Melanie Walters asked:


Obituaries offer a wealth of information about your family. They have important facts about the deceased and important dates that you can use to piece together clues about the history of your family. Here’s how you can find details to research from obituaries.

We all think differently and we all have different ways of processing information, which makes genealogy and ancestry research very confusing. Different historians and different family members keep records in different ways so sometimes finding the facts you need to piece together a family history are elusive.

There are thousands of databases out there claiming to have the answers, but in reality if you are disorganized, those databases are only going to make the confusion worse. And to top it off repetition in names, facts and even certain dates can cause further confusion. To clear up the confusion, here is the basic guideline of what to look for in an obituary and how to keep it all organized.

Searching for Clues in Obituaries

An obituary is the final record of a person’s life, information is included that can lead you to some amazing discoveries about your family. When you look at an obituary it is important that you pinpoint those bits of information and make a note of them. First read the obituary through once or twice just to get an idea of the information included. Then underline the important pieces of information. Read it over again to make sure you underlined everything of importance. Here are the things you will want to look for in an obituary:



The deceased’s full name

Age

Gender

Date of birth

Date of death

Place or City of Residence

Occupation

Military Service

Church Affiliation

Life events

Awards or Accomplishments

Names of survivors

Place where funeral or memorial service is held

Place of internment



Maximizing the Genealogical Value of Obituaries

Once you’ve read and reread the obituary and you’ve underlined the important pieces of information, the next step is to organize the information in a way you can access later and have a complete understanding of what it is you found important. You can download forms for free that can help you research genealogical clues from obituaries at Obituarieshelp.org

The first thing to do is copy down the information point by point. Then make notes about each point.

Questions to ask yourself as you go through each point are:



What information does this clue provide?

What public or historical records exist that will provide further information?

Where can I find those records?



The notes you make about each point can be anything related to genealogy research:



Personal notes – maybe you were reminded about a conversation you had with a relative about this point.

Family history notes – maybe another ancestor was a member of the same organization.

Notes about what you’ll want to research about this information – perhaps you want to look up how long this person was a member of this organization.

Where records that expand on this information might exist – make notes as to where you can find the answers to your questions.



Other notes might include tidbits of information from:



Phone book

City business directory

Internet

Church directory

School databases



Taking the time to go through obituaries carefully can go a long way to helping you find clues to your family history and connecting you to your ancestors and relatives. Names, places, and dates are just the starting point. There is so much to learn from obituaries, but you have to read between the lines. Not all the information will be there ready for you to see, you’ll have to do a little digging and a little research. Making notes and keeping your notes organized will help you get the information you are looking for.



Dorothy

Melanie Walters asked:


How do you determine which type of family tree you want before you begin researching? Everyone putting together a family tree is faced with certain choices. Who to include in the family tree? How am I going to build my Family Tree? These are all important questions that will determine the type of family tree you decide to build. Visit www.obituarieshelp.org to download a free printable family tree template chart so you can get started right now.

When you are researching your family tree, you may just start out by finding out about grandparents and great grandparents but to find out who they really were and to find out those little, but important facts, you might want to consider broadening your research. There are several ways that you can do that, and below you’ll find out about all the different family tree models that you can follow.

What is a family tree chart?

A family tree by definition is a diagram of a family’s ancestry. So in essence it is a map or chart showing the members of a family, their relationship to one another and even the dates of birth, marriage and death. But a family tree is so much more than that. Or it can be. A family tree, depending on the type of tree you choose to create could include all the relatives, spouses and even friends and neighbors of a family.

The types of Family Tree Charts

Mapping out your family tree is a time consuming activity that involves close attention to detail and a desire to find the answers to those burning questions of who am I? And where did I come from? Before you begin, you need to know that not all family trees are made the same.

Pedigree, Direct Lineage or Ascendant Family Tree Chart

The Pedigree Family Tree Chart is sometimes called a Direct Lineage or Ascendant Family Tree. This is perhaps the most common type of family tree and the one most people think of when referring to family trees. The pedigree family tree begins with you (or a parent, or grandparent) and then follows a single bloodline or family name back through the generations as far back as you can go.

If you are researching your pedigree with both your mother’s and your father’s bloodline, your pedigree chart would start with you, then your parents would be listed, then both sets of grand parents would come next, then all four sets of great grand parents and so on.

If you are researching your father’s surname and bloodline, the pedigree chart starts with you, then next on the chart would be your parents, then your father’s parents, then your grandfather’s parents and so on.

In any case, the pedigree family tree chart is the most common and is an excellent starting point for budding genealogists and for anyone interested in tracing their family history and their direct bloodline.

Descendant Family Tree Chart

A Descendant Family Tree Chart is the opposite of the Pedigree Family Tree Chart. This type of family tree chart starts with an ancestral couple pretty far back in the family history and then lists the descendants of that ancestral couple generation by generation until the present. Usually the Descendant Family Tree Chart is created after the Pedigree Family Tree Chart is complete as a way to illustrate all known descendants of all lines of the family. The Descendant Family Tree Chart can then become the outline for writing the family history.

Family Lineage Family Tree Chart

The family lineage family tree chart is similar to the pedigree family tree chart but for one difference. In a family lineage family tree chart, you would include the siblings of your direct lineage or pedigree. So you would include your aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles and so on. This gives a more complete picture of the family rather than just focusing on your direct bloodline.

Family lineage family tree charts are very helpful in identifying your family members and helps to keep all your ancestors organized. It also is an excellent way to find out about relationships between members of your pedigree and their siblings which can lead to you finding out more interesting facts about your family.

Where to Start?

If you are just starting your genealogy search you might consider developing a Pedigree Family Tree Chart before you get too deep into your research. One problem that novice genealogists encounter is they get excited about the research and end up losing track of who and what they are researching. Although the research always turns up interesting facts and stories, you might get frustrated that you wasted time or didn’t get to the ancestors you had hoped to find in the time you allotted for research. If you keep track of names, dates and places of your direct family line on a Pedigree Family Tree Chart, you are less likely to get confused and go off on searches you don’t need to do.

Free Printable Family Tree Charts

Get started right away by downloading a Free Printable Family Tree Chart from www.obituarieshelp.org. Then begin by filling in all the information you already know like your name, your parent’s names, your grandparent’s names and so on. Now you have the beginning of an excellent Pedigree Family Tree Chart and a guide for your research. Your first research step after filling out the Pedigree Family Tree Chart as much as you can, is to interview your parents and grandparents if possible and don’t forget that aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings are a good source of information too. Good luck and have fun!



Karl