Genealogy Basics How to get started researching your family history. Presented by: Elaine Jones Hayes Laramie County Library System Cheyenne, Wyoming
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Genealogy Basics
How to get started researching
your family history.
Presented by: Elaine Jones Hayes
Laramie County Library System
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Genealogy Basics Overview:
Record what you already know.
Read a genealogy how-to book.
Begin your research at home.
Look for already published information.
Research one ancestral line at a time.
Look for original records.
Record What You Already
Know.
Write surnames in capital letters
William James THOMAS
Write dates military style
10 Aug 2006
Write names of places from smallest to largest
Cheyenne, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Work Backwards
From Known to Unknown.
Work backwards from the present to the past, one generation at a time.
This will help you keep from making mistakes.
Dates and places of events are just as important as names.
What are you looking for?:
Who
A full name, use a woman’s maiden name if known.
What
The event: birth, death, marriage, etc.
Where
Important to know the place where a person was born, married, lived or died, etc.
When
An (at least) approximate date for a vital event (birth, death, marriage, etc.)
How do I keep track of all of
this information?
Paper forms and filing cabinets
Genealogy specific software
Storage on your computer, on flash drives,
external hard drives, in the “cloud”, etc.
Stored in a shared family tree in a
database such as Ancestry.com or
FamilySearch.org.
Using paper forms:
Use pedigree (or ancestry) charts, family group sheets, research logs, to get organized.
Paper genealogical forms are available for you in the LCLS Genealogy Room or on the Internet.
Genealogy Software Programs:
FREE:
Legacy Family Tree – Standard edition
www.legacyfamilytree.com
Gramps gramps-project.org
Family Tree Builder www.myheritage.com
RootsMagic Essentials www.rootsmagic.com/essentials/
For a small cost ($30-$50):
Family Tree Maker, Generations, Legacy Family Tree –
Deluxe edition, The Master Genealogist, etc.
For the Mac:
Reunion, MacFamilyTree, Genealogy Pro,
Heredis, iFamily, etc.
Read a Genealogy How-to Book:
See the genealogy bibliography handout
Books are in the 929s on the 3rd Floor
Use Home Sources:
These may be in your home or
the home of a relative:
Birth, marriage and death certificates
Deeds, wills, & titles
Diaries, journals, & birthday calendars
Family Bibles and Family trees
Funeral cards
Newspaper clippings
Military Service Records (and more - see handout)
Look for Published Information:
Learn what information on the family has
already appeared in books and periodicals.
These resources are published as periodicals,
books, e-books and computer databases or
websites.
Evaluate Compiled Information:
Evaluate Written and Oral Evidence
Remember the old adage: Just because it's in print (or online, or what Grandma told you) doesn't make it true.
Be particularly wary of copying other people’s research without verification.
Places to Find Published
Genealogies (Family Histories):
The LDS Family History Library
www.familysearch.org
Google Books at books.google.com.
Ancestry Library and MyHeritage Library Edition databases:
Finding Published Genealogies:
Look in WorldCat for books in other libraries.
From the www.laramiecountylibrary.org, click on
“WYLD Catalog”, then “Databases” .
Then choose “WorldCat”. You’ll need a library card
number and PIN. The default PIN is WYLD.
Ask the 3rd floor “Ask Here” desk to ILL
(Interlibrary Loan) the book for you.
Genealogy
Periodicals:Read a general genealogy magazine to learn new search techniques:
Family Tree
Your Genealogy
Internet Genealogy, etc.
To find articles use the Periodical Source Index (PERSI). Available on Ancestry.com and FindMyPast.com.
Look for Original Records:
Primary Sources
A primary source is one created by an eyewitness of an event.
A secondary source is based on evidence gathered after an event occurred by a person who was not an eyewitness.
Census Records:
One of the best original records
In the U.S., a census has been taken every 10 years from 1790 through 2010.
1790 to 1940 censuses are available to genealogists to search.
More about the
U.S. Federal Census:
1790 through 1840 censuses listed head of household plus number of others living there.
Beginning in 1850, census lists allnames, ages, places of birth, occupations, etc.
U.S. Federal Census cont.
1870 census indicates if the
individual’s parents were foreign born.
1880 and later censuses added:
Birthplaces (country or state only) of
each person’s parents.
U.S. Federal Census cont.
1890 federal census was (mostly)
destroyed by fire.
1900 and 1910 censuses include:
the age of each individual, how many
years he had been married, year of
immigration, citizenship status.
U.S. Federal Census cont.
1920 and 1930 censuses also:
age & lists the year of naturalization.
Start with 1940 and work
backwards.
Searching
the U.S. Census:
Start with most recent census (1940) and work backwards.
Note similar names living nearby.
Watch for spelling errors. Do not be wedded to one surname spelling.
Always keep track of the source.
Searching Census Information
on Computer Databases:
Census Information is available at:
Ancestry.com, Ancestry Library ,
MyHeritage, familysearch.org and
elsewhere.
MyHeritage, can be searched at home with
your library card # and PIN #. The default
PIN is wyld.
Ancestry Library:
Ancestry Libraryis the library version of Ancestry.com (a paid subscription website).
Available for searching only in the library.
MyHeritage:
myheritagelibraryedition.com
• The USA federal census (1790-1940)
• Census of England and Wales (1841-1901) with
images
• Military records, immigration records, land
records, probate records and more all available to
you at home.
How do I search MyHeritage?
From laramiecountylibrary.org, click on the
“Go” under WYLD Catalog.
Then click on databases.
You will need to enter your library card
number and PIN. The default PIN is wyld.
Vital Records:
Vital records are civil records of births, marriage, deaths, etc.
Keeping vital records only began after the mid 19th or early in the 20th century.
Start with yourself and work backwards.
Then obtain birth, marriage and, if applicable, death certificates for your parents, then grandparents, etc.,
Birth Certificates:
Birth certificates reveal:
Baby’s name, birth date and parents
Birthplaces of both parents, their
age, their occupations, and their
address
The number of other children
Death Certificates:
Death certificates can reveal:
Place and cause of death.
Name of deceased’s parents,
Residence at time of death,
Exact date of death, and date of burial
Name of informant and relationship to
deceased
Funeral home that handled the arrangements,
name of cemetery
Marriage Records:
Before the 1850’s look for them with town clerks in New England and county clerks.
After 1850s at State Board of Health /Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Other sources of marriage records:
Justice of the Peace registers
Church records
Where to Write for Vital
Records.
“Google it” or use another search engine but
look for official government websites (.gov or
state.gov).
Websites such as “Where To Write for Vital
Records”
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm
Social Security
Death Index:
Available at
www.familysearch.org, MyHeritage
www.ancestry.com and Ancestry Library.
You can request a copy of a deceased individuals
original Social Security application at:
https://secure.ssa.gov/apps9/eFOIA-
FEWeb/internet/main.jsp
Summary:
1. Record what you know.
2. Read a how-to book.
3. Begin your research at home.
4. Look for compiled information.
5. Research one ancestral line at a time.
6. Look for original records.
The Family and Local History
Room at LCLS:
The Genealogy Room (3rd Floor) is open:
Monday – Thursday
• 10:00 to 9:00
Friday –Saturday
• 10:00 to 6:00
Sundays
• 1:00-5:00
If no volunteer or staff person is available, ask for
help at the 3rd Floor “Ask Here” Desk.
Thanks for attending:
Upcoming genealogy classes:
Genealogy classes at LCLS are presented on
Monday nights in February, June and
October.
Please check the library events calendar.
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