Genealogical Research: A Family Key

People may be motivated to research their family tree for many reasons. Some common incentives include a sense of history and identity, the requirement of proof of inheritance or pedigree, ancestor worship or salvation, or simple curiosity regarding one’s background. Historically, familial memory and oral history were keys to the establishment of one’s family lineage. In modern times the proliferation of written records has largely replaced the need for dependence on such unsubstantiated sources—although not all written records are dependable, and a certain amount of skepticism ought to be employed in their evaluation.

Establishing one’s genealogy today still usually begins with the analysis of family folklore, or personal mementos such as journals, family bibles, or photo collections. However, in much of the world relationships can now be confirmed through written records. There are many sources of such records; vital statistics and civil registration offices, which maintain birth, marriage, and death records, are among the best. Although not infallible, these types of documents are generally considered primary sources of genealogical information because the data were recorded at the time of the noted event. Other good sources include:

• houses of worship, which may have much earlier information than civil records offices and often have baptismal, confirmation, and burial records;

• cemeteries, which provide both tombstone inscriptions (sometimes including references to family relationships, military service, and memberships in various organizations in addition to the deceased’s date and place of birth and death) and sextons’ records (which may reveal plot ownership and provide keys to family relationships);

• census records, which, although they are sometimes flawed, may also provide many details about everyday life that are not otherwise available;

• military service records, which provide dates of service and discharge details, and military pension records, which sometimes include details such as medical documents;

• immigration and naturalization records, which include ship passenger lists and citizenship petitions;

• probate records, which document estate inventories, real estate ownership, and guardians appointed for minor children;

• local newspapers, which often carry obituaries as well as reports of social events, milestone anniversaries, and wedding or birth announcements.

Tracing one’s roots has become easier owing to the explosion in archival material available on the Internet. A wealth of genealogical Web sites facilitate the establishment of connections with distant relatives, as do online phone directories, where it is possible to search for others with the same family name. In many cases the ease of obtaining information electronically has eliminated the need to travel physically to the location of the source documents. This ease makes it feasible for nearly anyone to research his or her family background, inevitably resulting in the expansion of the sum of genealogical knowledge that will be readily available to the next generation of researchers.