One of the most exciting starts to my day are when I get to fill out a form for a new family line! Sound dull? No way! Take a Research Checklist, every time I fill in the Birth, Marriage and Death dates and places I know I have a shot at getting a copy of their certificates for my folder.
What if the person was adopted? Well then we have another family line to search for! There is no end to genealogy work, it is a life long passion and being a researcher gives you whole new viewpoints on history. If you haven't started yet then it's about time, don't you think?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Artistic Ancestry.com
Well, we are coming along with our design process and looking to start the nuts and bolts process any day now! Our colors for the website are green, russet and yellow on Corn Silk, all of my favorites of course.
The homepage has come a long way from the beginners design I started out with. Now we have three easy steps to get started and you no longer have to type in your ancestry information; just download your gedcom from any of your genealogy sites!
Add to that your pictures, photo galleries, historical documents, recordings, videos, etc and your ebook will be amazing!
The homepage has come a long way from the beginners design I started out with. Now we have three easy steps to get started and you no longer have to type in your ancestry information; just download your gedcom from any of your genealogy sites!
Add to that your pictures, photo galleries, historical documents, recordings, videos, etc and your ebook will be amazing!
I'm in pity-me-ville!
Sorry for not being up and coming with posts, I have been ill and contagious and really feeling sorry for myself! But starting now that's going to change! With all we have to do to prepare for Artistic Ancestry.com how can I stay down?
Thank you for your prayers and patience!
Cristina B
Thank you for your prayers and patience!
Cristina B
Friday, January 14, 2011
Keeping Records of your Search Records
I am not the best record keeper in the world, but one thing I have learned is that doing genealogy is a life-long project and much as we might want to think we won't forget the important things, well age has a way of erasing important memories if they aren't glued in with high emotion.
So, for your own sanity and that of whoever takes over for you when you leave this world, put together a journal of where you have looked for each family in each line.
And remember, computer records are great as long as your computer has electricity and it doesn't crash or get an electrical surge and fry, so use a journal, spiral notebook or other easy to write in method. You will thank yourself many times throughout the years of your research!
So, for your own sanity and that of whoever takes over for you when you leave this world, put together a journal of where you have looked for each family in each line.
And remember, computer records are great as long as your computer has electricity and it doesn't crash or get an electrical surge and fry, so use a journal, spiral notebook or other easy to write in method. You will thank yourself many times throughout the years of your research!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Planning a research trip
One of the many joys my brother, Howard Deel, took part in was researching his family lines by going on trips to cemeteries and distant relatives. It was amazing the unique and colorful stories he was able to discover and the wonderful people he met along the way!
In his studies he learned about the Puritans, the Pennsylvania Dutch Quakers, the Brethren and Schwenkfelders. If you haven't heard of the Schwenkfelders, they were followers of Kasper Schwenkfeld von Ossig, born in 1490 in the Duchy of Leibnitz.
Why do I bring up these lessor known religious beliefs? If you haven't had any luck finding the records of your Dutch ancestry or early American records they may be found within Dutch Genealogy records. It is important to know such things as the beliefs of your early family, because as Carle Sandburg once said;
"When a society or a civilization perishes, one condition can always be found. They forgot where they came from."
In his studies he learned about the Puritans, the Pennsylvania Dutch Quakers, the Brethren and Schwenkfelders. If you haven't heard of the Schwenkfelders, they were followers of Kasper Schwenkfeld von Ossig, born in 1490 in the Duchy of Leibnitz.
Why do I bring up these lessor known religious beliefs? If you haven't had any luck finding the records of your Dutch ancestry or early American records they may be found within Dutch Genealogy records. It is important to know such things as the beliefs of your early family, because as Carle Sandburg once said;
"When a society or a civilization perishes, one condition can always be found. They forgot where they came from."
Monday, January 10, 2011
Plan a family tell-all
There is usually one person in a family who is interested in keeping the records and that person is YOU! So it's up to you to gather family for a tell-all; one of those family fun nights when everyone talks at once...quietly record there memories and sort it out later so you can enjoy the contest!
If you have a family that isn't close or just haven't talked about themselves much, as with my parents, for this reason alone it is essential to find your relatives and to get closer to those you know. Paper trails can be found for a lot of reasons, births, marriages, etc, but if your parents were raised in the back country most of your paper trail could have ended when the local minister died!
As with my parents most of the clues I found were within the family Bible. I was blessed to be able to go and see and copy the information from that Bible just before it was sent to a distant cousin I have never met. So don't delay thinking I'll get it done next time we meet, those opportunities to find out where your roots are can be fleeting at best!
If you have a family that isn't close or just haven't talked about themselves much, as with my parents, for this reason alone it is essential to find your relatives and to get closer to those you know. Paper trails can be found for a lot of reasons, births, marriages, etc, but if your parents were raised in the back country most of your paper trail could have ended when the local minister died!
As with my parents most of the clues I found were within the family Bible. I was blessed to be able to go and see and copy the information from that Bible just before it was sent to a distant cousin I have never met. So don't delay thinking I'll get it done next time we meet, those opportunities to find out where your roots are can be fleeting at best!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Research hints for 2011
The biggest mistake I made when I started working on my family lines was to accept as accurate the work done by other family members; you expect others to be as careful as you are and many times they are expecting the same of all they meet. Then comes someone who sees a name that looks right and just adds it without checking for solid proof! Soon all the family lines are stirred like an overcooked pot of spaghetti and you have to start all over rechecking and verifying everything.
So, be sure you verify all births, marriages, christenings, etc; get copies of the certificates, it may cost a little but in the long run it will save you hundreds of hours and many many headaches! Then when you have 4-6 generations come see us at Artistic Ancestry.com (we will be up and running by then) and we will show you how to create a fantastic ebook!
So, be sure you verify all births, marriages, christenings, etc; get copies of the certificates, it may cost a little but in the long run it will save you hundreds of hours and many many headaches! Then when you have 4-6 generations come see us at Artistic Ancestry.com (we will be up and running by then) and we will show you how to create a fantastic ebook!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Genealogy in 2011
Welcome to 2011! What a wonderful and amazing time to search for our distant family this year with all of the new areas that have opened up in;
- New York for their 400th Anniversary Mortality Schedules and Naturalization Record Indexes.
- African American Records with Slave Narratives, US Colored Troops, WWI Draft Cards and much much more.
- Jewish Family History Collection from North America through Europe
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