Tips

• Write down everything you know about your family right now. Include FULL names of relatives and ancestors, locations where they were born/lived/died, any dates that you know, jobs people held, who was married to whom, etc.
  
  
• Talk with relatives -- especially older relatives (while you still can -- they'll be gone someday!) and WRITE DOWN the information they give you about the family, including names, places, dates, relationships, stories, jobs, military, health information, etc. Be sure to write down who gave you the information and the date.
  
  

  Talk with older relatives now ... someday they'll be gone!

  
  
  
• Some relatives might be comfortable with having you audiotape your discussion with them. But, if not, don't push the issue. You'll get more information if you respect what is comfortable for the other person.
  
  
• Look at family photos. If there are some old photos that are not identified, talk to older relatives and find out the identity of the people in the photos. You can permanently identify those photos by putting the identifying information on acid-free labels (available in photography stores) on the back side of photos. Some worry that labels will eventually come off. You can also label photos by writing on the back with an acid-free-ink pen (also available in photography stores), trying to avoid writing on the reverse sides of faces and other critical details. Do not write directly on the photos or backs of photos with regular ink!
  
  
• Preserve black and white, as well as color, family photos by having a BLACK AND WHITE negative made of the photos. Have any prints done on BLACK AND WHITE film. (Color photography is not permanent yet. Use black and white!!!)
  
  
• You don't need to own the photos of your ancestor. Maybe your older relatives will let you borrow them briefly to have black and white negatives made.
  
  
• Whatever you do, PROMPTLY return anything that you borrow. As sure as you don't, you'll think of something else that you wish to borrow but you'll either be too embarassed by your proven negligence, or your relative will be wise enough to tell you "No," since you let them down before.
  
  
• While you're thinking of it, use the acid-free method to label your own recent photographs for future genealogists -- Just like you wish your ancestors had done for you!
  
  

  I'm serious -- One time a relative in California shipped me a box of glorious family photographs that were unidentified. My Grandmother could identify a few of them. We knew the others were long-gone relatives because of family resemblence and locations of photography studios, but there was no one left alive to identify 3/4 of the wonderful photos of my ancestors. How heartbreaking. Don't do that to people who will look at your photographs after you're gone.

  
  
  
• Now, compile all of the information from the steps above and decide how you're going to organize the information (e.g. with a computer genealogy program, with filing cabinet files, on notecards, etc.)
  
  
• Make a chart of your family, starting with you and moving backward.
  
  
• Make charts of your ancestors, starting with each ancestor and moving forward to include his or her descendants.
  
  
• Try making a chart for each family member you have in your data and include birthdate, birthplace, first name, middle name, surname(s), spouse(s), marriage date, marriage place, parents, children, siblings, job, military status, death date, death place, burial location, etc.
  
  
• Now, use the charts from the past three steps to figure out what information you need next.
  
  
• It may be that you can now go back to some of your older relatives and ask them further questions which are now obvious by missing information on the charts you have made. Write down everything they say.
  
  

  Take the genealogy information (fact, photos, stories, etc.) that you have so far with you when you visit relatives to get more genealogy information. Their interest about what you have so far may stimulate them to want to help you. Also, information and photos that you already have may help people remember even more information to share with you. And, why should people share with you if you don't share with them?

  
  
  
• Okay. Now you're ready to branch out some -- but still within your family homes.
  
  
  • Are there family Bibles with family records written inside?
    
    
  • Are there old letters in a trunk in the attack that will give you clues about names, places, relationships, dates, etc.? What about wills, deeds, diaries, employment records, school records, etc.?
    
    
  • Are there little signed messages in the front of family books which will give you information?
    
    
  • Did anyone in the family keep scrap books?
    
    
  • Are there newsclippings in a drawer regarding engagement, marriage, birth or death announcements? What about the little cards that are passed out at funerals -- people sometimes stick these in a drawer or in a family Bible.
    
    
  • If you can afford it, invest in a good camera and buy BLACK AND WHITE FILM so that you can photograph people, gravestones, old family homesites, places where relatives/ancestors worked or went to school, and even items that have been passed down through the family.
    
    
  • For example, if your Grandmother wears a ring that was passed to her from her mother-in-law, take a photograph of that ring and identify the ring as your great-grandmother's ring with an acid-free label on the back of the photo.
    
    
  • Similarly, if your parents have a hammer that belonged to one of their grandparents, take a photo and identify it.
    
    
  • Now if you were able to get a good camera, can you also afford to buy a close-up lense and mini-tripod so that you can take BLACK and WHITE photos of other people's photos without those items ever needing to leave the owners' homes?
    
    
  • This may all seem immensely detailed, but things like family stories and pictures of ancestors' possessions make a genealogy study more interesting, leading you (and the relatives whom you want to enthuise) to feel almost as if you are starting to know some of these long-dead family members. Look at these details as little samples of the personality of your ancestors.
  
  
  

  In one U. S. Census my great-grand-aunt told the census worker that the occupation of the step-son living in her home was "loafer." The census worker, another Hickman relative, wrote what she said, preserving this flippant comment for all time. From that I learned that the dry wit seen in some Hickmans today has been around a long time!

  
  
  
• Integrate any new information you get this way with what you already have written. I can't emphasize enough -- KEEP ORGANIZING YOUR DATA -- It will grow faster than you think and will be overwhelming if you don't have some sort of organizational system.
  
  
• Also, don't forget to always write down your source for every piece of information, no matter how small. This will save you countless hours later on.
  
  Similarly, when you are photocopying pages from a book, be sure to write the name of the book, author, date, where you found it, etc. You made need to go back and check something in that source, and your fellow researchers may need to find it, too!
  
  
• If there is a family gathering or reunion, take your genealogy research and see how fast people get interested and want to contribute what they know. Be sure to get the FULL names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail address, etc. of all of the relatives at the gathering.
  
  
• Once you've done these things, you're ready to start using the resources available in this world for Genealogists. That will include things like:
  
  
  • Birth, Marriage and Death Records in County and State Libraries or Health Departments.
    
    
  • Government Census Records for the specific Townships and Counties where your ancestors lived.
    
    
  • Government Military Records. (These can sometimes provide a wealth of information.)
    
    
  • Church, School, Medical, Immigration, Obituary and County History information
    
    
  • Cemeteries, where grave stones may give you important information that you can confirm in other records.
    
    
  • The INTERNET -- World Wide Web Pages, Genealogy Newsgroups, Genealogy Surname Mailing Lists, etc.
    
    
    • For example, you can submit queries about your ancestors to genealogy newspaper columns, genealogy journals, genealogy Internet newsgroups and genealogy Web pages for this purpose.
      
      
    • Also, you can use Search engines to search for your surnames, as well as exploring the multitude of genealogy Web sites.
      
      
    • Once you've found a few good Web sites, you'll have links to many more!
      
      
    • And, if you put up your own genealogy Web site, you can have people contacting you!
    
    
    
  • Beware than your ancestors may have spelled surnames more than one way. If your ancestors spoke a different language than the immigration officials receiving them in the new country, the official may have decided how to spell the name! Also know that in less-formal record-keeping times, our ancestors may have given the census worker or county clerk their Nickname or middle name. So, if you don't find the name you're seeking, be aware of variations that your ancestor might have used.
    
    
  • And many, many more resources which you will learn about as you progress through your research.
  
  
  
• Don't forget about information that non-relatives may have for your research. For example, if your grandparents are deceased, but an elderly former neighbor of theirs is still alive, that former neighbor might have:
  
  
  • Facts that you need to know about your deceased relatives.
  • Knowledge of the personalities, temperment, interests of your deceased relatives.
  • Stories that you never heard about your family.
  • Photographs of your relatives, your relatives homes, and other photos which will give you clues about the lives and relationships of your ancestors.
  • Clues about what other sources you should check.
  
  
  
• When you must write for information, increase the chances of a reply by sending a clear and concise request, provide some information to help, express appreciation, offer to pay for any copying expenses, and send a self-addressed stamped envelope to make a reply easy!
  
  
• Don't be discouraged by my repeated emphasis on organizing, writing down everything, and recording sources. This will make it easier later on when you have a HUGE amount of information.
  
  
• At some point, you'll have enough information to announce that you are studying certain surnames. You can do this with ads in genealogy journals, putting up a Web page, joining a local historical society, joining an Internet discussion group, etc..
  
  
• Whichever method(s) of announcing that you choose, you are moving into a new level -- Now it is possible for you and other genealogists to share information with each other. The culture of sharing among genealogists is essential. It is inevitable that I have some information that someone else needs AND someone else has information that I need.
  
  
• But, don't be presumptious about the sharing of information. While it's true that any genealogist who refuses to share information and sources with other genealogists will be crippled by isolation, we can't go to the other extreme and steal copyrighted material or take credit for what someone else has done. A culture of mutually-respectful sharing is central to the ethics of genealogy.
  
  
• Use wisdom. Genealogists must have facts, but if you embarass the living, your resources will dry up. (Not to mention having everyone angry with you.)
  
  
• As far as that goes, grumpy genealogists tend to meet with a lot of obstacles. Treating people with respect, whether that be a great-aunt or a county clerk, will get you a lot more information.
  
  
• Similarly, remember to thank people who help you. When you do, sometimes they remember you when more information comes to them. I know this is hard to do. I never catch up with the huge amount of e-mail that my Web site generates, but I keep trying.
  
  
• See if you have relatives that are interested in working with you on the genealogical research. Two people have more contacts than one -- besides, it's nice to have someone else join you in getting excited when that elusive piece of information is finally found.
  
  
• Don't presume that data presented by other genealogists is absolutely accurate. Whether it be presented in a book or a Web site, the other person might have an error in their data. Get the info., and hopefully the source, then check it out!
  
  

  Use history! I remember how perplexed I was by some records showing that my Eddleman ancestors lived in Harrison County, Indiana, while other records specified Floyd County, Indiana. Finally, I checked Indiana history and learned that Floyd County was created out of part of Harrison county. My ancestors hadn't moved -- the County did!

  
  
  
• Similarly, maps from certain time periods can be very helpful in solving mysteries. The town your ancestor lived in may have been on an 1860 map, but perhaps the town doesn't exist today.
  
  
• Prepare for your genealogy excursions. For example, when I go to a cemetery, I often take note paper and pens to transcribe exact words from gravestones, a camera and film to photograph the gravestones, maps to help me find the cemetery, first aide kit (in case I get so excited I fall on a gravestone), summaries of my own genealogy data (for times when I "think" I remember seeing the name on the gravestone next to my relatives' gravestone), and change in case I stop at a library and need to use the photocopy machine.
  
  
• Protect your work. If you keep your data on your computer, make back up copies on disks from time to time. If you give copies of your summaries or photos to relatives as gifts, you'll have a back-up plan if yours should ever be destroyed.
  
  

Genealogy can lead to creative holiday gifts! Would someone in your family enjoy a framed photo of an ancestor? Would someone like a photo of an ancestor on a t-shirt? Would someone in your family enjoy a home-made book by you summarizing what you know about the family so far? Would someone enjoy receiving their own pedigree chart, framed by you? Would someone like a subscription to a genealogy society newsletter in a county where an ancestor lived? Is there someone who "has everything" who would appreciate you honoring him/her by repairing an ancestor's cemetery marker? Is there someone who would be thrilled to be named in the dedication of the genealogy material / book that you donate to a genealogy library? Would someone enjoy a food gift, knowing that you used your common great-grandparent's recipe? Would someone value a collection of an ancestor's poetry, drawings, recipes, letters, photos, quilts, crocheting, or jewelry? Regarding the holiday cards that can be printed with a photo, would your relatives enjoy a holiday greeting with a photo of your common ancestor on it? Are any of these things that you could put on your own holiday wish list?

• If you share your genealogical information with others, such as putting it on the Internet or donating copies to a library, benefits will likely come your way as other people searching the same names contact you and want to share information.
  
  (But, if you share, please do your best to provide accurate information and sources of your information. Thanks!)
  
  

  What's a 'Second Cousin Twice Removed?' Click here to visit my What's a Second-Cousin Twice-Removed? Web page!

  
  
  
  • Now, even though we're searching for facts, the family legends do have some value. In the best outcome, research may eventually prove that the legends (or some parts of a legend) are true. But, even if that doesn't happen, the legends tell something about what was important in your family. Just be sure to clarify which things are fact and which things are legends that you are still researching.
    ( Click here to visit my Family Legends page!)
    
    

Final tip -- Have fun!

Copyright 1996-2008, Mark Ellsworth Hickman, PhD
(Granduncle Mark)

Contact me at