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BY USA B. HAWKINS AND CYNTHIA DOXEY ILLIONS OF PEOPLE, FROM TEENS TO GREAT-GRANDPARENTS, ARE ENJOYING FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY AS SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR HOBBIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY MAY BEGIN BY THINKING THAT THEY WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR ANCESTORS, SUCH AS WHEN AND WHERE THEY WERE BORN, MARRIED, AND DIED, OR HOW THEY WORKED AND LIVED. THESE RESEARCHERS CAN BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT FAMILY HISTORY DRAWS THEM CLOSER TO THEIR LIVING FAMILIES AS WELL. FAMILY HISTORY CAN BECOME A SOURCE OF LOVE AND APPRECIATION IN THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY AND IN THE EXTENDED FAMILY.

''Family history has brought my family closer together by helping each one of us become more knowl­ edgeable of our ancestors. Through sharing old stories, my family found that our lives parallel those of our ancestors in many ways."l People usually begin their search by asking living relatives for information and stories about their ancestors. Families can enjoy a feeling of unity as they focus their efforts on a common project. Family members can develop loving bonds between generations as they realize that we are all connected to the people whose lives shaped our past and present.

GETTING STARTED ON THE INTERNET

http://ce.byu.edu/islfamhist/secure/start.htm http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com free tutorial for beginning researchers from Continuing access to databases, instructional articles, Education at Brigham Young University online classes, links, other resources-subscription fee or purchase cost required for access to some resources www.ancestry.com online classes, access to databases, sharing information www.mytrees.com online with other researchers, other resources­ this Kindred Konnections®sit e includes access to data­ subscription fee or purchase cost required for access to bases, other resources-subscription fee some resources or purchase cost required for access to some resources

www.cyndislist.com www.usgenweb.org and www.worldgenweb.org thousands of links to family history web sites web sites based on location (countries, states, counties, on the internet, including links by geography (world­ and towns) containing maps, cemetery inscriptions, wide), ethnicity, experience (beginners), surnames, county courthouse records, and information about how religious groups, sources (census records, diaries and to contact local researchers and county officials for letters), libraries, and even, "Hit a Brick Wall?" many localities www.familysearch.org through­ computerized family records (35.6 million lineage­ out the linked names, and growing) submitted to The world Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, card catalog of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT, sharing information online with other researchers, finding a Family History Center near you for personal help, links to thousands of databases, and genealogy products to purchase

Photo Credit s: G. E. Ande rson Collection

Photo Credits: Comstock. Inc.

M ARRIAGE & F AMILIES 3 life easier for the family histo­ ry researcher, there is more to family history than sitting at a computer. Interviewing older family members and finding distant cousins who are researching your common ancestors can be as rewarding as discovering a related "sur­ name site" on the Internet. In addition to the names and dates and places that fam- ily members know or have in their records, family sto­ ries can provide interest and clues to the identities of earlier ancestors. Life in Grandmother's time-farm and house­ hold chores, experiences at written records, as school, memories of parents well as computer and extended family, fun and disks. The tech­ fights with siblings, favorite nology allows us activities, dreams, how grand­ ''Ever since I have begun to to avoid the time-consuming, parents met and courted, life be involved in my family's error-prone hand copying or as a young married couple, history, I have seen and felt re-typing necessary a decade religious observances, family a type of family bonding hap­ or two ago. traditions-all these things pening. Grandparents, uncles, The Internet contains and many more memories are aunts, and many others are not thousands of web sites that priceless stories that, record­ just willing, but wanting to help provide genealogy instruc­ ed on tape or video or written in any way they can." tion, access to others' down, will be cherished for research, and a place to store generations. Your cousins COMPUTER RESOURCES and share one's own data. who are researching common Among the great revolu­ Technological advances have family lines may have access tions in studying family histo­ also made it possible for to an old family Bible or a ry have been the personal many databases of original packet of letters that could computer and its link to the records, such as the census, include information that you wider world, the Internet. vital records, and immigra­ need to solve a family mys­ Software is available to record tion records, to be available tery. Meeting and coming to and share family information for searching on the Internet know these distant relatives on pedigree charts, family or on compact disk (CD). could lead you to information group sheets, and other While technology makes about family traits and give

4 MARRIAGE & FAMILIES your extended family the discover and share with their one. If you know that an knowledge and resources to families increase pride and epidemic or migration or war preserve a family cemetery or understanding of their her­ occurred at the time and place take a trip to the "old coun­ itage. being researched, that may try" -whether that's Florida explain why some family or France. AUTHENTIC INFORMATION members are missing from the ''/ realized that by learning As family history research census where they had been about your ancestors, you learn grows in popularity and living before or why the about yourself. Some people may records become available, children were sent to live with feel lost in life because they don't authenticity becomes increas­ relatives. Just comparing dates feel like they are part of any­ ingly important. A person for common sense-is it thing. Learning about your seeking his or her history may likely that a young man family helps you feel a part of too readily accept informa­ fathered his first child at age something important." tion that seems to "take the 15 with a woman who was Along with increased family back" a couple of 25?-will help eliminate interest in family history, generations. The more you mistakes, or at least bring researchers have benefited know about the time and up questions that should be from an abundance of newly place you are researching, the answered. available records in the past less likely that an unrelated If the family stories won't thirty years. Abraham Lincoln person with a name similar fit with the original records tried but was unable to trace to that of your ancestor will you find, start looking for his genealogy beyond his be mistaken for your ancestor. an explanation. An example mother and his paternal An open mind about names of this is Alton Hail, who grandfather.2 Now, with a few may prevent you from assum­ insisted that his great­ clicks of a computer mouse, ing there could never be more grandfather was David Hail we can trace Lincoln's heritage than one Micajah Pennington, of Ozark, Arkansas. But the back thirteen generations, to for example, and then begin­ David Hail on the records the 1400s on many lines. 3 ning to research two or three in Ozark was too young to People whose ances­ people as though they were be the father of all the try was considered children that family impossible to trace tradition had a few years ago, such assigned to as Native Americans him. A or African American researcher descendants of found the slaves-or anyone answer in the whose ancestors Franklin lived where the County court­ courthouse burned house in Ozark. down-are finding She found the records and ways to papers that gave deduce information guardianship of that lead to a growing children (whom family tree. 4 More the family important, the stories they thought belonged

M ARRIAGE & F AM ILIES 5 to David Hail) to their grand­ made mistakes. If the research have your genealogy handed parents. Their actual parents, is not well documented, turn to you on a silver platter, you Jacob and Elvira Kuykendall to original records to verify may want to make sure that Hail, died of food poisoning any information that seems the compiler did not depend in 1844. The food poisoning confusing or too good to be on legends or make leaps in tragedy was also a family true. For example, even logic to connect you to that story, but was also wrongly though it would be wonderful royal ancestor. attached to David Hail. Jacob to be related to royalty and A record of an event-a and Elvira's four children were brought up by their grandparents, aunts, and uncles, including their Uncle EXAMPLES OF SEARCHABLE David Hail, with whom DATABASES OF ORIGINAL RECORDS Jacob's son, Elias (Alton's grandfather and Dr. Hawkins' 1881 Census of the United Kingdom (CD) contains the nd 2 great-grand-father), lived entire 1881 census of England, Scotland, Wales, and for a time. Thus the story that Northern Ireland, searchable by name, locality, and house­ David was a direct ancestor hold; available for purchase through www.familysearch.org was probably born, because 1880 United States Census (CD) contains the entire 1880 Elias was only 5 years old U.S. census, including an index; available for purchase on when his parents died. The CD at www.familysearch.org guardianship papers allowed the extended family to put all Freedman's Bank Records (CD) contains records of 480,000 African-Americans who participated in Freedman's Bank the pieces in place and to during the years 1864-1871; includes information on their stop wondering about the birth, marriage, and family relationships; available for pur­ questions raised by the family chase on www.familysearch.org stories. Not all records are created Ellis Island Records (Internet site) contains records of equal. When deciding on the approximately 22 million immigrants to the United States authenticity of information, who passed through Ellis Island from 1892 to 1924, includ­ ing the ships' passenger lists and photographs of the ships you should find out if it is www.ellisislandrecords.org from original records, which are records created at or near Many of the Internet sites listed in Box 1 also contain the time of an event, or from searchable databases of original records compiled records, which are based on someone else's research and opinion. Compiled records are the first place to look after you've learned what you can from your family-after all, you might as well take advantage of another person's research­ but you need to remember that the compiler could have

6 birth or christening record Schwartz became Black, Association have demonstrat­ containing the baby's parents' Zimmerman sometimes ed their research ability and names, for example-is more became Carpenter, and if your knowledge of ethical prac­ likely to be accurate if the name was impossible for the tices. Some genealogists have record was made as a required clerk to understand, he might not earned accreditation or part of the event by someone have declared your American other formal recognition, but whose job it was to keep family name to be Roberts, still do an excellent job of records for a government or regardless of what it was in helping people with their church. Family records, espe­ Hungary. family histories. 5 While you cially family Bibles, are often When a genealogist or may want to find a profes­ rich with information record­ other writer compiles records sional genealogist to help ed at the time births, mar­ (as in county histories and your research along when it riages, and deaths occurred. family histories), the writer gets difficult, there is much Other records, such as pro­ should include the primary that even beginners can do bate records (wills, guardian­ sources used and their that provides the satisfaction ships), military records, and location. Refereed journals, of finding new information property records can have such as the New England for yourself. important family history Historical and Genealogical "Studying and researching information, although you Register, hold their contribu­ my family history has deepened may need to learn to read tors to strict standards so my respect for my ancestors and early handwriting or under­ that sources are reliable. has increased my love for them. stand legal terms. Similarly, Researchers who are fellows I feel much closer to my parents census takers spelled names of the American Society of and grandparents because I now the way they thought was Genealogists (FASG), who are understand them so much better correct and sometimes used Certified Genealogists (CG) than before. Family history truly initials instead of first names. by the Board for Certification does bind generations (Starling Wells of Virginia, of Genealogists, or who are together." without the Southern accent, Accredited Genealogists might have more accurately (AG) through the Utah been recorded as Sterling.) Genealogical Ellis Island clerks spelled names as they heard them, or may have translated the names into English. For example, German THERE IS A PECULIAR TUG TO THE HEART WHEN YOU COME FACE TO FACE WITH THE RECORD COMPLETING YOUR STORY family togeth­ OF YOUR FAMILY. THE ••• NAMES OF WELL-LOVED Most people are delighted er In this to learn more about their world, as well PERSONS NO LONGER ALIVE ••• REMAIN INTENSELY family histories. Some fami­ as the next, is HUMAN, POSSESSED OF A WARMTH WHICH lies make a presentation on more exciting IS DENIED TO MANY SOURCES OF HISTORY. - B. N. GoSWAMY the family- complete with than any book copies of records for every­ ever written- one- the centerpiece of a because it is your story. Yo ung University. They were asked, "How family reunion. Beginning "Family history gives me an has studying family history influenced you?" 2. Richard Hanks, "The Bo nds of Affection: genealogists may become intense understanding of self. It Abraham Lincoln's Search for His Ancestry," involved in the Old Settlers makes me feel, not just know, Lincoln Herald 99 (3): 130 33 (1997). Reunion in their ancestral my heritage. I gain so much 3. 0 n l in e : w w w. g e n e a l og y. com Genealogy.com--+ Community--+ Famous hometown because they dis­ respect for myself through it Folks--+ Li ncoln, Abraham--+ Ancestry of cover a part of their history because I am the summation of Abraham Lincoln--+ View this fam il y tree. began there. Others make a everyone before me. I also gain a Preparer: Rhonda R. McClure (1998) . 4. Patrick Orozco, ''I'm an Indian, But Who family trip to Accra or Athens gratitude for those people who am I?" Journal of California and Great Basin or Aberdeen and feel a sense left me with that heritage." 1 Anthropology 17 (1): 18-27 (1995); Alex Haley, of belonging that was missing Roots (New Yo rk: Dell, 1977); Jon Baker, Jr., "The Search fo r My Afri can-American in Abilene or Lisa B. Hawkins, J.D., is editor of Ancestry," Historical Archaeology 31(3): 7-17 Arcata. The MARRIAGE & FAMILIES and teaches an (1997). Honors writing class at Brigham Young joy of 5. Harry Macy, Jr., "Recognizing Scholarly University. Cynthia Doxey, Ph.D., teaches Genealogy and Its Importance to bringing family history classes at Brigham Young Genealogists and Historians," New England the University. Genealogical and Historical Register 150 (Jan.): 7-28 (1996). REFERENCES 1. All quotations in italics are Materials from the anonymous written FamilySearch Internet responses from Genealogy site are stud ents In reprinted by permis- Dr. Doxey's sion. Copyriglit Family History 1999-2001 ~. Intcllcctnal class, Wi nter 20 01, Brigham