Filter by Category:
Timeframe:
Listings Per Page: 

Listings: 1 to 28 of 28
1.  
If you are dealing with old handwriting, E. Kay Kirkham's The Handwriting of American Records For a Period of 300 Years is an excellent resource.
[Located in Category: Tips]
2.  
Genealogy is the search for our ancestors. Family history is the study of the lives they led. Using the information from each area provides us with a true picture of our family.
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
3.  
Do your genealogy to learn about your family and your place in that family, to leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren and to research and trace our family's medical history.
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
4.  
Remember that each generation doubles the number of ancestors. It's easy to get lost if you don't plan ahead for your trip. Focus on one or two families. The others will still be there when you get to them.
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
5.  
Female lines are as important as male lines. One-half of your ancestors are female!
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
6.  
A generation is 22-25 years for a man and 18-23 years for a woman.
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
7.  
When taking notes... Use standard size paper, one surname per page, record source and identifying information so you can find it again, the date and place you found info (volume and page). Use only accepted abbreviations (no homespun stuff). Understand basic terminology.
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
8.  
Remember to document everything you find on your ancestors. UNDOCUMENTED GENEALOGY IS MYTHOLOGY!
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
9.  
Meaningful genealogy requires thought. Develop a plan – "Why am I doing genealogy?" Set goals of what you plan to accomplish in a reasonable time frame i.e. go back 4 generations, go back to the immigrant ancestor, do only my father’s male line, etc.
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
10.  
Know your relationships: An ancestor is a person from whom you are descended. A descendant is a person who is descended from an ancestor. A relative is someone with whom you share a common ancestor but who is not in your direct line.
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
11.  
To find a birth date from a death date, subtract the age in years, months and days from the date of death. This is a very close approximation
[Located in Category: Basic Genealogy]
12.  
When you're "doing" census, be sure to look at 10 families before and 10 families after the family you are researching. These folks are most likely the friends (and family) of your ancestor. They lived in community... not alone.
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
13.  
Begin with the latest census available and work backwards. Census records have been take since 1790. Before 1790 you can use Tax Lists and other local lists that might have been compiled according to the state you are researching in.
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
14.  
Don't assume that all children listed in the census belong to the wife listed. This may be a second wife and the children a combination of "his and hers."
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
15.  
The census is taken every 10 years on a designated census day by an "enumerator" in a specific area, E.D. (enumeration district). The first census was done in 1790; there are no censuses before 1790. The 1890 census destroyed. Census information is confidential for 72 years after the census is taken. (1940 becomes available in 2012)
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
16.  
In addition to the census population count, there are a number of special censuses: Slave, Industry & Manufacturing, Agriculture, Mortality, Social Statistics, Union Veteran and Widow, Defective, Dependent and Delinquent.
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
17.  
Prepare a census timeline before you begin. Review what you will find in the census you are searching. Work backwards from the most recent census. Expect spelling and age variations.
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
18.  
When copying census information, copy EVERYTHING EXACTLY AS IT IS WRITTEN! Do not change or update the information even if you think it is incorrect. This is the way it was written… leave it alone!
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
19.  
Soundex is a system of coding names for the census based on sound rather than alphabetical spelling. A variation called American Soundex was used in the 1930s for a retrospective analysis of the US censuses from 1890 through 1920. To save time, a free Soundex converter is available at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com.
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
20.  
When the head of the household is no longer listed, don’t assume he/she is dead. It’s possible that the former head of household is now living with one of the children.
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
21.  
A person may not have been living on the day the census was actually taken (not the official day). However, all information is to be "as of the official census day."
[Located in Category: U.S. Census Record Research]
22.  
The Pedigree chart is the road map of you and your ancestors. It begins with YOU! Females must use their maiden names. (See our Public Download / Genealogy Forms for an copy of this form that you can download and print)
[Located in Category: Charts and Forms Used]
23.  
The Family Group Sheet identifies a couple and their children. Everyone has two group sheets - one as a child with parents and one as a parent with children. (See our Public Download / Genealogy Forms for an copy of this form that you can download and print)
[Located in Category: Charts and Forms Used]
24.  
A Chronological Profile begins with your ancestor's birth and is filled in with various occurrences in his life. Continue to fill this in as information becomes available to provide a picture of your ancestor's life.
[Located in Category: Charts and Forms Used]
25.  
The Research Log is very important for the time when you share you data or decide to publish your work. You will need to know your sources for obtaining each piece of information. Be VERY specific with your information quoting authors, titles, pages, publishers, etc.
[Located in Category: Charts and Forms Used]
26.  
Use a Correspondence Log! This includes the name and address of the person you have written to, what you requested, the date the request was sent and a column for the outcome. Remembering every letter written is impossible. Follow up if you don’t get an answer within a month.
[Located in Category: Charts and Forms Used]
27.  
Know the source of your information. Per Elizabeth Shown Mills in Evidence Explained, there are three sources of evidence to support a genealogical conclusion: "PRIMARY SOURCE • one created by someone with firsthand knowledge • one created at or about the time an event occurred PRINTED PRIMARY SOURCE • a primary source that has been transcribed or abstracted and published (ostensibly by reliable editors) SECONDARY SOURCE • all else". The goal of all genealogists is to be able to tie back to a Primary Source. A Primary Printed Source is usable depending on the reliability of the editors. The Secondary Source is a good starting point to start the search for a Primary Source.
[Located in Category: Tips]
28.  
Cannot find an ancestor in the index on Ancestry? You know they should be there. Try the index on FamilySearch. Try the index on Fold3. Each index is created independently. There may be different interpretations of the handwritten document.
[Located in Category: Tips]