Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Genealogy and Family Ancestry

Genealogy is the study of families and their lineage, and many individuals are applying this science to the study of their own family ancestry. Once they use genealogy to find the link, they can then learn more about the lives of their ancestors, which allows them to learn more about themselves. Many individuals are quite amazed at what they find out about their lineage. They may find that they are descendants of kings, dukes, and historical figures. Others may find out that they are descendants of individuals who were poor and they find that their family overcame extreme adversity. It is rather fascinating what one can find out about their family through the proper research.

The research

The word "research" seems like an ugly word because it deals with doing work, but it is actually rather fun because of the amount of information that you can acquire. Simply finding one kinship link can be exciting, but it is even more exciting to find out the details regarding the lives of those in your family ancestry. As you go, you can continue to find more and more kinship links, eventually taking the data you have acquired and creating a family tree.

The individuals doing genealogy research typically study the family ancestry of their own family and that of their spouses. They can then share their findings with their children and their grandchildren. This is important to some families so that this information can be passed down for generations. This is so everyone knows where it is they came from. There are, however, professionals who conduct research for other people, write books about the best ways to research, and teach their methods. Some individuals employ these professionals to do their research for them if they are not sure of the accuracy of their own research.

As for the research process, it is not exactly an easy process. This is due in part to the fact that many individuals in the same geographic region have the same name. This is when it is important to cross reference the information you don't know with the information you do know. For example, you may find that there are two Henrys who had daughters named Rose. Well, your mom's name is Rose, but you know that your mom has a brother named Dave. You can then look for the Henry with a daughter named Rose and a son named Dave. From there, you can then find the parents of that Henry, who is your grandfather, and continue the process the best you can. That is just an example of how you can cross reference your information to obtain accurate information. However, it becomes somewhat more difficult the further back you go.

As you start going back further through time, you may have to look into courthouse records, cemetery records, and even newspapers to find accurate information. It is not just a matter of looking on the Internet, although the Internet serves as a very valuable resource for finding genealogy information. There are valuable websites out there that contain information provided by those who have done their own research. However, you may not know where that research was carried out and if it is accurate. You can take that information and try to verify it by looking through courthouse and cemetery records, newspapers, and other sources. If you can verify it, then you know that it is correct.

If you find that your family ancestry involves historical figures, it can become somewhat easier to track down their ancestry for the fact that historical figures usually have well-outlined family histories.

The purpose

It is always nice to find out where we came from. We like to know about those individuals responsible for our existence. We want to know who they were, what they did that was significant, where they lived, what illnesses they had, and so much more. You can certainly learn a lot about yourself just by knowing a lot about them.

Another aspect that makes genealogy research so great is that you can pass the information down from generation to generation. Basically, this is a way to keep everyone's memory alive. As long as everyone remembers these ancestors, they are never truly gone.

Recent polls conducted shows that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year. One way to connect with family is to follow the family tree. You can connect in ways you never thought of. Connect here at http://www.FindYourGeneology.com Work shouldn't always come first! Go to http://www.FindYourGeneology.com and make this year special for the entire family.

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