It is important to make the right start. There is more scope to do silly things, exert unnecessary effort and incur unnecessary expense in family history research as compared with many other hobbies. One false turn can have you barking up the wrong family tree. The internet itself, and what appears like a door to the ultimate instant family pedigree, doesn’t help in FH start up mode.
Expectations are usually too high, but the world wide web cannot tell you what the older members of your family can. Hence the rule: start with what you know, or can find out from people still alive. In its place, however, the internet can add a lot, even from the start, and especially for those readers who are already familiar with web browsing and online research.
Having said that, making mistakes is an important part of any learning process, and is part of making a good start to anything worthwhile. It is a matter of degree. People often forfeit a lifetime of pleasure in a particular pastime or sport because of a bad start – a poor teacher, bad advice, disparaging comments and so on. The type of mistake also matters – some mistakes are best avoided completely.
This chapter sets the starting scene and will hopefully make your early endeavours both effective and enjoyable.There are a few simple principles, about half a dozen more specific rules, and a tip or two but these amount to no more than common sense. At one level you need to decide what you are most interested in – ‘goal setting’ and all that – such as genealogy or family history as we have already defined them. Or you may have more specific aims within one or both of these approaches, such as relating to ancestors who fought in certain wars, those who emigrated to the USA, Canada or Australia, or those who share your first name.
These decisions impinge on: At another level you may just wish to give it a go and see what takes your fancy when you are in a better position to make longer-term decisions. That’s fine, and your aims, although important to clarify if you are to do anything seriously and over a long period, can wait a while. Anyway, guidance on setting your aims is part of these Getting Started guidelines.
Most family historians do a regular family tree study. You will probably want to see how far back you can trace your ancestors – say on your father’s side. There is a certain ‘something’ about searching for your own surname a few centuries back – that’s the genealogy side. And this is maybe to do with not knowing what you might find, and the surprise when you find it – the real life stories you will inevitably uncover. That’s the family history side.
Few readers will not want to know something about their ancestors, and bring them to life as we discussed in the introduction. In fact you can take both approaches – you need a branch or two of genealogical tree anyway on which to hang your stories. That’s what these Getting Started tips and guidelines will prepare you for.
What Do You Know?
Start with what you know. Draw a simple family tree showing your grandparents, parents, yourself and your children. Add birth, marriage and death dates. Ask older relatives for information until you have got as far into the past as possible. Target your oldest relatives. Write to or telephone those living at a distance. Get to those you don’t usually hear from as there is more chance of finding something new (rather than Nan’s same old stories).
Great aunts and uncles are a potential gold mine. Siblings of grandparents and great-grandparents usually provide more new information. Recollections of childhood and family intelligence can vary a lot, but it pays to get it all recorded anyway. Contemporary friends, neighbours and work colleagues of your oldest relatives can also usually contribute. They may have seen much more of them than the family.