This is the slide presentation from our first meeting June 26 2013. The slides go over the basics of getting started, forms and the local history collection, non-fiction collection and databases.
2. Where to start
• Write down what you know by starting with yourself!
• Gather information you know.
• Dates and places of birth for you, your siblings and parents
• Dates and places of marriages
• Dates and places of deaths
• Burial locations
• Places where people live/lived
• Photos (looking for notes on the back)
3. Recording your research - Names
1. Surnames should be written in all capital letters
Ex. John SMITH
2. Include married names in parenthesis before the maiden name
Ex. Mona (Smith) JONES
3. Record nicknames whenever possible and indicate them in quotation marks.
Ex. Marcus “Mark” GROSSMAN
4. If a surname is unknown then type the last name as unknown.
Ex. Cindy UNKNOWN.
5. Record all middle names, when known and use initials only if you don’t know the given middle name.
6. If the person is a Jr. or Sr. add it to the end of the name following a comma
Ex. Wayne SMITH, Jr.
7. If the person has roman numerals do not use a comma
Ex. Wayne SMITH III
8. If the person has multiple surnames use a backslash
Ex. Jane /VON DYKE/
4. Recording your research - Dates
Dates are entered date month year
Ex. 27 Apr 2013
Common date abbreviations include
Aft. = after
Bef. = before
Abt. = about
5. Recording your research - Locations
Locations are listed smallest to largest
Ex. Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
Recording your records in this format will ensure that the information will be read
correctly by other genealogists or reference librarians!
6. Pedigree/Ancestor Charts
A pedigree chart is designed to organize basic information that defines, documents and
identifies relationships between people. The chart will have space for four, five, or six
generations.
Pedigree charts should contain at least six fields for:
1. Date of birth
2. Place of birth
3. Date of marriage
4. Place of marriage
5. Date of death
6. Place of death
7. Family Group Record
This form lists a couple and all their biological children.
A family group sheet should contain:
1. A minimum of 6 fields for vital information.
2. A place to record residences for the primary people.
3. A place for religious affiliations
4. A place to record other spouses for both the husband and wife.
5. A place for the names for the couples parents.
6. A place to record occupation of the individual.
7. A place to record military service.
8. Room to record 8 or more children.
9. A place to record your name, address, and phone number on the sheet
8. Research Logs
It is essential to note where you have looked, successful or not.
• Prevent duplication of research and make it easier to locate a resource should you
want to view it again.
• Cite your sources. This shows quality research.
• Weigh evidence to make better conclusions, and better lineage links.
Logs should include; researcher’s name, ancestor’s name and years, date of
research, place of research, objective of the research, call number (library or
archive), source description (title, author, copyright, page), results.
9. Correspondence Record
• Very similar to the research logs, here you want to record any contact you make with
others for research. This could be to other relatives, genealogists, librarians…really
anyone could be a source.
You want to record:
1. The date you send your request
2. Person’s name and contact information
3. Reason for contacting them
4. Date you get a reply
5. The results
10. The Local History Room
• Open during library hours
(closing 15 minutes before
the library closes)
• Patrons must sign in
before entering the room.
• Contains local history and
genealogy resources.
11. Genealogy resources you can take home
Genealogy books are located
under the call number 929.
Books can also be requested
from other libraries.
12. Online Databases through the library
HeritageQuest Online – Remote or library access. Use your 14-digit
library card number (do not enter spaces) located on the back of your
Tewksbury library card.
Includes the US Census, Periodical Source Index
(PERSI), Revolutionary War Pension Records, and Freedman’s Bank
Records.
American Ancestors (formerly New England Ancestors) – Online
access in the library. This link will only work on our public library
database computer or with a password from the reference desk.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society’s collection features
over 110 million names from court records, church
records, periodicals, newspapers, city and town
directories, census, tax, and voter lists, diaries and journals, land
records, military records, published genealogies, biographies and
more!
Notas del editor
Introduction: Who I am, background in libraries and genealogy. Information about the lock-ins at Hamilton-Wenham. The Group: Short discussion in the beginning then a time to research using library resources or just chat and share successes/failures. We can work together to assist one another!Facebook page: Share information, chat between meetings. I will post today’s slides after the meeting.Website: I will be adding a genealogy page to the Tewksbury Library website with resources guides and info. Possibly how to videos.
Even though you “Know” information get documentation. Example of grandmother’s date of birth.
Having a surname in capital letters helps prevent confusion as to what a persons first or last name is (for example the name John George).
If you follow the American date format 1/15/1987 another non-American research could misread this information. The year should be written out entirely, not having a complete date can be very problematic. The month should be in alpha format and either capitalized with just the first three letters or in upper and lower and written out entirely. Eliminate all punctuation when recording dates, commas and periods could be confused with numbers.
Having county information will be can be very helpful in determining where you can search for records.
I prefer charts with four generations since it is less cluttered and has more room for entering information or notes to yourself regarding later research. Some charts will also contain a place for recording baptism or christening and a place of buriel.
Adopted children can be added, but should be noted that they are adopted. Many people use the information they find for medical information, so recording if a child is biological or not is essential.
Many researchers neglect to use this important form to record EVERYTHING they look at.
Have ordered some more genealogy guides. We will be highlighted some of these resources during future meetings.
We can highlight these resources during future meetings.
We will be highlighting these resources during future meetings.There is also an abundance of information on websites, we will also be highlighting these resources in future meetings.
