Filling in Your Blank Family Tree: Part 2

Filling in Your Blank Family Tree (Part II) We all want to know where we come from and who are ancestors were. But many of us have yet to get past staring at a blank family tree. How can we fill in the blanks? How can we become connected to our ancestors? As you begin your fami ly tree search, the answers to these pressing questions will become clearer. Whether you're working with a four generation pedigree chart or a more artistic family tree drawing, information is key to your search. In the first article in this series, we started at the beginning and worked backwards, and learned a little about organization. In the second article, we'll push even further backward in time and learn more about our ancestors.

Going Further Back on Your Blank Family Tree

If you have a trustworthy memory or reliable information on ancestors further back than you have room on your chart, you may need another blank family tree or pedigree chart. Underneath each great-grandparent's name, note which chart their information continues on.

For example, you might know the names of the parents of your great-grandfather. On a standard four-generation pedigree chart, there is no space for them. With another blank family tree, you can fill in this information. On your original chart, under that great-grandfather, indicate that his line continues on chart number 2. Label the second chart "Chart No. 2" in the upper right hand corner. At the upper left, indicate that the first person on this chart is the same as the great-grandfather on chart number 1. Put your great-grandfather's name as person #1 on the new chart to continue filling in his ancestry.

Tips:

Keep your charts in an easy-to-follow order as much as possible. You can decide whether you'd prefer to keep all fourth through seventh generation charts together or arrange your charts by ancestor or line.

To record non-lineal ancestors (i.e. siblings of your direct ancestors), use a Family Group Record. With this record, arrange children in birth order. On the back of the chart, there is a space for recording your sources. This is extremely important for future reference. Even if the source is your own memory, indicate it on this record. This is especially important when you find information that contradicts previous sources.

Above and Beyond Your Blank Family Tree: Family History

Recording names and dates is only the beginning of your family history search. Simply having collected names, whether you have 30 or 30,000, will not give you a sense of your family history. Once you have names and dates, deeper genealogical detective work can begin.

Imagine if your great-great-grandchildren collected your birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate and decided they knew you. They had the dates and documents of the big events of your life and determined that was all there was to know about you. Would you agree? Or would you want your children to look harder, to find everything they could?

Your ancestors would probably answer the last question with a resounding, "Yes!" Our lives are more than the few legal documents that record select events. There are innumerable resources available to reveal aspects of our ancestors' lives to us. In addition to other government records, like immigration, military and probate records, you can find out more about your ancestors through photographs, letters and correspondence, and newspaper articles, to name only a few good sources.

Tips:

Genealogical research, whether in the initial stages of finding names and dates or in the later stages of filling in their lives, is very time-consuming. In our busy society, you might consider using a professional genealogical research service to assist or complete your search.

In addition to relieving your time crunch, the advantages of using a professional service include in-depth expertise and expert-level access. Some records in genealogical research are difficult to acquire, read or interpret. To ensure that you get all the useful information out of a resource requires specialized training, which professional genealogists already possess. Access to these and many other resources may be limited by time or geographical constraints. Some research facilities have stringent rules about access, requiring specialized training or accreditation as a researcher. A professional genealogy service can easily overcome all of these obstacles, allowing you to become acquainted with your ancestors more quickly and easily.

Researching your family history takes time and money no matter how you choose to do it. However, the rewards of knowing where you come from and what your ancestors have given you are priceless. Begin filling in your blank family tree today!