How To Find Clues In Family Resources
The first step in the-actual investigative process is of course that of
gaining access to family documents, bibles ,books, photograph albums
and so on. One must also of necessity decide which side of the family
will be traced; whether the male or female line.
Usually the male line is traced, making for easier access to similar
names throughout the relevant generations. Obviously the process is
not nearly so easy when it is the female line which is featured as the
center of interest.
Also at this point one may make an educated but very important
decision concerning the name concerned. In past centuries many
names were derived from places, father's names, and sometimes from
the trade one is engaged in, and hence we come by many named
'London', 'Hill', 'Wood' (places); 'Williamson', 'Smithson' and 'Johnson'
(father's names or 'son of '); or 'Baker' and 'Smith' (trades).
The normal process of gathering information, as we have already
considered, begins with informal chats with members of your family,
particularly the older members whose memory can be relied upon to
uncover facts which hitherto had passed into those deep recesses and
which might otherwise never have been extracted if not for the
purposes of tracing your family's history.
Amongst the most relevant information required at this stage are
details relating to family members, names (even of those stillborn or
who died at birth or shortly afterwards and whose existence might
have been temporarily 'forgotten'), dates of birth, marriage details
and dates, details and dates of death, and various other family events
including baptisms, educational and career-related information, and so
on.
Next is the task of interviewing family, friends and relatives; the older
the better, as long of course as time has not weakened the memory.
Old family legends are often the motivating factor in making that
decision to trace and document the family tree. Stories of blue-blooded
ancestors, famous relatives, criminals and heroes, all are handed down
from generation to generation. Many of these tales will doubtless have
been expanded upon and elaborated with time, but it is always worth
recording even the seemingly tallest and unlikely of stories; it is not
unknown for a germ of truth or even a totally accurate legend to be
still making the rounds of the family. Write it all down, or if your
interviewees don't object, take a small recorder with you to tape the
conversation ready for transcribing to paper when time permits.
Amongst the best sources of information virtually guaranteed to set
you straight on course for access to the family history in recent
decades, hopefully up to a century or more, are family bibles,
photographs (often with messages written alongside or on the
reverse), diaries, letters, and tombstones. Access to any of these
items, even if you must sit and physically take notes from whatever
source is available, will prove a more than worthwhile investment in
terms of the time, trouble, and sometimes expense involved.