Approaches to Genealogy

There are three major approaches to genealogical research. First there is the "shotgun" approach. This is where you type your ancestors name into google and hope for a valid hit.  This may work if your ancestor has a truly unusual name, but it is a real shot in the dark. 

Next there is the "serendipitous" approach. You start searching through local city and county records hoping to find a trace of your ancestor. This is kind of a beginners luck scenario. You might have a general idea of what to do, but you just happened to find what you are looking for. 

Last there is the directed approach. You know what information you are looking for and a good idea of how to find it. Record other potentially important information along the way, but keep looking for what you need to find!

Respecting Privacy

You've found something really amazing and exciting, but it involves relatives and ancestors that are still alive. What do you do with it?  NOTHING!  The answer is simply, "Not without permission." 

 Some people truly appreciate their privacy or their might be a family secret (like a baby being born 5 months after the wedding date) that people don't want told. A good family historian will record the family secrets but they shouldn't be published publicly without the permission of those involved.  

We at artisticancestry.com are excited to give you the chance to publish your family history, but we encourage you to respect the privacy of others!

NARS

The National Archives and Records Service is a massive source of information for which you may be looking!  With the proper forms, NARS can supply you with Old Soldiers Home Records, Bounty Land Warrant Records, Civilians During Wartime Records, the records of Black Americans, American Indians, and Merchant Seamen, even Multi-society Records! This service will give you a great opportunity to double check those facts we always tell you to check!

Are you ready?

Preparation for creating an eBook on

Artisticancestry.com

1.    Check your family tree for duplicates. Duplicate names and families can prevent the Hierarchy from being accurate.

2.    Download a Gedcom file from either Ancestry.com, Family Search.org. (A Gedcom is an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunications.)

3.    Gather stories about each person in your family. Use a Word program to write short paragraphs (50-150 characters each) to allow you to copy and paste them into their corresponding page.

4.    Gather your images, videos, audios, and documents so you can drag and drop them into your Media Library. (The more direct way of browsing your computer for the information is available but takes a bit more time.)

5.    Register onto artisticancestry.com and you can have your first eBook built with your complementary 24-hour subscription.

6.    Have the email addresses of those who are to receive your first eBook. Each eBook download is a thrifty $6.95 each.

7.    Congratulations, now that you have downloaded your images and media it's time to  create another eBook! One for each son or daughter, another for your school reunion, then there are return missionaries, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, the possibilities are endless!

Keep Your Head in the "Cloud"

Google has entered the "cloud". If you don't want to carry an SD card or flash drive and take the chances of leaving it in the computer you're using in the research center, you can always opt to open a Google Cloud Drive. This cloud drive will open up to 30 different types of documents, sync with Mac, PC, and mobile handsets, you can edit and create documents in the Google Cloud, and the best part is that it will integrate with all other Google programs such as, gmail, Google+, and even the photo website Picasa! Google offers 5 GB for free, but if this isn't enough, you can purchase 25 GB for $2.50/month or 100 GB for $5.00/month. The benefits are almost endless!!!

Deciphering Old Handwriting

I've written a little bit before about deciphering old fashioned handwriting, but I have now realized it is more important than ever and even harder to do than ever.  Handwriting has changed a lot over the last several decades and centuries.  I have recently found a few resources that will help you decipher those old Bible records and cards.

The UK National Archives has one of the best online tutorials.  This online tutorial even has an online game you can play to improve your skills.  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/

The online tutorial from Cambridge University breaks down each letter of the alphabet to make Old English documents easier to decipher. http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/index.html

And then Brigham Young University has an online tutorial which helps you read not only old handwriting, but foreign documents as well. http://script.byu.edu/

Give Yourself Time

Are you a little overwhelmed with the amount of time it takes to build a family tree? A family tree usually will go back 5-6 generations. At 32 years per generation, that put it at between 150-180 years back or to your great-great-great-great grandparents. If you do the math at 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, 16 great great grandparents, 32 great great great grandparents, and finally 64 great great great great grandparents. Excluding brothers and sisters for each, that makes a total of 127 people to research. Add in brothers, sisters, children, etc. and that is a whole lot more people! Give yourself the time you need to find the right names and dates!  

You know your family tree wasn't created in a weekend!

Citing Sources

Who needs to cite their sources?  That's what internet bookmarks are for right?  It is just too easy to bookmark the site where you found your information!  You know the old saying, "Something too good to be true"?  That is how I feel about internet bookmarks.  It might be okay once in awhile, but if you just bookmark all the sources you use, once your get 10 or 15 bookmarks it is almost impossible to find the bookmark you are looking for, let alone when you get 150 bookmarks for different sources.  ALWAYS cite your sources as quickly as possible.

Google's Limitations

Google Search has many limitations.  The primary of which is that it does not show more than two search results to a maximum of two search results per website.  This means if the information that you are looking for is clustered in with other information, there is a good chance your results won't show up on a Google Search.

Reasons for Genealogy

Three of the most common reasons for participating in genealogy are first, to preserve knowledge of ancestors who contributed to the family traditions, second to preserve a culture that your ancestors were part of, and third, the desire to pass on a family legacy.  What better way to do all three than by including ArtisticAncestry.com?  With ArtisticAncestry.com you can upload information about your ancestors and cultural traditions by creating e-books that will carry on the family legacy and share it easily with others?