Posts Tagged ‘genealogy’

Free Genealogy Database on Family History

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

With the increase population of people who undergo genealogy research, free genealogy databases like Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, RootsWeb.com and other related sites are becoming more popular nowadays because of the huge demand of information about family history.

These websites may come handy for your research because they offer lots of vital information that will help you in uncovering your family history such as marriage certificates, birth and death certificates and even records on martial, census, and taxes. These are a few important sources that may give you a head start in filling in a few gaps you may have in your research.

However, the common problem about a genealogy research that most researchers encounter is on how to filter the ones that are really their ancestors or relatives because majority of these free genealogy databases provide hundreds to thousands of information that it’s almost impossible to study bit by bit without extensive years of research.

On the brighter side, tracing your lineage or ancestry is not that difficult after all as long as you know what to research, when to start and to pause, and how to use effectively all sources available online and offline. For instance, if you want to know older relatives, you can retrieve the full names of your grandparents, great grandparents so on and forth. You have to retrieve as well all the maiden names of their children so you can put up your very own family tree. Dates and places where your ancestors may have lived are important to gather as well including other written documents and even old pictures your family may have.

Sometimes old pictures provide dates at the back including the places where the pictures are taken. Thus, these sources will also come in handy for your genealogy research apart from several ancestry databases online.

On the other hand, once you recover some vitals via offline researchers can actually utilize them in the next level of their research to deeply excavate more facts in search of their ancestry. As long as you know what you are up to, you would never go astray even if you are faced with a number of complicated information in every free genealogy database online.

Ancestry: Diseases and Medications

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Did you know that just by tracing your ancestry can help you in finding out all diseases that you are most vulnerable with? Not only that, you also have the opportunity to know all medications that will provide potential reactions to your body. These are made possible when you try to dig more on how genetic testing works in relation with unfolding your lineage or family history.

Tackling about genes is important particularly when you’re essentially doing genealogy research. Majority of your questions about your family and ancestors including various personality, traits, physical features, and even diseases can be answered simply by utilizing your unique DNA.

Each DNA basically tells significant stories about each person’s family background through genetic analysis. This method will help those people on modifying their lifestyles while taking precautionary measures against any health risk known brought about genetic inheritance.

There are a lot of professional medical experts who are very inclined with deciphering various types of genes that may inform you about some characteristics and potential diseases that will put you and each of your family members at risk. Major diseases like diabetes, breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and among other related diseases found on the basis of each genes.

However, if the disease is already a problem presently, utilizing genetic analysis will determine an explanation about your health on why several of these things are happening. You will also learn on how to handle this with ease to avoid complications or if you haven’t yet exposed from the illness, preventive measures are done to reduce the risk in acquiring them in the future.

On the other hand, various genes can also influence on how your body will react to several medications. With personal DNA analysis, you will learn what kind of medications will put you at risk in developing adverse affects or allergies for this matter such as anti-depressant drugs.

Aside from the health information, you will have the chance to know yourself deeply   like unveiling your hidden talents or characteristics. For instance, if your muscles are designed for doing athletic activities, then you can start from doing these stuffs to fully develop your capacity.

Utilizing your genetic codes will surely tell you a lot of interesting stories about your ancestry like which era your lineage came from or from where geographical area your ancestors originated so on and forth. You can also learn about which nationality you are closely related whether from French, American, African, Malaysian, Maya, and many others.

Thus, take advantage in using your personal genetic codes to make unknown things become known to you especially in linking your genes from several interesting topics like health, culture, personal characteristics including the skills and talents, family history and alike.

 

 

 

 

Genealogy Research: Deciphering a Pedigree Chart

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

The use of a genealogy pedigree chart is crucial when starting your research either tracing down a specific family tree or just merely for the sake of studying it to feed your curiosity and interests.

Normally, a pedigree chart contains six generations on a single page. You can begin listing all your family members in specific boxes by making yourself as the primary author.  In short, your name will be the first one to be included in making the tree after your spouse (if you have any) then the names of your parents, grandparents, great grandparents so on and forth. Along with the names, the personal information of each family member such as the birth dates, birth place, death dates and other related ideas should also be included in the chart. And since you are the first in the tree, you need also to list all your children’s name if you have any.

Solving a Pedigree Chart:

  1. Numbering each person involved in the family tree is done initially. Most of the time, the names are not necessarily included on the pedigree when deciphering it in science to avoid confusions. In this case, numbering each name in the chart should start from left to right and should use roman numerals for each generation.
  2. Next, you need to classify both your dominant and recessive traits. Before you classify these traits, you have to know what letters to be capitalized and what letters should be on the lower case.
  3. Write all possible genotypes but you cannot do this successfully without planning in the first place. That’s why before commencing a research with the use of a genealogy pedigree chart you need to be equipped with the whole topic background so you can able to write down all kinds of genotypes present in most people and other vital information needed.
  4. Using punnett squares can decipher all unidentified genotypes and these will illustrate the feasibility result of an offspring’s genes. A pedigree has usually similar genotype for one trait for instance, two dominant traits or two recessive traits. In this case, when you don’t know someone’s specific genotype you can use 2 punnett squares to continue what you’re solving.

Overall, if you really want to know everything about how to start your research with the use of a genealogy pedigree chart don’t limit yourself in a few researches. Check other several legit sites which tackle about the same topic and if you can view the video above for further information.

 

 

Find Your Ancestry at HeritageQuest® Online

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

The HeritageQuest® Online is an all-inclusive online database under the American Genealogical Sources. It generally offers a collection of genealogy sources and tons of historical information that dates back from 1700s.

The database will truly help curious people who are in a quest of finding their ancestors or for those who are interested in unlocking a few secrets in the past regarding various ancestries.

The HeritageQuest® Online has a total of six core data collections so if you’re doing your genealogy research lately, the database can be pretty convenient for you since all data are being categorized.

  • U.S. Federal Census

It consists of most of the original images of every existing federal poll in the U.S. beginning from 1790 up to 1930 including name catalogs that dates back many decades ago. In addition, this archive can provide you over 140 million names.

 

  • Freedman’s Bank Records

It features over 480,000 bank applicant names including their dependents and successors commencing from 1865 to 1874. The data collection of Freedman’s Bank will help you in acquiring valuable evidences in tracing all our African-American ancestors before and after the Civil War.

 

  • Periodical Source Index

PERSI is the biggest genealogy directory and it also features a bunch of local history journals and magazines. In fact, the Periodical Source Index has been considered to be the best in providing complete genealogy index and local history bulletins. In addition, it comprises over 2 million records of published titles all over the world from 1800.

 

  • LexisNexis United States Serial Set

Under this data collection, it features several important records including petitions, memorials, and private relief proceedings completed by the U.S. Congress from 1789. In addition, it contains about more than 480,000 information pages.

 

  • Collection Of Genealogy Sources

The HeritageQuest® Online offers an index that includes over 26,000 families along with local histories. If you are in the path of discovering your family lineage, this database will really help you a lot in every possible way.

 

  • Revolutionary War and Bounty Land War Application Archive

Finally, this data collection includes previous images from most application files for pension and bounty land merit from over 80,000 American Navy, Army, Naval officials and those recruited men during the Revolutionary War Period.

TIPS to give you a head start in tracing your family lineage:

  • Take note all necessary information you have gathered during the time you interview any of your family member.
  • The U.S. census is the best place to begin with your genealogy research. So, what you need to do is to search all the names and stories you have gathered from all your interviews.
  • If you want to know some information regarding the early settlers or inhabitants in America, the revolutionary data collection will provide you comprehensive records.
  • In addition, if you are looking for several facts regarding the African-American genealogy just look on the collection of genealogy sources at Freedman’s bank records.

 

Overall, taking your research to the next level entails that you also need to use other resources including PERSI, LexisNexis U.S. serial set and other supplemental collection of genealogy sources along with a number of local histories found at HeritageQuest® Online.

 

The Link between Migration and Ancestry

Monday, February 6th, 2012

In April 13, 2005, the National Geographic Society and the IBM instigated a modern research to trace back the migratory history of all human species across the continents. These two well-known organizations partnered with each other to entice everyone together to realize that our DNA can connect us with a closed extended family in every part of the world. Hence, the study aimed to uncover the linkage between migration and ancestry and to bring us a bit closer with each other.

Research:

A 5-year old research partnership, the “Genographic Project” endeavored in tracing down our DNA back to our earliest ancestors in the continent of East Africa. Likewise, it used innovative laboratory and high-tech DNA computer analysis to outline on how the world was inhabited. The collaboration of hundreds to thousands of people along with the indigenous and the general public have really help in gathering tons of DNA samples to establish a large database of information about the human history, migration and ancestry as well. As of the year 2008, there were 200,000 samples gathered and the IBM computational biology research facility had able to analyze and interpret the samples in order to determine the latest patterns and relationships contained from the data.

About the Organizations Involved:

  • National Geographic is one of the leading and popular nonprofit scientific and educational unions with a goal in enhancing our geographical awareness and understanding while upholding the importance of preserving the universe’s historical, cultural, and natural wealth.
  • IBM, on the other hand, is the biggest Information Technology Corporation in the world with over 80 years of headship in supporting a lot of businesses to grow.
  • Waitt Family Foundation was the one that funded the Genographic Project. All the scientists that took part in the research have had established 10 centers around the globe and studied about 100,000 DNA samples coming from the indigenous inhabitants. Basically, this foundation centered in building discoveries about our past lineage in search of answers that will alter our future and understand our present.

Importance:

This project can create the biggest collections of genetic information from various classes and races of human beings where it can be a great source of information for all types of researches from historians, geneticists, to anthropologists and even those individuals who are curious in finding out their family tree. Likewise, this can become a helpful tool in strengthening the facts about human history.

Conclusion:

To enhance our understanding between the human migration and ancestry, we need to take a path towards finding out concrete answers from the idea that there is possibility that each of us is connected with a certain extended family across the globe. With the Genographic Project along with various human DNA, the unknown can be known and the long puzzling issues related with our genealogy can be explained bit by bit.

 

 

National Genealogical Society Home Study Course

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Tracing down your lineage today isn’t that difficult anymore since you can actually do a lot of ways to make it happen successfully like attending a conference or just working in the comfort of your home while using the internet or a few relevant modules just like the National Genealogical Society Home Study Course in a form of CD. This module offers a lot of information that is beneficial for an individual who is presently initiating research or for an expert researcher who is dealing with huge problems related with Ancestry.

The course involves an instruction about a number of helpful genealogical resources and effective tactics for carrying out researches via the internet, the libraries, government sources, or archives. Moreover, the module can able also in scrutinizing important documents, provides some principles for analyzing evidences, inputs about proper source citations, guidelines for narrative writings and self-correcting assessments. Last but not the least, the National Genealogical Society Home Study Course can also provide insights like bibliographies and   reference listings including an online mailing list where you can ask for advices and other important queries to help you out on your ancestry research.

In addition, this course is very well-known and is considered as one of the most effective tools for getting on the right track in searching your ancestry rightfully. It is also a lot easier when you’re learning and unveiling simultaneously some great facts about your lineage right? With NGS Home Study option which is available in CD, this can improve your skills in genealogy research from being amateur towards becoming a competent researcher.

Hence, aside from the passion you have if you really want to know your family lineage that much then it is necessary to enrol and sign up for National Genealogical Society Home Study Course. It’s a fun experience wherein you can learn a lot of ways to trace down your family tree in the right way while improving yourself from a novice genealogy researcher to an experienced one. In fact, you can also receive constructive feedbacks from the evaluators to make it more meaningful and personal.

 

Genealogy and Note-Taking

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

The Importance of Note-Taking in Finding Your Genealogy

At times when you decide to undertake on a Genealogy research, it’s like when you’re in a wide labyrinth wherein at first you enjoy strolling around because of the thought that you’re going to discover something fun and exciting. There are many possibilities as to where you’ll be heading however; sometimes you may end up getting lost and this is the scary part because you don’t even know if whether you succeed or not in finding the right way back to where you started.

Well, just like in a Genealogy research if you don’t follow a systematic way of researching, you will surely end up getting lost. When you decide to explore for your family history regardless of what reason you have, it is crucial that you keep track in all that you’ve done to refrain from doing similar research over and over.

What you need to do is to write down all vital information that you’ve research, every tidbit of it is necessary. So, what type of information you should be tracking out and inscribing to your notes?

In search for your genealogy, your notes should look like a map so all the research information will retain in your mind. In this way, you’ll keep track on everything and can able to decide what next step to embark on. Likewise, make sure that your notes are detailed enough including every possible aspect that will guide you up to the end of your research, all ancestors you’ve researched, the sources you’ve found, and the location of the all vital  genealogy records. These are the things that you should track out and inscribe to your notes.

There are two outcomes in your Genealogy research either you meet your goal or you may come to a dead end. Despite the consequences, keep taking down notes like including all the people you’ve talked to like your mother, father, sister or some of your relatives.  In your notes, you need to include several important questions like where is your ancestor born? Afterwards, take down the day of the search, location, sources/author, and include some personal comments if whether you succeed or not in extracting some vital information in the course of your research.

To wrap it up, in your Genealogy research despite what system you decide on using, if you take down notes religiously you’ll surely be focused on finding the right path towards a positive outcome and eventually prevent you from getting lost just like when you’re in a labyrinth.

Free Genealogy Sites Online

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

There are a bunch of reasons on why people engage in research just to outline their ancestry or to trace where they come from. Others might find it interesting to do it for the sake of fun and enjoyment. Regardless of what reasons you have in mind, this article will help you in providing you some ideas on the benefits of using free genealogy sites to trace your family tree.

You don’t need to consume a lot of time, energy and money in searching about your ancestry because I will provide you few reliable genealogy sources which can aid you in your quest of unfolding your family tree.

Free genealogy sites:

The Mormon Church or the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints keeps vital records concerning births and deaths on or after the year 1840.

One of the most well-known free genealogy sources is none other than FamilySearch. This site can help you in tracing down your ancestry since it offers countless information which is in fact, being held by the Mormons members throughout the globe.

What’s more? Well, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints also keeps a personal ancestral file of so-called PAF which you can easily download without a cost from the FamilySearch site. This software is a reliable tool that offers extreme information and is very accessible for anyone.

The Mormon Church is definitely one of the finest free genealogy sites to date since it has a complete library and system of family record data centers which any person can check out. The data centers are being distributed throughout the state so anyone who wishes to know about their family tree can have easy access anytime.

Another reliable genealogy source which you can download is called the Genealogy Software. The software can assist you in recording, managing, and publishing information in relation with your ancestry.

Finally, using Genealogy Software along with other excellent free genealogy sites will surely provide you sufficient sources of information in search of your family tree. However, there are other great sources which you can utilize in making your genealogy and you just need to further your research to achieve success and positive results.

 

 

Genealogy and Ancestry

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Relationship between Genealogy and Ancestry

Genealogy is a research method used to interpret and analyze a person’s lineage while the term ancestry is used to signify a person’s bloodline.

Goal:

A lot of people across the globe are engaging in tracking their family tree in order to determine their origins or simply by unfolding a few facts about a family history or ideas similar to this. This boils down in learning more about where your lineage came from to help you understand about numerous important things regarding your ancestors that would purely provide some answers to your questions.

Ancestral Categories:

 A genealogist is someone who undergoes the study. There are actually two categories of ancestry, paternal (your father’s lineage) and maternal (your mother’s lineage). Most researchers start by investigating your direct relatives from your great-grandparents up to your grandparents. Otherwise, for most experts on this matter, they may do further extractions in tracing down your lineage from your other relative bloodlines (not your direct lineage) including your aunts and uncles.

Genealogy Reports:

 Primary and secondary records are the main forms of family tree. The former are evidences which were previously created during the moment where an incident happened while the latter are evidences which were created not at the time where an occurrence happened for instance a death certificate.

Genealogy Diagram:

This is utilized to outline your familial lineage. Pedigree charts, descendants’ charts, and family collection sheets are the most common forms of diagram. The former talks about an outline of your direct ancestors starting with you, the middle provide information starting from the oldest identified ancestor with a listing of children in a particular familial lineage and the latter talks about an organization of your ancestors through their own families including their better half and kids.

Sources of Information:

Lastly, studying your ancestry can be carried out in several useful ways mainly because of the advancement of technology where you can basically access genealogy reports online whether for subscription or for free. Also, you can gather records by visiting municipality archives and libraries in places where your ancestors resided.

Genealogy and Diabetes

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Genealogy and Diabetes
food pyramidDo you have diabetes? Does diabetes run in your family? One of the great benefits of studying genealogy is being able to understand how diseases such as diabetes and depression can be linked to one’s ancestors. If you are aware of these diseases, then you can start a preventative regimen. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you can prevent these onset of the disease, but you can delay its onset or minimize the effects they may have upon you.

For example, if you have diabetes in your family history, you can use a pre diabetic diet to lessen the effects that diabetes may have in your life. Being aware of this, you can study up on the disease and start adhering to a diabetic diet. Using a diabetic menu planner can help you watch the amount of sugar you consume.

You will also be more aware of how different foods make you feel. For example, corn is thought of as a vegetable, but in reality it is a starch, full of carbohydrates. Eating too much corn when you are diabetic can cause unintentional and unsuspecting harm. To find out more about foods that you should be watching, visit the US government’s site, MyPriramide.gov.

There are other diseases that should concern you too. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may have hereditary attributes. Also depression and anxiety. You can see that it is very important to stay abreast of these diseases and learn more about them. Diabetes is connected to heart disease, so being on top of it is extremely important. Diabetes is known as the silent killer, because many people go about not even realizing that they have the disease or are pre diabetic. If you are pre diabetic, you need to understand more about diabetes. You can find out more about this deadly disease at the American Diabetes Association.

Our desire is for you to live a long and accomplished life. Being healthy is just one component of it. Knowing your ancestry is only one part of genealogy. Leaving a legacy is every part as important. Stay healthy. Prevent diseases such as diabetes, and live!