Geneology
- Tracing family History
The topic of Geneology
is becoming increasingly
popular. We are curious about our roots and what roles our
ancestors played and the vents that affected their lives. The process involved with Geneology
can be extremely time consuming but the information
available via various Geneology web sites on the Internet has
made this process much faster.
Dictionary definition of
Genealogy
Genealogy - The study or investigation of ancestry and family
histories. An account or history of the descent of a person or family from an
ancestor.
The word Genealogy is derived from Middle English genealogie, from Old
French.
Geneology
- On a baby names site?
The
logical progression of many people when searching for baby names
is to take a long look at their own family, or surnames and their family ancestry.
The section on Surnames and their origins helps with some basic information which is
useful when studying Geneology.
The subject surrounding the search for family ancestry is vast
and the advice we offer is for those starting out on geneology research
and tracing their family trees and family history.
Family Geneology
Search Guidelines
Geneology
- What do I do first?
The first question to geneology is "What do I do
first?" Research is the key to success! There are no quick
answers to
geneology
research
and tracing family trees and family history but the following
information will certainly reduce the time required.
Geneology
- understand the history, origins and meanings of surnames
A
couple of minutes reading through our section on Surnames
will help with this task and will prove to be very enlightening!
Geneology
- understand the category of name
Understanding
the category of a surname will help with research into the geneology. It will provide a good starting point and eliminate
any unnecessary areas of research. How would the name relate to
or describe your ancestor?
-
Did
it relate to a place?
-
Did
it describe a trade?
-
Was
it an 'adopted' name?
-
Was
it a descriptive name - describing a physical or
characteristic attribute?
-
Could
it have been derived from a nickname?
Essential
References!
There are many reference books that can help - it's just knowing
which ones to ask for! Check out Surname Dictionaries and Place
Name dictionaries in your local library when you start you
genealogy quest. There are also many on line resources that you can access - using Surname
Dictionaries and Place Name dictionaries as you search
words.
Official
Records
Official records will help provide detailed information in
relation to geneology - huge databases can be found via the following:
-
U.S.
Federal Census Records (1790-1930)
-
Birth,
Marriage & Death Records
-
Historical
Newspapers dating back to the 1700's
Family
History and Geneology
Talk to members of the family! Research into your own family
history will provide you with excellent genealogy information
about events and places. And will, no doubt, provide some
fascinating insights that are just not available from any other
sources. Encourage your family to become involved with your
project.
Language
and Geneology
Ensure that you are clear on which language and nationality your
Surname belongs
to. Family members can help with this type of confirmation.
Spellings
can create a Geneology minefield!
Many of
our ancestors would have been illiterate! How were names
recorded in the past? Many administrators spelled names
incorrectly - so many official documents have resulted in
different name spellings leading to the creation of a geneology minefield! This
can be illustrated by looking at a name that is known throughout
the World - William Shakespeare. The name Shakespeare was spelt in an astonishing variety of ways including Shakspere, Shakespere, Shakkespere, Shaxpere, Shakstaff,
Sakspere, Shagspere, Shakeshafte and even Chacsper. The name of
William Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, occurs 166 times in the Council Book of the Stratford corporation, and appears to take 16 different
forms! Our thanks go to the highly recommended www.william-shakespeare.info
for this information.
Changes
of Name - Emigration - Forced and Voluntary
Many of
our ancestors left their homelands for the chance of a better
life in a different country. The USA welcomed many such
people. However officials were unable to understand the many
different languages and so names were registered in a phonetic
fashion by using the closet spellings that sounded similar to
the original names. Many of
our ancestors, however, had no choice in their lives due to the
practice of buying and selling people into slavery. One of the
most famous books relating to the forced slavery of an African
in America was 'Roots' by Alex Haley. According to
research into genealogy compiled by Alex Haley his ancestor was
a man called Kunta Kinte who was an African from the
Gambian town of Jufferee. A vital element in the story of Kunta
Kinte is that he desperately wanted to keep his own name rather
than taking the name of his owner. Name changes obviously make
investigations into family geneology more difficult but this
outcome is worth all of the effort.
Geneology
- a fascinating subject!
We hope
that our guidelines will help with your interest in geneology and assist you in searching for ancestry and family histories.
We would be delighted to hear about your stories relating to
this great hobby!
Geneology
Please note geneology is an incorrect, but common, spelling of genealogy
