteer, have varying levels of expertise and limited
time. Know what to expect , follow these hints, and you'll receive a warm
welcome.
How SSGHS Can Help
-
QUERIES
may be submitted to our publication
and website. Please see our "queries" page.
-
RESEARCH
is done by library volunteers for
a donation to our Book Fund. See our "research policy" page.
-
MEETINGS, CLASSES & CONFERENCES
provide
instruction. See our "Calendar of Events of Events" page.
-
OUR PUBLICATIONS
include a monthly newsletter,
a quarterly journal, Where the Trails Cross, and other publications.
Our "publications" page has information.
Copyright 2009,
South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society
3000 West 170th Place, Hazel Crest, IL. 60429 - 1174
Telephone: (708) 335-3340
E-mail to: ssghs@usa.net
Last update 22 March 2009 |
