research in family history (ch 11)

Begin by remembering, accumulating, and organizing information to identify members of your family. Each person can be identified by personal information, such as the following:

• Name (first name, middle names, surnames, maiden name, and nicknames)
• Relationship to other members of the family
• Dates and places of important events, such as birth, marriage, and death
• Ancestral home

• Occupation

Strive to be accurate and thorough. You may not need to fill in every blank on a family group sheet, but each piece of information helps confirm that you have identified the right person and helps you learn more about that person and others in that family line.

Look for sources in your home that might provide important family information (including information missing from your pedigree chart or family group records). Useful sources include birth, marriage, and death certificates; family Bibles; funeral programs; obituaries; wedding announcements; family registers; and ancestral tablets.

Add the information you find to your family’s pedigree charts and family group records. Record the sources of the information in the notes or sources section on the forms or in your family history program. This helps you and others know where the information came from.

Ask relatives for information. Make a list of relatives and the family information they may have. Then contact the relatives—visit, call, write a letter, or e-mail them. Be sure to ask specifically for the information you need. (For example, “Do you know when Aunt Jane was born?”) Ask if there is a document you can copy that lists the information.

Oral histories of family members are important and may be the only source of information for certain individuals. If possible, make a recording of the person telling the story. Write the story down; then list a source, such as “oral history, told by my grandmother Anne (Hamblin) Zabriski on November 30, 2011.”

As you expand your research, it is helpful to know the difference between original records and compiled records:

• Original records are records of life events kept by affected parties at or near the time the events took place. Original records can provide information about birth, death, place of residence, property, occupation, immigration, civil action, religious ceremonies, and personal achievements. Some original records, such as censuses, parish records, birth certificates, wills, deeds, and ship passenger lists, are kept by governments, churches, societies, or other institutions. Other original records, such as diaries and family Bibles, are kept by individuals or families.
  Original records are most likely to contain the most accurate information for your family history research because they were made by people living closest to your ancestor at the time of the event. Many original records have been microfilmed by the Church and are now becoming digitally available and searchable on FamilySearch.org. Volunteers can help make more records available through the FamilySearch indexing program.
• Compiled records are collections of information gathered from other sources, often many years after the event. Examples include family histories, biographies, place histories, society publications, periodicals, genealogies, and computerized indexes. Compiled records may be drawn from original records, other compiled records, or both. For example, a published family history may be compiled from civil registration records, census records, family papers, and local histories. Compiled records may not be as accurate as original records, but they are still important in family history research because they contain information that may not be available otherwise.

Civil records. Civil records are records kept by federal, regional, and local governments. These are located in government offices, archives, and libraries. Catalogs and indexes are often available on the Internet or at the locations where the records are held. The following are common examples of civil records:

• Birth certificates usually give the person’s name, date and place of birth, parents’ names (sometimes including the mother’s maiden name), and residence.
• Marriage certificates usually show the date and place of the marriage, names and ages of the bride and groom, places of residence, witnesses’ names, and sometimes parents’ names.
• Death certificates give the person’s name and may show a date and place of death, age, residence, cause of death, parents’ names, occupation, date and place of burial, and sometimes the date and place of birth.

Census records. Many governments have compiled census records for the past two hundred years or more. Early census records frequently name only the head of the household and give names, gender, birthplaces, and approximate ages of those in the household. Later census records include more complete information.

Be careful when using census records because they provide only a glimpse of the family. Following are some cautions to keep in mind when consulting census records:

• Family members may not be included in a census if they were not home when the census was taken.
• Censuses do not include deceased family members.
• The wife listed in the census may not be the mother of the children.
• Relatives and boarders are sometimes listed as children.
• Information may have been supplied by neighbors or approximated by census takers.
• Names might appear under a variety of spellings.
• Ages are frequently rounded, and birthplaces often approximated.

Computer programs provide the best methods for easy storage and retrieval of family history information. 

A computer file that keeps track of what you have searched for, where you have looked, and what you have found can also be a valuable resource, particularly when you have invested a lot of time and effort into family history research.

For additional information, see Chapter 11: Research in Family History,” Introduction to Family History Student Manual (2012), 92–99 or click this link.

persist despite the challenges

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency spoke of our unique opportunities and the resources available for furthering the work of the Lord in temples: “Your opportunities and the obligations they create are remarkable in the whole history of the world. There are more temples across the earth than there have ever been. More people in all the world have felt the Spirit of Elijah move them to record the identities of their ancestors and facts of their ancestors’ lives. There are more resources to search out your ancestors than there have ever been in the history of the world. The Lord has poured out knowledge about how to make that information available worldwide through technology that a few years ago would have seemed a miracle” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 82; or Ensign, May 2005, 79).

President Henry B. Eyring counseled us to persevere when family history work becomes difficult, promising that we will have help beyond our own strength:

“After you find the first few generations, the road will become more difficult. The price will become greater. As you go back in time, the records become less complete. As others of your family search out ancestors, you will discover that the ancestor you find has already been offered the full blessings of the temple. Then you will have a difficult and important choice to make. You will be tempted to stop and leave the hard work of finding to others who are more expert or to another time in your life. But you will also feel a tug on your heart to go on in the work, hard as it will be.

“As you decide, remember that the names which will be so difficult to find are of real people to whom you owe your existence in this world and whom you will meet again in the spirit world. When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. Perhaps after centuries, they rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them and to offer them freedom. In your reunion, you will see in their eyes either gratitude or terrible disappointment. Their hearts are bound to you. Their hope is in your hands. You will have more than your own strength as you choose to labor on to find them” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 82; or Ensign, May 2005, 79–80).

1940 census

The 1940 U.S. Federal Census is the largest, most comprehensive, and most recent record set available that records the names of those who were living in the United States at the time the census was taken.  [It contains 132 million records!]

Many of these individuals are part of what has been called “the greatest generation”—people who lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II, and lived in the 48 states that existed at the time.

Tens of millions of people living in the United States in 1940 are still living today, making the 1940 census a record set that connects people with recent family records. It was the first to record such interesting facts as where people lived five years before, individuals’ highest educational level achieved, and detailed income and occupation information.

“The 1940 census is attractive to both new and experienced researchers because most people in the United States can remember a relative who was living in 1940,” said David Rencher, chief genealogy officer for FamilySearch. “It will do more to connect living memory with historical records and families than any other collection previously made available.”

get to know your family stories

Research has shown that one secret to having a successful family is knowing your family stories.

Think of a family story you would like preserved—something that makes you appreciate the family more or that strengthens you when times are difficult or that just makes you happy.

The “Do You Know Scale” tests what children know about their families. Testing well on this quiz also indicates higher levels of self-esteem, fewer behavioral problems, and lower levels of anxiety, as well as other positive results.

Take the Do You Know Scale quiz found here.

An outline of the talk to your grandmother activity can be found here.

Quote from President Heber J. Grant (keeping a journal)

Heber J. Grant was a faithful "keeper of journals" and left behind a valuable record of his life's experiences.
On January 9, 1884, Heber wrote:
I sometimes feel almost like stopping the writing of a journal as my grammar is so poor, also my spelling, that I dislike to leave any such a record as I have to make under the circumstances; but I am of the opinion that it is almost a matter of duty that I keep a journal and this is the main reason that I am willing to do so.  I would be willing to pay any reasonable amount of money for a record of father's life; but he never recorded any of his acts and there is today nothing worthy of mention on record regarding him.

Historical note: Heber was born 9 days before the death of his father and raised as an only child by his widowed mother.  The longevity of Heber's life, spanning the period between covered wagons and television, emerges as a fascinating study of a great man.

lesson 2: Mother

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "mother"?
What do you picture?
Do you think of: an event? a tradition? a favorite saying? a smell coming out of the oven? a characteristic?
These are the moments of motherhood that need to be captured before the memory fades away.
Your recollections of your mother will be different from those of your siblings, your father, or grandparents.  I see the vibrant woman of my youth not the frail great-grandma that my kids know.

Family search has made it easy to capture these moments for future generations to enjoy.
Knowing that we don't always carry around a computer, camera or tape recorder, they have made these features available on what you will probably have with you when you need it: your cell phone.
How many of you have the memories app downloaded onto your phone?
It is easy to get if you don't have it.

1. go to the apps store
2. type in “lds memories”
3. “get” the FamilySearch-Memories app (green square with white tree) for free!

Let's learn how to use it.

Click on the icon.  This will take you to your tree and the memories you've added.
Across the top of the screen are little pictures that represent photos, stories, documents, and audio recordings.  You can group these memories however you like in albums at the bottom of the page.  (I've done my according to family name)
To upload a memory to family tree, just press the green plus button in the lower right corner.  Select if you want to add a document, write a story, record audio or add a photo.
If I press photo, for example, it will let me take a picture on my phone or upload a photo I have already taken.
If I want to make an audio recording, it will give some suggested topics.  You can ignore those and just begin recording by pressing the green button.  You can pause the recording if necessary.  Try to keep the recording under 5 minutes - 15 max.  A little timer will keep track for you of how much time you have used.
You can give your memories a title.
They will be stored in your gallery where you can attach them to a person.
You can attach a thousand memories to each person.  Even I have not reached maximum capacity!

Since today is Mother's Day, we are going to pay tribute to mother's everywhere.  You are going to upload a memory.  It doesn't have to be about your mother.  It could be about your grandmother or great-grandmother.  It could be about your wife or someone you knew who wasn't related to you but was a mothering influence in your life.

Before we start, I'm going to show you a movie about how a mother's influence affected generations.  This is a true story about my great-grandma.  It was filmed a few years ago by Julia and you will probably recognize the actors.  It's called Recipe for Success.

I hope that sparked some ideas for something you could write about.  This is not an English assignment.  It will not be graded.  You are saving a memory so that future generations will get to know the person you are writing about.  My assistants and I will be around the room to help you get started.
Ready.  Set. Go!

52 Questions in 52 Weeks

August 26, 2013 By Steve Anderson
A few months ago,  I wrote a blog post describing one way to get other people excited about gathering photos and stories. I suggested that more people actively took part in writing memories of their life when the job was broken down into small, easy to do pieces. By asking one simple question a week, the task of creating a descriptive story of one’s life could be accomplished in a single year. The response to this blog post was remarkable. I had no less than 68 people contact me, asking for copies of these questions. Some wanted to use these questions and have everyone in their family do this for next year’s Christmas project. Others wanted to use them to record an oral history of their parents and grandparents. Still others admitted that they finally understood the value of creating a legacy of their life and felt like now the task was doable. These 52 questions were chosen because they evoke specific pieces of information. By the time someone has answered all of these questions, they should have all the genealogical information they need to uniquely and positively identify themselves, their parents and their siblings. Even more importantly, the information gleaned from these questions will give the reader a peek into the thoughts and feelings of the person who answered them. These questions will shed a light on their hopes and their dreams. Below is the complete list of questions that I use when I do the 52 week project. Each week for 1 year, take one question and write as much or as little as you want. You can write 1 paragraph or you can write several pages for each question. Page count is not important; it’s the information that matters. Questions do not need to be answered in any special order. If a person answers just 1 question a week for a year, they will have created a remarkable legacy of remembrance for their posterity. Unlike so many people who die and are forgotten within only a few generations, those who make the effort to answer this simple list of questions will be remembered by their posterity for countless generations to come. Why? Because they will have taken the time to write something about their life and pass it on to their posterity. It’s that simple. What a simple, yet wonderful legacy to leave for future generations. The 52 questions are listed below. At the end of the list are a few extra questions in case there are some you don’t want to use. Good luck and enjoy your writing adventure.
1. What is your full name? Why did your parents give you that name?
2. When and where were you born? Describe your home, your neighborhood and the town you grew up in.
3. Tell me about your father (his name, birth date, birthplace, his parents, etc.) Can you share some memories you have of your father?
4. Tell me about your mother (hers name, birth date, birthplace, her parents, etc.) Can you share some memories you have of your mother?
5. What kind of work did your parents do (farm, salesman, manager, seamstress, nurse, stay at home mom, professional/laborer, etc.)?
6. Have any of your family members died yet?  If so, what do remember of their death and what were the circumstances of their death?
7. What kind of hardships or tragedies did your family experience while you were growing up?
8. What are the names of your brothers and sisters? Describe one or more things that stand out in your mind about each of your siblings.
9. What were some of the family traditions that you remember?
10. Did your family have special ways of celebrating specific holidays?
11. Share a few memories of your grandparents.
12. Did your grandparents live close by? If so, how much were they involved in your life?  If they lived far away did you ever travel to visit them?  What was that like?
13. Do you have any aunts, uncles, or cousins who really stand out in your mind? Write something about them (names, personalities, events that you remember doing with them, etc.)
14. Where did you go to school? What was school like for you?
15. What were your favorite subjects in school? Why?
16. What subjects did you like the least?  Why?
17. If you went on to get a college or vocational education, what school did you go to? What did you study? What memories do you have of those years?
18. What do you see as your personal strengths?
19. What were some of the challenges you faced growing up?
20. What medical issues have you had to deal with throughout your life?
21. Was religion an important part of your family life? If so, what religion did your family practice and what did it mean to you? Is it still an important part of your life today? If religion was/is not a part of your life, why wasn’t/isn’t it?
22. Who were some of your friends in school? What were they like? What are they doing today?
23. What foods do you like?  What foods do you dislike?
24. Were there two or three dishes your mother or father made that makes you smile every time you think of them?
25. How did you meet your spouse?
26. How would you describe your spouse?
27. What was your courtship like?
28. Share some stories about your spouse?
29. How many children do you have?  What are their names?  Share a few memories about each of your children.
30. What were some of the major community, national and world events you lived through?
31. How did some of these events change your life?
32. What are some of your life philosophies or life views that you would share with others?
33. What are some of the personal values that are very important to you? What have you done (are you doing now) to teach these values to your children?
34. Can you list at least 5 people who you would categorize as truly great men or woman? What did they do to be great in your mind?
35. List 20 or more things that make you happy.
36. List 20 things or more that you think the world would be so much better off without.
37. List 20 interesting things you’ve experienced in your lifetime.
38. If you could spend a day with any famous person in the world, who would it be and what would you do during your day with him/her?
39. What scares you?
40. What makes you stop and go, “Wow!”?
41. Share a few of the deeply moving (spiritual/non-spiritual) experiences you’ve had in your life.
42. What advice would you pass on about raising children that you learned from raising your own children?
43. What are some of your talents? How did you discover them? What have you done to cultivate and improve them? How have they affected your life?
44. What were some of the truly life changing experiences you went through? How did you handle them? In what ways did they change you?
45. What did you do for a career? Why did you choose that for a career?
46. What were some of the jobs you had throughout your life? Were there memorable experiences you had with any of those jobs?
47. What would you consider as two or three truly significant challenges in your life so far?
48. What are some of the life lessons that you would like to pass on to your posterity?
49. How many places have you lived during your lifetime? Provide a brief description of each place you’ve lived and why you lived there.
50. If you could go back in time and do things over again, what would you change?
51. When all is said and done, what do you want to be remembered for? What are you doing now to make that happen?
52. What kind of health issues have you experienced?

Extra Questions:
1. If a newspaper wanted to do a story about you, what would the story be about?
2. If someone gave you $100 and told you that you had to give it away, but you could NOT give it to your immediate family, what would you do with it?
3. Have you traveled to any place outside of your home country?  What was the reason for making such trips and what memorable things happen with some of those trips.
4. What were some of the popular fads during your younger years?
5. How did you spend your summers?
6. What were some of your more memorable vacations?