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.

October 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.

March 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!