Genealogy as a Hobby

Transcription

1 Genealogy as a Hobby

2 Genealogy Definition from Greek: γενεά, genea, "generation"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives.

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4 Why Genealogy? Validate Family Stories To determine if family stories about their ancestors are true. Historical Event To gain a better understanding of an ancestor s involvement in a famous historical event. Trace Medical Conditions To assess the risk of getting certain medical conditions that run in families. Community History To document a community history by understanding the families that founded and influenced the community. Historic Studies To provide insight into history through the scholarly study of a famous family, such as a royal family. Famous People To find out if they are related to someone famous.

5 Why Genealogy? Heritage Societies To provide proof of lineage to quality for a heritage society. Preserving Family Traditions To preserve knowledge of ancestors who contributed to family traditions, such as a family recipe book. Preserve Family Culture To allow families that have migrated to another country the opportunity to preserve some of the culture of their old country. Reconnect with Family To find and reconnect with living relatives. Family Legacy To fulfill a desire to pass on a legacy to future generations. The Detective work is fun!

6 Squire Adolphus Simmons Born: 1852 in Pickens County, GA Died: 1943 in Inola, Oklahoma Squire told a grandson that he and his brother had to leave Georgia after they accidentally killed a man in self defense. A newspaper article found online told a different story.

7 Asa Patterson

8 Montgomery Norris Born: 1841 in Tennessee Died: 1930 in Tulsa, Oklahoma Served in the 85 th Indiana Infantry during The Civil War. When first researching him, my family only knew of his having one child. After a year and a half of tag team research with another person, we discovered that we are 3 rd cousins.

9 Getting Started Rule #1: Start With Yourself! The first step in genealogy research is to start with what you know. Using a Family Group Sheet, start with information yourself and work backwards, one generation at a time. Make a note of your sources along with any information you record. It is a good habit to get into at the start. It will save time in the long run.

10 These can be printed free from the internet.

11 Ask Your Family Start with your closest relatives and work your way out. Ask for the names of parents, brothers, sisters, and spouses. Also note locations and dates of marriages, births, deaths, or other important events, it will help in later research. Your family might have documents that can be of use to you as well. If they have birth, marriage, death, school, or hospital records, see if you can make a copy.

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13 Local Resources The 8 th floor of the Dallas Public Library. Family History Libraries. (locations found at: ) County Clerks Offices. Courthouses. Historical Societies. Genealogy Societies.

14 Family Search - Internet Resources Free Research Sites National Archives - Ellis Island - Castle Garden - Find A Grave - Bureau of Land Management - Civil War Soldiers & Sailors DB - US Dept of Veterans Affairs Gravesite Locator - Library of Congress Chronicling America - Ancestry.com - Fold3.com - Sites that Charge Membership Fees

15 Texins Genealogy Club Host a monthly presentation, drawing from local genealogy experts. Our members are also encouraged to present information in areas where they have experience or expertise. Membership dues - $12 per year - just $6 for the remainder of this year! Meetings on the third Tuesday each month from 7pm 9pm *exception tonight* The club meets at the Dallas Texins Activity Center Benefits of Membership The Texins Genealogy Club provides information on resources and programs geared to helping its members with where to look, what to look for and why. Membership includes shared access to Ancestry.com for research. Tips for family history research. Ideas for archiving and sharing family photographs. Information on writing and publishing family stories. Provides a place to discuss research problems and exchange ideas with others with mutual interests.

16 August Club Meeting Tonight s speaker is Tara Carlisle with the UNT library system. She will be doing a presentation on the Portal to Texas History (available online at The meeting starts at 7pm in room CR3. We hope you can join us!