All About Family Tree Genealogy Services

The favored rule of genealogy is to start with yourself.  Work from the known to the unknown, gathering proof along the way .

Next, collect family tree information from those closest to you . The elders do not live indefinitely regardless of age or health and it is imperative to record all that they can recall .

Whenever possible, conduct a personal interview.  Let your relatives know when you will be visiting , as well as the kind of information you are seeking .  With permission, use recording equipment.  Take clear and accurate notes .  Prepare for your visit by making a checklist of questions to remind you to ask the three key  questions:  who, where and when . These questions will advance your genealogy know how and help build your family tree .

However, be flexible in your approach in order to follow clues from the person you are interviewing .  There will be surprises in the process ; beflexible with your interview style and be open to the discourse and the stories that may follow . When it is inconvenient to interview someone personally , write a letter that is personal in nature .  If the letter  goes unanswered, a telephone call may be required .  Writing may be difficult for an older person who might be interested in sharing information.  If this is the reason , a telephone call might be more productive.

Remember not everyone will be as excited or interested about family history and genealogy .
Use photos as a tool .  Often pictures jog the memory, and unlock bits and pieces of family information long forgotten.  

Assure your relatives that you will be very careful with the material loaned you .  Respect and be sensitive to the information they give to you.  Often relatives are reluctant to loan a family treasure , so be prepared to photograph momentos whenever they cannot be taken from the premises .

Offer to share information .  Keep your word .  After entering compiling data on  a pedigree chart and family history sheet , send  a copy to the individual who has kindly given you   the facts .

Be  sure to ask if there is a family bible and where it might be .  Family bibles can contain information about births, marriages and deaths carefully recorded on the pages within.

Ask if others in your family has done genealogy . If so, ask how to collaborate with them

Family memorabilia often contains clues :

• Names and places are printed on the backs of old photographs .

• Written messages on the flyleaf of a book commemorating a birthday or a holiday.

• Family scrapbooks that contain newspaper obituaries and articles , concert programs , graduations and plays .

• Engraved flatware.

There are an endless variety of family artifacts :

• Certificates and other family records – birth baptism, church confirmation , marriage record ,  death , wills, lawsuits . 

• Adoption papers

• Diaries

• Memorial Cards

• School Report  

• Newspaper obituaries

Develop a method to organize the material . Organizing what you have collected is difficult if you don’t have a method .  Create a system using both traditional and electronic techniques.  Use binders or folders with the surname as the label, keeping items relating to the surname together. When you have time , go though each folder or binder carefuly, extracting pertinent information.

Make sure to cross reference your electronic files to your paper files .

Don’t forget to backup your material in another location .  Many priceless family memorabilia have been destroyed by fire or water , as well as simply by the apathy of others who did not know they were handling did not know the value of the treasures . 

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