Starting Your Family History

By Jessica Deets

If you have ever sat and wondered about your family and where you come from your not alone, you can have an emotional roller coaster ride of an adventure seeking your kindred dead as many do.

Doing your Family History is something that comes to each of us at sometime in our life, it appears as a deep-seated desire to know more about our ancestors, what they were like, and where you come from.

Many remember the made for TV minnie series called "Roots" written by Alex Halley, which seemed to start a nation wide interest in something people have been doing for centuries... Genealogy, or also know today simply as Family History.

I'm here to tell you some things that can be useful to you as you think about getting started doing your own personal Family History research.

First start with yourself... after choosing one of the many Family History or Genealogy software's on the market today open it up and put in your personal information. Mainly you're full name, birth date, where you were born, and whatever else is asked for in the software. Then do your mediate family, wife or husband, children, or if your not married start with your parents and siblings. If you use the Pedigree Chart you can see how this looks like a tree and the farther you go back the more branches you have. That's why people often ask "who's in your family tree"?

After that keep putting in your parents and their siblings, their parents and their siblings, for as far back as you know or can remember. Then when you look at it, you start to see how very quickly your ancestors add up. Don't let the shear magnitude of the numbers discourage you from continuing. You see in the digital age we live, the second most researched topic on the Internet is Genealogy, so even though you don't know all the people from your past chances are someone has done some work that you can find by doing some simple research on the world wide web.

Second, remember all the stories you have heard about your parents and grand parents, write them down as best you can. They take a recording device and interview your parents or grand parents, or anyone that may have information about your family. Keep these recording and use them as reference material. Most of all the software out there will allow you to input these stories as a part of your record, and pictures.

Last of all; set aside a regular time to work on this weekly, monthly, or whatever works best for you. The key here is to find time to spend doing this work on a regular basis. I can promise you that if you do this you will find yourself excited, and it wont be work at all, you'll look forward more and more to the time you spend with your kindred dead. They will become alive for you as you come to know who they are; this leads to a better understanding of yourself too.

Remember this last tip, share your findings with others, and they will share with you. We are all connected at some point if you go back far enough. So just remember most likely others are doing research on your family line somewhere in the world. They will share as you share with them.

Because of the times we live in today this work is linking the family of man on a worldwide bases, mainly because of the information super highway, and the advance in technology over the past 15 years. Embrace your Family History with passion, which for many used to be just a hobby, but now has become an addiction.

Copyright 2005

Jessica Deets has been researching the internet for over 4 years and finds valuable information to help people. The website at [http://www.genealogyworkbook.com] has information, news and a current blog regarding genealogy and family history.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jessica_Deets/0
http://EzineArticles.com/?Starting-Your-Family-History&id=98464

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Genealogy Information:

Related Articles

Make Your Family Tree Come Alive
"I gotta be more than just two lines in the Oklahoma City Times." While the tune is catchy and the words poke fun of the obituary section of a great newspaper, it carries a serious message to those us interested in genealogy.
Top 10 Useful Family Tree Research Tips
Whether you?re just starting out on your journey to uncover your ancestry, or you?ve been at it for years, everyone can benefit from these 10 tried and true tips to make the research process more rewarding, more fruitful and, of course, more fun.
Genealogy in Switzerland - A Longenecker Family Search
The Langenegger farm in Langnau, Bern, Switzerland is located in a wonderland of covered bridges, friendly people, church spires with Swiss clocks and chimes, tinkling cow bells - everything you expect Switzerland to be - and more.
Tracing Family Histories
One of the most fascinating, and most rewarding pastimes you can engage in is tracing family histories. By delving into the past of your family and the families that have joined together to form that family, you can learn about yourself, your parents, your ancestors, and the many people who have been born, wedded, had children, and eventually ended up creating that unique entity known as you.
Preserve Your Family History by Writing Your Family Stories
Preserve Your Family History by Writing Family Stories "Everyone has a story to tell." It seems like a cliché, but it's true. After working as a newspaper reporter for more than eight years, I know th...
Genealogy -- How to Track Down Your Family History
Knowing who we are and where we came from can greatly enrich our lives today. Our ancestry is more than just names on a pedigree chart; it is the blood line that flows through us today and future generations. This knowledge must be what is leading millions of people to search each day for their own roots.
Family Tree Templates
If you want to create your family tree, but do not know where to start, family tree templates can get you started on your genealogical adventure. By giving you a pre-designed family tree that you ca...
Make a Difference - Join a Genealogical or Historical Society Today
With all the attention on the Internet, small genealogical and historical societies have been neglected. Genealogists can make a huge difference in preserving our heratage for future generations.
Starting Your Family History
Do you have a deep-seated desire to know more about our ancestors, what they were like, and where you come from? Here's some things that can be useful to you as you think about getting started doing your own personal Family History research.
Military Records: The Key to Your Family Tree?
Were your ancestors war heroes? Believe it or not, vital clues to your family's history just might be hiding away in military archives - and finding them can be easier than you think. Even if you're not sure whether or not any of your ancestors ever served in the military, it can pay to do some digging. The payoff can be huge.
Family Tree Charts
Organizing your family tree can be a very challenging and rewarding experience at same time. You need to do a lot of research, but once you have completed it, you can present your chart to your whole family and give everyone the gift of knowing their lineage.
Genealogy Research - What's In A Name?
Have you hit a stumbling block in your search for ancestors? Is the given name you're looking for one that could be easily spelled differently in another language? Try varying the spelling of the given name you are researching - sometimes it can make a world of difference.
The Family Tree
So you want to record your family's genealogy. The first thing to do is always make an audit trail. What is an audit trail? This article addresses "what is an audit trail" and the importance of making one.
Family Tree Makers
Family tree maker software lets you find your relatives and ancestors, contact them and share information with no trouble at all. Read on to find out more about this impressive program and learn how to advantage of it.
8 Common Family Tree Research Challenges and Their Solutions
Every amateur genealogist is bound to hit a dead end every once in a while. Don't lose hope. The information you're looking for IS out there -- it just might take a little more digging to find it. Here are some common problems -- and their solutions -- that trip up many family tree researchers.
How To Use The Census In Your Genealogy Research
The census is an excellent tool for genealogical research. Records are not released for 72 years, but there's a wealth of information to be found there: age, place of birth, occupation, spouse, children, immigration information and much more. This article describes what you can find, where to look and provides additional research tools to assist you in your search.
Color Your Genealogy
Using artifacts to help bring your ancestors to life. What things to look for and how to use them.
Building Your Family Tree 101: Quick Tips for Finding Your Irish or Scottish Ancestors
Did your ancestors come from Europe ? in particular Ireland or Scotland? It's quite possible to find their records. You may even be lucky enough to find records online, because as more and more people become intrigued with their origins, more are being made available.
Make Your Family Tree Come Alive
"I gotta be more than just two lines in the Oklahoma City Times." While the tune is catchy and the words poke fun of the obituary section of a great newspaper, it carries a serious message to those us interested in genealogy.
Genealogy - Why You Should Get Involved in Your Family History
There are a lot of good reasons for researching your family tree. Here are some compelling reasons to get involved.