How do I get started in genealogy?
It is up to you to motivate your self interest. It is also based on the family's interest and time. Some people may not understand that genealogy is an on-going task. You don't reach the finish line in one fell swoop. It is accomplished bit by bit, piece by piece. Reaching each milestone can be a sweet reward, especially when breakthroughs occur on much anticipated material. Hence, why we gather at sites like these sharing information. Somebody else may hold a piece of the puzzle that you were scouting, and vice versa.
Genealogy is also the tie that binds you to the type of history you learn about in school - presidents, witch trials, farmers, history, immigration, wars, plagues, glory and more. It brings history home to your doorstep in a tangible fashion, one that you can relate to - literally.
To begin, you need to ask a few questions of yourself because it all starts with you: What's your birth name? When were you born? What county were you born? Those are the basics. Once you have those questions answered, you've started your family tree. This family tree will be passed down generations because you have taken the time to write this information in an accessible place.
Now what? Okay… what about your parents? What are their birth names? When were they born? What county were they born (or, heaven forbid already, passed away) in? Those are some more basics. Once those are answered, you've got the second level to your family tree. Some of the following basic documents may or may not include pertinent information for your treasure hunt:
Birth Certificates - list parents, parents place of birth
Marriage Certificates - marriage dates, wedding administer
Death Certificates - cause of death, date of birth
Pension Records - spouses, children, branches of services
These types of documents can be located at the county of happening. For example, if you were born in Stark County, Ohio, you would apply at the county courthouse in Canton.
Remember that for the Clerk & Recorder to provide you with a copy of a document, there may be a small fee involved. Fees may range anywhere from the cost of a copy (i.e. $.05) to something that includes an 'administrative fee' (i.e. $10.00). These miniscule costs are something to be aware of, and may be well worth it if it means obtaining truth.
This Rootsweb Guide is a user friendly source that is highly recommended when getting your genealogy started.
How do I get my children into genealogy?
It is much easier to start children out when they're younger. It begins when you break out the older family albums, speaking about the relatives within the pictures, writing their names around the pictures, or even writing stories about them to go with the album. This builds the foundation for recognition. It can also give the child a great sense of pride to know they are forever deeply connected & belong to something profoundly interesting as ancestoral history.
Where can I find city or county addresses so that I can request a certificate (i.e. birth, death, marriage, probate, etc.)?
1) Go to WIKIPEDIA. This is a free online encyclopedia offering tons of information about everything imagineable.
2) If you know the city or county that you're searching for, enter it into the SEARCH and click on GO. For example: to find the county seat for Sanders County in Montana --> type "Sanders County" in SEARCH & then click GO.
3) If you're not sure of specific information yet, it's best to browse by typing in things like "list cities Montana" or "list counties Montana". Then work your way through the information offered.
What if my family history is… um, well… "checkered"?
Nobody's family is, like the saying goes, "perfect". Everyone is human, including the people in your ancestry. Facts can be documented without colorful adjectives. It is important to keep things correct for the sake of history. If it is close to the heart, don't advertise the details, plain and simple. The ugly parts will die off and the facts will still be allowed to remain.
Are getting things documented so important?
You can sure bet on it! It is important to have as much paperwork to back any claim as humanly possible (humanly possible in that to err is human, especially over vast chasms of time). With that having been said, browsing through our family tree on this site you might wonder why some of our information is incomplete (way, way back), as are a lot of people out here.
I believe that everyone's intentions are as simple as that everyone is attempting to get their "feelers" out there in cyberspace. Someone else may have a small percentage than the next person in one subject, and you might have more than they do, the next guy has less... and so on. When we get to a site like this, we are able to come together. Once all the information is in the same pot, so to speak, we can then attempt separate the chaff from the wheat by researching each claim.
How do I begin genealogy when either myself or someone in my family line was adopted?
Worldwide Tracers is an all-in-one place to get started. Post or search for the missing individuals or browse the wonderful information that they reference.