Organizing We shall highlight some of the basic steps and tools for beginning genealogy -- a fancy word used to catagorize those who enjoy learning more about their family history, for medical-conditions purposes, gaining a deeper heritage, or for socializing with kin, clans, and communities. From the same Greek wordroot as Genesis, or Origins, ironically we begin with ourselves and learn backward through time. We emphasized the importance of starting with what you know, and gathering consensus from living relatives. Obtain as many clues here first about your immediate family, before making the leap to earlier generations overseas. One tool, that many use, to help organize their personal history knowledge is the Pedegree Chart. A conventional format from many how-to books, and requested by most professional genealogists, you have seen a similar diagram for purebreds, dogs, show cats, or horses. It is a simple and visual way to quickly see the branches of your own pride and bloodline as it steps into the past. Commonly, family history researchers also include other quick identifiers to distinquish between ancestors on the chart who might have the same name. Such additional information is also important to attach a time and place to each individual in your lineage. The chart is a quick graphic summary, which can be expanded upon by text naratives, recorded interviews, pictures or other multi-media. Various computer programs and online resources are also available to assist in creating or expanding such an outline, but all you really need to start is a blank sheet of paper or a lined composition page. The basic format looks something like this: |Great-Grand-Father etc. Grand-Father | |-------------|Great-Grand-Mother Father | |date and place born |--------|Grand-Mother married You | |----------- died ------| | | | |Grand-Father |Mother |------------ etc. |--------| |Grand-Mother |------------ etc. Another organizer, which helps facilitate the building blocks for further research is the Family Group Sheet. This makes clear the relationships, and network of related connections that may support you on your history quest. The parents of each generations are listed together with children and their partners. It is these siblings, cousins, and in-laws who should share a common interest in your heritage goals. As is often the case, one side of the family may know more about the family roots than the other. Often, heirlooms and their history, family traditions, or immigrant stories get passed down through some individuals moreso than others. The typical fashion of gathering these facts looks something like this: Great-Grand-Father born place and date married place and date died place and date buried place and date parents (if known) Great-Grand-Mother born place and date married place and date died place and date buried place and date parents (if known) children: Grand-Father born place and date married to Grand-Mother, place and date died place and date Grand-Aunt born place and date married to Grand-Uncle, place and date died place and date Unknown sibling rumored to have another child who stayed in Ireland no other known children A seperate Family Group Sheet page would be then created for each child, and their immediate family, in a similar layout. This is usually accompanied by another chart, often used by biographers of Royalty, which shows generational relatives, and looks like this: Great-Grand-Father === Great-Grand-Mother came from Ireland | came from Dublin | --------------------------------------- | | | Grand-Father === Grand-Mother Grand-Aunt ?? | ------------------------ | | Father === Mother Uncle === Aunt | | ------------------ -------------- | | | | | You Brother Sister Cousin Another-Cousin By thuroughly exploring all your known connections, you have a better chance of finding out more about the missing person details you might be seeking, or clues to the next generation. Maybe your Great-Aunt told your cousin about the day they left Ireland. Or maybe Your Uncle remembers your common Grand-Mother writing on the back of a photograph the name of their parish in Ireland. Maybe your Aunt already enjoys genealogy and has done some collecting of the family history in an article she has written for a reunion. These are the direct benefits of organizing and clarifying who shares a common heritage, which may only be gained by reminding yourself of your existing cultural exchanges. It becomes so much clearer when charted out. If all these avenues have been shared, or you are isolated, or are still left with a mystery; the systematic effort of a researching detective historian actually begins. The Irish have a strong tradition of interest in following family and origins. There is still the hope that from within the concentric circles of public, civil, or religious life, that your people may have left a paper-trail of hopefully available information. Many of these ideas will be explored in future articles, along with resources and people who can assist you on your journey. =welcome>about>help>back(to"help")>NEXT: Networking

Topical Weblinks Medical Genealogy. Clann Organizations Genealogy Groups Pedegree Charts Family Group Sheets Genealogy Tree Charts Reunions One Name Societies Online Cuzin Connections Review Introduction Organizing NEXT