Organizing Your Family’s Genealogy – Part 2: What information can be found in the home?
I came from a large Irish Catholic family on my father’s side who immigrated to America in the 1930’s. I was one of 34 great-grandchildren!
I just transferred the VHS tape of my great-grandmother telling about her life to a DVD for my kids to watch. She lived to be 103 and died before they were born. I am so grateful that I have her story preserved for future generations.
My mother’s family has much smaller families with 1-3 children per generation. BUT their genealogy is traced all the way back to 1540 in England! They immigrated to America before the Revolutionary War!
So…what if you are not so lucky to have your family tree already mapped out for you? What do you do then?
Genealogy expert Barry Ewell says you can find…some quite unexpected items!
In today’s post, we’ll take a deep breath and dive right back in to the fascinating world of genealogical research.
But first, let’s be real. This material won’t do you ANY GOOD if it ends up scattered throughout your home…or tossed into the seat of your car…or mistakenly pitched in the recycle bin! We’ll talk more about how to ORGANIZE this research with tips from both the expert researcher and the expert organizer…but for now, let’s just do this the simple way. Get ONE box. Make sure it is a good size, larger than would simply hold paper pages. I also recommend making sure it is something that latches securely and is waterproof. When you find pictures, there won’t be easy reprints made from your online photo account! These will be one-of-a-kind, priceless treasures! But even if they are not, you still need a place to put everything you are collecting…until you are ready to organize and work with those papers and other artifacts you have found.
Got your box? Are you ready? Let’s dig in and see what kinds of records we can expect from our hunting for family history!
Barry J. Ewell writes a blog entitled Genealogy by Barry, author of “Family Treasures: 15 Lessons, Tips and Tricks for Discovering your Family History” and founder of MyGenShare.com, an online educational website for genealogy and family history. He shares his experience with us in today’s post.
The following is a detailed list of the types of artifacts I have found in my family history research. Remember…you will find these types of artifacts just about anywhere. The key for me was learning about the kinds of artifacts and that they existed, or at least had at some point. Armed with this knowledge, when I was searching I was able to find much more because I knew what to look for. I wish I had had this list when I first started. It was only through going back to family, friends and acquaintances several times that I was able to secure the chance to acquire or digitally record what I found.
Before you FIND, record what you KNOW already. Write down what is known about life events for your family. Think about events such as:
Baptisms
Births
Christenings
Graduations
Marriages
Gather documents in your home having potential family history value. Some examples are:
Awards
Bibles
Certificates
Diaries
Histories
Journals
Letters
Photos
Scrapbooks
Genealogical information is in personal records of every kind, including:
Autograph Albums
Biographies
Books
Bookplates
Diaries
Funeral Programs
Guest Books
Journals
Letters
Photographs
Registers
Scrapbooks
Travel Accounts/Logs
Wedding Books
Personal information from any source
Genealogical information is in certificates awarded to commemorate events such as:
Achievement Awards
Adoptions
Apprenticeships
Baptisms
Blessings
Christenings
Confirmations
Deaths
Divorces
Graduations
Marriages
Memberships
Ministerial or Religious Purposes
Missionary Work
Ordinations
Genealogical information is found in family records like:
Bibles
Books of Remembrance
Family Bulletins
Family Group Sheets
Family Histories
Family Letters
Family Traditions
Genealogies
Letters & Postcards
Local Histories
Manuscript Histories
Pedigrees
Printed Histories
Genealogical information is in military records, including:
Bounty Awards
Citations
Disability Documents
Discharge Papers
Firearms
Military Service Records
National Guard Involvement
Pension Certificates
Ribbons
Selective Service Records
Separation Papers
Service Medals
Swords (check for inscription!)
Uniforms
War Memorials
War Rosters
Personal knowledge of fellow service members
Genealogical information is in legal papers, along the lines of:
Abstracts of Title
Adoption Papers
Bonds
Contracts
Deeds
Guardian Papers
Land Grants
Leases
Loans
Mortgages
Summons Subpoenas
Tax Notices
Water Rights
Wills and Probates
Genealogical information is in announcements, with these examples:
Anniversaries
Births
Birthday Celebrations
Deaths
Divorces
Engagements
Funerals
Graduations
Memorial Cards
New Homes
New Jobs
Promotions
Travels
Weddings
Personal knowledge of those who attended such events
Genealogical information is in membership records, including:
Awards
Member ID Cards
Programs
Publications
Uniforms
Genealogical information is included in citizenship papers such as:
Alien Registrations
Denegations/ Denials
Deportments
Naturalizations
Passports
Vaccinations
Visas
Genealogical information is in newspaper clippings from many sources:
Announcements
Hometown Newspapers
Human Interest Stories
Obituaries
Professional Trade Publications
Special Events
Vital Statistics
Genealogical information is in licenses for many purposes:
Business
Drivers
Firearms
Hunting
Motor Vehicle Registrations
Occupations
Professional
Genealogical information is in employment records crossing the span of life:
Apprenticeship / Graduation
Awards / Citations
Income Taxes
Pension / IRA / 401k
Retirement Papers
Severance Papers
Social Security
Union / Professional Associations
Genealogical information is in household items, including:
Clothing
Coats of Arms
Dishes
Engraved Jewelry
Friendship Quilts
Insignias
Needlework
Plaques
Genealogical information is books and other published material:
Atlases
Baby Books
Bibles
Foreign Language Study Guides
Inscriptions
Journals
Prizes
Test Books
Genealogical information is in financial records, such as:
Accounts / Receipts
Bills / Check Stubs
Estate Records
If you found all that, you’ve got a box full! Next, we’ll talk about how to collect these priceless pieces of history in a way that will allow you to learn something from them, preserve them for future generations and then pass them along in an organized fashion. Your descendants get to have their own treasure hunts with the clues YOU leave behind!
My eBook 10 Steps to Organizing Photos & Memorabilia is full of ideas for displaying the treasures you find!
Stay tuned for Part THREE!
The post Organizing Your Family’s Genealogy – Part 2 appeared first on Organize 365.