dmck on Family Tree Circles

Recently, someone asked a question about where to start researching and creating a family tree. I thought about the things I've learned along the way, and a few things I wish I had done differently. I was lucky to have been able to videotape my paternal grandmother talking about her family, and wish I'd been able to videotape my other grandparents as well. The most frustrating thing for me has been when I find information that contradicts something I have written down, but not knowing where I'd gotten the information I had written down...

Here is my reply (with websites added thanks to ngairedith):

Hi,

I'm not an expert by any means, but I can tell you about some of the things that I have done and some things I WISH I had done.

Start with your parents. Talk to each of them about themselves and their families. Get as much detail as you can (where they lived, dates and places of special events). Video or record them talking if you can and take as many notes as you can. At the top of the page where you're recording, write the date and who you're getting the information from. Ask them about their memories of where they lived, their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Use photograph albums and home movies to help you and them remember as many of the details as you can. Do they remember occupations of their parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles or anything about where those people lived? They may not remember birthdates, marriage dates, or death dates of relatives, but guide them to get a rough idea if you can, e.g. "Do you remember about how old you were when..." or "Where were you living when..." or "Was _____ born before or after ____?"

Meet with cousins, aunts, and uncles if you can, and do the same thing. If you can't meet with them, can you phone them, email them, or snail-mail them? Start with the people who are the oldest, as they may be able to give them more leads into the past. Every time you get information, write down where you find it.

Find a "family group sheet" (a kind of record form) somewhere on the internet (you can download one for free from ancestry.com) and fill it out for as many people as you can. EVERY time you get information, write down where you got it (can you tell that I didn't always do that?). You can find other ways to organize your information (analysis sheet, research checklist, research journal for repository and records searched, correspondence log, fill in when writing and when replies are received family group sheet and more ...) from the Wakefield Family History Sharing website.

As you collect information, organize it with a family tree program or using a family tree website. I know there are a number of programs and websites available, but I haven't tried enough of them to recommend a specific one. Post the details you've found and those you're looking for on this and other websites to try to find information. Look for websites that focus on genealogy of the particular area your ancestors are from, for example, I was very lucky to find a website devoted to genealogy of Prince Edward Island, Canada, where both my dad's parents were born.

Try to always look at information and judge how reliable it is (that's why you need the source information). When you find someone with the name you're looking for, keep a record of it, but make sure that it makes sense, because at times it's very easy to go in a wrong direction.

There's a start. Best of luck. Maybe one day we'll find that we're cousins...

Thank you to ngairedith for the links for forms!

I was visiting my aunt today and we were scanning photographs from my grandmother's photo album to add to our family tree. We came across two photos of a man we didn't recognize and on the back was written, "Grandpa Northcott's hired man". Near the end of the album was a card that said "In Memorium" and had a photo of the same man, with his name and birth to death dates. His name was Cyriel Blauwe and his lifespan was 1881 to 1934. He would have lived in Southern Ontario if he had been working for my great-grandfather. If anyone is researching that family, I would likely be able to get the photos (or at least copies of them) to you.

My most memorable moment in researching my family history occurred early in 2003. My father phoned me about a letter he had received, inviting him to the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the ?Brudenell Pioneers? in Prince Edward Island. The letter went on to explain that the MACLAREN family and others had arrived aboard ?The Commerce? in 1803, and all known descendants were being invited to join in the 200th anniversary celebrations.
There was information about the planned activities and a book the organizers were putting together. There was an email address to contact for registration, ordering copies of the book, and further information. The problem was that I had traced my family back to my 4th great grandmother, Isabella MacLaren (b. 1780 in Scotland), but had not been able to connect her to the MACLAREN family history I?d seen on the ?Island Register? website for Prince Edward Island genealogy.
I sent an email to the organizers, asking how they had found my father?s name, and explaining that while we?d love to attend if we were descended, I had not proven that our Isabella was the daughter of James MacLaren who had come to Canada.
I received a reply the next day, explaining that we were descended from the GORDON family, who had also come on the Commerce, and asking for more information about Isabella. She and her husband had moved to a different part of the island, and she had been lost track of. Could I please tell them what I knew about Isabella and the sources I had used? They wanted to verify the information so that it could be added to the book that was being produced.
So, in July of 2003, my dad and I travelled to Prince Edward Island for the celebrations. We attended a ceremony and toured the area our ancestors had settled. My father proudly played his bagpipes in a group alongside the Chief of the Clan MacLaren, who had come from Scotland. And we each bought a copy of the book, ?Perthshire to Three Rivers?, which included all known descendants of the 30 people who had arrived on the Commerce, including our Isabella MacLaren.