Category: Education

The Genealogy Age Gap – A "youngster’s" perspective

I just read a post entitled “The Genealogy Age Gap – How do we expand to include youth?” written by James Tanner at Genealogy’s Star.  The premise of the article intrigued me because I started my genealogical research at a relatively young age (20ish).  I didn’t really get very serious until the past few years, so I was interested to see what others were saying about how to get younger generations truly interested in doing family history research.  Unfortunately, Mr. Tanner’s article painted an amazingly bleak picture and seemed to place the problem squarely at the feet of younger generations and not actually offer much in the way of constructive suggestions for getting younger people involved in genealogical research.

Since I fall just outside of what Mr. Tanner calls “older young adults” (his age range for that ends at 35, and I am 41 now), and I have two teenage daughters who have shown a genealogy spark, I thought I would offer a counter argument from a “youngster’s” perspective.

Mr. Tanner’s conclusion was:

It is only when the youth start seriously considering their relationship to the greater human family and particularly to their own relatives that the desire to discover the details of this relationship can begin to grow and prosper. Meanwhile, we need to recognize that many youth do not acquire and have not acquired the basic skills that would allow them to pursue genealogical research. You cannot plumb a dry well.

I think that this simply short sells our youth and young adults.  I have worked with hundreds of local youth through various volunteer organizations including Junior Achievement and a local organization called Chain Reaction, and I have found that the vast majority of them are quite intelligent, very computer literate (beyond simply playing games and working a remote as Mr. Tanner says), and given the chance, most have the patience and research skills that would help them to excel in genealogical research.  Instead of tearing down our youth and young adults, let’s look at ideas for how to ignite that spark to take an interest in family history.

First and foremost, let’s look at terminology.  I know that the formal name for the study of families and their lineage is “genealogy,” but if you were to ask a young adult or someone in their teens if they were interested in genealogy, most would give you a blank stare and tell you they weren’t.  However, if you were to ask that same person if they are interested in finding out who their great grandparents were and finding out where their family really came from, I have the feeling that the response would be much more positive.  I have heard a number of youth and young adults discuss the TV show “Who Do You Think You Are” in very positive terms.  The show sells genealogy in terms that younger people will relate to.

The second major factor in getting the younger generations involved in genealogy is the use of technology.  As I said earlier, I started my research almost two decades ago.  When I started my research, almost the only research that could be done on the computer was “World Family Trees” that could be accessed only through FamilyTree Maker, and some very limited records.  Beyond that, technology was barely used in genealogy.  It has only been in the past ten years or so that utilizing technology for family history research has started to become truly viable.  Whether we like it or not, our youth are technology oriented.  If we tell them that the only way to do family history research is to go to courthouses, I can pretty much guarantee that they will turn up their noses.  However, if we show them how they can use technology to get started (Ancestry.com has done a wonderful job of doing this!), we will bring them into the genealogical past time.  As anyone who has done this for very long knows, once you get started and find the interest, going to a courthouse to do research is the equivalent of going on a field trip in school – you can’t wait to go again and again!

The final factor in getting younger generations interested in doing family history research is more problematic.  Mr. Tanner is correct in saying that younger generations need to have a connection to their families and their family history in order to succeed at pursuing family history research.  The problem is that our culture has changed so much that we, as parents and grandparents, have no frame of reference to understand the incredible tidal wave of stimuli that our younger generations deal with on a daily basis.  Young people are bombarded by every stimulus imaginable that competes for their attention, and inevitably, connection to their family suffers as a result.  In many, many cases, parents that grew up in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s have learned to let TV, homework, and electronic stimulation take their child away from the family.  We need to learn how to relate to teens and young adults in ways that are on their terms and spark that interest in family.  We cannot just say that youth have to start “seriously considering their relationship to the greater human family” if we are not helping them to understand and appreciate that relationship.

I don’t believe that the age gap in genealogy is insurmountable or even that difficult to overcome.  But I do think that it will take all of us examining how we relate to younger generations and how we portray and promote family history research.  Let’s continue to improve the use of technology; increase the number of records available electronically, and let’s take a moment to stop and relate to the younger generation and find that story in your family’s past that will intrigue someone younger.

Basics of Genealogy – Paper Organization

Paper organization….ah, the subject that all genealogists know we need, we all strive for, and you can learn to dread if you haven’t started with a system or started with one, but just couldn’t maintain it.  The key to an organization system, whether dealing with genealogy or any other type of organizing, is to find a system that works for you and that you enjoy using.  If you simply try to take someone else’s “system” and force yourself to use it, you are most likely doomed from the outset.  What I offer below is my own personal system and a few suggestions for changing it. 


First, let me put out a disclaimer….I admit that my system is by no means perfect, but hopefully you can do as I did and take pieces of this system and various others and adapt them into your own personalized system.

Okay…the basic physical “shell” of the system is pretty simple.  It just consists of hanging file folders and regular manila folders.  For the hanging folders, I recommend box bottom ones because eventually you will need the expansion room that they offer.  My file folders are the type that have the two hold punch paper “brads” built in (like what you see in the picture.  I will explain why I chose those here in just a bit.  Outside of those two types of folders, I also have an accordion-style folder that I use for my “to go” research.

Now…to the “meat” of the system.  My system is relatively simple.  Each hanging file folder is labeled with a Surname that I am researching (Washler, Link, Hill, Hablawetz, etc.).  Within that hanging file, I have a series of regular file folders.  The first is a Surname Research folder.  I usually label that folder simply SURNAME Research (e.g. WASHLER Research).  This folder contains my notes pages that pertain to multiple families within the name, or notes that I have not been able to confirm which family they belong to, as well as any evidence that I have found that I have not been able to attach to a specific family.  After the Surname Research Folder, I have two folders for each family within the surname.

The first folder will be the Family Proof folder.  The label for this one is SURNAME – Husband/Wife Proof (e.g. LINK – Isaac/Anna Proof).  This folder is where I keep all of the originals of any evidence I have collected regarding this family.  Examples would be printed copies of Census Records, Copies or original newspaper clippings, original vital records (birth, death, marriage, etc) and any other item of proof that I have collected.  Some of these folders hold full manuscripts that I have obtained from various sources.  If I have a reference book that mentions this family, I keep a source sheet in the proof folder that references the book, where it is on my shelves, and the pages that mention the family.  This folder never, I repeat never, leaves the house.  If I had to grab just one section of my genealogy research during a house fire, it would be these folders because they contain everything I would need to completely rebuild my research!

The second folder is the Family research folder.  These folders will typically be named SURNAME – Husband/Wife (e.g. LINK – Isaac/Anna).  Within this folder, I keep everything I need to research this particular family.  The first thing that is added to each folder is the Family Group Sheet for that family.  I use a two hole punch at the top and then use the brads on the folder to attach it to the front cover.  I use the family group sheet generated by FamilyTree Maker, but you could also use a hand-written form similar to the one offered by Ancestry.com.  The other sheets that are usually contained in this folder are a Research Extract and a Source Summary.  The Research Extract form is a quick and convenient way to make notes on specific pieces of evidence that I find, and the Source Summary is a running log of what sources I have used in my research for that family.  The Source Summary has been invaluable to me in preventing me from back-tracking or going back over a source that I have already gleaned information from or found to be a dead end.  The other part that I like about the Source Summary sheet is that if I need to go back to the source where I found a piece of information, this sheet will tell me where that was without having to pull up FamilyTree Maker.  In addition to the pre-printed forms, I typically keep a photo-copy of any evidence pieces that I have not fully evaluated and cited, all of my hand-written research notes for this family.

I mentioned earlier that I use an accordion-style folder for my “to go” research.  This is really used for library or courthouse trips where I may be planning to research more than one family.  I can take the family research folders that I will need and slip those into the accordion file for easy storage and transportation.

I should include here a brief mention of how I determine when to create the family research and proof folders.  My general rule of thumb is that once I have evidence or proof of a child in a particular family getting married, I promote them to their own set of folders.  My reasoning for that rule is that once I have the information on their marriage, I am more likely to begin working on tracing their children and adding to their life stories.  If a child remains unmarried, I will usually leave them in their parents’ set of folders for my research.

I also carry with me a “general” research folder.  This folder contains notes that may pertain to more than one surname as well as my research “cheat sheets” such as a short set of notes on how to properly cite certain types of sources, lessons learned on how to deal with certain types of sources, and anything else of a nature that doesn’t pertain directly to one particular family.

One final note about my folder system.  If there was one thing I would change about this system, it is the idea that I have seen of color coding each surname.  The idea here is that all of the folders (hanging and manila) for a particular surname would be the same color.  This makes it easier to very quickly find the surname you are looking for in a filing cabinet FULL of research folders.  Someday, if I have the time and energy, I will likely go back to my filing cabinet and add this element.

Next in my “basics” series, I will talk about electronic organization of genealogy research.  As always, I welcome comments and suggestions for future posts!

Happy digging!

Basics of Genealogy – Getting started

About 20 years ago, I first took an interest in where my family came from and decided to do some “family research.”  At the time, I honestly didn’t even know it was called genealogy!  I just wanted to find out about my family history.  I started where everyone probably starts (or where everyone should start) – by asking my parents about their parents and grand parents.  Over the past two decades, that initial curiosity has turned into a full-blown passion (okay, maybe obsession) for tracing my family history and for genealogy in general.  I never would have believed back then that I would become an evangelist of sorts for genealogy, but here I am.

Along the way, I have made a great number of mistakes in my research – especially when I was starting out.  Some of those mistakes, like not getting enough information from relatives while they were will alive, may turn out to be critical.  Others, like not documenting or organizing my research correctly, were avoidable yet very correctable.  The purpose of this series of articles is to help others avoid the mistakes that I have made along the way as well as share some of the knowledge I’ve gained as far as tools, tips and tricks.

So for this first “installment,” let’s talk about just getting started and some of the mistakes that I made when I first started out.  Sometimes that can seem like the easiest or the most intimidating part.  Where on earth do you get started?!  The answer is simple…

1)  Talk to your living resources.  Notice that I didn’t say just living family.  You should talk to not just your parents, but also your aunts, uncles, grandparents (if you are lucky enough to have living grandparents), cousins, great aunts and uncles, even “distant” cousins.  Ask them for facts…the who, what, when and where.  Also ask them for stories!  Stories can sometimes provide more information than we realize.  You may glean a nugget that means very little now, but down the road, it could be the key that blasts through a brick wall.  Don’t stop with your living family though.  Inevitably, in those stories, you will hear friends and neighbors mentioned.  When you do, go talk to them too.  Often times, friends and neighbors who have known your family for a while will remember details that your own family has forgotten.

2) Take notes.  I can’t stress this enough.  Take notes on everything, not just what you think is important at the time.  Even better, if you can, record the conversations with your phone or other digital recorder and then transcribe the conversation later.  Taking notes will save you later from trying to think back through your conversations to pull out that one detail that you remember hearing, but just can’t quite recall.  If you don’t conduct your interviews or conversations in person, be sure to save the letters and emails in a hard copy form for review over and over.  Going hand in hand with taking notes is…

3) Document, document, document.  Did I mention that your should document your sources?  Make sure you write down the who, when and where for any sources, especially those oral interviews and letters.  Later on, you may be able to connect some dots just by knowing who said what.  I strongly suggest using a standard form of documentation for everything even if you never plan to do anything “formal” with your research.  The more standardized you keep things, the easier it will be for you to sort things out down the road when you have REAMS of notes.  I found this article on Genealogy.com to be incredibly helpful as it combines both the Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA guides on documentation.  I know it seems very “formal,” but it is very worth it in the end to start off this way.

4) Try to stay organized.  This is actually the subject of my next post in this series, but I wanted to touch on it briefly here.  Even if you don’t follow a detailed organization system like what I will talk about in the next post in the series, I strongly suggest you keep your notes and sources organized by family name early on.  I have been learning this the hard way as I am still going back through stacks of my early research to organize it and finding information that I found early on, but didn’t know I had because I didn’t have it organized.  I have smacked myself in the head several times as I realized I had a clue or key piece of information for years, but never used it because I didn’t organize.

I hope this post helps you if you are just getting started in your family history research.  It is one of the most rewarding “hobbies” that I have taken up and being able to pass all of this on to future generations is something that I hope those future generations will enjoy.

Let me know what you might like to see as I go along on these “how-to” posts!

A New Series of Posts in Development

So far on the blog, I have been sticking pretty much to the daily prompts provided by the Geneabloggers website so that I could get my feet wet and begin to build a bit of a reader base with this blog, but I think it’s time to branch out some.  (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the genealogy pun!)

I am still going to continue to write on the Geneabloggers prompts, as well as more posts directly about the various lineages that I am researching.  In addition, I am developing a new series of posts that I think will resonate with readers of all genealogical levels.  The series is going to be much more of a “how to” series.  It will include tips for beginning genealogists such as paper organization, places to start research, and suggestions for overcoming brick walls, among others.  The series will also include a significant focus on technology in genealogy.  I want to include this technological focus for two reasons – 1) I am a technology professional by trade and 2) I have begun to utilize technology more robustly in my own research and think that my experiences will be of use to others.

Let me know what topics you would like to see in either series!

Thrifty Thursday – Getting started without going broke

This is a tip for those who may be just getting started on their genealogy journey.  We have all seen the wonderful ads put out by Ancestry showing just how easy it is to click a leaf and discover new branches of our family tree, but when you start looking at the monthly cost of a subscription, I have the feeling most new genealogists stall out after the initial free 7 day trial.

Don’t despair because there are a number of FANTASTIC free resources out there on the internet that you can use to continue your research!


Make no mistake – I love Ancestry and several other of the paid sites and I have been using them off and on for years.  Most of the subscription sites offer amazingly easy search capabilities and an incredible treasure trove of records.  I just know that for most people, paying for a subscription can be a stopping point until you are fully “hooked” (addicted?) to genealogy.

Perhaps my favorite free resource is FamilySearch.org.  This site is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and is a direct link into their Family History Library (FHL).  I first discovered the FHL when I was starting out in my genealogy journey, but back then, I had to find one of the local FHL locations, and go there to manually search through their microfilm  collections, order the films and then get the copies of records that I needed.  FamilySearch.org has nearly eliminated that altogether!

FamilySearch.org is a digitized version of most of the collections contained in the FHL including some very comprehensive state collections, census records and many others.  The FHL is an incredible collection that has yielded more results and documents for me than I can even begin to recount, and to have this resource at home for free is just incredible.

I encourage any new genealogist to go check out FamilySearch.org and see what they have to offer.  While you are there, be sure to avail yourself of the free learning resources that they offer – it makes the genealogy journey so much easier when you learn from those who have gone before.

Changing Focus: The evolution of an amateur genealogist

As with most things, I’m finding that my genealogy is evolving…

When I started my genealogical journey, I had really only one “goal” and I suppose what you might call a vague “end” in mind.  The goal was to prove that I had an ancestor who had served in the American Revolution, and the “end” was to see what I could find out about where my family came from.  My goal was the result of a promise to my mother to verify a family “legend” and the end…well, I suppose the end I had in mind was what I thought genealogy was all about.

Fast forward a decade or two to the present…. This past fall, I achieved my goal with flying colors (more on that in another post), and in the process, I found out that genealogy isn’t necessarily what I originally thought it was – at least not for me.  I started out those many years ago thinking that genealogy was just tracing your family tree back over the generations with as many dates as you could find.  What I have come to find is what many “serious” genealogists probably knew all along:  that genealogy is hard research, exacting documentation and building enough pieces of evidence to say you have “proven” a particular link.

My realization about the “hard” part of genealogy came directly as a result of proving that Revolutionary War lineage.  As I sought that goal, I decided to look into what it would take to join the Sons of the American Revolution and for my daughters to be able to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.  What I found was that those organizations required meticulous documentation and organized research  that up to that point, I had not really been doing.  I was admittedly a very amateur genealogist.

So I went back and assembled and organized all of the documentation to prove my Revolutionary Ancestor.  I went back and documented the U.S. Census records, learning to cite them correctly.  I ordered certified copies of birth, death and marriage certificates where they could be found.  I learned what other cited evidence constituted proof by the standards of the DAR and SAR.  Finally, this winter, the final birth certificates arrived and I was able to submit my application.

After the realization of that goal, I found myself staring at volumes of paper documentation that I had not really organized, cited, noted or officially recorded.  Oh sure, I had used it all when I was putting those names and dates into my Family Tree Maker program over the years.  I had multiple generations going back nearly three centuries in a couple cases.  But what I realized that I didn’t have was documented and cited proof of all of those names and dates.  And there is where the change happened.

I’ve now gone back to the beginning…back to the very first generation.  I am going through all of those volumes of paper and organizing, properly recording and citing my evidence to formally prove all of my generations of lineage.  So needless to say, I now have a new goal of being able to fully present a family history that anyone can follow and enjoy the stories knowing that there is solid evidence behind the “legends” of the family.

My advice to any new genealogists starting out, whether you are doing it just for the “fun” of it or with a specific purpose in mind – stop and take some time to learn what it takes to properly cite a source and what reliable documentation is.  You will thank yourself years down the road when you can look at those volumes that you have accumulated and know exactly where each piece fits!  Enjoy the journey…it is as rewarding as any “end goal” that you may have in mind.