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One document after another, you can make progress on that in-law's family tree. |
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An odd little memory came in handy when I found Uncle Anton. |
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A rock-solid bit of family lore—debunked! |
And speaking of following the paper trail:
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One document after another, you can make progress on that in-law's family tree. |
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An odd little memory came in handy when I found Uncle Anton. |
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A rock-solid bit of family lore—debunked! |
And speaking of following the paper trail:
How hard you work at genealogy depends on motivation, and a touch of fever.
Everyone has a reason for starting to build their family tree. What was yours? Was it:
Once you catch genealogy fever, you may forget your first motivation. And if you have caught the fever, that's good. You'll be more likely to practice thorough, careful genealogy.
Here's how my own interest began, and where I am now.
In 2003 as I was planning my wedding, my husband-to-be was planning our honeymoon in Italy. I'd never been to Italy, and I knew so little about my family history there. It was at my wedding that I learned my great grandmother's last name was Caruso.
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Here's the moment my genealogy obsession began, in Grandpa's hometown. |
While staying in Sorrento, we took a day trip to the town where my grandfather was born: Colle Sannita. It was a life-changing experience for me. I felt as if something were calling to me. I felt I belonged there. I felt as if I could melt into the ground itself.
Back home, I wanted to learn more. Where did the branches of my family tree begin hundreds of years ago?
That strong emotional feeling I had in Italy made me start working on my family tree.
Today, 16 years later, I've got a carefully built family tree with more than 20,000 people. Nearly every Italian in my tree was born within a 15-mile radius. That means I can harvest thousands of relatives from the vital records of one town. And I did. I found out I'm related by blood or marriage to almost everyone in my grandfathers' hometowns.
Some will say that what I'm doing is not family history. Well, my ancestors were illiterate. They survived by working their land. These vital records are all that remains.
If my obsessive labor of love sounds crazy, consider this:
DNA Matches
The more families I build from these 19th century documents, the more DNA matches I can connect to. I've had a lot of luck lately picking a DNA match with any size tree, and working to find our connection. As I build more families, I'm building connections to more of my DNA matches.
Generations
My "overkill" approach is the reason I know the names of a good number of my 6th, 7th, and 8th great grandparents. Maybe I had to find marriage records for a bunch of siblings before I found the earlier generation. To me, it's totally worth the effort.
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How much will you miss if you only look at your direct ancestors? |
Hometown Knowledge
Deep dives into my towns' documents made me familiar with:
I'm no longer shocked when a 19th century Italian man remarries one month after his wife died. Seeing how common it was for a widower to marry a much younger woman and have more kids helped me. It's no longer gross that my great great grandfather's second wife was his daughter's age.
I took my obsessive genealogy techniques to a new level this past weekend. I started looking at every document in my vital record collection. These are the thousands of documents I downloaded from my ancestral hometowns. I'm reviewing each one and seeing if it fits in my tree. If it does:
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As I add more documents, my family tree becomes stronger. |
So far, I did this for one towns' 1809 births, deaths, and marriages. The moment I finished, I moved on to 1810 births. It's crazy to think how many people and relationships I'll add to my tree by doing this.
Not as obsessed as me? OK. You don't have to piece together the family of your 5th cousin 4 times removed. But I'll keep going.
Because the people from these documents are more than names and dates. They're calling to me. We belong to one another. They are what makes my family tree come alive.
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If you don't harvest this information now, you may never do it. |
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Be consistent in how you enter your facts, and you'll reap the benefits. |
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If you follow the pattern you create, you'll always enter information the right way. |
I want to show them their connection. |
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DNA Painter shows where my mom and others intersect on my dad's chromosomes. |
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DNA Painter also helps me estimate my parents' relationship. |
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Everything seems to point to my 3rd great grandfather, Teofilo Zeolla. |
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Not long ago, I couldn't even find her parents' names. Look at her branch now. |
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Her hometown was the one brick that brought down the wall. |
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Each document you find will hold some sort of clue. |
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Who else is with your people when you find them? |
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This is why I keep all the vital records on my computer! |
And speaking of research efficiency: