Not everyone can boast a good knowledge of family tree, but it is a part of the cultural heritage. It is necessary to take care of preserving family history – there are different ways to do this.

A family tree

Everyone periodically thinks about their roots, about what constitutes a genealogical tree. Thanks to family stories and legends, there is a sense of unity with their relatives. And also intra-family ties are built. People analyze the deeds of their great-grandfathers, begin to take pride in the country.

A genealogical tree is also called a family tree – a scheme that describes all the connections within one family or clan. Usually it has a tree configuration, with the ancestor of the dynasty shown at the bottom. The branches are the family lines.

The tree is the oldest symbol of Life. Its image symbolizes the connection between generations – past, present and future.

The roots most often represent ancestors, and the trunk is a symbol of the present – the people who are alive now.

The branches, crown and leaves represent the future of the family.

In most cases, the depth of branching of such a tree covers several generations simultaneously. The information shown on the chart may vary.

When all direct descendants of one particular person are indicated on the tree, it will branch strongly. On the outer levels in such cases there are numerous relatives.

The chart shows only the known ancestors of the person who was involved in its compilation. Side branches are more often cut off in order to present the information in a more compact way.

You can also come across trees covering only family members with a particular surname, for example, all the men of the same family. Married descendants in the female line are excluded from such a scheme.

There are several kinds of genealogical trees; they can be horizontal or vertical.

The first type is often found in the family archives of the inhabitants of European countries. The ancestors on such a tree are depicted on the left side, and the branches go in a horizontal direction. In addition to direct ancestors with descendants, other blood relatives can be included in the scheme. This is the so-called mixed variant.

The vertical genealogical tree is also called an ascending tree. The child is made the head of a tree from him in the parties go branches – parents. From each of the parents extend two more branches – the grandparents of the child. In this format, direct ancestors of one particular person are identified.

Sometimes you can come across circular schemes resembling a bird. The mother’s ancestors are placed on the right side and the father’s on the left. In the center is the child.

Keeping family photos and documents

It’s important to save family photos with documents and to videotape daily life. Even small fragments that were recorded on the camera and on the phone are reviewed with great pleasure. But it is important to take care of their systematization.

You need to find time to restore old family photos and digitize video tapes, which recorded important events.

Many people videotape family holidays, and rightly so. Not only adults but also children can be cameramen in this case. Mini-interviews are welcome, as are giving copies of videos to everyone who was at the party.

On camera, it is recommended to record the stories of older relatives, they usually love to share details from their lives.

A good idea is to print digital photos, create albums and photo books. Start a scrapbook with pictures of family members, so children know their relatives from an early age.

On children’s drawings and photos, be sure to put the dates on the back.

You can record children’s voices at different stages of their growing up.

In a family history album, it won’t hurt to place a family tree in brief, letters from great-grandparents from the fountain, handwritten down on paper events from the lives of relatives.

Stories from older family members

It is important to take notes on the stories of older relatives. Communicate more with older people, because they often remember interesting stories.

It will not be superfluous to tell the younger generation about the origin of the family surname. You can also tell children stories from your own youth.

Find out from older relatives who they remember – this will help in compiling a family tree.Many families have a tradition of family dinners, inviting both close and distant relatives and retelling family stories.

Communication with the child needs to build so that the study of the history of his native country in school, he related it to the events in his own family, remembering grandparents and great-grandparents.

Using online resources

Online resources can help in preserving information about family history. You can create your own website and publish information there about documents found in archives, place a genealogical tree. It is easier for relatives to give a link to a resource than to be engaged in forwarding piles of papers, depicting a family tree.

Anyone who is passionate about genealogical searches should register on topical sites. There are many resources dedicated to genealogy. In the profiles on the forums it is necessary to specify what surnames are searched and in what regions.

Some sites provide the opportunity to maintain their own blog. Publication of mini-articles about the history of searching, and information about the documents one managed to obtain. Making reposts to social media won’t hurt either.

Preserve your family’s history to ensure that it is accessible to descendants, and use a variety of ways to do this, including the most up-to-date.

The post Ways to preserve information about your family history appeared first on Gen-Home.

1. Create Your Genealogical Tree

A successful start to researching your family history often depends on your immediate family members. What you should start with is making a record of all your memories of your siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, parents, and grandparents. Ask as much detail as you can about all the people from each of your relatives. Gather all available information about them, such as burial sites, key dates and information (marriage, birth, death, etc.), occupation, awards, and all other life circumstances. A family tree is one of the most important things you should do to reconstruct your family’s life history. And ordering a family tree with accompanying detailed information about each relative is the best start to all genealogical research.

2. Look up family albums

Family albums, if maintained and not lost, always have a lot of unique information and clues that can greatly help you with your family research. It is helpful to look for important documents (such as birth certificates), school notebooks, letters and diaries, family heirlooms, boxes of memorabilia, and old photographs. Anything that in one way or another can tell about your family history should be collected and recorded, it will help a lot later when ordering genealogical research.

3. Start a family history

When you are compiling your family tree and collecting information about your relatives, try to find informational notes about your family.

For example, research newspaper and magazine articles for mentions of your family members.

You could also look for information about schools, notes about curious stories at school, successes at work, records of work or service, military records, or just family legends. What if you are a descendant of a famous historical figure? What if you are a relative of a participant in a high-profile historical process? These things can only be identified and confirmed through thorough research.

4. Search the internet

Did you know that in America, the census is the primary source for researching family history? The U.S. federal census is the most important resource for doing your research. Start with the earliest 1940 U.S. Census available online and start your search for your parents and grandparents with it. You should record their ages, birthplaces, names, places of residence, occupations, and details of immigration to include in your family tree. You can then also search earlier censuses to complete your family tree, all the way back to the 1790 census. If your ancestors are from Great Britain, you can look up the 1911 British census. There is also the 1911 Irish census online.

5. Collect materials from relatives.

Your relatives probably have a lot of things that will help you in your search. Letters, documents, family bibles, and many other things and information can just be obtained with one phone call. Plus, someone in your family may already have a completed family tree or materials if they have already worked on your family history. This will also greatly help you in your search.

As an aside. Try doing a DNA test. There are companies that can help you get more information about your ancestors, as well as your ethnicity, with a DNA genealogy test.

Following these uncomplicated steps will surely prove helpful in successfully working to restore your family history, especially when you decide to order your family tree from a professional company. So remember, write down and follow these tips! Good luck in creating new pages in your family history!

The post The 5 best ways to learn more about family history appeared first on Gen-Home.

Historical Records

At last count, FamilySearch is home to more than 4 billion historical, high-quality images of genealogical records, painstakingly collected over several decades from repositories around the world.

FamilySearch Wiki

The FamilySearch Wiki contains nearly 100,000 articles to get you started (or help you get through a brick wall) on your current research question.

Family History Library Catalog

The entire Family History Library catalog is searchable at FamilySearch.org. Search the catalog by location to see what resources are available for your area of interest.

FamilySearch Digital Library

In addition to the shelves of the Family History Library, the Digital Library offers search results for about half a million titles available through libraries, genealogy societies, and university libraries.

The post Four features of FamilySearch appeared first on Gen-Home.

AccessGenealogy

This bag of free genealogical records continues to grow.

Allen County Public Library.

Although this library is located in Indiana, its online capabilities are much more extensive, reflecting its status as the second largest genealogical library in the country.

Ancestry Finds.

This site offers free searches of marriage, birth, death, immigration, land, military and census records in dozens of different resources.

Ancestry Library Publishing

Your local library can offer you access to immigration, census, vital and other Ancestry.com documents through Ancestry Library Edition. The library, of course, has to pay, but it’s free for you as a patron.

Books we own.

The next best thing to having important genealogical resources is to find someone who has what you need and will do a free search for you.

Family Search.

Over 2,000 online collections make this the Internet’s largest home for free genealogical data.

Genealogy Deals.

This site directs thrifty genealogy professionals to online deals ranging from promotions and webinars to discounts on subscriptions and resources.

Gopher Genealogy.

Smart, intuitive searches are the hallmark of a partnership with FamilySearch, which quickly processes 80,000 digitized books.

HathiTrust

To make the most of this digital library, you must log in with the credentials of a participating institution (such as a university). But there’s plenty here for the general public, too.

HeritageQuest Online.

HeritageQuest is free for home computers thanks to a library card through participating institutions. It is now “maintained” (but not owned by) Ancestry.com.

Library of Congress.

The National Library, while not specialized in genealogy, has much to offer online. The library’s genealogical collection began back in 1815 with the purchase of the Thomas Jefferson Library.

Midwest Genealogy Center.

This site from the Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence, Missouri, has one of the largest genealogy collections in the country.

National Archives and Records Administration

Read all about the genealogical treasures at the National Archives, order military and other records, and view historical maps and photographs.

Olive Tree Genealogy.

Since its launch in 1996, this humble Web site has evolved into a useful collection of instructions and databases.

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGC)

For research tasks at a remote library or archive, check out this directory of volunteers and places where they can perform research tasks. (Note that you may be asked to reimburse small expenses such as photocopying or postage.)

RootsWeb

This venerable free site still serves articles with practical tips, U.S. surname and location databases, mailing lists, genealogy files, and more, making it old but useful.

We’re Late.

Here authors collaborate to build a unified genealogical tree with pages for more than 2.8 million people and 400,000 locations. Sign up to add your tree; upload your genealogy tree as GEDCOM; and share documents, photos, and stories.

WorldCat / ArchiveGrid.

Find your family history in the 2 billion items in 10,000 world libraries, then click to see the collections closest to you with WorldCat. (You can also borrow books you discover through interlibrary loan.)

Its ArchiveGrid branch searches more than 4 million archival document descriptions from 1,000 different institutions. Learn about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and other materials that may mention your ancestors. An interactive map makes it easy to find archives near you.

The post Totally free genealogy sites appeared first on Gen-Home.

• 1940 U.S. Census and all Canadian censuses
• Parish books, cemetery records and marriage indices
• Passenger lists and travel records
• Irish Catholic parish records
• 1881 Census of England, Wales, and Scotland

The post Free entries on FindMyPast appeared first on Gen-Home.

As the use of social media becomes more common, more and more users are finding ways to make their accounts valuable resources for genealogy professionals – either to share information or to facilitate discussion. We’ve compiled our favorite accounts that are interesting and informative and allow you to connect with experts and other genealogy experts like you. Social media is constantly changing, but these accounts are a great starting point for turning social media into a valuable tool for your genealogical research.

Facebook

One of the major benefits of Facebook is the ability to join global forums such as DNA Detectives, national groups such as Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, and state- or region-focused groups. We could devote an entire article to Facebook genealogy groups, so instead we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites below and focused the rest of this list on just the Facebook pages we really like (pun intended).

AccessGenealogy

AccessGenealogy is an extensive directory of free records and resources on U.S. genealogy, especially Native American research. The AccessGenealogy Facebook page is a great way to keep up with the latest free resources and site news. Both the AccessGenealogy website and Facebook page are tools that every Native American researcher should keep in their pocket!

Explaining the Evidence

This page, based on Elizabeth Shawn Mill’s classic book, Explaining Evidence: Citing Historical Sources, from Artifacts to Cyberspace (Genealogical Publishing Co.), is a great resource for those who “use, cite and try to understand historical records.” The posts here mostly link to a website explaining the evidence, which hosts an impressive number of forums on citation, evidence analysis, and more. The Facebook page functions as a sort of overview of what’s going on in the forums, and is a great place to dive into the minute details of record usage and citation.

Twitter

Twitter is the “birdie” of the 21st century for the latest news and gossip. But with access to so much information, this little bird ends up looking more like a whole flock! The following accounts are our favorite tweeters whose songs cut through the noise.

@LegalGen.

Judy J. Russell (also known as “The Legal Genealogist”) is a mainstay in the genealogy community, and her Twitter feed is a great way to keep up with what’s going on on her blog. Russell tweets about genealogy news, research and more, all with her trademark focus on the legal and civil aspects of the genealogical world.

@TNArchivist.

Melissa Barker is a professional genealogy expert and the head of the Houston County, Tennessee archives. She regularly posts helpful tips and instructions about all things archival on her blog, Genealogy in the Archives. But she’s also a regular tweeter. If you’re at all interested in archiving or preserving, her account is definitely worth checking out.

YouTube

Once known for funny cat videos, YouTube has surpassed Facebook as the most widely used social media platform. Free lessons, historical film and brief history lessons are all a click away on this giant video sharing site.
Origins

Ancestry.com has a robust YouTube channel that offers instructional videos on how to use its products and services, as well as some genealogy fun. Barefoot genealogy specialist, Krista Cowan, has an entire playlist of step-by-step instructions and tutorials. You can also watch small snippets of various shows created by Ancestry.com, including “My Family Secrets Revealed,” and watch the full 2019 Sundance film “Railroad Connections.”

British Pathé.

British Pathé, originally known as Pathé News, was a leading producer of newsreels, documentaries and other films in 20th-century Britain. It has since evolved into an impressive archive of films with digital video files available on its Web site and on YouTube.

Users can view a library of more than 80,000 videos, including (among other historical newsreels) interviews with Titanic survivors.

The post The best social media accounts for genealogy appeared first on Gen-Home.