Getting Started in Genealogy Research
Getting starting in genealogy research is a very exciting
"journey" that you will take in getting to know your family from
years past! When I research, I am "getting to know my family members"
that I did not have the opportunity to know in years past. To me, it is way
more than just looking up names and dates, but an opportunity to learn the
characteristics of that person. What kind of person was this person? Was she
kind? Did he/she love her family? What were her passions, and interests? It is
through research that you learn so much about your family members. My favorite
source of information is the federal census. When I look a family up in the
census, not only do I see who was living with the family at the time of the
census date, but who their neighbors were in the geographical location that
they lived in. Some of the information
on the Federal Census will tell you what they did for a living, if they owned
their home , how much money they had in personal and real property, how long
they were married, how many children had been born and survived, etc. So much
information is listed on that one family line. Could they read and write? How many years of school did they have?
One thing that I learned early on in my research was that
back in "olden days" the illiteracy rate was very high. Last names
were often spelled the way the Census worker "heard it pronounced".
That is one reason why you will see surnames change spelling from generation to
generation. My surname Bowling started as De Boulogne , to De Bolling, to
Bolling, to Bowling, Bowlin, Boulen, Bohlen, and on and on.... This is critical
in researching your family name, be open and aware of misspelling of names, it
will happen!