There’s never enough time to check all of the sources that might contribute to o ur family history, so the only solution is to check them out in some sort of logical order that uses our time most effectively.
Initially my motives were less than noble—I wanted money for school. Because my family’s oral history claimed that we descended from Cherokee Indians, I thought that if I documented my family’s roots, I might be able tap into scholarship funds for Native American descendants.In December 1999, I started my quest.
Christmas is often a profoundly emotional and sentimental time for families and friends to celebrate with each other, and with gifts, food, and special decorations for their homes and offices.
We often reckon the passage of time by generations, but just how long is a generation?As a matter of common knowledge, we know that a generation averages about 25 years—from the birth of a parent to the birth of a child—although it varies case by case.
A Utah interviewee discusses riding with Buffalo Bill. Former slaves living in Indiana discuss the Underground Railroad. Jazz musicians paint a picture of depression-era Chicago. Tens of thousands of pages documenting real lives—all courtesy of a program intended to get people back to work and sponsored by the federal government.
Most of us obtained our first knowledge of family history from our parents or other relatives, either to answer our questions or to give us information they felt we should know. Invariably, the information was recalled from their memories, without reference to any record or memorandum.
One of the many pleasures of family history is exploring new places to research. Among the most interesting are those sites that are close to where our ancestors lived. So the local courthouse should not be overlooked as a valuable resource for your family history.
Places aren’t everything in family history research, but frequently they seem to come very close. With newly available digital capabilities, we can now search globally for a person’s name across a multitude of data bases.
North American cities are more ethnically diverse than any other urban centers in the world: New Orleans has its celebrated French Quarter. Chicago houses Germantown. San Francisco’s Chinatown is famous. And New York City has historically been a gathering place for immigrants of many ethnic backgrounds. These ethnic urban centers are not the result of chance or of civic diversification programs.
Vital records access for family historians is growing ever more difficult and it’s not likely to change. Here’s why.
Vital records—the certificates recorded in local or state vital statistics offices—have traditionally been the first original records sought by newcomers to family history once they have exhausted home sources and the recollections of living relatives.
