This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Starting your Family TreeA course for beginning

genealogists.

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

• Contact Information – Tel. 581-2432; Email classes@christiancounty.lib.mo.us

• Please feel free to ask questions or ask me to repeat or slow down

• We will not cover any advanced research techniques

• We will cover how to begin to research your ancestors and history

Library Community

Courses

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

•Keep organized•Document everything•Use standard abbreviations•Use as many sources as possible•Keep records of where you look even if you find nothing

Things

To

Remember

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

“The Kit”

Notebook Binder or file folderInterview SheetsPencils and PensTape recorderCamera

Charcoal or black crayonsPlain white paper Bug sprayRoll of quartersDollar billsMap

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Begin at the beginning

Your family history starts with you!

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

•Birth certificate

•School records

•Church documents

•Photo albums

•Scrapbooks

•Ask your parents

•Where have you lived?

•Where have you worked?

•Get a copy of your SS-5 form (Social Security application)

Prove you exist

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Is there anyone else?Is anyone in your family already researching your family tree?

Will they be willing to share their information with you?

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Gathering Information

• Interviews• Local Library• Local Historical

Society• Internet• Other Places

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The Interview Process

Tip: Always remember to be polite when conducting an interview. You are going to be asking some personal questions. You need to remember that and be sensitive to their feelings.

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Who do I interview?

• All relatives starting with the oldest

– YOURSELF!– Parents– Grandparents– Uncles– Aunts

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Your Local Library or Historical society

What kinds of materials are available?

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

• Census

• Local Newspapers

• Other Local records

• Family history books

• Platt books

• Cemetery Records

• Marriage records

• Personal Property Tax records

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Ye Olde Handwriting

When looking at old records, remember that the handwriting may be a chore to decipher.

Let’s look at examples on the following web page.Deciphering Old Handwriting - From a genealogy course taught by Sabina J. Murrayhttp://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/oldhand.html

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Internet Resources

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

• US GenWeb Project

http://usgenweb.org/

• RootsWeb

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

• Cyndi’s List

http://www.cyndislist.com/

• Ancestry (subscription only)

http://www.ancestrylibrary.com/

• Heritage Quest (subscription only)

http://www.heritagequestonline.com/

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Other places to look

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

•Court House

•Funeral Homes

•Cemeteries

•Church Records

•Family Bible

This project has been made possible by a grant from the U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

When Researching

• Some information is not available either through destruction or because of privacy laws

• Place names change, Borders are moved, Places are lost

• Writing is sometimes hard to decipher and not always spelled correctly or even the same way twice

• Ask for help• Share if someone asks

• Thank you for coming

• Feel free to repeat this class or sign up for other classes at the circulation desk

Questions?