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FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY COURSE

copyright 1999 Richley H. Crapo
(General permission is granted to reproduce this material for noncommercial uses such as teaching courses in genealogy)

This course is intended to teach you the basics for pursuing family history and genealogy as a personal hobby. It will not prepare you for qualification as a professional genealogists, but it will give you the basics necessary to begin collecting preserving your own family history and genealogical information. The handouts listed at the beginning of each lesson are materials that are available FREE from any LDS Family History Center. To locate the address of the LDS Family History Center nearest you, click here.

LDS Family History Centers are open to anyone interested in researching their own genealogy. One need not be LDS to use the facilities. They are open to everyone, and no proselytizing is done at these facilities. So you should feel welcome to visit one, ask for the copies of the free genealogy materials cited in this course, and learn about the other resources available for your use at the center.

COURSE GOAL: You will learn to fill out pedigree charts and family group sheets using acceptable genealogical conventions. You will also learn how to research information about your ancestors to obtain information about their births, marriages, and deaths from resources available at LDS Family History centers, Internet sources, and other locations.

OUTLINE OF COURSE CONTENTS:

1. Writing Personal and Family Histories

2. Identifying Your Ancestors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
   Words of Caution
    Identifying Our Ancestors and Their Kin
   An Example of a False Royal Genealogy "Back to Adam"
   An Example of a False Coat-of-Arms

3. Recording Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Ways of Keeping Information
Some Genealogical Conventions in Recording Data
Pedigree Charts
Filling Out an Outline Pedigree Chart
Pedigree Chart Exercise
Filling Out Family Group Records
Estimating Birth Years (The Only Estimated Dates Permitted)
A Note on Calendars
Electronic Aids for Recording Genealogical Data
Calendars - 1776 to 2000
Relationship Chart (and Relationship Exercise)
Your Pedigree

4. Research Methods: Family Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using Resources You Have At Hand
Memories of Living Family Members and Friends
Family Documents
Some Sources of Information: Written Family Resources
Family Group Sheet Check List
Writing for Information
Sample Letters
Suggestions for Effective Correspondence
Research Notes and Filing
Sequence of Search Calendar

5. Research Methods I: Computer Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Computer Programs for Organizing Genealogical Information
Internet Resources

6. Research Methods II: Regional Family History Resources . . . 37
University Libraries: Special Collections Materials
Everton Publishing
LDS Family History Center Resources
Gathering Information
Documenting Your Research Progress
Gathering Information
Example of a Proof of Will (Obtained by Mail)
Example of English Parish Record (From Microfilm)
Example of English Parish Record (From a Secondary Source)
Common Abbreviations You May Encounter in Documents
Illegitimacy Terms
Some Easily Misunderstood Idioms in Early Documents
Symbols in European Records
Useful Addresses
Fifty Genealogical Resources

7. Research Methods III: Getting Started in American Research . . 51
Research Plan
Handwriting
Early American Handwriting
Sources for Tracing a Mormon Immigrant Ancestor
"Research Calendar"
Examples of Early American Handwriting
Example of a Text by Roger Williams (Seventeenth Century)
Example of English Handwriting (Elizabethan)
Example of German Printing

LESSON 1: WRITING PERSONAL AND FAMILY HISTORIES: SOME SUGGESTIONS

Reasons for writing personal and family histories:

1. To develop family pride and unity.

2. To present a truthful and living account of your life or the lives of your ancestors for your children.

3. To present your problems and accomplishments as a guide for your children to follow and to appreciate your growth in everyday living.

Remember! As you now desire information about your ancestors, so will your descendants desire information about you. Will you leave it for them? Pictures too? Write your histories in chronological order as the life was actually lived. First, make an outline, listing every event in proper sequence. Write interestingly and in detail, using your own writing style.

SUGGESTION LIST FOR WRITING A PERSONAL HISTORY:

1. Your full name, date of birth, house or hospital where born; town, county, state or country--when listing homes, schools, church houses, etc., give exact address and date.

2. Your father - Give full name, date and place of birth; his parents' full names and where they came from (trace back to foreign countries on your lines, giving city and country if possible).

3. Your mother - Give the same information as for your father.

4. Infancy and early childhood - Date and place of blessing, christening, bris, or naming ceremony; by whom; early memories, health, etc. (Get interesting incidents of your early life from your parents.)

5. Early environment - Financial, social, physical, religious.

6. Home training - Incidents (happy, humorous, mischievous, tragic, problems); duties; your brothers and sisters; playtime activities (inside and outside); other memories; family traditions, etc. (Include pictures of home, church, play areas - infancy up to age six.)

7. School days - Early recollections, activities, special teachers, friends, your health, report cards, etc. (pictures of schools, class pictures, yearbook, etc.)

8. Confirmation, Baptism, or other Religious Ceremony - Date and place, by whom baptized and confirmed (place of confirmation, etc.). Special instructions from parents, recollections, thoughts and feelings, etc.

9. Youthful memories - School days continued; adventures, accidents, amusing incidents, thoughts, problems, friends, parties, vacations, travels, sports, hobbies, clubs (school, civic, etc.), scouting (activities, merit badges, etc.), parental discipline, studies, books read, movies that influenced you, Sunday School, Church, or Synagogue activities, etc.

10. High School and College - Activities (sports, clubs, parties, social life, etc.), hobbies, part-time jobs, most valuable or enjoyable classes, teachers, friends, scholarships, courses of study, honors won, graduation, diplomas or certificates received, etc. (Include appropriate pictures.)

11. Military service - Travels, promotions, experiences, buddies, religious experiences, battles, wounds, dates of service, schooling, training, health, citations, etc. (Include pictures - don't forget army letters which were preserved.)

12. Courtship and marriage - When and how you met your companion, interesting events, dating activities (dances, parties, movies, etc.), problems; proposal (date and circumstances); engagement, planning, preparations; marriage date, place, by whom married; honeymoon, travels, parents of mate, etc. (Include pictures.)

13. Occupation(s) - Type of work, responsibilities, promotions, dates of services, etc.

14. Parenthood - Full name and particulars of each child, experiences in rearing your family (pleasurable, humorous, tragic, sickness, disappointments, etc.)

15. Public and political life - Appointments, positions held, work in clubs, civic activities, et. (Give dates, places and appropriate pictures.)

16. Special achievements or activities - Publications, inventions, avocations, handwork, tangible treasures, music, drama, degrees, honors, church positions, travels, faith-promoting experiences, difficult problems overcome, baptisms for the dead and other Temple work, etc.

17. Future plans and ambitions - Things you most desire to accomplish (in business or vocation, in home life, in religious or volunteer service, etc.). A message to your posterity.

LESSON 2: IDENTIFYING YOUR ANCESTORS

Handouts: "Where Do I Start" (32916)

"Using the Ordinance Pedigree Chart: An Overview"

Large Pedigree Form (for pedigree exercise)

WORDS OF CAUTION:

1. I have occasionally met people who claim to have their genealogy traced all the way "back to Adam". No such genuine genealogies really exist. In fact, reliable genealogical records generally do not exist prior to AD 1500 except for certain royal lines. The idea that some family lines could be traced back to biblical times is based on the false claim of some early European royalty to have done this. In fact, these genealogies were simply invented as a way of impressing on commoners that the rulers derived their right to rule from God. In these genealogies, the earliest remembered real ancestors of oral traditions were said to be the offspring of some character in the region's pre-Christian mythology and the mythological lineage was then arbitrarily connected to some biblical character to enhance the rulers claim to having a special divine mandate to rule.

An Example of a False Royal Genealogy "Back to Adam" that Uses Names from Irish Mythology:

An Unbroken Lineage from Creation (based upon the book of Genesis and Irish Pedigrees). 93 generations, Creator to Alpin:

1. Creator                                                       48. Muirerdhach Bolga`c`h Fionn
2. Adam and Eve                                            49. Fiachadh Tolgrach
3. Seth                                                            50. Duach Ladhrach
4. Enosh                                                         51. Eochaidh Buidh
5. Cainan                                                        52. Ugaine Mor     92. Eochaidh
6. Mahaleel                                                     53. Cobthach Caol-Bhreagh
7. Jared                                                          54. Melg Molbhthach
8. Enoch                                                         55. Iarn Gleo-Fathach
9. Methuselah                                                 56. Conla Caomh
10. Lamech                                                      57. Ollioll Casfiacalach
11. Noah                                                          58. Eochaidh Altleathan
12. Japhet                                                         59. Aongus Turmeach-Teamrach
13. Magog                                                        60. Enda Agneach
14. Baoth                                                          61. Asaman Eamhnadh
15. Phoeniusa Farsaidh (inventor of letters)         62. Roig`hean Ruadh
16. Niul (married Scota, daughter of Pharaoh)     63. Fionnlaoch
17. Gaodhal                                                       64. Fionn
18. Heber Glunfionn                                           65. Eochaidh Feidhlioch
19. Agnan Fionn                                                66. Breas-Nar-Lothar
20. Febric Glas                                                  67. Lugaidh
21. Nenuall                                                       68. Crimthann Niadh-Nar
22. Nuadhad                                                     69. Feareadach
23. Alladh Sriab-N Dearg                                  70. Fiacha fionn Ola
24. Arcadh                                                        71. Tuathal Teachdmar
25. Deagh                                                         72. Felim Rachtmar
26. Brath Fionn Feachthac`h                              73. Conn Ceadcatha
27. Breoghan                                                    74. Art-Ean-Fhear
28. Bile                                                             75. Cormac Elfhada
29. Galamh (Milesius) of Spain (settled Ireland)   76. Cairbre Liffechar
30. Heremon                                                     77. Fiacha Strabhteine
31. Irial Faidh (MacArt)                                     78. Muredach Tireach
32. Eithriall                                                        79. Eochaidh Muigh
33. Falach                                                         80. Niall Mor
34. Tighearnmas                                                81. Eoghan (Owen)
35. Eanbrotha                                                    82. Muredach (Murdock)
36. Simorgoill Meadhoin                                     83. Fergus Mor Mcaearca
37. Fiachadh Lambraein                                     84. Donart
38. Aongus Ollmuchach                                     85. Eo'chai-dh
39. Maon                                                          86. Gabhran
40. Rotheachta                                                  87. Aedhan
41. Dein                                                            88. Eochaidh Buidh
42. Siorna Saoghalach (lived 250 years)              89. Donald Breac
43. Olioll Olchaoin                                             90. Donart
44. Giallchadh                                                   91. Aodh (Hugh)
45. Nuadhas Fionnfail                                        92. Eochaidh
46. Aodh Glas                                                   93. Alpin
47. Simeon Breac

2. Family crests that are sold in magazines or by street venders are unreliable. Each real crest belongs to a particular line or lines of a family name, not to every line or family that bears that same name. For instance, not every Berkeley is descended from a Berkeley ancestor who was entitled to a Berkeley crest, and there are numerous different Moore family crests, each belonging to particular Moore lines, and most Moores belong to none of these lines. To know whether a crest has a place in your own records, you must actually trace your ancestry to one of the known crested lineages. Also, be aware that the computers of street vendor crest seller are often programmed to invent a crest for your name if one does not actually exist. Such "crests" have absolutely no legal or historic significance.

3. If you do genealogy you will discover illegitimate ancestors, and rogues and villains among your ancestors. This is inevitable. My best advice is simply to learn not to blush. To make this easier for you, I will share the story of my most infamous ancestor here. I am a descendant of Alice Martin, wife of Richard Bishop, the first woman in Plymouth Colony to have been hung for murder--in 1648 in Massachusetts. The murder was discovered by a neighbor, Rachell Rmsden, and a petit jury of twelve men was convened by Governor Bradford to try the case. The were Josias Winslow Sr., Thomas Shillingsworth, Anthony Snow, Richard Sparrow, Gabriell Fallowell, Joshua Prat, Cyells Rickard, John Shaw Sr., Steven Wood, William Mericke, William Brete, and John Willis. According to Plymouth Colony Records, "Rachell, the wife of Josepth Ramsden, aged about 23 yeares, being examined, saith that coming to the house of Richard Bishope vppon an erand, the wife of the said Richard Bishope requested her to goe fetch her som buttermilke at goodwife Winslows, and gaue her a ketle for that purpose, and shee went and did it; and before shee wente, shee saw the child lying abed asleepe, to her best deserning, and the woman was as well as shee hath knowne her att any time; but when shee came [back] shee found her sad and dumpish; shee asked her what blood was that shee saw at the ladders foot; shee pointed vnto the chamber, and bid her looke, but shee perseiued she had killed her child, and being afraid, shee refused, and ran and tould her father and mother. Morouer, shee saith the reason yt moued her to thinke shee had killed her child was yt when shee saw the blood shee looked on the bedd, and the child was not there." The petit jury visited the scene of the crime and reported, "Wee declare, yt coming into the house of the said Richard Bishope, wee saw at the foot of a ladder wh. leadeth into an vpper chamber, much blood; and going vp all of vs into the chamber, we found a woman child, of about foure yeares of age, lying in her shifte vppon her left cheeke, with her throat cut with diuers gashes crose wayes, the wind pipe cut and stuke into the throat downward, and a bloody knife lying by the side of the child, with wh knife all of vs judg, and the said Allis hath confessed to fiue of vs att one time, yt shee murdered the child with the said knife." The verdict of the jury was as follows: "These found the said Allice Bishope guilty of the said fellonius murthering of Martha Clarke [Alice's daughter by her previous husband] aforesaid; and so shee had the sentence of death pronounced against her, vizs, to bee taken from the place where shee was to the place from whence shee came, and thence to the place of execution, and there to bee hanged by the necke vntill her body is dead, which acordingly was executed" (Plymouth Colony Records, 1 August 1648).

This story, undoubtedly worse than any you are likely to find in your own family tree, should make it easier for you to live with whatever pecadillos you uncover among your own ancestors <grin>. Incidently, it may interest you to know that there is a website called The International Black Sheep Society that accepts as members only those persons who are willing to claim close relationship or descent from an infamous person.

IDENTIFYING OUR ANCESTORS AND THEIR KIN

All family records are based on recording three essential factors:

1. names
2. dates
3. places

Four things define a named person's individual identity: the dates and places of their

(1) birth (as evidenced by christening or other birth record)
(2) marriage (as evidenced by published intentions, banns, license or other record of marriage)
(3) death (as evidenced by burial, will, probate record, tombstone inscription, or other evidence of death)
(4) their relationships with others (i.e., documentation of their parents, their spouses, and their children).

These are the things we seek to document for each individual.

LESSON 3: RECORDING INFORMATION

In this lesson, you will learn how to fill out pedigree charts and family group sheets, the two fundamental documents used in genealogy.

Handouts: "How to Fill Out a Family Group Record" (32948)
"A Guide to Research" (30971)

Assignment: Read A Guide To Research, pp. 1-13.

You have two parents, four grandparents, and so on. If none of your ancestors had ever married any of your other ancestors, then the number of your progenetors would double with each succeeding generation. The following illustrates the number of your ancestors you would have in that case:

Generation Year Progenitors Generation Year Progenitors

1                    1974            2                     16                   1584             65,576
2                    1948            4                     17                   1558           131,152
3                    1922            8                     18                   1532           262,304
4                    1896          16                     19                   1506           524,608
5                    1870          32                     20                   1480        1,049,216
6                    1844          64                     21                   1454        2,098,432
7                    1818        128                     22                   1428        4,196,864
8                    1792        256                     23                   1402        8,393,728
9                    1766        512                     24                   1376      16,787,456
10                    1740     1,024                     25                   1350       33,574,912
11                    1714     2,048                     26                   1324       67,149,824
12                    1688     4,096                     27                   1298     134,299,648
13                    1662     8,192                     28                   1272     268,599,298
14                    1636     16,394                   29                   1246     537,198,596*
15                    1610     32,788

SOME GENEALOGICAL CONVENTIONS IN RECORDING DATA

1. Legibility is important
2. No abbreviations of names (e.g., Does Geo. mean George or Geoffrey?)
3. No dittos in recording names
4. Print SURNAME in upper case letters. This distinguishes a surname such as JAMES from the
     middle name James.
5. Enter the birth surname (the "maiden name") for women, not the husband's surname. If the
     wife's birth name is not known, she may be entered simply with her given name or as (Mrs.) +
     given name + husband's SURNAME.
6. Record dates as day, month, and year. Abbreviate months with first three letters (eg., 12 Jun
     1944).
7. Ditto marks ("), but not the abbreviation Do, may be used in recording places.
8. Record place names from smallest to largest location (eg., parish, town, county, state/province,
     country).
9. Record the CURRENT name of towns and countries unless a problem in identification might
     result, then record the new name in parentheses: (eg., Commerce (now Nauvoo), Hancock, IL).
10. Counties, states or provinces, and countries may be abbreviated (eg., UT).
11. Record your sources for each person! If you fail to record the source of your evidence for a
      person's birth, marriage, or death, later readers of your genealogy will have no way of knowing
      that your information is reliable. (How to do this will be discussed in next lesson.)

Pedigree Charts and Family Group Sheets

Genealogical information is kept track of on two basic forms: pedigree charts and family group sheets. Your pedigree chart begins with you and shows your parents, grandparents and other ancestors, showing when and where each of them was born, married, and died. A pedigree chart shows the "family tree" of an individual at a glance. Family group sheets identify a couple and their children. In this lesson, you will learn how to fill out a Pedigree Chart for yourself. (You will learn how to fill out a Family Group Sheet in the next lesson.)

There are various types of pedigree charts:

1. wheel
2. surname column
3. descent
4. ahnentafel
5. outline (the most widely used form of pedigree chart)

Your Pedigree

A Pedigree Chart is filled out chronologically. Information about the first fifteen persons is entered on the first page with you as person number one. The last row on chart #1 is for names of the great-great grandparents whose names and information are entered as the first person on ensuing pages: person #16 (top right, on chart #1) will be person #1 on page 2, person #17 will start page 3, and so on. Each person on this row is assigned a number (from 1 to 17) even if you do not yet know the name of this person. Thereafter, on charts 2 through 17, the first name identified for the final column will become person #1 on chart #18, the next person's information will be assigned to chart #19, and so on, regardless of the order in which they are discovered.

Normally, the direct blood line is to be on the pedigree chart. Pedigree charts for children born out of wedlock may follow the blood line, adoptive line, or the line of the rearing parents. The relationship for adopted children or born-out-of-wedlock children is treated the same as those related by blood.

Other than the names, dates, and places, you also show ALL sources of reference on the pedigree. Be sure to include title, author, column, page, date of publication, or the name and address of the person from whom information was received. If there is not enough room on the front, use the back. Refer to each person by number, not name, viz: #2. 1850 Census of Kelly twp., Union Col., PA. left p. 220.

The simple and graphic pedigree explains the maze of relationships by the use of lines which show how family groups are connected. Thus, the pedigree chart provides an overall picture of family relationships and serves as an index to the real record, your collection of family group sheets for each family in the pedigree chart. You should have a family group record for each couple on your pedigree. Pedigrees are very rarely proven as early as AD 800, and research on individuals born before AD 1500 is carried out by the Medieval Families Unit in Salt Lake City, as is research on royalty.

Every pedigree should have an alphabetical index that lists each name on the pedigree charts and gives the chart number and person number where that name is found. The index enables you to quickly turn to the correct page for each individual.

Here is a simple outline pedigree chart to start with. To print out a copy of a pedigree chart Ancestry.com's Ancestral Chart page (http://www.ancestry.com/download/pdf/anchart.pdf) and select the print option in your browser's File menu.

CONT.

FILLING OUT AN OUTLINE PEDIGREE CHART

1. Number one is you.

2. After number one, males are always even numbers and females are always odd numbers.

3. The top right-hand name (person number 8 in the abbreviated pedigree chart, above) becomes person number one on chart two. The next name becomes person number one on chart 3, and so on until reaching chart 17.

4. Thereafter, chart numbers are assigned to each individual on a first come first serve basis.

5. Make an alphabetical index of all names that occur on your pedigree charts, listing the chart number and person number where each name can be found. Incidently, the nice thing about using a computer program for keeping track of your genealogy is that it will print out an index for your pedigree chart automatically. That saves a lot of hassle over the traditional pencil and paper method. (You will learn about using computerized genealogy programs in a later lesson.)

PEDIGREE CHART EXERCISE

The following exercize is intended to give you a sense of the "detective story" quality of genealogical research. Piecing together the clues you find about your ancestors often requires some skill in figuring out how those clues fit together like pieces of a puzzle. That's part of the real fun of doing genealogical research. When you finish this exercize, you will find a discussion of some of the problems you likely encountered as you tried to enter the information onto a Pedigree Chart.

Prepare a pedigree chart for Joshua Williams, born 1883. All statements listed below pertain to his pedigree and were taken from an old family journal in the order in which they occurred.

1. I am number one, Joshua Williams, born 9 Dec 1883 at Lehi, Utah.

2. My grandfather, Robert Williams, was born 23 May 1810 at Aberystwth, Card, Wales. He married my grandmother, whose given name was Janet, 21 Nov 1853. Her father was Alexander McDonald and she had a grandfather Patrick Flynn.

3. My mother, Roberta Anderson, was born 10 July 1861 at Springville, Utah, the daughter of John and Mary Anderson. Her grandfather, Thomas Ward, was born 15 Aug 1809 at Stokesley, Yorks, and he married Elizabeth Smith 3 February 1833.

4. My great-grandmother McDonald was born 29 Sep 1794 at Belfast, Ireland, and her given name was Margaret.

5. My great-grandmother Ward was born 30 Nov 1812 at Darlington, England.

6. My father's great-grandfather on his paternal side was William Davis, and he married Gweneth Jones.

7. My mother's greatgrandfather on her paternal side was James Pedersen and his wife was Petrine Rasmussen.

8. The father of my ancestor John Anderson was born 18 Jun 1806 at Bjergby, Denmark. As they used the patronymical system of names there is no need for me to mention his name.

9. My mother's great-grandparents on her maternal side were Richard and Martha Ward. Her other great-grandparents were Jonathan and Catherine Smith.

10. My great-grandfather on the paternal side was William Williams, born 12 Feb 1775 at Caio, Carms, Wales. He married his wife Gladys 30 Jun 1805 and she was born 29 Oct 1780 at Llanfrothan in Merioneth. She was the daughter of Owen and Ellen Price. As this family also used the patronymical system, that was the name under which Gladys married William Williams.

11. I also have a second great-grandfather named Fergus McDonald and he married my second great-grandmother Isabella Campbell.

12. My great-grandmother Jensen was named Johanna Maria and she was born 16 Mar 1810 at Copenhagen. Her father was named Heinrich George Schultz and her mother was named Christiana Josephine Wormstrup.

13. Number two on my chart is Jonathan Williams, born 6 Sep 1857 at Provo, Utah and married 23 Sep 1882.

14. Number five was born 30 Jan 1821 at Glasgow, Scotland.

15. My grandfather Anderson was born 17 Mar 1830 at Roskilde, Denmark, and he married my grandmother 15 Jul 1857.

16. My mother's mother was born 11 Nov 1833 at Stockton, Durham, England.

17. My father's mother died exactly 68 years after the church was organized. She died at Tooele. Her mother died 9 Feb 1849 at Paisley, Renfrew Co., Scotland.

In this exercize, the writer did not always tell the name of the county where his ancestors were born. In such cases, you might be able to find out by consulting a road atlas or gazeteer. If you thought of this, you discovered that Provo and Springville are both in Utah county, Tooele is in Tooele county, Roskilde is in Roskilde county, Ulster is in Ulster county, and Darlington is in Durham county. But be aware that county boundaries and names may have been changed at various times, so try to consult a resource that will identify the county name at the time of the event. Family names is another problem that occurs in this exercize. Patrynymics is a system of naming in which children's surnames are derived from their father's given name, so that the surname changes from one generation to the next. Most people know that this system of naming is practiced in Scandinavian countries and in Israel, but you see from this exercize that it was also sometimes practiced in Wales and Ireland in the nineteenth century. If you twigged to that, you will have figured out that in this exercize, William WILLIAM's father (person 16) was William DAVIS, and Glady's OWENS' father was Owen PRICE. You might have anticipated that Anders JENSEN's father (person 24) would have been named Jens PEDERSON, but the journal refers to him by the Anglicized version of that given name, James. Person 11 is first identified merely as Margaret. This is one of the frustrations of genealogy--women (like Margaret or person 29, Martha) getting short shrift in the record. Often little or nothing was recorded about women. Frequently you will discover ownly the given name of female ancestors, sometimes not even that. Men's wills, for instance, might simply say, "I bequeth to my wife, Joan, . . ." or even worse, merely "To my wife, I leave . . . ". Fortunately in this case, you later figured out that Margaret's family name was FLYNN, when her father was identified Patrick FLYNN. Martha and person 23, who is not identified at all will remain, as is all to often the case, deadend lines on this pedigree chart. This exercize should give you some sense of the kind of detective work that is involved in doing genealogical research.

FILLING OUT FAMILY GROUP RECORDS

Unlike pedigree charts, family group sheets include information about children as well as spouses and parents. Since they are the basic document for recording information about entire families, it is important for them to be correct and complete.

SAMPLE FAMILY GROUP SHEET:

Here is a simple outline pedigree chart to start with. To print out a copy of a pedigree chart Ancestry.com's Family Group Record page (http://www.ancestry.com/download/pdf/famgrecord.pdf) and select the print option in your browser's File menu.

HUSBAND'S NAME _____________________________________________________    Information obtained from:
When Born _________________________ Where ______________________________    ___________________
Christened__________________________ Where ______________________________    ___________________
When Died _________________________ Where ______________________________    ___________________
When Married _______________________ Where ______________________________   ___________________
Other Wives (if any) ______________________________________________________    ___________________
His Father ____________________ His Mother's Maiden Name ____________________    ___________________
                                                                                                                                                  ___________________
WIFE'S NAME __________________________________________________________   ___________________
When Born _________________________ Where ______________________________    ___________________
Christened__________________________ Where ______________________________    ___________________
When Died _________________________ Where ______________________________    ___________________
When Married _______________________ Where ______________________________   ___________________
Other Wives (if any) ______________________________________________________    ___________________
Her Father ____________________ Her Mother's Maiden Name ____________________ ___________________
============================================================================================
Male | CHILDREN                         | WHEN BORN     | WHERE BORN                    | WHEN DIED     | MARRIED
    or     | (in order of birth)                  | Day Month Year | Town       County     State or | Day Month Year |
Female |                                              |                              | or Parish                  Country |                            |
============================================================================================
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|1._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|2._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|3._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|4._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|5._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|6._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|7._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|8._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|9._____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|10.__ ___________ ______|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|11.____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________
            |                                             |                              |                                            |                            |Date_______
______|12.____________________|_______________|______________________|______________|To_________

Begin by filling out the name of your father, beginning with his first name, followed by any middle names he may have had. If he had a nickname, place it in quotation marks following the given names (eg., Winford "Wink" CRAPO). If you know that an initial was a one-letter name rather than an abbreviation of a longer name, place the initial in quotation marks to indicate that it is complete (eg., Richley "H" CRAPO). Enter his last name in all upper-case letters. Titles such as Rev., Capt., or Sir may be placed in parentheses in the space to the right of the surname. I find it useful to keep track of the individual's occupation in this matter as well, since this information is often helpful in identifying the correct individual on original records that may include the same information. See how much of the rest of the information you can fill out from memory. Chances are, a lot of information will require you to check some other source. This should give you a sense of how oral traditions passed down from memory may not be as reliable as are written records. One of the benefits of compiling your own genealogical records is that you will be committing the information to a permanent form that will not change with time the way remembered "facts" sometimes do. If your father had a second marriage, place a (1) in front of his first wife's name in the WIFE'S NAME section. Then, in the space provided for OTHER WIVES, write (2), followed by the name of the second wife. Then fill out a second family group sheet for that marriage and any children born to it.

After you have completed the WIFE'S NAME section, following the same rules, proceed to the section for CHILDREN. List the children in the order of their birth, not alphabetical order. In the left-hand column, enter M or F to indicate the sex of each child in the family. It can be useful to indicate your own ancestor among the children on family group sheets by also placing an X in this column to the left of your ancestor's name. This can help you page from one generation to the next among your family group sheets as you collection grows. In this case, place the X to the left of your own name. This same column may be used to identify twins by placing the letter T in it. As you fill in the rest of the family group sheet, remember to enter dates as day, month, year, and places beginnning with the smallest location and proceeding to the largest (eg., parish, town, county, state/province, country). Record the CURRENT name of towns and countries unless a problem in identification might result, then record the new name in parentheses: (eg., Commerce (now Nauvoo), Hancock, IL). Counties, states or provinces, and countries may be abbreviated (eg., UT). If you cannot document the precise date of a birth, marriage, or death, you may estimate the year. To keep track of which years are estimated rather than documented, write the letters abt (for "about") in front of each estimated date. (You will find more information about how to estimate dates in the next section of this lesson.)

Notice that the children's section of the family group sheet has a space to identify spouses for any of the children who married and dates for the marriage. If a child married more than once, that information can be added on the reverse side of the page. Simply list the first spouse on the front of the page, placing a (1) in front of his or her name. That will alert readers to the fact that there was at least one other marriage. When adding information, such as sources or other marriages, on the back of the page, identify each child by number, rather than by name (eg., 1. also married (2) James WILLS 4 Apr 1895. Birth date found in family Bible now in possession of Joan SMITH, Tempe, AZ).

In recording sources, keep these four rules in mind:
    a. At least one source should be recorded for every name.
    b. Original sources are superior to secondary sources.
    c. "Proof" of a relationship requires, ideally, three sources.
    d. Suspected, even likely, relationships should never be confused with proven relationships.

ESTIMATING BIRTH YEARS (THE ONLY ESTIMATED DATES PERMITTED)

The following genealogical conventions will give you good working estimates for the birth years of your ancestors and their children. These conventions are based on genealogical averages over many generations. They will not be precise in any given case, but will provide a good rule-of-thumb for guiding your research efforts when you work to discover the actual dates. When entering estimated dates into your pedigree charts or family group sheets, preceed the date with the abbreviation abt, to indicate that the birth occurred in about that year. Your effort to document such births should involve searching for records within about five years before and after such estimated dates.

EVENT RULES: Birth dates that are otherwise undocumented may be estimated in the following ways.

1. If you know the date of marriage, you may assume husband to have been 25 years old, the wife to have been 21 years old, and the marriage's first child to have been born one year after the marriage. The birth dates of succeeding children may be estimated to have occurred at two-year intervals

2. If you know the actual birth date of only one child, you should assume husband to have been 32 years old child known and wife to be 28 years old.

3. If you know the birth or christening date of a first child, assume the husband to have been 26 years old and wife to have been 22 years old when the child was born.

4. If you know the birth or christening date of an illegitimate child, assume mother to have been 22 years old and the father (if known) to have been 26 years old at that time.

A NOTE ON CALENDARS:

Old Style and New Style Calendar dates:

Occasionally, you will find early records that cite the year of an event in a form like this: 5 January 1638/9. This is not because the actual year was not known for sure, but represents a way of keeping track of the event during a transition in the way the calender was kept. Be sure and write down such years exactly as you find them. Do not omit the numbers following the slash. Here is how such dates came into existence. England, Wales, and Colonial U.S. used the Julian Calendar, in which the year began on March 25, until 1 Jan 1752, when it was superceded by the Gregorian system that is universally used today. Thus, a person born 2 Jan 1639 (Old Style or Julian) was born on 2 January 1640 (Gregorian or New Style). The correct way to write such a date is 2 Jan 1639/40. This "double dating" need only be done for dates involving January, February, and March. The importance of this rule is evident in the case of a child christened 2 October 1638 who might also be listed as buried 2 January 1638. Without the double dating, it might not appear that this could be the same child who died three months ater birth.

The French Republican Calendar:

The French Republican Calendar is another source of possible confusion. It was established by the National Convention of 24 November 1793, this calendar's year began on 22 September, had 12 months of 30 days each, and 5 holidays (occasionally 6--in leap years). This calendar was used for 16 years, and its dates should be translated to modern Gregorian Calendar dates. Because of the complexity of dealing with dates that followed this calendar, it will not be explained here. If your work takes you into France for this era, you can obtain further information by consulting a published source or visit this Calendar Conversion Page by Scott Lee.

WAYS OF KEEPING INFORMATION

1. Books of Remembrance

Hard-cover binders called Books of Remembrance are available in genealogy stores for the display of your finished pedigrees and family group sheets. These are good memorial pieces for display of finished work, but they do not remain open to a given page. This makes them inconvenient for using when doing research.

2. Three-ring binders

Three-ring binders are less expensive than Books of Remembrance and much more convenient for use while doing research. It is easy to organize separate binders for particular lineages or family names so that you do not have to carry your entire genealogical record with you when you visit a family history center, county courthouse, or other research location to work on a particular branch of your family. I recommend that you buy one or more three-ring binder for organizing your research papers and save the Book of Remembrance for when you have enough material that you want to display at home.

For ease of work, research binders may be divided into two types:

1. Binders for pedigrees and family group sheets.
2. Binders for photocopied materials about individuals and families.

Having a separate binder for supplementary documents can greatly reduce the clutter that otherwise invariably develops as information is found. You will learn more about organizing your documents in a later lesson on the research process.

ELECTRONIC AIDS FOR RECORDING GENEALOGICAL DATA:

There are a number of different genealogy programs available today for keeping your records on your computer. All of the available programs I have seen are quite similar in how they present the data or let you print it out. Most programs these days also allow you to include visual material such as family photos as data that can also be printed in various ways. So long as the program you purchase is capable of producing GEDCOM files (the standardized format for exchanging genealogical information between programs) your work should be compatible with the programs of other users. If you are interested in keeping track of LDS ordinance work information, you may prefer one of the two following programs, which are also among the least expensive programs available:

The Personal Ancestral File (PAF) This is the original LDS computer program. Version 4.0 (for Windows) may be downloaded FREE from the Family Search Website. If you are using a modem and the download time is prohibitively long, you can also order PAF through this website for the price of the CD.

LDS Ancestral Quest This program is fully PAF compatible. Designed for windows. Permits insertion of photographs.

LESSON 4: RESEARCH METHODS I: FAMILY RESOURCES

Handouts: "PAF Brochure" (30969)

Assignment: Read PAF Brochure

USING RESOURCES YOU HAVE AT HAND

Genealogical research may begin at home, using a variety of family resources. These include the memories of living family members about their own life histories and about the lives of their relatives, including their ancestors. They also include a variety of written records.

MEMORIES OF LIVING FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

We all have older relatives and family friends who have memories of events in our families' histories. These people can be an important source of family history and genealogical information. Methods for recording their information include:

     1. Having them write down information for you. Correspondence with persons who do not live nearby can accomplish this
         same purpose.
     2. Interviewing these individuals can achieve the same goal. Interviews can involve notetaking, but audiotapes and
         videotapes can also be used to preserve their memories.

FAMILY DOCUMENTS

Over a lifetime, people collect memorabilia about their own lives and those of other family members. These can also be a valuable resource for family history and genealogical research.

SOME SOURCES OF INFORMATION: WRITTEN FAMILY RESOURCES

1. Family histories

2. Family Bibles: check to see if the Bible was printed after the dates recorded in it. If so, the events were recorded from
memory or another record. Ball point ink indicates entries after early 1900s.

3. Civil Records: certificates of birth, marriage, and death

4. Certificates of blessing, baptism, or christening

5. Journals, diaries, biographies, scrapbooks, albums

6. Old letters: the following points should be borned in mind:
      a. the name and relationship of the writer
      b. the date and place from which it was sent (postmark)
      c. the mailing and return addresses
      d. the date the letter was written
      e. the genealogical contents of the letter

7. Memorial cards

8. Apprenticeship and occupational records

9. Military records

10. Pension records

11. Scrapbooks

12. Baby books

13. Wedding announcements

14. Newspaper clippings: births, marriages, awards, announcements

15. Obituaries

16. Photographs

17. Copies of wills, deeds, land grants, etc.

18. Citizenship papers, naturalization papers, and passports

19. Church documents (eg., Sunday School prize books, LDS Patriarchal Blessings, funeral service announcements)

20. School records

21. Fraternal records: Membership in the Grange, Masonic order

22. Legal papers: deeds to property, lawsuits, divorce papers

Pictures for Illustrated Genealogies:

PHOTOGRAPHS - Individual, family groups, groups of descendants, portrait pedigrees.

PAINTED PORTRAITS - Photographs of original paintings.

EFFIGIES ON MONUMENTS - In wood or stone, reproduced by photograph or drawings.

MEMORIAL BRASSES - Photographs or rubbings.

FACTUAL ILLUSTRATIONS - Drawings or paintings based on historical facts, as to appearance, costume, word pictures, etc.

GRAVESTONES - Photographs or rubbings.

SIGNATURES - Or original handwriting.

PICTURES OF FAMILY HOMES, CHURCHES, SYNAGOGUES, ETC. - Places where the family worshiped, or the founts where members were baptized.

TOWNS - Where the ancestors lived - maps of home localities. (Write Chambers of Commerce.)

DEPICTIONS - Of historical events, in which they had part.

FAMILY DOCUMENTS - Wills, deeds, Bible records, family records, pedigrees.

FAMILY COATS OF ARMS - As preserved in memorial windows or Shields, monuments, seals, visitation pedigrees*, arms revealing family intermarriages, a pedigree coat of arms.

MAPS - Showing family migrations or cemeteries. (Write State or County Engineers.)

CHARTS - Indicating relationships.

OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS - Besides actual photographs and portraits, one may utilize imaginary likenesses of them by skillful artists, as is frequently done in representing characters of history.

Pictures are the most effective storytellers and may tell more than many paragraphs of written material. The saying, "One picture is worth a thousand words" is very true in writing owr own histories or those of our ancestors.

REMEMBER! The information that can now be easily obtained on our living relatives now will require much research of our descendants if we fail to get it. When you begin to gather family history, it iss essential that you have a good system for recording addresses, dates, all correspondence, sheets already submitted for temple work, and all pictures.
          ______________
          *Visitation pedigrees: the pedigrees copied by the herald in his book of "Visitations" an official inquiry, made by an
          officer-at-arms, at different times to examine the rights of the people within his heraldic provinces to bear arms; the
          record of such an inquiry.

Family Group Sheet Check List

1. Is the record written legibly or typewritten?
2. Are the name and address of the person preparing the family group sheet properly indicated?
3. Is the name of the family representative written in full?
4. Is the relationship correctly indicated?
5. Does the relationship shown indicate connected research?
6. Are all names of persons, other than addresses, written in full?
7. Are all names of persons written in the order spoken?
8. Are there any abbreviated personal names?
9. Are there any initials in lieu of given names found?
10. If a person has an initial only for a given name, is it properly designated?
11. Do the names of husband and wife appear in the upper right-hand corner?
12. Are the