december 5, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 8 Comments

Analyzing Your Family Tree: Decoding Conflicting Evidence

When analyzing your family tree you may encounter conflicting evidence. We share our top tips for resolving conflicts in your family tree.

As you search for your heritage, you may notice that sites such as Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and others might contain numerous family trees with information about your ancestors. In addition to this, your grandma, great-aunt, and other various family members may also have their own versions of your family tree. You could also find a book published by a distant cousin, county or town histories, or a variety of other sources which give information about your family tree.

In looking at all these sources, you will probably notice that some of them contain much of the same information, but others contain differing information. Some of the discrepancies may just be in the spelling of a name or in a birth date, while others will be more noticeable and concerning, such as a different spouse for your great-grandfather, or a different set of parents for your great-great-grandmother. The question then becomes, how do you know which one is right?

Do you just look at multiple trees and pick the one that’s most common?

The “Danger” of Published Trees

Just because several different family trees contain similar information does not mean that the information is accurate. With internet access so readily available, it is very easy for someone to find someone else’s published tree and copy the information to their own tree. Then someone else comes along and copies that tree, and someone else copies that tree. Before you know it, there are many trees that all contain the exact same information, and because there are so many trees with the same information, it can be tempting to assume they must be accurate. But, quantity does not equal quality! These trees can be a great foundation for starting your research and you should check to see what is out there when you’re researching your own family history, but just because they all contain the same information doesn’t mean they’re correct. They could all be copying and sharing the same incorrect information. It’s important to never accept any information as accurate without further research.

Documentation and Sources

When you’ve found a helpful family tree, the first thing you’ll want to look for is whether or not the family tree includes sources for its information, and what those sources are. If no sources are listed, check a few other trees to see if any of them list a source for the information. If none of them do, you’ll want to seek out these sources before accepting the family tree’s information as fact. So what constitutes genealogical proof? An accurate family tree should always contain the best available source for each piece of information. You’ll need to begin collecting birth, marriage, death, land, census, church, probate, and other records that will prove that each generation and date or place of birth, marriage and death is accurate. In cases where there is no record with parental information, you’ll need to collect all the circumstantial evidence you can to prove a link.

Many countries have kept census records for hundreds of years, and these will be a great place to begin. Birth, marriage, and death records (often referred to as vital records), along with their church counterpart (baptism, marriage, and burial records) are also great resources. As you search for your ancestor, you’ll want to ensure that you’ve found the correct person, and not someone else by the same name. For example, if your ancestor is Charles Smith, born in 1892, and you think he was living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1900, one can’t assume that a tree that shows an 8-year-old Charles Smith living in Chicago on a cesus record is the right one. It’s recommended that you look for all Charles/Charlie/Chuck/Chas./C. Smiths born between a least 1890-1894 who are living in Chicago or other nearby towns, and then investigate those persons to determine which is your ancestor, or seek additional records as proof of his parents. Otherwise, all generations after that one migh be incorrect.

When looking at county histories, family histories, or other family information that is published in book form, it is important to look for what sources they list, and also when the book was published and who the author was. For example, if your ancestor lived in Washington County, Iowa from 1850-1920, and there is a county history that was published in 1894 by his next-door neighbor that includes a biographical sketch about him, it would be pretty safe to assume the information probably came first-hand from your actual ancestor. In that case, it is a lot more likely to be accurate than the same type of book published in 1948 by the great-grandchild of someone who once lived in that area.

Look for Red Flags in Your Genealogy Research

There are some quick indicators that a published family tree has not been carefully compiled. Checking for these will help you as you seek to document the information.

Ages – On average, people had children between the ages of 20 and about 45. Sometimes published family trees end up skipping a generation or linking ancestors that probably don’t belong together. If someone was born in 1765 and their child is listed as born in 1825 – that should throw up a red flag. While it is possible that someone had a child at age 60, it is not very probable. If someone was born in 1765 and their child was born in 1777, that’s another red flag, as it is extremely unlikely that a child was born when the parent was age 12. In these cases, there is likely a mistake in the identity of the parents, which would then mean that all generations before that could be incorrect, and/or there is a mistake in the date for one or both ancestors. In some cases, such as the first example, it may just mean that there is a generation missing. The person born in 1765 might actually be the grandparent (rather than the parent) of the person born in 1825. In that case, you’d want to identify and add that missing generation to your tree.

Dates – Look for discrepancies. If someone is listed as dying in 1856, but their child is listed as born in 1860, you’ve got a problem. Children can be born about 9 months after their father’s death, but definitely not more than that, and they certainly cannot be born after their mother’s death! This could mean the wrong parents have been identified, or it could just mean that one or both dates is incorrect. In either case, more research is needed to make sure the tree is accurate.

Places – If your ancestor is listed as born in the United States, and his parents are born in a foreign country, then you may have found the immigrant generation. However, if that ancestor then has children listed as born in a foreign country, you may have a problem. Once people immigrated to the United States, they rarely went back to their home country. This could be a case of incorrect places listed, or the wrong parents altogether. Another example is varying states. If a published tree shows one ancestor as born in New York, and his parents are listed as born in New York also, but then you start looking at census and other records to document the connection and he consistently says his parents were born in Massachusetts, the published tree might have the wrong parents, or at the very least the wrong place of birth for them.

Making a Tree Your Own

Overall, published family trees (either online, in book form, or obtained from a family member) can be a great place to start with your research, especially if you don’t have a lot of prior information or knowledge about your family tree. Before accepting the information as accurate, it will be very important to analyze the information and sources to see where they came from and whether it all makes sense, then begin collecting your own documentation to prove everything is accurate. You’ll want to begin with the most recent generation that you are unsure of and work backwards, making sure each one is correct as you go along. Otherwise if you find a mistake just a few generations back, you might have wasted a lot of time researching people who were not really your ancestors!

As you create your own family tree, be sure to list sources for each piece of information so that people who look at it in the future can feel confident that your information is correct. It may seem tedious at first, but it will save them a lot of work (not to mention yourself, since a few years from now you likely won’t remember where exactly you found all your information). If you get stuck or need additional guidance, we are happy to help.

Our team of professional genealogists are experienced at pouring over every record and shred of evidence to weave together the details of your ancestors’ lives into a meaningful narrative that will be cherished for generations to come. Get started today by requesting your free quote.

november 18, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 2 Comments

Genealogical Societies – An Under-utilized Resource

Genealogy societies are a great resource for family historians whether you are a beginner or advanced. Genealogical societies are formed for a variety of reasons. They can be created around a common lineage (Mayflower Society), surname (Descendants of John Simmons), ethnicity (American Historical Society of Germans from Russia), geographical research locality (Adams County Genealogical Society), or current place of residence (Utah Genealogical Association).

Why should I consider joining a genealogical society?

There are lots of good reasons for joining a genealogy society, but here are some of the best reasons for a novice genealogist to get involved.

Camaraderie. Chances are that despite your growing enthusiasm for family history research and your willingness to talk to friends and family about what you are learning, you will enjoy getting to know other enthusiasts and discussing the ups and downs of genealogy with someone who understands your excitement and frustration.
Mentoring. You can learn a lot from your fellow society members. While new members and beginners are generally welcome in these societies, you will find that many of the members have a wealth of knowledge and are happy to share their expertise with others.
Access to resources. Many societies are formed around a certain purpose and, as a member, you may have access to certain local records or archives that are otherwise unavailable or hard to find.
Extend your reach. Joining a genealogy society that is some distance away may give you connections to help you research without traveling to that location in person; conversely, you may be of help to someone on your end.
Educational opportunities. Many societies have educational classes, seminars, and publications that can help you to increase your knowledge base, either generally or specifically relating to the society’s mission. Genealogical societies based on a common ethnicity often have opportunities to learn about foods and customs with which your ancestors were familiar.

How to find a genealogical society

To find a genealogical society, you could do an Internet search using the terms that best describe what you are looking for in a society. Additionally, there are several resources that list some of the best genealogical societies. Most of the large commercial online genealogical sites such as FamilySearch.org will have information about different societies in their community or wiki pages. Cyndi’s List is another example of a site that maintains fairly comprehensive reference lists. Lastly, if the society is a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), you will find information about that society on the FGS website.

Is joining a genealogical society worth it?

If you’ve decided that you’d like to join a society and have decided which one you’d like to join but are unsure if it is worth your investment, many of them will allow you to subscribe to their newsletter. In fact, many of them have blogs that you can follow, Facebook pages that you can monitor, and web sites to peruse. All of these will allow you get to know the society and its members and this will help you determine if it is right for you. Arrange to attend one of their meetings prior to joining and ask questions as you get to know people.

If you are still not sure that your level of participation will be equal to the cost of the membership fee, consider that your fee is typically used for a good cause in promoting the mission of the society and that your added participation may bring something new to the table that the society was previously lacking.

Also, remember that when doing your research, you can contact various genealogy societies and request that they search their records and/or send someone to onsite archives to look at records for you. Some societies are more willing or able to help than others, so you have to contact them to find out what services they offer, how much they charge, and how long the wait will be – but they are a great resource to try when working on your genealogy, as they sometimes have collections of records not available in other places, and/or can complete onsite research that will save you from having to take a trip yourself.

If you have an ancestor in your lineage who may qualify you to join a lineage society, our experts can help you gather your documentation and prepare your application. If you’re not sure if you have a qualifying ancestor, we would love to look over your tree and find out! Contact us today to discuss your options!

november 12, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Tracking Your Irish Ancestor Across the Ocean

Researching your immigrant genealogy can be daunting, especially when you’re tracking your Irish ancestor across the ocean. Here’s some advice!

Finding an Irish immigrant’s area of origin can be challenging, but there are several Irish, U.S., and Canadian records that may give you this information. This article will discuss civil registration, immigration, church, vital, and cemetery records and how these records can assist you in finding your ancestor’s place of origin.

Civil Registration

If your ancestor was born or married in Ireland after the mid-1800s, you may be able to locate him or her in Irish Civil Registration indexes. Civil Registration (governmental registration of births, marriages, and deaths) began in Ireland in 1845 for non-Catholic marriages and in 1864 for all births, marriages, and deaths.

Finding an ancestor in a civil registration index will give you his or her area of origin. Original records can then be requested from the General Register Office in Dublin by mail or fax: General Register Office, Joyce House, 8/11 Lombard Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; fax: +353-1-6354527.

Events recorded after 1922 in Northern Ireland must be requested from the General Register Office in Belfast. Their website is https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/

Pre-1870 marriages and pre-1880 births are likely in the International Genealogical Index and can be searched at www.familysearch.org

Immigration Records

Beginning with the 1900 census, you can find an ancestor’s year of immigration and naturalization in U.S. census records. To find a date and port of arrival of your ancestor, we recommend checking the following indexes:

1) Filby, P. William and Mary K. Meyer, eds. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. 3 vols plus supps. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1981-. Each volume and supplement contains different persons, so all must be searched. Parts of this index are also available on ancestry.com.

2) Glazier, Ira A., ed. The Famine Emigrants: Lists of Irish Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York, 1846-51. 7 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983-86.

Passenger lists (which list names and information of those coming to the U.S.) can give you names of others (possible relatives) who came across at the same time. They include details of last residence from 1883, and many are indexed. Naturalization records will give a person’s birthplace.

Church Records

Many Irish persons were Catholic. If your ancestor was married after immigrating to the U.S., a Catholic marriage record may give his or her Irish place of origin. Baptismal records will list a child’s sponsors, which were often relatives, and will also usually give the mother’s maiden names. These things are important clues to identifying your ancestor in records in Ireland.

Vital Records

A death certificate will give the decedent’s parentage and birthplace, which often includes more than just “Ireland.” If death certificates began too late in a state your ancestor died in, try checking for death certificates on a county level, which often began much earlier.

Cemetery Records

Cemetery records sometimes include an Irish immigrant’s county of origin.

Other records that may be helpful are Irish marriage indexes, probate indexes, indexes to Griffith’s Valuation, and Tithe Applotment records. These can help you locate your surname in certain areas of Ireland.

Although Irish research can be challenging, searching the records discussed in this article should help you locate your ancestor’s area of origin. We wish you luck as you seek to discover more about your Irish roots!

If you’re hitting a brick wall while tracing your Irish ancestors, our team of professional genealogists can help! We have the knowledge and experience necessary to help you trace your Irish ancestry. Contact us today for a free estimate!

november 5, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 1 Comment

Deeds and Other Land Records

If you’re stuck in your genealogy journey, access to deeds and other land records may help break through your genealogy “brick wall”!

Deeds, and land records in general, can provide helpful pieces to the puzzle you are trying to solve about your United States ancestor. They are especially helpful in areas or time periods where few records of other types are available, like the southern United States before 1850.

Most counties and some towns in the United States kept deed books, recording the ownership of land in their jurisdiction. A person would present a land grant patent or title to the county or town clerk who would record it in the books and issue a deed. Subsequent deeds were recorded when that land, or part of that land, was transferred to someone else through sale, inheritance, etc. When searching for deed records, be aware that many county boundaries have changed over time.

Understanding Deeds

Indexes to deed books often exist and are usually split into two parts: the grantor (or direct) index for sellers and the grantee (or indirect/reverse/inverted) index for buyers. They are generally organized by the first letter of the person’s last name and then chronologically, from earliest to latest; therefore, if you want to find all references to John Campbell, for example, you must look through all the C’s. Pay special attention to “et al.” when looking in a grantor index; this means more than one person sold the land and often these were joint heirs to a property (siblings). The index will often give you the names of the buyer and seller, the date this occurred, the date it was recorded (which could be years after the transfer actually occurred), the location of the property, the price, and the book and page number of the actual deed. The actual deed will also describe the boundaries of the land in question and may contain additional valuable information, such as the name of the grantor’s spouse (especially when a wife is waiving her dower rights), the nature of the relationship between the grantor and grantee, and/or the previous residence of the parties involved.To be sure to glean all of the information you can about your ancestor from deed records, look at each record involving him as either the grantor or grantee (there will likely be many).

Keep track of all the other people involved in these land transactions. Even if relationships aren’t spelled out, you can get clues about who other family members might be since people often bought land from and sold land to relatives. Deeds for land being sold or transferred after a person’s death can be especially helpful since all of their heirs may be listed as the grantors.

Deed records for many U.S. counties are available on microfilm from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Local courthouses, libraries, and historical societies are also good sources for deed records.

Locating Your Ancestor’s Land

In the original thirteen colonies, plus Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Texas, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and parts of Ohio, land is described by “metes and bounds.” To identify the boundaries of a piece of land, landmarks such as a tree or large rock were used. This makes it difficult to locate exactly where the land was, but the plus side is that it generally gave the names of neighbors whose land bordered the piece being sold. These could have been relatives.

The other states used a “Section, Township, and Range” system to identify the location of land.

Section: a square mile containing 640 acres; the basic unit in township and range measuring.

Township: Each township was made up of 36 sections, with six sections in each row (so a township was a square of six sections by six sections, or six miles by six miles).

Township Lines: These lines are counted north or south from the base line in a state, so T2N (Township 2 North) is the second section north of the base line.

Range: These lines are counted east or west from the principal meridian in a state, so R2E (Range 2 East) is the second section east of the principal meridian.

Thus, T2N R2E would be two sections north of the base line and two sections east of the principal meridian.

You can get a map of meridians and base lines from the Bureau of Land Management. Jay Andriot’s Township Atlas of the United States includes very helpful maps of where each Township was in a county. Some maps with the sections already numbered can be found in the Family History Library. Find your place (either Township or County) in the Family History Library Catalog and look under “Land and Property – Maps.”

Some Important Terms

Deed of Sale: Evidence of a purchaser’s acquisition of land.

Land Patent: The transfer of title from a government to the first private owner of a piece of property.

Grantor: Seller of a piece of property.

Grantee: Receiver of a piece of property.

Et ux.: “and wife”

Et al.: “and others”

Do you have a family history mystery or genealogy “brick wall” you can’t seem to break through? The experienced team at Legacy Tree Genealogists can help! Contact us today to request a free quote!

november 4, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 6 Comments

Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Origin

Discovering your immigrant ancestor’s origin can be exactly what you need to break through your genealogical brick walls!

It can be deeply satisfying to discover where your international roots lie and trace your immigrant ancestor’s origin. We’ve helpd many clients do this, and offer the following tips to help your trace your own lineage.

Getting Started

Often family stories will provide clues about where your ancestors came from “way back when.” With or without that as a start, there are some key records that will help you discover your ancestor’s origins.

First, census records are very helpful in gathering information about your ancestors, including their immigration information. Federal census records were created every ten years in the United States, and similar patterns were followed in many other countries, such as in Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. These records often asked for birth information for each person in the household, and sometimes for birth information for each person’s parents. Although this information is often not more specific than the general country, it’s a start. Later census records asked for even more immigration information, such as the year a person came into the country and whether or not that person has become a naturalized citizen. Some state census records asked for even more detailed information, so be sure to check those as well.

Tracing Ancestor’s Origins Through Immigration Records

After gathering information through census records you’ll want to search immigration and naturalization records. If your ancestor immigrated to the United States, databases at the National Archives, Ancestry, and FamilySearch should be searched, among others. For other countries, a google search of your ancestor’s original country and “immigration,” should help you find great resources.

In general, from here you’ll want to continue researching in the country your ancestor immigrated to before jumping to records in the country of origin. It’s important to remember that most countries, especially in early periods, don’t have national indexes, and if they do, there may be many different people in an index with the same name and approximate age as your ancestor. How do you know which one is right? You’ll very likely need to find out specifically which town or city your ancestor came from, and the best way to do this will be through records of the country your ancestor came to. This can be a time consuming process, and sometimes involves very in-depth and creative research strategies, but once that town or city is known, your chances for successful research are far greater.

Sources like death records, obituaries, marriage records, and county histories will sometimes reveal an immigrant ancestor’s town of origin. If these things don’t work, searching records regarding your ancestor’s spouse and children may provide the clues you need. For example, if an ancestor was married prior to immigration, it’s likely that the spouse’s family lived nearby in the country of origin. Finding out where the spouse came from can narrow down the area to search for both families. In addition, children’s birth, marriage, death or obituary records will sometimes list the place of birth for their parents.

Sometimes, especially If your ancestor immigrated early (pre-1870 or so), you may need to look at probate records, land transactions, tax lists and other obscure sources for clues. It also sometimes becomes necessary to look at immigration trends. Are your ancestors living in an area where it is known that most people came from a specific place? Do they have neighbors or friends who might have immigrated with them?

Things to Keep in Mind

As you search census and other records, you may find that sometimes your ancestor’s recorded birthplace changes. While one record might say Germany, the next one might say Poland, Bavaria, or Prussia. Because boundaries have changed over the course of time, it’s possible your ancestor was from a place that has been a part of several different countries, and all listed locations are technically correct.

Also, when you find the name of the town or city your ancestor came from, there are several other things to consider, such as town boundary changes, town name changes, and whether there is actually more than one town of that name in the country. In addition, it was common for immigrants to state the closest large city as the place they came from, rather than the smaller town they might actually have been from, so if the city or town you find is a large place, it might be necessary to consider all the surrounding towns and villages as well.

After you’ve discovered your ancestor’s specific place of origin you can confidently search records of the original country. Some countries and time periods recorded births, marriages, and deaths on a wide-scale basis and others did not. If your ancestors came from a country that didn’t record these events, or a time period before it started, parish church records are another good option.

Extending the Line

Although, and probably also because, the process of preparing your family for research in their country of origin can be difficult, the excitement you feel when you do find them is so great! Once you locate your family in a specific town or parish you can generally trace them back to the beginning of those records without too much trouble. People didn’t often move around from place to place, and if they did, it wasn’t very far. If they stayed in the same location for several generations and the records survived, you can extend your family tree as far back as the records go. And don’t worry, if they moved there are ways to discover where they came from.

With dedication and diligence, in most cases it is possible to trace your family back to their country of origin and extend their lines. It’s a wonderful feeling to know more about where you, and your family, came from

We have carefully selected the members of our team at Legacy Tree Genealogists to make sure they each meet our standards for excellence. We’d love to help you with your family history, whether that is finding your immigrant ancestors’ origin, uncovering the stories of your ancestors, or using DNA analysis to solve a genealogy “brick wall”. Contact us today for a free quote.

november 4, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 3 Comments

Does Our Family Have a Coat of Arms?

Are you curious if your family has a coat of arms that you may be entitled to use?

A coat of arms can be a neat thing to display on a wall or at a family reunion, and many people wonder if their family has one. Although selling coats of arms by surname has become a popular business, coats of arms in most countries were originally granted to individuals and were not inherited exactly as they were granted. They could be transmitted from father to son (and also to wives and daughters in some instances), but a coat of arms could only be used by one person at a time, and when it was transmitted it had to be changed in some way so as to differentiate it from the one used formerly. Still, if you are a direct descendant of someone who had a coat of arms, you may be eligible to legally use it. You can also create and register a coat of arms for yourself. You can visit The American College of Heraldryfor more information about registering a coat of arms. Also be sure to check out our article, Eight Tips for Heraldic Research.

Since the bearing of coats of arms is not regulated in the United States, we personally see no harm in people displaying a coat of arms related to their surname as long as it is understood that the coat of arms doesn’t actually belong to them. And keep in mind that unless you have proven to be descended from someone who was granted that coat of arms, it is possible that the coat of arms never did belong to someone in your family tree but only to a family of a similar surname. To learn more about coats of arms for your surname, visit https://coadb.com.

november 1, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Writing Family Histories

Writing family histories is an exciting and fulfilling role! Here are our 5 tips for getting started, and making the most of this meaningful experience.

Perhaps you’ve spent years gathering materials and information about your ancestors. You might have boxes of old photos, file folders of records, and a computer database bursting with names. Or maybe you are just getting interested in genealogy and would like to get to know your ancestors better. Writing a family history is a wonderful way to collect and organize genealogy information, share what you have learned with other family members, and become acquainted with your ancestors and their lives.

Although it may seem like a daunting task, writing a family history can be fun and deeply rewarding. As you study the lives of your ancestors and immerse yourself in their stories, they will become not only real people, but true family members. As you are able to share what you’ve learned and gathered with living family members, your family connections will strengthen. And when you break the whole undertaking down into small, simple tasks, you will avoid feeling overwhelmed and may just find yourself enjoying the process of writing your family history.

There are five easy steps to writing a family history: 1) identify your subject, 2) gather information, 3) start writing, 4) revise, revise, revise, and 5) share with others.

1) Identify Your Subject

The thing about ancestors is that we have a whole lot of them. Your family history doubles every generation going back in time, and when you add siblings, spouses, and children — you can end up with more ancestors than you know what to do with.

When writing a family history, it’s wise to choose one key person as the main subject. Perhaps one of your ancestors was an important person in his community, or shares your name, or simply catches your interest. As you are preparing to write about this person, keep in mind his two family units – the one in which he was born (parents and siblings) and the one that he created (spouse and children). Although your chosen ancestor will be the star, all of these other people will have roles as well.

2) Gather Information

When writing family histories, it’s always better to have too much information than not enough. As you prepare to write, you will want to gather as many details about your subject and his families as you possibly can. Besides the traditional genealogic data of names, dates, and places, try to find stories and interesting details about their lives. Newspapers, journals, photographs, land records and maps, probate records, court records, cemetery records, obituaries, and local county histories are all good sources to mine for details. Try to squeeze every last detail out of each record. You might be surprised at the stories you can piece together from just census records!

If you have been researching genealogy for years, you may feel you already have as much information as possible about your person of interest. Now is the perfect time to review and take stock of what you have. Are there any possible sources you may have overlooked? Don’t forget the parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Your ancestor would not have been the person he was without the people around him.

3) Start Writing!

The best thing to do is just sit down and start writing. Don’t worry about getting every sentence right; just put your thoughts and stories down on paper (or in the word processor). You can go back and make it read beautifully later on.

You may be tempted to start with your key ancestor’s birth and continue on chronologically until his death. While this works, consider beginning with something that grabs the reader’s attention right away. A fascinating story from the life of your ancestor, a funny anecdote, some interesting facts about the town he grew up in — any of these is much more interesting than so-and-so was born on such-and-such date.

While it doesn’t have to be the sole focus of your family history, the genealogic data (names and dates and places) is certainly important to include in your family history. These are the details, after all, by which we identify our ancestors. Just try to weave them into the story of your ancestors’ lives, rather than stating them as individual facts.

While you write, be sure to refer to the specific sources from which you drew your information. Each fact or piece of information should have a source. Although we prefer footnotes at Legacy Tree Genealogy, you may choose to use endnotes, a bibliography, attach copies of documents, or simply refer to each source as you write about it. The goal is that your great-great-great-grandchildren in the future will be able to read your written family history and in addition to enjoying it, be able to accept it as accurate, and look up your sources themselves.

4) Revise, Revise, Revise

It feels so good to put the period on that last sentence, but you’re not done yet! Now, go back to the beginning, read what you’ve written, and make it sound good. Check for spelling and grammar, sentence structure, continuity, etc. Move paragraphs and sections to where they make the most sense, add sources you skipped the first time, and check your data for accuracy.

After you’ve gone through your writing a few times and feel it’s the best you can make it, consider asking someone else to proof-read it for you. Often, another pair of eyes can catch what our eyes don’t see. Another way to do this is to put it on the shelf for a space of time – a week, or several – and then come back to it with fresh eyes. You will be amazed at what you missed the first few revisions.

5) Share with Others

Now that you’ve gathered and recorded those precious family stories, it’s finally time to share the lives of your ancestors with the world. Thanks to modern technology, you have many, many options. Besides making copies and passing them out at the next family reunion, you can post your family history online, send it out via email, burn CDs with the written history and accompanying photos and documents, or order your own printed book. You can even digitize your family history and turn it into an ebook!

Whatever method you choose, keep in mind that the whole idea is to build the connectivity that is family. Stories and shared memories are what create family identity. Having dug deep into your ancestors’ lives, you will understand them as real people who lived real lives whose legacy, no matter how small, still impacts their descendants today. When you write their history, you are keeping that legacy alive.

Do you need some help finding the stories in your family’s history? Simply click here to contact us, and Legacy Tree Genealogists will help you discover them.

november 1, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 1 Comment

Genealogy by the Numbers

In a world where genealogy is increasing in popularity, we thought you’d be interested in a breakdown of genealogy by the numbers!

Genealogy by the Numbers

You have two parents, four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents. If you count just the direct line ancestors, by the time you go back ten generations, you have 1,024 ancestors. Assuming that a generation is about 25 years, ten generations means going back 250 years to 1761. Then, if you figure that each family had an average of two children, coming forward in time you have 6,227 descendants…for each ancestor. That makes – too many people for my software program. The good news is that it is estimated each of us has only about 10% of that huge number of grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins because quite a few of them married each other (more than a few in some families). But there could still be more than 7,000,000 individuals in just the ten most recent generations of your family tree. We’re going to need a few more gigs of memory.

What are the most common last names in the United States?

According to census.gov, the ten most common names in the United States in 2000 were:

Name – Count
1 SMITH – 2376206
2 JOHNSON – 1857160
3 WILLIAMS – 1534042
4 BROWN – 1380145
5 JONES – 1362755
6 MILLER – 1127803
7 DAVIS – 1072335
8 GARCIA – 858289
9 RODRIGUEZ – 804240
10 WILSON – 783051

How many Wilsons do you know??

Analysis of the 2000 U.S. Population Census:

In the late 18th century, 85% of white Americans were of British Isles ancestry, 9% were German, and 4% were of Dutch origin.

About 500 different ancestries were reported during Census 2000. An analysis of census information and immigration records suggests that 62% of white Americans today are of British Isles descent, and a total of 86% are of northwestern European origins. Approximately 14% of U.S. whites are of southern and eastern European ancestry.

The breakdown of the United States population by major ancestral groups in 2000 was:

15.2% German
10.8% Irish
8.8% African American
8.7% English
7.2% American
6.5% Mexican
5.6% Italian
3.2% Polish
3.0% French
2.8% American Indian
1.7% Scottish
1.6% Dutch
1.6% Norwegian
1.5% Scotch-Irish
1.4% Swedish
0.9% Russian
0.9% Chinese

Why is family history one of the most popular activities on the internet?

It is estimated that 53% percent of White Americans are the descendants of colonial ancestors, which explains why so many genealogists are interested in lineage societies such as the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Mayflower Society, and the Founders and Patriots of America. But what compels people to learn about their ancestors?

Loretto Dennis Szucs wrote in January 2004:

According to one source, the pre-conditions for the rising interest in genealogy were the post-1945 migrations. After World War II, Americans moved from one part of the country to another in unprecedented numbers. In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Patrick M. Quinn wrote that this “contributed to the breakdown of our relatively stable, homogenous, family-centered, culture.” In earlier times, families did a better job of staying in touch, and the family lore passed down naturally from old to young; “one didn’t have to do research to learn about one’s ancestors; they were usually close by, dead and alive.” (“The Surge of Interest in Genealogy Reflects a Populist Stand with Important Implications for our Culture,” May 22, 1991). Quinn also points out that as distances between family members increased, family traditions ceased to be transmitted.

Prior to World War II, Americans tended to stay closer to the family home. But we have become an extremely mobile population. Only 15% of the population has lived in the same house for 20 years or more. U.S. Census Bureau statistics on geographical mobility during the last 25 years indicate that about 45% of U.S. residents move within any five-year period. The average family stays in a home just 5.2 years. Although some families have lived in the same area for generations, many of our ancestors migrated between different states or regions of the country.

So it’s true – many of us are trying to “find ourselves,” and solidify an identity by learning about our ancestors’ lives and where we fit in to our families. Knowing where you came from helps to direct where you’re going, and why. As our society moves faster and further than ever before, we need a place to be grounded; a place to come home to; a sense of being connected to something that is a little older and wiser than we are; and an appreciation of what our ancestors accomplished in order to give us what they thought would make us happy and successful.

Get to know your family. Find out why you’re the way you are. Learn about your ancestors, whether they lived in a manor, a chateau, or a casa. Every family has a story – don’t let yours be forgotten!

Need some help finding the stories in your family history? Simply click here to contact us, and Legacy Tree Genealogists will help you discover them.

oktober 24, 2013 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Sweepstakes

October is Family History Month and we’re excited to be celebrating it with you. Because we have such a passion and love for genealogy, we’re happy to be giving away 20 hours of professional genealogy research to the winner. No purchase necessary. To enter simply fill out the form found here.

marts 3, 2012 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Per What?! Making Sense of Beneficiary Designations

“Per Stirpes,” “Per Capita to Children,” and “Per Capita to Heirs”- in this article we explain beneficiary designations, with examples of each.

“Per Stirpes,” “Per Capita to Children,” and “Per Capita to Heirs” – Small words with big meanings. Probate is often a challenging and confusing process. Sometimes, beneficiaries designated in a will can “pre-decease,” or die before, the person who wrote the will. What happens to the portion of the estate that would have gone to the pre-deceased person, if they had survived the writer of the will, depends upon specific language used in the will– the small words with big meanings.

Understanding Per Stirpes and Per Capita Beneficiary Designations

Stirpes is a Latin term meaning “by roots,” and Capita is a Latin term meaning “by the head.”

Consider the three examples below. This this scenario, a widower named Todd has designated his four children, Sarah, Jared, Zachary, and Rodger as equal heirs to his estate. However, after the time the will was written, and before Todd died, his son Roger passed away. Rodger had two children, Rachel and Sam who are both living.

Per Stirpes – the pre-deceasesed beneficiary’s portion would be divided between his/her surviving children.

beneficiary designations - per stirpes

Per Capita to Heirs – All heirs would receive an equal amount regardless of their generation.

beneficiary designations - per capita to heirs

Per Capita to Children – All surviving children, not grandchildren or other descendants, would share the estate equally.

beneficiary designations - per capita to children

How do we establish who the rightful beneficiaries of an estate are?

Sometimes, the estate will need the help of forensic genealogical services. Perhaps Roger has been estranged from the family since early adulthood and his siblings do not know if he is alive or if he has children. The estrangement does not exclude Roger or Roger’s descendants to their rights as heirs.

Perhaps Todd’s sister Betty was to receive 50% of the estate, and the remainder divided by Todd’s children, per stirpes. Betty pre-deceased, as did two of her children; but, Sarah, Jared, and Zachary do not know the identities of their aunt Betty’s children and grandchildren. (View our chart explaining extended family relationships in our article, Third Cousins Twice Removed and Consanguinity: Figuring Out How You’re Related to Your Relatives.)

In such complex situations, estate administrators and legal professionals rely upon the help of professional forensic genealogists. It is important to note that forensic genealogists are not involved in the legal process of adjudicating which family members will actually become beneficiaries and receive an inheritance from the estate–those matters are up to the court to decide. The statutes that govern these decisions also differ from state to state. Check out our quick guide, Intestate Succession Statutes by State for more information.

What do forensic genealogists do?

Our job as forensic genealogists is to provide evidence of “kinship,” meaning evidence which proves who the family members are/were and whether they are living or deceased according to per stirpes, per capita to heirs, or per capita to children. This is done by gathering documents which will be used as evidence and providing a comprehensive report explaining the findings.

Our unbiased findings and evidence exhibits that will be used in court settings are presented in the form of a notarized sworn affidavit called an Affidavit of Diligent Search for Kinship. The affidavits can also be apostilled for use in courts outside of the United States.

As a probate research firm, our forensic genealogists are experienced at providing expert genealogical research, analysis and reporting for legal proceedings involving kinship. Contact us today for a free quote!