Read Online Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy by Nick Barratt - Free Book Online
Authors: Nick Barratt
Ads: Link
documents you need for each
2. Identify one line of the family that you want to work on first
3. Extend that line back a couple of generations, updating your family tree as you go
4. As you gain confidence, repeat the process for other branches of the family
5. Turn to Chapter 3 to learn about which archives youâll need to visit, and which sources to use first
----
Set a Budget
There is a cost involved in undertaking a genealogy project, and before deciding which step to take you should consider how much you can afford to spend obtaining information. Travelling to archives, ordering certificates, buying copies of wills, paying for photocopies and signing up to subscriptions for commercial genealogy websites are all a necessary part of the process, but they do all cost money. Nevertheless, if you have planned thoroughly and are careful not to make mistakes (though some are inevitable!) you can avoid unnecessary expense. For example, you should exhaust the resources of any local archive, study centre or near-by family history centre, where youâll find plenty of material thatâs also contained in a national institution that may be further away. Many local libraries also have free subscriptions to genealogy websites, The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and The Times online, which you can use from home if you obtain a library card and PIN number from your library.
Also, when ordering certificates it pays to be patient. By ordering one certificate at a time and waiting for that to arrive to see if the information is correct before ordering the next certificate, you wonât waste money pursuing red herrings and false leads.
CHAPTER 3
Working in Archives
This chapter explains how you can make your first foray into the world of record offices, archives, museums, libraries and other research institutions in the hunt for information. You will learn what sort of information exists out there, and how to use it to extract more names and dates, and to flesh out historical information about your ancestors; what an archive is, and how you locate the most relevant one for your initial research; how to work in an archive; and how to organize your research notes.
One of the few drawbacks of making a show such as Who Do You Think You Are? is that there simply isnât enough screen time to show all the work that takes place to put together the stories that you see. The actual research takes place behind the scenes over several months â exactly the same work youâll be doing yourself, although you will be able to take as much time as you like.
Once you have read through this chapter, and the research tips and hints in Chapter 4 , you should be fully prepared to tackle the next stage of your research with confidence â in which case you can then head to the chapters in Section Two to learn more about how you can trace your family tree further back in time. An introduction to some of the major national archives and institutions can be found in Section Five.
Gathering Evidence
As outlined in the previous chapter, the route most beginners take is to verify their initial findings, and then take one branch of the family further back in time, generation by generation. To do this, youâll needto use sources outside the family (although you may well have come across some of this material already in the form of certificates, wills and other paperwork tucked away in boxes, drawers and folders). Once these extensions to the family tree have been made, you will be able to put flesh on the bones, so to speak, by using more advanced research techniques to find evidence that puts the lives of your ancestors into an historical context.
----
SUMMARY
Primary sources consist of:
⢠Contemporary documents, such as diaries, letters, photographs, wills and other legal and financial documents
⢠Birth, marriage and death certificates
⢠Oral accounts by people who were there
Secondary sources consist
2. Identify one line of the family that you want to work on first
3. Extend that line back a couple of generations, updating your family tree as you go
4. As you gain confidence, repeat the process for other branches of the family
5. Turn to Chapter 3 to learn about which archives youâll need to visit, and which sources to use first
----
Set a Budget
There is a cost involved in undertaking a genealogy project, and before deciding which step to take you should consider how much you can afford to spend obtaining information. Travelling to archives, ordering certificates, buying copies of wills, paying for photocopies and signing up to subscriptions for commercial genealogy websites are all a necessary part of the process, but they do all cost money. Nevertheless, if you have planned thoroughly and are careful not to make mistakes (though some are inevitable!) you can avoid unnecessary expense. For example, you should exhaust the resources of any local archive, study centre or near-by family history centre, where youâll find plenty of material thatâs also contained in a national institution that may be further away. Many local libraries also have free subscriptions to genealogy websites, The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and The Times online, which you can use from home if you obtain a library card and PIN number from your library.
Also, when ordering certificates it pays to be patient. By ordering one certificate at a time and waiting for that to arrive to see if the information is correct before ordering the next certificate, you wonât waste money pursuing red herrings and false leads.
CHAPTER 3
Working in Archives
This chapter explains how you can make your first foray into the world of record offices, archives, museums, libraries and other research institutions in the hunt for information. You will learn what sort of information exists out there, and how to use it to extract more names and dates, and to flesh out historical information about your ancestors; what an archive is, and how you locate the most relevant one for your initial research; how to work in an archive; and how to organize your research notes.
One of the few drawbacks of making a show such as Who Do You Think You Are? is that there simply isnât enough screen time to show all the work that takes place to put together the stories that you see. The actual research takes place behind the scenes over several months â exactly the same work youâll be doing yourself, although you will be able to take as much time as you like.
Once you have read through this chapter, and the research tips and hints in Chapter 4 , you should be fully prepared to tackle the next stage of your research with confidence â in which case you can then head to the chapters in Section Two to learn more about how you can trace your family tree further back in time. An introduction to some of the major national archives and institutions can be found in Section Five.
Gathering Evidence
As outlined in the previous chapter, the route most beginners take is to verify their initial findings, and then take one branch of the family further back in time, generation by generation. To do this, youâll needto use sources outside the family (although you may well have come across some of this material already in the form of certificates, wills and other paperwork tucked away in boxes, drawers and folders). Once these extensions to the family tree have been made, you will be able to put flesh on the bones, so to speak, by using more advanced research techniques to find evidence that puts the lives of your ancestors into an historical context.
----
SUMMARY
Primary sources consist of:
⢠Contemporary documents, such as diaries, letters, photographs, wills and other legal and financial documents
⢠Birth, marriage and death certificates
⢠Oral accounts by people who were there
Secondary sources consist
Similar Books
