Genealogy - defined as 'an account of the descent of a person or family through an ancestral line', or alternatively, 'the investigation of pedigrees as a department of knowledge', is a high faluting description of what, to the rest of us, is known simply as 'tracing the family tree'.
It seems that today we're not content just to know who our ancestors were and how they lived, we want to know the specifics of who those people were: where they lived; what they did for a living; whether those stories of highwaymen, criminals and corrupt relatives is factual, or merely a good yarn spun by Grandma's Grandma's Grandpa, and recounted throughout the years.
Today so many people are eager to trace their own family histories that once desolate Public Record Offices are now able to operate a timetable system, for which those who now fill its halls to carry out their own research, must make an appointment to do so.
This is the perfect home based business if you enjoy doing research, like history and love to learn about our ancestors. Genealogists make a living by creating family trees for other people who don’t have the know-how, time or the patience to do it themselves.
What Skills Would Be Helpful?
Excellent research and organization would be a high priority. These skills and activities are what genealogy is all about. You'll need to know where and how to research each family’s heritage and be able to place all the information you've uncovered in an easy to understand and aesthetically pleasing format for your clients.
Getting Started
Since a home based genealogy or ancestry business is a service, there really isn't much to getting started other than deciding on a name for your company, how you're going to promote your services, how you're going to present your research to your clients (the format -which is covered later), and what you're going to charge for your services.
Doing The Research
Sometimes, especially where unusual names are concerned, and where families have remained in a particular area over several generations, a family tree can be created fairly quickly and easily. However, on other occasions you'll find that you reach a dead end and may end up spending weeks searching for one odd but essential fact (which might never materialise). This type of situation will put a halt in your work perhaps indefinitely. It's in these situations that you, as the researcher, will need patience, clarity of mind, persistence and determination.
Tools And Equipment
- It pretty much goes without saying that you'll need a computer and internet connection
- Subscriptions to some of the best genealogy websites available to use for your research
- A website
- Geneology software (optional)
- Geneology forms
- Wordprocessor
- A database of some kind
- Supplies for the final presentation of your research to your clients
Where To Begin -Getting Organized
Your research should begin by setting up a good filing a data storage system. There are still those of us that prefer to keep our research in actual files so we can spread things out, visually look at the research and find connections that way. So, the system should be one that'll allow adequate storage but also make it easy to retrieve the data later. Many forms are free on the internet. One of the best places for these forms is Family Tree Magazine.com. This site has a chart or form for almost any type of genealogical research.
For those of you who prefer digitally storing your research, there are all kinds of different databases, from simple text-based flat file systems, to complex structured systems. Fear not though, you'll be able to find a suitable program at relatively little cost or even free. Legacy Family Tree has a free Windows based program available for download. This isn't trial software. It is fully functional and is sufficient for your needs, at least right now.
Whichever method you choose to use, software or pen and paper, you'll need to know which charts or forms to use and how to enter the data that you've collected.
The most popular chart is the ascending (ascendant) pedigree chart. The ascending pedigree chart starts with your client -which we'll call the primary for simplicity sake- and move backwards through time. Your first entry will be the primary and then there'll be two branches where you enter the primary's parents. It then moves onto four branches where you'll enter the primary's parents parents (grandparents) and so on. On these forms you'll record the name, birth, marriage and death dates and places of ancestors.
These charts normally record four or five generations on each page, but are available with up to fifteen generations per page. You'll probably find that the four generation per page format is easier and more convenient to work with.
There's also a numbering system for the pedigree chart known as the ahnentafel numbering system (after the older ahnentafel chart which is not used very often today. The numbering system is very easy and works like this:
The primary would be number one on the chart, then the primary's father would be two times the child's number (2x1=2) and the primary's mother would be two times the child's plus one (2x1+1=3). The primary's male ancestors will always be an even number and the primary's female ancestors will always have an odd number assigned.
Another type of form you'll need is the family group sheet. The family group sheet is basically the worksheet that you'll use for your research. You'll use this form to keep track of the primary's family unit and the cousins, aunts and uncles that are in the family. A separate form is used for each single family unit and you'll record dates and places of birth, marriage, death and burial and make notes on this form. You can get these forms from Family Tree Magazine.com.
Getting Down To Business
How To Find Clues In Family Resources
The first step in the actual investigative process is, of course, gaining access to family documents, bibles, books, photo albums and so on. You'll also, of necessity, have to decide which side of the family to trace; whether the male or female line. Usually the male line is traced, making for easier access to similar names throughout the relevant generations. Obviously the process isn't nearly so easy when it'is the female line that your client wants researched.
At this point you'll have to make a very important decision concerning the name. In past centuries many names were derived from places, father's names, and sometimes from the trade one was engaged in. Hence we come across many people named 'London', 'Hill', 'Wood' (places); 'Williamson', 'Smithson' and 'Johnson' (father's names or 'son of '); or 'Baker' and 'Smith' (trades).
The normal process of gathering information, begins with informal chats with members of the primary's family, particularly the older members whose memory can be relied upon to uncover facts which has become a part of the family's history.
Amongst the most relevant information required at this stage are details relating to all family members; names (even of those stillborn or who died at birth or shortly afterwards and whose existence might have been temporarily 'forgotten'), dates of birth, marriage details and dates, details and dates of death, and various other family events including baptisms, educational and career-related information, and so on.
Next is the task of interviewing family, friends and relatives; the older the better, as long as time hasn't weakened their memory. Old family legends are often the motivating factor that initiates contacting you to trace and document the family tree. Stories of blue-blooded ancestors, famous relatives, criminals and heroes, all are handed down from generation to generation.
Many of these tales will doubtless have been expanded and elaborated upon over time, but it's always worth recording even the seemingly tallest and unlikely of tales; it's possible for that unbelievable story to contain a germ of truth or even be totally accurate. Write it all down, or if your interviewees don't object, recorder it.
Amongst the best sources of information virtually guaranteed to set you straight on course for access to the family history in recent decades, hopefully up to a century or more, are family bibles, photographs (often with messages written alongside or on the back), diaries, letters, and tombstones. Access to any of these items, even if you must sit and physically take notes from whatever source is available, will prove a more than worthwhile investment in terms of the time, trouble, and sometimes expense involved.
You may not be able to gain access to some of the relatives, but your client will likely be able to recount the stories for you. Although, you might be able to chat with a few of the family members by phone. It's worth asking.
Ancestral Data Sources
Photographs
Old photos can be on of the best resources for researching your family tree. Many times the date and place that the photo was taken will be on the back of the photo as well as notes from a family member. The type of clothes that the ancestor was wearing can give you a clue to when it was taken, if there is no date. The buildings in the background of a picture may also provide you with a clue as to where the photo was taken.
Postcards
Many times an ancestor who's moved away from the family home would send postcards to keep in touch. Postmarks and photos on the postcards can provide important clues about where to look for ancestors.
Family Bibles
Family bibles are probably the best of the resources you will find in searching out a family tree. Many families kept records of births and deaths as well as smaller family trees in the family bible. Look through the whole bible because sometimes you'll find notes written in the margin that can provide clues.
After Talking To The Family -Where To Look And What To Look For
Once all family sources have been exhausted comes the real challenge of investigating. Your search will lead you to official sources, and not just central records offices and county registers. There are many, many other repositories of information available to the researcher, all of which must be considered in relation to the actual family and whether you wish to restrict your investigations to a limited period of history, or instead, uncover anything you're to able about your client's family as far back as time, money, and ability allow.
The most logical and easiest next step is that of obtaining all official documents relating to recent generations as possible. This usually consists of birth, marriage and death certificates held at the primary's local county courthouse.
You should be able to track down copies of birth, marriage and death certificates from civil records which go back to the mid 1830s. Since mandatory registration, it's relatively easy to trace a tree back to the second half of the nineteenth century. Then the really hard work begins.
Civil Registration
Official registration of births, deaths and marriages, have been compulsory in most of Europe and North America since the mid 1800's. It's relatively easy to trace families back to these dates. This must not however be taken for granted since 'skeletons' known to exist in most family cupboards can often lead the researcher off on a false trail, or perhaps worse still, not come to light in the first place. Here is where a little detective work comes into play.
The astute genealogy researcher might uncover various information the less seasoned historian might instead have dismissed or perhaps not considered at all. Birth certificates for instance are dated on the day registration takes place, which could obviously be days or weeks after the birth.
One of the many inconsistencies that can make your job, as a researcher, anything but simple, is the tendency for many names to be reversed on entry to official records. John Henry, for instance might be entered with his surname written first, therefore to all intents and purposes officially making him 'Henry John' today.
Anomalies aside, a lot of helpful information can be derived from birth certificates, which among other things include the child's name and date of birth, the mother's name and maiden name, and usually the father's Christian name, address and occupation. However, after 1875 the father of an illegitimate child could only be named on the birth certificate with his consent.
Other anomalies which might lead to red herrings, or indeed to totally concealing useful information, include such things such as the actual time of birth of a child, multiple births - a fact which might go unnoticed due to the high infant mortality rate of the past.
Marriage certificates provide less detailed information but might provide access to evasive information such as the parties' father's names and occupations, addresses at the date of marriage, and so on. One of the so-called skeletons in most family cupboards is that of parents either not married until after the birth of one or more of their children, or else married in haste as an imminent birth approaches. But though it might upset many clients and their relatives to discover such information relating to their dearly departed, even people still living, it wasn't actually all that uncommon for couples, even several generations ago, to get married because of a pregnancy or birth.
Death certificates amongst other details will usually include age, occupation, location, date and cause of death.
Adoptions certificates. Even where recorded, they often give just the adoptive name of the child and new parents, with no information provided regarding the child prior to adoption, other than the correct date of birth. Incidentally, various legal and social requirements surround access to adoption information, most of it hinging on the age of the individual adopted. It's not always easy to gain access to information even today regarding natural parents, something which might make your job somewhat harder.
County (Parish) Registers
In the majority of instances, parish records are now maintained at central libraries in larger cities, or at the various County Record Offices.
Parish registers in England go back as far as 1538, to the time when Thomas Cromwell ordered all churches to maintain records of baptisms, marriages and burials within the area of their jurisdiction. From 1598, parish clerks were ordered to forward transcripts of the registers every year to their local bishop. This continued until 1837 when civil registration came into being.
Census Returns
Such documents with which we are all familiar today, provide a more than useful insight into a variety of general and often highly personal pieces of information, including the names of all people residing in the household at the time of the census, their ages, relationship to the householder (from 1851), their occupations (from 1851), and the place of birth of all members of the family or household.
Wills and Administrations
Wills can prove an excellent source of material for the genealogist and, in addition to the relative recently deceased, can usually be relied upon to provide information regarding numerous other relatives, whether beneficiaries or not.
The International Genealogical Index (IGI)
The Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints maintains a compilation of names. Baptisms and marriages are included to approximately 1875, usually broken down into counties, and then into surnames and Christian names. IGI statistics are available on the internet as well as at a computer base located in Utah in the United States, a veritable shrine for genealogists. There is a link to this index in the additional resources section.
Military and Professional Records
Records of those in the armed forces were maintained from 1660 onwards, though not always to the quality or accuracy that researchers of today might hope for. Standards incidentally improved shortly into the nineteenth century.
Those seeking out details regarding soldier ancestors might find official discharge papers more than a little useful, particularly where ranks below officer are concerned. Close to home one might find military museums and military societies maintain fairly extensive records on their colleagues of years gone by.
Other Sources of Information
It isn't just to official sources that one might direct time and energy to uncovering facts about families. A host of other useful sources are available from family members, friends and relatives, as well as commercial and other concerns.
As I mentioned earlier, family bibles and photo albums are helpful, as are letters, books, and assorted certificates.
Newspapers
Local newspapers might provide obituary details. Articles and announcements can also provide useful information not always available from any other source. Announcements of births, marriages, divorces and deaths were often placed in the personal columns of local and county newspapers, or national newspapers where prominent families are concerned. Most families would extract the printed material relating to their relatives, usually keeping the same safe in bibles, photograph albums, shoe boxes along with other documents of one sort or another, or sometimes the more organised family might have its own personal scrapbook in which such documented pieces of evidence might be available for reference.
Gravestones - are havens for previously evasive information.
Contacting Resources
Although there are many resources on the internet for genealogical research, the information is still limited. The farther you go back, the more difficult it'll become to locate information online. This is where some letter writing skills will prove useful.
Whether you use email or snail mail, be polite. Please and thank you can go a long way in helping you get the information you are seeking. When using the mail always include a self-addresses, stamped envelope. When writing your letter, be as to the point as possible about the information you're looking for. Be patient. Many of the libraries and societies that you contact have limited staffing and it may take several weeks to get to your request.
How Far Back Can A Family Be Traced?
Though it's not impossible to trace back to the 11th century, the task obviously becomes far more difficult the further back in time you look. Not the least of one's problems being the level of intelligence, writing ability and accuracy of those responsible for whatever records were made of births, marriages and deaths, if, that is, the record was made in the first place.
Online Resources
These days there are more and more genealogical organizations digitizing there records and uploading them to the net. However, you still have to do some sleuthing to find the specific information you're looking for. The data, online, is only as accurate, reliable and useful as the organizations records and record keeping. But, as I said, more and more info is online, and this makes your job much easier. I've included a number of ancestry/genealogical sites in the additional resources section, but you'll want to add to that list.
Putting Your Information Together
Now that you've completed your research you'll want to display all those wonderful tidbits and historical facts you were able to discover. You may choose just to have the pedigree chart and supporting documents in a binder, however, there are many more creative ways to present your primary's ancestry to them and for them and their family.
With the popularity of scrapbooking you may choose to assemble a scrapbook with pictorial evidence of the locations from which their ancestors originated, reproductions of churches, landscapes, landmarks and even gravestones. You could include reduced size copies of birth, marriage and death certificates as well as photos of individual ancestors when available. Copies of newspaper clippings can also be included.
Another option for those so inclined, would be to put your client's family history into writing, making a book for future generations to read. Using photos, newspaper clippings etc. throughout would make the book something the family would treasure and enjoy.
The choices for displaying or recording your clients family history, once you have researched it, are limited only by your imagination. Put some serious thought into this aspect of your business. This could very well be your USP -unique selling proposition. The thing that separates you from your competition, what sets you apart from the rest.
Final Word
If you love to research and are interested in historical documents, then you should be considering this type of business. Meet the demands that people have to find out their family history and make money doing something you love to do.
Additional Resources
Genealogy Research Links
Well ladies and gents, that's today's home business idea. Hope it was thought provoking and entertaining.
Until tomorrow,
Terry
