6 Bad Things About Today's Genealogy Software
http://www.beholdgenealogy.com/blog/?p=875
Monday, November 21, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Questions about the Grandparents
Where and when were your grandparents born? (both sets) What do/did they look like? What were their occupations? How did they come to meet and marry?
This is a important question, because this moves us on to the next generation. Family members did not always come from where you thought they did. My fathers family was in Ohio when he was born, but they were regionally from Michigan. My mom was born in Michigan, but her family was originally from Ohio. Both families moved a great deal prior to getting settled in one place, but would eventually locate where other family members had already located.
Asking questions about appearance may not seem like much, but they may provide clues on ethnic origins. It will explain many of the features and characteristics of our current generation that we may not understand today.
Jobs were so important to understanding our nations transition from a Agrarian society to a urban setting. In my own family they had been farmers for generations, but then in the early 1900's they moved to cities and started working factory and railroad jobs. They moved from living on large pieces of land. They located in apartments and city houses. Many things had changed from living a farmers life.
It is important to understand where your grandparents met, because it will offer clues on other family members. Did they meet at church or school? Maybe a place they worked or someone that lived in the neighborhood. Were they friends with other family members? All of these are important facts for our continued genealogical journey.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Family interview continued
When and where were your parents born? What are their full names? What do/did they look like? What were their occupations? How did they come to meet and marry?
Again the plan here is to the more interesting information about our families histories. Understanding if they were born in the same town they live in now. Were they born overseas and where? Understanding what there full names will help in looking for future generations, because of the use of common naming patterns. Understanding if names were changed and why.
I am always struck the looks of ancestors two generations ago and the resemblance to the people of today. My father is short, but if you look at my grandpa and all his brothers they are very tall.
Where did they work? The jobs of yesteryear are often ones that do not even exist in today's world. Were they laborers, farmers or work for the railroad. Occupations and the accumulation of wealth often explains the lack of a paper trail. People that did not have a lot of money did not normally have very good paper trails.
Where did they meet shows the closeness of neighborhoods. Did they meet at church or school? Were they a friend of another member of the family? All important items for putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Monclova and Lourdes classes
Well it is another closing of my teaching sessions and visit to Ft. Wayne. Awesome students this session. Planning on classes coming up in January at Monclova with a beginners and advanced class. Got discounts running till the 15th of December. Contact me if you are interested.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Sandusky Graveyard hunting
http://graveyardrabbitofsanduskybay.blogspot.com/ Check out this awesome site.
Monday, November 07, 2011
Church records- Toledo Catholic diocise
Are you aware that the records for the Archdiocese of Toledo is located on Family Search? The down side is that it has not been indexed yet, but it is totally searchable. The time frame is from 1798-2004. The key is knowing the parish that your relative attended. Look in the explore collections portion of the Family Search site. This is awesome.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Good Advice
Sometimes we need to forget we are a genealogist and
- think about census taking as if it were our job
- pretend we were the clerk that couldn't understand your ancestor
- imagine we are a semi-literate frontiersman collecting taxes
- imagine you are a non-English speaker with a fear of the government who sees the census taker coming
- think what it might have been like to have 4 small children, little money to spare, and barely able to afford a burial plot, let alone a tombstone
Remember, the research is about our ancestors and the people who created the records that we use--not necessarily about us.
Good advice from Michael Neill.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
National Black Genealogy Summit
Still time to register for the National Black Genealogy Summit, Fort Wayne, Indiana 20-22 October. (Walk-in registrations will be accepted, but register ahead of time --frees up time for research in the Genealogy Center!)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Google tips
www.familysearch.org
The Google Genealogist shares some tips to utilize the latest tools from Google to find your family history.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Input needed
Folks I need your input. Do you have things you come across while
searching your family that you have questions about? Please post them
on this site and I will respond with answers that will help you as well
as other readers. I look forward to your comments.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Learning about our German ancestors
Fall Seminar - German Immigration, Settlement and Contributions [FA11m] : Ohio Chapter of Palatines.
www.oh-palam.org
Ohio
Chapter of Palatines to America Fall Seminar - German Immigration,
Settlement and Contributions [FA11m] - The Ohio Chapter Palatines to
America2011 Fall Seminar"German Immigration, Settlement and
Contributions" Saturday, October 15, 2011, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm The Der
Dutchman Restaurant 445 S J...
Continuing the family interview
When and where did you meet your wife/husband? How did your meeting come about? Was she/he your first love? Can you describe the proposal, the wedding ceremony, the honeymoon?
The stories that make genealogy interesting are those that brings our relatives lives alive. These are not normally going to be found in a book or online. They come from the memories of our relative both oral and those that have been documented.
Learning the events that led up to our parents marriage adds the important parts to our genealogy. Getting the specifics of where they met. How long the courtship lasted and such always provide interesting stories. Learning of previous loves is always a interesting feature of the family interview.
Then finally all the dealing with the wedding. Who was in the wedding? Who attended? What church were you married in? Did you have a reception? For future generations this is genealogy gold. This is why we do the research we do. We want to learn about our families lives. Through understanding them our own lives start to make more sense.
The stories that make genealogy interesting are those that brings our relatives lives alive. These are not normally going to be found in a book or online. They come from the memories of our relative both oral and those that have been documented.
Learning the events that led up to our parents marriage adds the important parts to our genealogy. Getting the specifics of where they met. How long the courtship lasted and such always provide interesting stories. Learning of previous loves is always a interesting feature of the family interview.
Then finally all the dealing with the wedding. Who was in the wedding? Who attended? What church were you married in? Did you have a reception? For future generations this is genealogy gold. This is why we do the research we do. We want to learn about our families lives. Through understanding them our own lives start to make more sense.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Early Religion
This is a very interesting interactive site that shows early religions in Colonial America. Excellent resource for many people that would eventually come to Northwest Ohio.
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/09_2011/interactive.php
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/09_2011/interactive.php
Genealogy Timelines
Using a Timeline - Historical events help determine why our ancestors chose to migrate from the homeland to a new country.
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