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februari 2, 2018 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 1 Comment

French National Archives

Legacy Tree Onsite: Inside the French National Archives

Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked Sophie, onsite in France, to share her experiences researching at the French National Archives.

The French National Archives were created as a result of the French Revolution. Prior to their creation, on September 12th, 1790 by the Constituent Assembly, there was no centralized body for archiving documents produced by the administration.

On June 25th, 1794, the National Convention passed a law laying out the role of the National Archives. There were three main principles which still apply today :

  • centralisation of the nation’s archives
  • free public access
  • need for a national archives setup (resulting in the setting up of an archival service in each department in France).

The French National Archives acquired:

  • the archives of central institutions abolished by the French Revolution,
  • the archives of ecclesiastical establishments (bishoprics, parishes, and religious houses) in the diocese of Paris,
  • and archives found on migrants and those guilty of crimes.[1]

The French National Archives are located in three sites.

Paris

French National Archives
By Archives nationales (France) — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25229991

In 1808 Napoleon I established the Hôtel de Soubise as the National Archives. A complex expanded around the Hôtel de Soubise with the building of the ”grands dépôts” (great depositories) under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III.

The Paris site, also known as CARAN (for Centre d’Accueil et de Recherches des Archives Nationales), keeps the archives of the Ancien Régime (before the French revolution), and the minutes of the notaries of Paris, making exploration of the National Archives essential for those with Parisian ancestors.

Fontainebleau

Due to a growing need for additional space, the former NATO buildings in Fontainebleau were designated for the use of the National Archives in 1972. The holdings at this site include private archives of architects, career records of officials, naturalization records for the second half of the twentieth century, audiovisual archives, electronic archives and some specific collections.

Two buildings at the Fontainebleau site were placed under protection in March 2014 as they were at risk of collapsing. Since then, the site has been closed and the archives kept in Fontainebleau are being transferred to Pierrefitte-sur-Seine.

Pierrefitte-sur-Seine

French National Archives
By Archives nationales (France) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25441586

As research and public interest in the Archives continued to grow, it was decided to build another site. The new building was inaugurated by François Hollande, the President of the French Republic, on 11 February 2013.

This new site keeps the public archives from the French Revolution to present day, and private record sources from all periods.

The online catalog (Salle des Inventaires Virtuelle)

With the online catalog you can explore the resources of the National Archives through more than 24,000 finding aids detailing the collections and 14,000 notes defining the entities (organisations and individuals) from which the archives originate. You can also directly consult over 1.9 million digitized archives.

You can search with a name, a place, and refine your search with different filters like a time scale.

Access the online catalog here.

If one of your ancestors was awarded the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor), you can search for his file in the database LEONOR (Légion d'honneur holders' records, 1800-1976).

Planning your visit to the French National Archives

You need to register to be admitted to the reading rooms. You can register free of charge at either the Pierrefitte or the Paris site. You will be issued with a number and a reader's card (valid for one year) when you register.

To save time, you can pre-register online in the online catalog section, which also entitles you to reserve two documents.

French National Archives Contact information

French National ArchivesParis

CARAN address: 11 rue des Quatre-Fils, 75003 Paris.

Contact: Tel. : +33 (0)1 40 27 64 20

Opening times: Open from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 4:45pm

Pierrefitte-sur-Seine

Address: 59 rue Guynemer, 93380 Pierrefitte-sur-Seine

Contact: Tel. +33 (0)1 75 47 20 02

Opening times: Open from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 4:45pm

For more information on researching your French ancestry, see our article, 6 Valuable Resources for Tracing French Ancestors.

With professional genealogists who specialize in French genealogy, along with onsite agents worldwide, we are able to help you identify the origin of your French ancestors, determine where the applicable records are kept, and obtain them for you so that you can learn as much as possible about your French ancestry. Contact us today to discuss your research goals!

[1] « History of the institution », Archives nationales, http://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/en/web/guest/histoire-de-l-institution

Filed Under: Europe, Onsite

februari 2, 2018 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Now Every Full-Service Project Includes a Free Family History Chart

While Legacy Tree Genealogists has long been known as the world's highest-rated genealogy research firm, our full-service research projects are now an even better value, including a free 8.5″x 11″ printed family history chart with each full-service order placed after February 1, 2018.

free family history chart

In addition to including a printed family history chart in each custom client binder, a digital version of the chart will also be made available on clients' personalized web pages, offering a beautiful way to view your lineage at a glance or easily share with family members.

Large 18″x 24″ custom wall hangings of your family tree may also be added to any project for a nominal fee.

family history fan chart
Custom wall hanging

If you're ready to delve into your family history and discover more about your ancestors, contact us today for a free quote!

Filed Under: Legacy Tree Genealogists

januari 26, 2018 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 8 Comments

Top Tips for Researching Your Scots-Irish Ancestry

What does Scots-Irish mean?

Researchers use the term “Scots-Irish” to identify a people who went back and forth between Scotland and Ulster, Ireland. The North Channel—also known as the Straits of Moyle—connects the west coast of Scotland and the Mull of Galloway at the narrowest part of the strait. There, the strait spans only 13 miles. This short distance between Northern Ireland ports and the western Scotland ports made trade and commuting quite common between Ireland and Scotland. In addition, religious persecution in the 17th Century caused many Scottish individuals to immigrate first to Ireland, and then often to the U.S. backcountry of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. These migrations caused family connections to span several countries over several centuries, and records of your family could be found in all three places.

Scots-Irish genealogy research
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

To find a Scots-Irish ancestor, start with what you do know. For example, my ancestors immigrated to America from Scotland in the 1880s. I traced my great-great-grandmother here in the US through US records, until I found a record which stated that she had emigrated from New Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Then, I began searching Scotland Census records in 1881 to find out more about my ancestors.

Good research methodology includes finding your ancestors in each record possible to get an accurate picture of their life, and collecting data through which you can learn more about the previous generation. As I moved back in time through the censuses in 1871, 1861, 1851, and finally 1841, I found that some of these family members family on a record were born in Scotland and others were born in Ireland—my ancestors were Scots-Irish and moved fluidly back and forth between Ireland and Scotland. Based on this fact, I then knew to conduct research in records for both Scotland and Ireland to find additional family records.

Once you have determined your ancestral hometown, here are a few record collections that you can research to find records of your specific ancestors:

FamilySearch

FamilySearch has a variety of records available, which are cataloged by collection. To learn what collections are available, go to familysearch.org, sign-in (free), click on “Search,” and then “Catalog,” type in the place you would like to search for record collections.

Records were often kept at a variety of government and church levels, and they might be cataloged differently. To properly research, type in “Scotland” and see what records are available. Then type in “Scotland, Dunbartonshire” and see which of those records might be of interest to you. The next search would be “Scotland, Dunbartonshire, New Kilpatrick”. This type of search can be done for any place.

If you type “Ireland” into the FamilySearch catalog request, one of the choices would be “Death records of Ireland, 1864-1870, with index of deaths, 1864-1921”. Clicking on this option takes us to the page and there is a note that “Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes are available online.” By selecting that option, you can view “Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958” online. These records are available to view, however they are not all indexed. Those with a magnifying glass have been indexed, while those records with a camera have not. You can type in your ancestors name and identifying details. This is an important first step since in Irish records you will want to know their Registration District. When I searched for “Catherine Halloran” Death 1900-1950, I found the birth that matched and it gave me the Registration District as Galway.

Scots-Irish genealogy research
Photo from familysearch.org

Irish Genealogy

Another place to conduct research is irishgenealogy.ie. This website is free and home to the historic records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths of the General Register Office. Civil registration in Ireland began in 1864. Church records are also available on this website. Most on this website are for the Roman Catholic Church, but they do have some Presbyterian records as well.

The Ulster Irish were mostly protestant by faith, since many were originally English. The Scots mostly worshiped as Presbyterians. Knowing your ancestors religion might be a clue to which records to begin research.

Ask About Ireland

Consider askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/. This website can help you research your family pre-census. The Primary Valuation was the first full-scale valuation of property in Ireland, was overseen by Richard Griffith, and published between 1847-1864. To find your family enter their surname in the search box. If you know the county you can put in that as well to limit the amount of records returned. This can also be used to gain an understanding of the distribution of a surname at the time the valuation was taken.

Tithe Applotment Survey

Visit www.titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie. This site has the Tithe Applotment Survey of 1823-1938 for the 26 counties of the Republic.

Scots-Irish genealogy research
Photo of search page from The National Archives of Scotland taken by a researcher

For additional information on how to search Scottish records see our blog post on ScotlandsPeople: Research Tips from a Scot Descendant.

Here are my final tips: as you research your Scots-Irish ancestors be sure to look for a variety of spellings, consider using wildcards in your search terms, and thoroughly search record collections.

If you have Scots-Irish ancestors and have hit a brick wall in your research, the experts at Legacy Tree Genealogists can help! We have genealogists who specialize in this area of research and have extensive experience in locating necessary records to extend your Scots-Irish ancestry as far as possible. Contact us today for a free quote.

Filed Under: British Isles

januari 25, 2018 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 1 Comment

DNA Innovation Contest

Legacy Tree Genealogists to Sponsor DNA Innovation Contest at RootsTech

Legacy Tree Genealogists, the world's highest rated genealogy research firm, will be a sponsor of the upcoming DNA Innovation Contest at RootsTech. Additionally, Legacy Tree's Senior Genetic Genealogist, Paul Woodbury, has been invited to participate as a panel judge to assist in determining the winning entry.

professional genealogist Paul Woodbury
Paul Woodbury, Senior Genetic Genealogist at Legacy Tree Genealogists

”I'm honored to have been invited to participate in this capacity,” said Woodbury. ”At Legacy Tree, we are excited for developing technologies in genealogy and particularly those that enable ease of DNA analysis, interpretation and application. Anything we can do to support the genetic genealogy community, cultivate innovation and inspire others to do the same is something we want to be involved in.”

The contest, open to innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses and non-profits across the country and globe, offers $50,000 in cash and services to winning innovators and entrepreneurs whose solutions improve the use and reliability of DNA methods and research. Applications to the contest can be submitted now through February 20, 2018 at http://www.growutah.com/centrum/dna

Leveraging Utah’s leading expertise in DNA technologies, the contest fosters innovations that will improve the use of DNA data in the fields of ancestral history, personal history and family health history. Managed by Grow Utah, a Utah based non-profit that promotes innovation to drive entrepreneurship and business growth, all innovators across the country are invited to step up and bring their best and brightest ideas.

Innovations may include those that improve the collection process of individual DNA, testing and processing of DNA, accuracy of DNA results, interpretation of DNA results, visualization of DNA data, cross collaboration with various DNA testing methodologies, interpretation of results, and any product which in general improves the overall usefulness and adoption of DNA based technologies and methodologies.

“Utah is recognized for its pioneering research in DNA and our on-going technology development in this field,” said T Craig Bott- CEO and President of Grow Utah. “The uses of DNA are exploding, particularly in ancestral research where genealogical brick walls are coming down because of new DNA discoveries.”

He continued, “This and the added prospect of improving our own health through global family insights made possible by DNA are simply astounding. It just seems right that Utah should host such a contest.”

Dedicated to promoting innovation in genealogical technologies, RootsTech will be the site of the DNA Innovation Contest judging and awards event, taking place in Salt Lake City on February 28, 2018. In addition, finalists and winners of the contest will exhibit at the Innovation Alley at RootsTech over the four days of the conference from February 28 through March 3.

“We believe in the value that innovators bring to the work of family history,” said Jen Allen, RootsTech Director. “Over 20,000 people attend RootsTech each year. And a highlight for them is to see the latest innovations that help this important work. DNA has taken our industry by storm offering the marvelous potential of establishing links across the generations and throughout the world. The DNA Innovation Contest continues our emphasis on fostering and showcasing the leading technologies that will impact our family history work in the coming years.”

Filed Under: Adoption & Genetic Genealogy, Legacy Tree Genealogists

januari 22, 2018 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 8 Comments

Beginning German Genealogy Research: “What does ‘German’ really mean?”

My great-grandmother Erika was German. She was adamant about the fact that she was German. After her arrival in the United States, when she was asked to fill out information about her place of birth, she indicated that she was born in Germany. Erika was born in 1921 in Waschulken. Today, this small town is located in northeastern Poland, however at the time it was part of Germany. Although borders have since been moved, she never stopped claiming she was German.

In the United States, many German immigrants were listed on various federal censuses and other documents generically as being from Germany. Instructions given to census takers for the 1870 census notes that the country of birth for individuals who were born outside the United States was to be listed “as specifically as possible.” In the case of those from Germany, census takers were to “specify the State, as Prussia, Baden, Bavaria, Wurtemburg, Hesse Darmstadt, &c.” This makes sense as the unification of Germany had not yet occurred. Instructions for the 1900 census however indicate that census takers should “not write Prussia or Saxony, but Germany.” Also, in the case of Poland, they were to “inquire whether the birthplace was what is now known as German Poland or Austrian Poland.” Thus, at least in theory, earlier census enumerations should indicate a more specific area or region rather than the generic “Germany.” In practice, some census takers still used “Germany” in lieu of a more specific place.

Take for instance this 1870 census for the Henry Blaser household. Henry is listed as being from “Wuertemberg” and his wife Christina is listed as being from “Hesse Darmstadt”.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6Q39-34K?i=33&cc=1438024

Later, the 1900 census for the Henry Blaeser household lists both husband and wife as being from Germany.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DTB3-8ZN?i=23&cc=1325221

For more information on researching your German ancestors in census records, see our previous blog post, A New Development for German Census Records.

Historical boundaries of Germany

The unification of territories in January 1871 created the German Empire which lasted until 1918. Prior to the merger the area consisted of a multitude of separate kingdoms, duchies, and provinces. When an individual claims to have German ancestry they often mean that their ancestors lived within German Empire borders, although not necessarily only during the empire period. These borders were much larger than that of modern Germany with the most striking inclusion being a large portion of northern Poland. Even after the fall of the empire in 1918, it took many years for the borders to shrink to their current position.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany#/media/File:Deutsches_Reich_1871-1918.png

The concept of who is “German” and what areas are considered “Germany” have changed frequently over time, so it is vital to keep shifting historical boundaries in mind if you have ancestors who claim to be German as they may not be from the area of modern Germany.

How to begin tracing German ancestry

However, even knowing the province your immigrant ancestor came from is usually not enough information to begin researching in German record collections. You need to know the name of the town your ancestor came from. Although in some rare cases you may be able to identify your immigrant’s foreign hometown through indexes created from German collections, more often than not, traditional research will necessitate using church records, civil vital records, passenger lists, naturalization records, newspapers, and other such records in the country to which your ancestor immigrated in order to identify their place of origin. We also discuss additional resources available in our previous article, 3 Essential Website for Germany Family History Research.

German and Eastern European Genealogy Research

German church records

Church records, which can include baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, and in some areas family books, are some of the most commonly used resources for German genealogical research.

Church records can be especially useful if the immigrant attended a church associated with their native language as these records often list foreign hometowns in marriage and death entries. For those with German ancestors of the Protestant Evangelical faith, accessing church records from many areas of Germany has gotten easier over the last several years. The book series German Immigrants in American Church Records is a helpful resource for those with German ancestors in Midwest region of the United States, offering a quick source to see if your immigrant’s name appears in the extracted records.

Using newspapers for German genealogy research

Newspaper articles including obituaries can also provide the name of the immigrant’s hometown. Where available, foreign language newspapers should not be overlooked as obituaries in such papers often provide additional details not listed in their English language counterparts. Check with local libraries or historical societies to see if they have copies of foreign language newspapers.

Other records for tracing German ancestors

Although early passenger lists and naturalization records usually only list a province or “Germany” as an individual’s place of origin, naturalization records post 1906 as well as more modern passenger manifests often do list exact towns of birth.

Less obvious records such as wills on occasion list the town of birth so it is important to check all record types in search of the immigrant’s town of origin.

Once the town has been identified, church records and civil registration records (mandatory for the whole German Empire as of 1876), will be the most widely used sources for researching your German ancestors in Europe. As many of these records will be written in the antiquated German script, one will not only need to learn basic German genealogy vocabulary, but also learn to recognize those words written in the old script.

Understanding the language in these old records can also be a challenge. If you need to develop your German language skills, try the German for Genealogists online course by Germanology Unlocked. 

At Legacy Tree Genealogists, we have genealogists who specialize in German genealogy research and are skilled not only in identifying German hometowns of immigrants, but also in reading and analyzing old German church and civil records. We would love to help you trace your German immigrant ancestors back to their hometowns and extend their lines there. Contact us today for a quote!

Filed Under: Europe, Germany

januari 5, 2018 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

genealogy and family history research in Bialystok, Poland

Legacy Tree Onsite: The Archdiocesan Archives of Białystok, Poland

Legacy Tree Genealogists works with researchers from across the globe to access records for our clients. We asked Adam, onsite in Poland, to share his experiences researching at the Archdiocesan Archives of Białystok, Poland.

genealogy and family history research in Bialystok, Poland

The city of Białystok became a temporary seat of the Vilnius Roman Catholic Archdiocese in 1945 when the Archbishop Romuald Jałbrzykowski was forced to leave the city of Vilnius once it was incorporated into the Soviet Union. After World War II, Białystok became the home of the church offices as well as of organizations such as the Archbishop's Court, the Archbishop's Curia, and the Theological Faculty of the Stefan Batory University, which were located previously in Vilnius. Today, the Archdiocesan Archives of Białystok (Archiwum Archidiecezjalne w Białymstoku) houses historical manuscript material in the Department of History (Dział Historyczny) and transcripts of historical baptism certificates, marriages records, and death records from the entire diocese and, even more interesting, from some areas of Belarus and Lithuania, within the Department of Metrics (Dział Metryczny).

The Metrical (Sacramental) Book Collection

The Metrical Archive has copies of the parish registers (1,041 volumes in total) from 1865 to the present. However, the general public can only access the records prior to the last 100 year due to privacy laws. The documents are organized according to deanery jurisdiction:*

  • Białystok Deanery – 430 record books
  • Koryciny Deanery – 64 record books
  • Krynsk Deanery – 81 record books
  • Knyszyn Deanery – 93 record books
  • Dąbrowa Białostocka Deanery – 74 record books
  • Sokółka Deanery – 182 record books
  • Grodno Deanery (1865-1937) 92 record books
  • Łunna Deanery (1922-1937) 25 record books

Today, parishes continue the 19th century practice of sending copies of their records from the previous year to the archive by the end of March, annually. These duplicates, more commonly called Bishop's copies, are arranged by deanery, and bound into one register. The vicars are also responsible for filing the documents with annotations about contracted marriages, ordinations, confirmations, and annulled marriages.

Access to Documentsgenealogy and family history research in Bialystok, Poland

All records from 1865 to at least 1916 are written in Russian, so it is much easier to use the archive if you have at least some knowledge of Russian script. The documents contain indexes for easy reference. Although the archive is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, as well as from 10:00 to 18:00 on Wednesday, genealogists can work with documents only during a four-hour time slot from 09:00 to 13:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 13:00 to 17:00 on Wednesday. It is forbidden to take photos of the records or to photocopy documents, but the access to the archive is free of charge, and you are able to take notes about information that is found. The institution is closed during various church and state holidays.

Department of History

The oldest archival materials can be found in the Archive’s History Section. It is a collection of documents donated by various church institutions and parish archives.

Among other things, one can find there:

  • Documents from the beginning of the 16th century
  • Parish records
  • Records from the monastery in Klimówka (17th-19th century)
  • Documents left by late bishops
  • Some records from parishes that are now in the territory of Lithuania and Belarus (mostly memoirs, photos, maps)

Before Your Visit

genealogy and family history research in Bialystok, PolandAs with visiting any archive, it is always a good idea to make a phone call prior to the visit to ensure the archive will be open, as from time to time they may be closed to the public. Because of the ban on pictures and photocopies, it is also useful to bring something to take notes on, as well as the names of ancestors and places in Russian Cyrillic so that it will be easier to find them in the vital records. Before beginning your genealogy research, it is also good to talk to the Ecclesiastical Archivist, who may give you another tip for where exactly to look for the particular records you need. Be sure to check out our article, 4 Steps for Finding Your Polish Ancestors for additional tips in tracing your Polish family history.

*Deanery: A subdivision of a diocese, consisting of a number parishes, over which presides a dean appointed by a bishop.

If you have Polish ancestry and need help obtaining records, we would love to assist you! Our professional genealogists and onsite agents have the language and research skills needed to find your ancestors in records all over the world. Contact us to discuss your research goal(s) and which of our project options would work best for you.

Filed Under: Eastern Europe, Onsite

december 29, 2017 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 4 Comments

genealogy research goal

Setting SMART Genealogy Research Goals for the New Year

With the start of each new year, many of us think about and set new goals to accomplish, to live by, to achieve. It is never too late in life to set these goals and look to better our lives and those of our families. Each new day presents new opportunities to reach these goals, and if we fall short one day, we can always strive to do better the next. With the new year upon us, you have likely considered goals you would like to achieve, but have you considered including genealogy research-related goals you would like to work on?

The term SMART goals was first known in November of 1981, and have been used by both businesses and individuals ever since. Over time they have changed slightly, but the principles are still the same. What does SMART stand for?

S – Specific, or significant, stretching, stimulating, simple, self-owned, strategic, sensible.

M – Measurable, or meaningful, motivating, manageable, maintainable.

A – Achievable, or attainable, action-oriented, appropriate, assignable, ambitious, accepted, audacious.

R – Relevant, or rewarding, results-oriented, realistic, resourced, recorded, reviewable, robust.

T – Time based or time-bound, time-lined, trackable.

As you think about including family history and genealogy research as part of your goals for the new year, how can you make this work for you?

S – Specific

Genealogy is typically an area where we think long-term. We want to find our family reaching out ”as far as we can go”. We want to take our family back to the Mayflower or the beginning of time.

Extending all your family lines as far as records will allow is an admirable goal, but is not realistic to set as a single goal, or to expect to accomplish in one year. With each generation, the number of family lines in our tree doubles. As we explain in our article, Genealogy by the Numbers, your two parents quickly turn into 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents, 32 3x great grandparents, 64 4x great grandparents, 128…, 256…, and so on. Assuming an average of 25 years, going back 6 generations is only 150 years but there will be 64 family lines that can be pursued.

Setting a specific goal would be to research and extend one family line this year, as far back as time and records/documentation can be found. Another might be to overcome your “brick wall” and locate documents detailing the life of the last ancestor in your tree, with the goal to locate their parents.

M – Meaningful

What goal are you trying to achieve? Are you looking for names and dates only, or are you trying to locate as much information about your family in context with the time and place they lived in as you can find? This is a very personal decision, but it does affect they way you'll conduct your research, so you should decide ahead of time which route you'll take with your research. Our article, Putting the ”Story” Back in Family History may help you as you make your decision, but remember, there is no right or wrong answer to how you pursue your family history goals.

Within my own family I have a cousin who has taken the original grandfather dating back to the early 1500s and over a period of many years has written a book for each of his 5 sons and all of the descendants of each. Very little is presented on the individuals themselves except their names, dates, spouses, children and occasionally their occupations. There is not much else that needs to be written for many of his readers that still live in Finland. Through the last 500 years, many of the family still lives within a 50-mile radius from where the first ancestors lived, so they know the geographic area, traditions, and many of the relatives firsthand.

However, for me, personally, I’m looking for that connection of who they were, what they looked like, how did they live? These books that have been written are treasures to me, but I want to add the documents, history, and photos of the area where they lived, and connections with family who knew some of these ancestors.  This is an on-going portion of my family history goal, and one that has given me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction.

setting family history and genealogy research goals
The original “Brides house” in Sumiainen, Finland.

Remember, there is no right or wrong answer here. Your goal this year might be to locate the names and dates of your ancestors on one family line, and then next year you can learn more about them. Whatever works best for you is just fine – just make it specific and meaningful to YOU!

A – Action Oriented, Assignable

Create a list of specific steps that will help you accomplish your goal in the coming year. List specifically what family line you are trying to extend. Are you starting from scratch or trying to overcome a “brick wall” that you have been working on for years? Is this goal one you want to (and feel like you can) accomplish yourself, or one you are going to need help with? What information are you missing? What documents do you hope to find? What location(s) do you plan to look for this information?

R – Recorded, Reviewable, Robust

This is my favorite part of setting a genealogical goal, but it can also be the most time-consuming! If you have done any genealogical research at all, I'm sure you have come across numerous trees that list names and connections that have no sources or documentation to back them up. How do you know these trees are accurate? The simple answer is, you don’t! While you strive to create your family tree and extend your family lines, don’t forget to take the time to document your family members' lives and add sources to each individual in your tree, assuring future generations that your tree is correct, and if you publicly share your tree, to let current distant family members know that your information is accurate.

T – Time-based

This one can be a bit tricky. In the context of setting a yearly goal you might make your goal one that extends for the entire year. Or possibly you want to research one family line per month. Maybe you are trying to build time into your busy schedule, so instead of setting a goal of how far back you hope to go, your goal migth be to work on your family history so many hours per day, week, month, or year.

The goal(s) you make for the coming year will work together to help you learn more about your family history. They may include researching a family member or a family line, digitizing photographs to share with your family members, or maybe writing a family or individual history for yourself or your family members to preserve precious details about their lives.

As you decide what your family history goal(s) will be for the coming year, we wish you great success in setting and accomplishing these goals! If your goal is one that needs outside help, we would love to assist you. Our team of professional genealogists and worldwide onsite agents can help you with any family history goal you might have. Contact us today to discuss our project options.

Learn how to set SMART genealogy and family history research goals.

Filed Under: Methodology

december 22, 2017 by Legacy Tree Genealogists 7 Comments

obtaining genealogy records from the General Register Office (GRO)

Ordering Records from the General Register Office of England and Wales

If you have British ancestry and have done any research on those family lines, you've probably noticed that the index information for vital records doesn't provide you with a lot of details – usually not even the exact date of the event. However, the actual records themselves can contain quite a bit of helpful information, and are almost always worth the time and effort to obtain them from the General Register Office (GRO). In this article, we'll share how to request these records in order to extend your family history.

Mandatory civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths in England and Wales began in 1837, and these records can be ordered online through the General Register Office (GRO). Before you can place your order you will need to create a free account. Once you’ve registered you can either order a record right away, or search the index for a reference number before ordering. Although supplying the GRO reference number when placing an order does not change the cost, it does change how quickly your order is processed. Records are processed by the General Register Office in 4 business days if you send them the reference number, while orders without the reference number take 15 business days to process. Once processed, the certificates are mailed out and take anywhere between three and ten business days to arrive, depending on the destination.

Indexes to General Register Office reference numbers can be found in several different places online. Currently, you can search indexes of births (1837-1916) and deaths (1837-1957) directly on the GRO website when you log into your account. One advantage of searching the indexes directly on the General Register Office website is that you can order a certificate directly from the index entry and reference information will be added automatically on the order form. The General Register Office does not have indexes of marriage records.

Another website to access civil registration index reference numbers is FreeBMD. Users can start searching immediately, as the website does not require a login. As expressed in its name, FreeBMD is a free website which contains indexed references for civil births, marriages, and deaths. Most birth and marriage entries have been indexed for 1837 to 1983, but index coverage after 1983 is only mostly complete.[1] Index coverage of death records 1837 to 1974 is complete with partial coverage of 1975 to 1983.[2]

For example, if you were looking for a marriage record for James Andrus in England between 1890 and 1900, you could not look on the index at the General Register Office website because they do not provide an index for any marriages. Instead, you could check another website such as FreeBMD. Enter the information you know into the search box and click “find”.

General Register Office (GRO)

Be aware that dates in these indexes are recorded by quarter so James married sometime in the fourth quarter (October, November, December) of 1894, not necessarily in December. The entry below from FreeBMD contains all the information you would need to order the record, including the name of the individual, the quarter and year, and the district, volume, and page information.

General Register Office (GRO)

 

To place the order, return to the General Register Office website and click “place an Order”. Select the type of event and indicate that you have the GRO index reference number. (If you were unable to find a reference to the event you are looking for, you can still place an order on the GRO website by indicating the year in which you believe the event took place. Workers will then review records for that year as well as one year before and after to try and locate the desired record.) You will then be asked to provide the name of the individual as well as the GRO reference details which includes the quarter and year, district, volume, and page information.

Some of the major genealogy sites (Ancestry.com, for example) also provide indexes to these records, and may have a link that says ”order this record” somewhere on the page after you find an entry in the index. While these links are convenient and efficient, ordering the record directly from the General Register Office site yourself generally costs much less. So if you prefer a lower cost we recommend using the reference information you find on another site to order the record yourself. If you prefer convenience and aren't as worried about cost, go ahead and click that link and allow the 3rd party site to order the record for you!

If you have British ancestry and need help locating birth, marriage and/or death information for your ancestors, or would like assistance with obtaining vital records for them, we would love to help! Contact us today to discuss your project goal(s).

[1] https://www.freebmd.org.uk/progressB.shtml and https://www.freebmd.org.uk/progressM.shtml.

[2] https://www.freebmd.org.uk/progressD.shtml

Filed Under: Genealogy Records and Resources

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