|
I have undergone an extensive process of researching my family history. My name is Adam W. Vicks, and I am very proud of my ancestry. I believe everyone can benefit, in some way, from finding unique and historic information about your ancestors. It is a wonderful source for keeping family records.
Here a a few steps to follow when researching your ancestors (these steps helped me):
1-you must first know the name of the individual you wish to search. It helps if you know their "full" name, including first, middle, and last. If it is a lady, it is important to know her maiden name(s) as well.
2-you must then jot down as much "accurate" information as you know, concerning the ancestor you are researching. Keep in mind the information you write down must be relevant to your research; for example, do not write "well my grandpa loved to read the Sunday newspaper after breakfast..." This information will not help you. But, if you include information regarding their birthdate, birthplace, death, marriage, etc., then it will surely help.
3-once you have gathered all information you know on your ancestor, then you should talk to relatives and ask them to give you as much information as they know about the subject. It is very important that you try to talk to the oldest members of the family first, because they possibly know and remember the most information regarding the subject. Now some relatives can be very sensitive when it comes to family history, for whatever the reason. Make sure you practice patience in getting information out of them. Don't pressure them, if they don't want to talk about it then leave the subject alone. Maybe they'll change their feelings later. Finally, make sure that the information they are profiding is as accurate as possible.
4-having gathered all preliminary information, you are ready to begin heavy research. You should go to the library, with the biggest collection of geneological information, that is nearest to you. Ask the librarian for the "index book." This book contains all the surnames listed in the U.S. Census between 1790 and 1930. Locate your ancestor's surname, and jot down the cod next to that surname. This code will assist you in step 5.
5-now that you have the code for your ancestor's surname, you can now look for your ancestor, using the soundex. The soundex is like an index for census. On it is listed the Head of Household's full name, and all persons residing under them. The soundex is broken down by state and Census year, so it will help you to know in which state your ancestor was born. You should also be able to at least, approximate your ancestor's birth year. The soundex will also tell you what county the family resided in, and some will give the street and house number in which they lived. If your ancestor lived in a rural area, it will just list the township and county. But it will also provide information including the page number, enumeration district, and line number, when you look for them on the census.
6-now that you have located your ancestor on the soundex, it is now time to look for them on the U.S. Census. Keep in mind that the U.S. Census was taken every ten years, between 1790 and 1930. The 1890 census was destroyed for most states. On the census you will find information regarding their birthplace and date, age at time of census, birthplace of parents, literacy, and occupation. Some will even mention how much property they own in dollar amount. Keep in mind that many census records give the diminutive name of the ancestor; for example, say you are researching Sarah Smith; he name on the census might be given as Sadie. Or say your ancestor is John Smith, well his name on the census might be listed as Jack Smith. It is important to keep that in mind when doing your research. And it helps to learn the diminutive names of common formal names. Finally, it is important that you know that the census takers did not
|
