Transcript Getting Started

Living Sources
www.ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/2082.asp
step 3
For Centuries, genealogy was an oral tradition.
There was a least one person who had the
responsibility to memorize the genealogy.
Today in some cultures they may still
memorize. However, it seems as though one
person in a family is the gatekeeper or flame
keeper. This person is perhaps the best one to
contact in gaining information.
Six basic ways of collecting
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Formal personal interview
Informal personal interview
Telephone interview
Letter writing
Querying
Electronic correspondence (internet)
Equipment
• Recorders – regular size, mini, micro
• Video cameras
• Note paper and pen
• Laptop computers to type as they tell the
stories.
• Remember to Migrate your old media to
new media. Example: Cassette tapes
deteriorate over time.
Formal Personal Interview
• Primary goal is to meet with a family member to
gather information
– Book “How to Tape Instant Oral Biographies” by Bill
Zimmerman
• Basic Rules
– Contact the person in advance. Explain the purpose
and what you are trying to accomplish
– The person must be comfortable with the topics
– Take the time to be well prepared for the actual
interview. Write down the questions you will ask.
Maybe even provide the person with a copy in
advance so they can be thinking about their answers.
• Make the interview session as comfortable as
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possible. Visit for a minute or two, do not just
jump into the interview. You could explain the
equipment you are going to use.
Give ample time for the person to answer the
questions. DO NOT interrupt the person.
If the person mentions something you did not
think about, write it down for later.
Remember peoples memories are not infallible.
Verify the information you get with the correct
documents.
An Interview is a source and should be treated
like a book and should be noted accordingly.
Always record the date of the interview.
Informal Personal Interview
• Every family gathering becomes a potential
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source of information.
Carry copies of family group sheets to family
gatherings. This way you can update the
necessary information.
Types of family gatherings: reunions, weddings,
baptisms, holidays. Always be well prepared in
advance.
Record the records on your research logs.
Telephone Interview
• If you can record phone conversations, do so. However, let
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the other person know what you are doing.
Introduce yourself and the purpose of the call
Advance work is vital.
Telephone interview is identical to the personal interview.
Treat this interview as a source of information in your
research logs and verify any information given.
If a family name you are researching is unique or not. Use
the phone book and call people with that name. Web sites:
http://www.whowhere.lycos.com/
Reverse look up:
http://www.infospace.com/info/revaddr.htm?&actnav=org
http://www.anywho.com/ White pages, reverse look up,
international
Quest phone directory
http://www.qwestdex.com/cgi/search.fcg?
• http://www.infospace.com/ White pages, reverse look up, international
Letter Writing
• For years that was about the only way you
could get information from family
members and courthouses.
• The person receiving the letter has time to
think and ponder your requests.
• No guarantee they will respond, your
likelihood of getting a response could
depend on:
• Be Courteous – curt, rude or demanding letters
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could be thrown in the trash. Type the letter if
at all possible. If you handwrite, print it.
Be inclusive - Identify yourself and explain the
reasons for writing. Try to make the reader
connected to your project.
Be Specific – Make your questions to the point
and do not ask for too much at one time.
Be thoughtful – Self-addressed stamped
envelope with your request.
Be Thorough – Keep a letter writing log. Name,
date, sent, date of response, and what you
requested.
Be Prompt – Answer immediately with a thank
you note or follow-up letter.
Writing to Public Offices
• Make sure you have the correct address of
the department you wish to contact.
– Public libraries have books that you can find
address
– Family history libraries should have the “Red Book”
and “The Source” book
– Internet for phone numbers and addresses
• Make sure you include the correct amount of
money for your request. Online sources can
help you, or phone the office and find out the
costs.
• Provide specific information for your request
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Specific record type
Full name of person
Sex and race
Parent’s name in full with mother’s maiden name
Day, month, and year of known events in the person’s
life
– Full place name where known events occurred
– Reason you are requesting the record
– Your relationship to the person you are requesting the
information about
Querying
• 1st write down what you know about the
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person
2nd write down what you want to learn further
You can send these to a newspaper or
magazine that publishes such queries.
These can put you in touch with new family
members working on the same line.
A well-worded query can produce exciting
results!
Internet Queries
• This has become the leading method of
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locating specific information or leading you to
someone who might have some information.
Post to a bulletin board. Many out there
– You have to visit them periodically or check to see
if they send emails when something new is added
– Maintain your own website.
– Electronic Correspondence – use the same rules
as in letter writing.
Query Websites
• www.familyhistory.com
• http://www.iigs.org/newsletter/9802news/genmess.htm has several
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inks to message boards
http://www.gencircles.com Type in your family name
http://genforum.genealogy.com/ They do not delete messages,
there are about 5 million postings. Post by in city, county, state and
surname
http://www.genealogyforum.rootsweb.com/messages/
http://lists.rootsweb.com/
http://www.rootsweb.com/~jfuller/gen_mail.html
http://rsl.rootsweb.com/ Rootsweb Surname list
http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/articles/503.asp
Writing a successful Query
Emails – Do a name search in your favorite search engines and look
for your family names. When you find one look for an email address
and write to them. You can also search at www.familysearch.org
look for email addresses on the pages.
Why use the internet to connect?
• Find distant cousins working on the same lines.
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Maybe not your direct line but that of your ancestors
brothers or sisters.
Add names to your family tree. Example: one man
added 10,000 names to his tree, and received
photos of ancestors born 2 centuries ago.
Think the odds are slim? Think again!!! If you go
back 15 generations you have more than 32,000
ancestors. Some of them had 10 or more siblings.
The chances of finding someone on the internet is
great.
You might even break through your brick walls.
Remember that you can not take
everything you read or see, you must
document the sources.
The task of gathering family information is
not always an easy one. But using all the
resources available greatly increases the
chances of building a solid genealogy.