Basics Of Genealogy

Everyone has a desire to know where they come from, where they get their red hair or their green eyes from, and sometimes even a desire to know why they are mechanically inclined! In recent years this desire has strengthened interest in genealogy research. Fortunately, with the increase in interest, comes an increase in the information readily available to even the novice hobbyist. To better understand the basics of genealogy, it is important to differentiate between a family tree and genealogy.

Genealogy encompasses the research and study of not just the recent history of immediate family members but also the lineage of a family dating back as far as available historical records will permit. Genealogy research will, often times, provide researchers with information pertaining to the way in which people lived, where they lived, a medical history, and other interesting nuggets of information otherwise not previously known.

A family tree can be represented in either plain text or graphical form and it can be a useful representation of the basic history of a family branching back several generations. However, a family tree is not necessarily a good way to preserve information about and document deeper aspects of a relative’s life; like the above mentioned lifestyle information.

Another important aspect to understanding the basics of genealogy is to realize that there is often information to be found in the most unlikely of places. Newspapers and libraries, recognizing the need to preserve and share information for a wider audience, have taken steps to scan and upload copies of papers and other stored records (like microfiche) to both free and paid membership websites.

Many older churches have kept records dating several generations back; these records can be a treasure trove of baptism records, wedding information, and even funeral records. As technology improves, several of these churches are also taking the needed steps to digitally preserve their records for future research.

Where found records and information once needed to be hand documented, there are now commercially available software packages that will assist researchers of all calibers in thoroughly documenting their findings. Additionally, several websites now exist that not only provide researchers the ability to document and store their findings but also allow them to connect with other researchers.

Once a good source of information has been located it will often lead to more sources of information from another avenue; these links will often direct an intrepid researcher to several people who have done their own research on another aspect on a common relative’s life. Making those connections with other genealogy hobbyists or historians is a vital part of genealogy research because it will open previously unknown and unexplored doors.

A large part of genealogy research is being willing to explore those previously unknown avenues to find those missing links and missing gems of information. Keeping an open mind is also another vital part of research into a family background; not all of the information gleaned is going to be suitable for discussion at your next family brunch. We all have a deep and rich history behind how we got to where we are today; using your best investigative skills, along with your desire to know more, will allow you uncover that history. Even the somewhat unsavory aspects of your family history!

About the Author

Jeff Sallee is a genealogy enthusiast, and enjoys helping others get started in this satisfying hobby. For more information on the basics of genealogy  visit www.secretsofgenealogy.com  where Jeff exposes some of the latest secrets of genealogy research to other enthusiasts who want to climb higher into the family tree.

I Walked Among Angels Today

As a favor to a fellow genealogist, I offered to take a picture of the front of his ancestors’ crypt to show that it had been repaired as he had requested.   At first I was a little nervous going into a cemetery that I have never been to before.  Let’s face it, none of us like going there for any reason.

I drove around the grounds trying to find the right building and it came to me that I have never been in a mausoleum before in my life.  All of my relatives are buried underground and are not in this cemetery.  When I walk into that building, I am going to be surrounded by sadness and death.  Having just lost my husband a mere 3-1/2 years ago, I wasn’t sure I could do it.

As I continued to drive, I came upon a funeral in progress.  I took a few seconds to bow my head and close my eyes in respect.  I watched as they removed the casket from the hearse and watched the mourners walk behind their loved ones’ casket to where it was to be laid to rest.  I knew that I was going to sit there patiently as long as it took and then I wondered if there would actually be a person in this world so uncaring as to blow a horn or actually be angry that they had to wait a few minutes until they could drive through the area?  Unfortunately, I suppose there are such people like that.

This cemetery also is the largest one I have ever been to and after driving around in circles for a while I decided to find someone to help guide me to the right building or else I would be there for hours.  The lady gave me a map and it turned out I was not very far away from the “Lords Prayer” mausoleum.  I gathered my notes and my camera and stood at the door for a few minutes to take a long deep breath before going in.  Once inside, I tried to detach myself from all feelings and just started looking for names so I could take the picture and get out of there.

I don’t know if I can explain the experience I went through today but I would like to try.

As I walked further into the mausoleum, reading through the names, loving quotes and seeing the flowers, charms, beads (which I assume were Rosary beads), toys, wreaths, etc. that were placed on the front of the crypts or at the floor in front, I did not have a feeling of sadness, grief or fear.  Somehow I felt as if I were being watched over by all of the people who have gone on before.  I was in their house now and they were making me feel at ease in what normally would be an uneasy situation.  By now you are probably thinking I have gone off the deep end which I haven’t.

Each name that I came across and sometimes a picture, I began to wonder about these people and the lives that they led. I’m sure for the most part their lives were not very much different from mine or yours in terms of everyday life; they loved, they laughed, they cried, they also mourned the ones who went before them.  The longer I looked for the crypt of my fellow genealogists’ ancestor, the deeper I became involved in wondering about every soul at rest there.  I still talk to my husband sometimes and I feel as if he is still with me and always will be, I believe he was with me today.

After about an hour or so of searching I found myself asking, “Please, Mr. and Mrs. Green, give me a sign to let me know where you are.  I couldn’t just give up now.  I must have read through more than 100 names and with each name I envisioned what that person was like, what caused them to be here. Was it an accident; was it natural or at the hand of someone else, did one of the wars claim this life?  I saw many crypts that the fronts were blank; many had 2 names above or below the surname but only 1 name had both a date of birth and date of death; the other name just had the date of birth.  Was the one left behind still in pain like I am from losing their husbands or wives or had they made peace with it and were just waiting to be reunited with them again?

After realizing I had been walking through the halls of these sacred buildings, in and out, for over an hour, I thought to myself I will have to come back. I am just too tired and exhausted to look any longer.  I felt as if I had lived a thousand lives in that short amount of time.  As I walked down one more hallway to go back to the car, it was as if I was being summoned to look to the right; there was a short walkway just outside of the building that I had not noticed before.  It reminded me somewhat of a garden and as I turned the corner and looked up, there they were; Mr. and Mrs. Green.  I took 2 or 3 pictures of the front of the crypt for my friend, read a few more names and imagined a few more lives and then walked to the car.

Sitting in the car, I just rested for a while before leaving.  There was so much emotion involved by the experience that I had when “I Walked Among Angels Today.”  I wasn’t sad; I wasn’t scared; I didn’t cry; it was almost peaceful; as if I had been given a unique gift to be able to spend time with so many people that I never had the privilege of meeting before they became Angels.

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Photo provided by: moonstarsandpaper.blogspot.com