Family Trees: How far back have you gone? Share your research tips?
I think that it’s important to learn about our family histories for many beneficial reasons. It’s really cool to know our heritage and where they came from. BUT the most important would be our family health history. My family and my ex-husband’s family have a long history of health issues and I’ve made it a big deal to research and hand over this knowledge to my children and to make sure they keep passing it along there on. By word of mouth won’t work as they tend to forget or might not want to deal with it.
I just started research to form my Family Tree. It has been a lot of fun, but at the same time it has been very frustrating. The easiest way of doing it is by asking your older relatives lots of questions like names and lets not forget health history. I have been lucky that my mom still has an amazing memory at her age. I first started looking by last names but I couldn't find anyone. Then I called my mom and she gave me some of her family first names. I found some of them and also found out that they had changed their last names a bit a few times. I guess to make it more pronounceable. I would like to go as far back as I can.
Do you have a Family Tree? Please share with us your experiences with the search and any research tips would be greatly appreciated.
Blessed Be! Walksfar.
I just started research to form my Family Tree. It has been a lot of fun, but at the same time it has been very frustrating. The easiest way of doing it is by asking your older relatives lots of questions like names and lets not forget health history. I have been lucky that my mom still has an amazing memory at her age. I first started looking by last names but I couldn't find anyone. Then I called my mom and she gave me some of her family first names. I found some of them and also found out that they had changed their last names a bit a few times. I guess to make it more pronounceable. I would like to go as far back as I can.
Do you have a Family Tree? Please share with us your experiences with the search and any research tips would be greatly appreciated.
Blessed Be! Walksfar.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RAVENOUS on -
One Year My Cousin Did One
And Found Out That
Leonardo da Vinci Is In Our Family Tree .
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Permalink Reply by silver on -
For me I did most of my family tree stuff in high school and it was not soo hard cause I had my grandmother to ask as well as my mom. only problem is that I have alot of info for one side of the family and not much for my fathers due to the fact that my great grandmother on that side never told anyone who my grandmothers real father is. unfortunely she took it to the grave so most of my reasurch on that side ends there. but on my moms side we have history and documants dateing all the way back to the declaration of indipendance I am related to someone who sighned it. ( I forgot the name though) and we even found leters from the civil war and Im realted to presedant garrfield. most of the family on that side is english and scottish. and on my fathers side they are cherokee, chippawa and one other native tribe and Irish and german.
other than that I wish i would have kept all the work I did because im forgetting alot of stuff and I now have childeren of my own and many of my relitives are passing.
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Permalink Reply by KittyMamma.. The Lady C on -
Searching can be frustrating. I was lucky, in that a gentleman in our family, had already done the majority of the work, including having over 10,000 pages of documents such as grave rubbings, birth, death and marriage certificates and the like. The problem that most run into is that the census, before 1880, was a series of numbers, no names, for the spouse and children. It marked their ages and if they were in school, and what language they spoke, along with what the father's job was. They are hard to go through, and I have contacted several family members all over in regards to family Bible listings, which tend to be quite accurate at times, but the search continues. We go back to the 1700's on my dad's side, I have back to the 1880's on my mother's side, for her mother, but have had trouble finding my grandfather's family from my mom's side. Same goes for my husband, it has been a hard road, but I am making headway.
Learning the health history is a good thing too, and if family journals were kept, they hold a wealth of information, so those would be considered a true find. Good luck, it is time consuming, and addictive, once you get into it.
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Permalink Reply by Meredith on -
I remember my dad's cousin did a family tree a few years ago (my mom keeps telling my dad to get a copy of it) and he could only go as far as the early 1700's with a man named Goodheart Tressler. *shrugs*
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Permalink Reply by Tea on -
You always start with yourself and all living relatives you can get any info from, as far as Names, Dates of birth, marriage, death and Burial info and Family Bibles or Spirit Books 1st. Always ask about any possible places they may have lived and during what time period it was as this can be found on Census records. I noticed 1 thing you said that struck me funny "found some of them and also found out that they had changed their last names a bit a few times. I guess to make it more pronounceable." This in itself is not true, as most people way back when didn't have a educational system in place to learn to write and spell properly. The Census taker did the writing on the reports and it was them who misspelled the original last names, not the people who they were talking to, as most were farmers in a field here in the New America. For instance, I found 27 different spellings to the Irish side of my family's last name. I did this by using the Soundex that most search engines like Ancestry.com has. All the same names, ages, birth dates and family members there, only difference was the spelling of the last name, but all sounded the same. But note, the Census is only released every 70 or 72 Years, and a lot you find will be on Living relatives, so by law if Living you can not release that info always mark it as private, that way you can Register your Tree if you so desire.
Always go back and check Ship Manifest from all Ports that the migration to any country has, you will find a wealth of info there, you can also buy a copy of the Manifest you find your Family on. The Social Security Death Index File. There you can order any info that they have on record, I fount 3 of ggggrand parents all because they lived in the same house of other ancestors I knew about. Always write letters and Document the tree, as it is your History and later if all can or is Documented in all ways possible, you can have your Tree Registered with the National Archives. Again like me, I wrote a letter to the Duke of Argyle in Inverness Scotland and he responded back with a hand written letter and Copies of the Family Tree, were 4 of my family members actually stayed in Scotland and Married into his Family while the rest move on into Ireland. Man I was in Heaven when that letter came, it proved my case that the Family had Migrated.
Burial Records, Death Certificates, Marriage Applications and Records, Probate Records and the Great Land Grants and Military Records and News Articles, all available at the Courthouse, State, Local Archives and National Archives, Newspapers can be found at the News office Archives, or in my case at the University in Gainsville, Florida. Always check the Historical Societies for info in the area you wish to look as well, I found Pic.s of my parents and grand parents along with with a few Aunts and Uncles and Great Grand Parents I had forgotten to get info on.
There is so much you can do and learn about yourself and family, after awhile it all makes since why some have Blue eyes or Blond hair and others with Green, Brown or Black Eyes with other color hair like Red or Black, were height in some may come from and ect.....you will feel great with each find you make and can document. I am a Historian and I did this for a long time, it is something you will not find and get all over night, but you will surely enjoy the new playground you found to play in and the fruits of your labor will make it all the better worth it.If I can in anyway, please feel free to PM me, I will help you all I can, but ultimately it is you who will find and enjoy it more, because it is your work. Just note, there are so many Free avenues to take to gain and Document your info, please try those outlets 1st before sign up with a site that will charge you an Arm and a Leg for all the same info, if that much.
Blessings,
Tea
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Permalink Reply by PamWiccan on -
I guess I was lucky to have my Grandmother around when I understood things, She told me of my ancestors dating back to the 1600's from Hungary where she was born and raised. I found out I have a lot of gypsy ancestors and also many that were witches. Some were tortured, burned, or hung because of there beliefs.
On the other side of my family they come from Irish background.My great great Grandfather was from Ireland.
He was a musican.
I used Ancestry.com and found quite a few of my ancestors but I don't feel I should pay to find them as they charge for it.
You can for free find some though.
Have fun searching for your bloodline. Blessings
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Permalink Reply by Tea on
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For any of you looking for any Native America Tribal Records here are a few sites you can get info from, but can also get the proper location to order anything you wish to Document. It is always good to have it Certified if you can, any of the National Archives and State Archives along with local Courthouses can Certified you info for you before it gets in your hands. That's right, have it done at the place you gain your info, if they are Legit, then they will and Can do it for you or guide to you to were you can obtain a Certified copy of your Records. If you need more Please feel free to ask.
Blessings
Tea
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/census/index.htm
http://www.comanchelodge.com/cherokee-rolls.html <<can get the Dawes Roll and Census Records of Indian Slaves and Interment camps>>
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/
http://www.ohs.org/research/library/collections/upload/Indian-Censu...
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Permalink Reply by Lady Azaria on -
My ancestry has been traced to the Mayflower as well..But other then that, I have had no luck finding anything..I know about as far back as my great- great grandparents on both sides..
Lady A~~
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