Bob's Genealogy Lesson # 1: How to Begin Searching for Your Family Tree

Copyright (c) 2006 By Robert J. C. Baca

Most of us are interested in our family history. We want to know who our ancestors were and what they did. However, most of us don't know how to find out this information. Beginning with this article I will be posting tips on how to do family tree research. I will use examples from my own labors in order to illustrate how genealogist does his or her research.

As the old Chinese proverb goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Well, let us begin our search for a thousand relatives by taking our first three steps.

First Step: Write down everything you know. Write down the names, dates and places of family that you know about. Write down the stories that you heard about them. You will even want to write down the unsubstantiated rumors. Even if you think the information is irrelevant now, you may find it important later. If you don't write it down what you know now, you may forget it later when you need it.

Second Step: Create Pedigree Charts and a Family Group Sheets on your family. You may get free forms from a website at http://byubroadcasting.org/ancestors/charts/

Instructions on how to complete these forms which can be found on this blog at http://nmgenealogy.blogspot.com/2006/03/how-to-complete-pedigree-charts-and.html.

Please use the “back” space on your browser to get back to this page after you have printed up the forms.

Third Step: Start asking your family questions. Talk to your grandparents about their parents and grandparents. If your grandparents are dead, talk to your parents, or your uncles and aunts. What you are looking for are names, dates, places and interesting stories about your family.

If someone only remembers a relative by their nickname, write it down. If someone says that a certain relative is from Germany, (or was it Switzerland?) write it down. Any information that you gather may be important to you later, even it is erroneous information. Half truths have a way of giving us clues that will help us find solid facts about our families.

When you are talking to your family, ask them for copies of newspaper clippings (especially obituaries), photographs and other documents. You will use these later in constructing your family tree.

How I began researching my own genealogy
My mother died in February, 1999. After her funeral, my sister and I talked to my dad about the family. My sister had found a website for New Mexico families and she wanted to find out if we were related to any of the names on the website. However, my dad did not feel like answering questions. Unfortunately, a few months later my dad died, too.

When I was younger, my parents told me a lot stories about our relatives. At the time I did not have a great interest in researching my family tree, so I did not write them down. When I did get an interest in the subject, it was too late. Both of my parents were dead. I remember some of the stories, but many of the details are gone.

The next year, a great-aunt of mine died. At her wake, I started asking everyone about their families. I was surprised at the amount of information that I was able to collect. I dispelled many misconceptions that I had regarding my relatives. There were certain distant cousins that I didn’t know were siblings. I figured out which distant cousins were children of certain great-uncles and aunts. I also got to know their children and grandchildren.

After the funeral, I asked my sister about a family tree that I thought my father put together. Originally I thought that he may have put it in a bible. What he actually did was write a four page family tree showing his and my mom’s ancestors going back four generations and the names of other family members. Surprisingly, once I was finally able to do my own research I discovered that much of his information was correct.

I started gathering other information from my family. I collected newspapers clippings including an article written about one of my 2nd great grandfathers, Samuel Zimmerly. Although this article had some mistakes, it did show the names and birthdays of all of his children and grandchildren.

I also started collecting photographs from my family. Throughout the years I have collected photographs of my parents, all my grandparents, all my great-grandparents and many of my 2nd great grandparents. I keep searching for more photos. Maybe one of these days I will actually be lucky enough to find a photograph of one of my 3rd great grandparents.

My research had just begun. Soon it would blossom beyond my wildest dreams! More about that in future posts to this blog.

If you have any questions regarding this article, feel free to post a comment or send me an E-mail. Since I moderate comments to this blog, your comments will not be posted immediately. However, I will post and try to answer any relevant comments to this article.

How to Complete Pedigree Charts and Family Group Records

You may find free Pedigree Charts and Family Group sheets at http://byubroadcasting.org/ancestors/charts/. Once you have printed out these forms, please use the "back" button on your browser to return to this page.

THE PEDIGREE CHART

A Pedigree Chart is a form that shows a person's direct ancestors. The standard chart shows five generations.To complete this form, write down your name (or the person you are researching) on line No. 1. Put down the person's birth date, place of birth, marriage date (if applicable,) place of marriage, death date (if applicable,) and place of death.

List the person's parents on lines # 2 & 3. Line # 2 will be the father; line # 3 will be the mother. Then continue to list the grandparents, great-grandparents and 2nd great-grandparents.

Each person on the list is connected to his or her parents by a line. The father is always the name on top; the mother the name on the bottom. A simple rule to remember is that a the number on the chart for a person's father is double that person's number; the number on the chart for a person's mother is double the person's number plus one.

You can use more than one chart to list additional generations. For example, lets say you create a chart and label it chart # 1. You can show the extend generations of person no. 16 by putting him on chart #2 as person no. 1 and referencing that "person # 1 is no. 16 on chart no. 1."

THE FAMILY GROUP RECORD

Another form is the Family Group Record which shows a couple and their children. This is self explanitory. Complete the information for the father, mother, their parents and their children in the applicable places.

What is a fourth cousin, three times removed?

On The Baca / Douglas Genealogy Web Site I mention that my wife may be a fourth cousin, three times removed of Abraham Lincoln. You may wonder what that means. Well, I'll be glad to explain to you.

A cousin relationship is based on a common ancestor that you and another person have with each other. For instance, first cousins have a set of grandparents who are the same. This makes sense since first cousins are the children of siblings. Second cousins have a set of great grandparents that are the same. Third cousins, a set of great-great grandparents (or 2nd great grandparents,) etc. The rule of thumb is that you add one plus the number of "greats" of your common grandparents. So, if you share a set great, great, great, great grandparents (4th great grandparents) you are fifth cousins with that person.

{By the way, you are only a full cousin (whether it is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc - it doesn't matter) if you share a set of grandparents. If you share only one grandparent, then you are half cousins. An example would be if your grandfather married two women, and you and your cousin are descended from separate grandmothers.

Just to confuse things even more, a Double cousin is someone who shares two sets of grandparents with another person.}

When someone says that they are a fourth cousins, three times removed this means that they share a common ancestor, but not in the same generation. In this case, two people are fourth cousins because they share a set of ancestors. However for one person those ancestors are great, great, great grandparents (3rd great grandparents) and the other person those ancestors are great, great, great, great, great, grandparents (5th great grandparents.)

In other words if you had a fourth cousin, three times removed relationship with Abraham Lincoln, your great-grandfather (or great grandmother) would be the fourth cousin of this President.

Whew! Easy isn't it?