Archive for the 'Genealogy' Category



Tracing One’s Roots Via Family History Genealogy

Tuesday 7 July 2009 @ 7:57 pm

The family has always been considered as the strongest force in the society. Known as the most fundamental civilization in the world, it defines the rise and fall of every community and group. In whatever culture, the family has always played a major role in unifying the people of its race. Even in today’s modern era when the limits of socialization are starting to get shattered and the boundaries of communication are slowly disappearing, the family remains basic in every human life. Nobody is so independent and free as to be able to exist without a family.

Today’s world is one which is highly characterized by individualism and eccentricity. Many people are concerned with moving on into the future and the majority is actually living for tomorrow. You may think it just usual for today’s generation to bother less about their origin, about who they really are, where they come from, and issues concerning the past. Ironically, however, there is a growing interest about the search for people’s ancestors. Family history genealogy is gaining more and more attention from those who are after their past life and relatives.

Genealogy can be considered as the science of relationships, simply because this field deals with the tracing of a particular person’s family and relatives, both in the past and in the present, alive or dead. People venture out in the search for their families because of various reasons. Some may want to find a kin who has been lost due to circumstances beyond their control. Concrete examples were those involved in the World War who were forced to leave their homes for safety and spent the rest of their life wandering in foreign lands. Others, on the other hand, engage in this endeavor because of the desire for material possessions and power. Believing that they may be perhaps connected to someone of great influence, they risk the chance for the hope of something good in return.

Genealogy and the search for one’s history may vary in depth. This can be as simple as tracing the names of people related to you, forming a family tree, and indicating to which specific family in your clan a particular person belongs. Or, this can also be as deep as researching and finding out the personal life of each family member that you are able to find.

Modern technology has made family history genealogy more interesting and has opened a wider door for those people who are serious about their family search. The science of heredity and the study about DNA have made it even more possible for two persons to determine if they belong to the same line of ancestry. Various online sites are also available now to aid people find practically anybody with just the entry of simple facts. There are even computer programs which have been specifically designed for this purpose.

The search for one’s family, history, and past can be a whole lot of fun. Starting one is easy, and this can be done using different means. The experience is like a treasure hunt that will lead you to unknown and exciting places, and you will never know what you will discover and what treasures await you at the end of your adventure.

FamilyTreePods is a resource for information about family trees and genealogy. Learn more at FamilyTreePods.com/Blog

[tags]family tree,family trees,ancestor,ancestry,genealogy,genealogy research[/tags]




Categories of Genealogy: Find Your Family Heritage without Too Much Hassles

Tuesday 7 July 2009 @ 7:56 pm

There are many ways to find your family heritage through genealogy. Relative genetics is the most common way. This performs a series of tests on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in different categories.

1. Paternal Line or Ycs Testing. The Y chromosomal DNA (Ycs) is utilized in establishing the haplotype (genetic profile) of the ancestors who are already dead. The father passed the Ycs through his son largely unchanged. The inheritance pattern of Ycs is similar to passing the surnames common to most cultures. Discovering clues within the paternal lineage becomes quiet easy using the Ycs. This is an incredible tool powerful in helping genealogists to trace the paternal lines.

Relative genetics have reported that between eighteen and forty three years old, different alleles (values) on specific loci (regions) of the Y chromosomal DNA are present. Every locus has undergone validation and standardization in a way that it can provide people with the greatest chances of specifying their paternal lineage. The information becomes very important to genealogist in identifying the closest relatives as well as establishing approximate time or distance to the latest common ancestor.

2. Maternal Line of mtDNA testing. This is used for disproving or supporting a relationship in the same immediate maternal line using mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA). The mother passed this type of DNA to her children but only the female children pass this down continuously from generation to generation.

The mtDNA testing is taking the benefits of a specialized DNA form passed by mothers to her biological children. So, each child virtually carries an exact mtDNA copy of their mother. Therefore, all siblings have identical sequences of mtDNA. Thus, mtDNA became an important investigative tool to research direct maternal lineage ancestry and exploring ethnic origins.

3. Ancestral Origin Testing (mtDNA, Ycs, or autosomal testing). This is useful for people who are adopted and simply curious about their ancestral heritage. It also provides prediction about the anthropological haplogroup which originates from either the maternal or paternal lines. Haplogroups refer to wide ancestral groupings which originated a thousand years ago. They also correspond to an early migration of humans having connections on the different geographic locations all over the world. Therefore, information about haplogroups can reveal a deep ancestral origin.

- Y chromosomal DNA Haplogroups. Once this is identified, you can take a glimpse on the deep paternal line ancestry. Every indigenous race of people in this world is an affiliate of a certain haplogroup.

- The mtDNA Haplogroups are subdivided in different sub-lineages, more often population or regionally specific.

4. Extended Family Testings utilize autosomal DNA. The twenty two pairs of chromosomes considered as non sex located within the cell nucleus is known as autosomal DNA. One half of the autosomal DNA comes from the father; the other one half comes from the mother. The purpose of this test is to authenticate relationships beyond simple maternity or paternity lineage.

Finally, you will never have any difficulty is tracing your family heritage. Choose one among the different genealogy testing categories that suits you best. Enjoy your research.

FamilyTreePods is a resource for information about family trees and genealogy. Learn more at FamilyTreePods.com/Blog

[tags]family tree,family trees,ancestor,ancestry,genealogy,genealogy research[/tags]




The Success Of Genealogy Research Lies On DNA Testings

Tuesday 7 July 2009 @ 7:55 pm

There are about 60,000 billion cells found in the human body. It includes muscle cells, cheek cells, and white blood cells. Each cell contains the whole genetic information which is the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). The nucleus inside the cell holds the DNA or chromosomal DNA that consists of Y chromosomal DNA, X chromosomal DNA, and autosomal DNA.

The external part of the nucleus holds mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The autosomal DNA comes from both the mother and the father, Y chromosomes is inherited by a son from his father, and mtDNA comes from the mother only.

There are advancements made in testing DNA to meet various areas of interests. For example, the most common uses of DNA are related to finding criminals and proving paternity. But today, genealogy research also uses DNA testing.

For so many years, genealogy has become an important element of the society and a favorite hobby of some enthusiasts. Although this is more rewarding, somehow it brings frustrations even to expert genealogists. It can be very time consuming when doing paper research. More often, it can lead to illegible and damaged documents. But, DNA testing provides quick results without questioning its authenticity or quality. Moreover, the genetic genealogy results can endure the tests of time.

1. Mitochondrial testing is utilized for tracing the maternal heritage of a person. The mtDNA testing is very important since genealogists are mostly females. When they marry, maternal lines are often lost because of changing their surnames. In this manner, they can learn and trace their maternal ancestry.

There are advances made in understanding genetics and using laboratory techniques in helping a person to identify maternal lineage through mtDNA tracing services. The distinct mtDNA of person is analyzed and compared to the databases of other samples of mtDNA worldwide, revealing information about the lost ancestry.

The mtDNA remains nearly unchanged even for so many years. You can share the same type of mtDNA with your mother, maternal grandmother, and maternal great grandmother. The same exact mtDNA code can track your direct maternal lineage way back from the time where mtDNA code’s natural mutation occurred.

Women who are living today can trace their origins 150 thousands years ago through natural mutations or mitochondrial eve. In connection with matrilineal descent, eve is the common ancestor. But it doesn’t necessarily imply that eve is the only woman who lived in that era. There were also other women alive but only the lineage of eve has survived.

2. Y chromosomal DNA testing is the most common used form of genetic genealogy testing. Some people can even trace if a deceased man is related to them by conducting this test.

Like mtDNA, Y chromosomes can be also traced back from one prehistoric father, Adam. The DNA mutation of the first Y chromosomes naturally occurs over many generations. Determining the present Y chromosomes can trace your paternal lineage through searching the Y database worldwide.

Moreover, genealogists can find out if two people are related because they have similar surnames through Y chromosomes testing. It is not impossible since in most cultures, surnames or family names are inherited by children from their fathers like the Y chromosomal DNA.

A successful genealogy research lies on DNA testing because its usefulness is proven as time has passed by.

FamilyTreePods is a resource for information about family trees and genealogy. Learn more at FamilyTreePods.com/Blog

[tags]family tree,family trees,ancestor,ancestry,genealogy,genealogy research[/tags]




Where is the Best Place to Find Ireland Genealogy Information?

Monday 29 June 2009 @ 5:44 pm

Anyone who is from an Irish background and who wants to find out Ireland genealogy information so that they can learn about their family history and get more of a grasp on who they are and where they came from is going to need to learn about where online they can go to get this Ireland genealogy information.

Fortunately there are quite a few different online companies that offer this sort of information, and so if you are looking for Ireland genealogy, here are a few of the best websites that you can check out.

Genuki

If you live in Ireland or other parts of the UK, this is one website you are going to want to look more into if you want to find out Ireland genealogy information. Their main goal here is to provide Ireland genealogy information to the public so that anyone interested can use this information and trace their family history.

They are a great online company to go through for Ireland genealogy information for a few reasons, but more than anything because they are willing to work with people to answer any questions that they may have, show them the ropes of how to use the system and of what different features they offer, and so on. They are a company that is truly dedicated to their craft and they want to help people to make a sort of family tree and find out just where they came from.

Ireland Information

Whether you want to learn more about the area that you came from or trace back your family and create a sort of family tree, this is a great online company that you can go through. They are always updating their information so remember that even if you find that you are getting stuck at first, you can always check back and try to find what you need.

They make learning about your ancestry fun, and make sure that all the information you are receiving is current and also accurate.

It is important to know who you are and where you came from, and so if you are Irish, using any of these online companies would be a great idea so that you can gain Ireland genealogy information and find out who your ancestors were. It is nice to know that there are these sorts of resources out there that you can rely on to find out this sort of information when you want to.

Atya Amberville is very keen to let the world know about the true benefits and savings that can be gained from using Ireland genealogy records to research Irish family history. For more information please visit my blog that is focused on Ireland genealogy records.

[tags]ireland genealogy, irish genealogy records, ireland genealogy records[/tags]




Building And Researching Your Family Tree Online

Monday 29 June 2009 @ 3:35 am

Genealogy research has become more and more popular in the last decade as online resources have become available to assist people in researching their family tree. People have found it interesting and fun to take the time to trace their roots and look for more information about their lineage. Many people are finding it comforting to know who their ancestors are and have found that it may even affect their own life choices.

Some people’s lives have been positively influenced and have based decisions on what they have learned about their lineage. Members of the military may have chosen that path because of stories of heroism on the battlefield by their ancestors. Politicians and lawyers may have chosen their path because of a long line of public service in their family tree.

Even if we don’t have a specific calling or tradition to follow, learning about our heritage may provide a sense of connection and well being. While building a family tree may once seemed like a school project, genealogy research has gone far beyond that. With the help of the Internet, many resources and documents are now available to assist in researching a family tree.

Getting started with your own genealogy project can be challenging, especially if you come from a large family. With the help of the many resources now available on the Internet, however, finding records and data about your family far back into the past can be done much faster.

No longer do you have to rely on your local library or records center. Money and time can be saved by not having to travel from one place to another to conduct your research. The vast resources available on various genealogy and records website make research much easier and faster. You can now get all the information you need on your computer. With research and patience, you can find court documents, census records, military records and much more.

Most genealogy websites will require some information from you to get started on a search of their database. This is usually the name of the person you are looking for. The more information you have to start with, the better luck you will have. Date of birth, date of death and place of birth may need to be provided. This will help to single out the person you are searching for from others with the same name.

You may not be able to find everything you are looking for, however, since many records are not yet online or are in the process of being put online. This takes time, of course, so the information will become more complete as time goes by.

Family Tree Pods allows you to create a family tree for your immediate family, while other members do the same. As more data is gathered, these family trees, or pods, can be connected together to expand the research and to continue to go back further in time.

The idea is to start out with something manageable in collecting your family information, then expanding it once the first level of information is complete. This works well online, as each family can work on their own tree and then connect the information.

If you have finally completed your search, you can proudly show it off by creating you own genealogy site. Your finished product can be showcased in your site and you can let the whole world lean about your heritage.

FamilyTreePods is a resource for information about family trees and genealogy. Learn more at FamilyTreePods.com

[tags]family tree,genealogy,ancestry,ancestors,heritage,lineage[/tags]




Using A Professional Genealogy Researcher To Discover Your Family History

Tuesday 23 June 2009 @ 2:37 pm

Learning about one’s family history or genealogy continues to become more and more popular throughout the world. Some enthusiasts think of genealogy as a pastime or hobby. For others, it is a passion to find out the history of who they are and where they come from.

Researching family history can be an interesting and even somewhat controversial. You may discover some mysteries in connection with your lineage. Old family photographs, documents, and other public and private records provide a significant amount of information about world and personal history.

The easiest ways to start learning about your family history is to begin gathering information from your own relatives. The use of a professional genealogy researcher, however, is also very common. As with hiring any professional, care must be taken to find the right person to work with. Following are some points to keep in mind when hiring a professional genealogy research to help you with your family history.

- Make sure that the genealogy researcher actually has the ability to help you. Ask for references and inquire as to what tools are used to perform the research.

- Find someone that you feel comfortable working with and that understands your reasons for wanting to find your family member.

- A legitimate genealogy research will provide a privacy policy as provided by law. You paid for the work done and it is your right to protect the privacy of the findings.

- Ask for a schedule of fees and how and when payment is expected. Sometimes there are additional fees for photocopying, postage, phone calls, etc. Ask if these costs are included in the fee or are extra.

- Decide on a budget. The researcher’s costs are going to depend on the amount of time it will take to complete various tasks. Do you want to find a particular individual? Or are you looking for something more comprehensive, such as a comprehensive multigenerational search or a written history book for your family. The cost of the research will vary depending on the amount of time involved. Decide before you hire someone what your overall budget will be and what you want to accomplish with that budget.

- If you are hiring a researcher online, be sure that the payment is done in a secure way.

- Ask your genealogy researcher what documents are available for use in researching your family history. Some of the possible sources include newspapers, local histories, family histories, compiled directories and lists, historical and genealogy publications, compendium genealogies, special collections and manuscripts, vital records (birth, death, marriage), church records (christening and baptismal, marriages, confirmations, deaths), census records, wills, probate records, local and government land records, military records, court records, burial and cemetery records, ship passenger listings, immigration, and naturalization records.

- Ask how the results will be delivered. Special delivery requests may have additional charges.

- The time it takes to complete your research will vary based on what you are looking for. Most research packages take about eight to twelve weeks but if civil documents needs to be ordered it could take longer.

- Read the terms and conditions and ask questions if there is something that you do not understand before signing any agreement to research your family history.

Many resources are available on and off line to research your family history. The use of a professional genealogy researcher is an effective way to have someone with experience is accessing records and performing research find the answers you are looking for.

Hiring a professional will be more costly than doing the research yourself, but if you find the right researcher, the rewards will be well worth the time and money as you will be able to document your family history and share this with your family members for generations to come.

FamilyTreePods.com is a resource for information about Family Trees and Genealogy. Learn more at FamilyTreePods.com

[tags]family tree,genealogy,ancestry,ancestors,heritage[/tags]




Grandma’s Apron Pockets Held Treasures For Children

Wednesday 27 May 2009 @ 10:17 pm

I think the reason my Grandma, an early Idaho pioneer homesteader, wore the long cotton apron with big pockets and ties around the neck and waist was to protect one of the two dresses she owned. She probably thought she would just put it on to do chores and then her dress and demeanor would be fresh for visitors. Only problem is Grandma’s chores were never done. She was first one up and last one down every day. She worked hard and so did her various aprons in small patterned print, brightened by ric rac or primary colored bias tape around the edges.

There were many uses for the apron besides protecting the dress underneath:

-Pot holder to get hot pans of cookies or chicken from the oven

-Tear dryer for children who had hit by a tree branch or brother

-Face wiper, after a bit of spit on the finger had washed the dirt off

-Hiding place for little kids

-Carrying eggs to the house, baby chickens back to the coop

-Carrying kindling, logs and twigs to the house for the wood stove

-Carrying garden seed in the pockets, produce in the upturned material and strips of ancient ones were used to tie tomato plants up to stakes in the garden

-After the peas had been shelled or the corn shucked for dinner, the remains were gathered in the apron and carried out to the “pile” She didn’t know the word compost then. But she did it.

-In the fall, the apron held apples, peaches, apricots and cherries into the house to be “preserved” for the winter enjoyment

-The apron corner was used to tighten every jar of fruit and jam. It gave just the right leverage to the hand.

-It provided warmth on chilly night by wrapping the edges upward over Grandma’s arms or downward over a small child.

Ahh, But The Pockets held the treasures

-Clothes pins to hold the wash on the clothes line

-A tiny tin of aspirin in case the arthritis acted up

-Safety pins

-A hankie to wipe the eyes or blow the nose

-Peppermint candies

-Unusual small rocks with lines in them, good for a teaching moment on how the earth was formed.

-Small feathers, buttons, driftwood to be used someday for an art project.

-Anything that her grandchildren had brought to show her and she vowed to keep forever.

Nothing Lasts Forever Not sweet, warm, loving Grandma who died of cancer, while everyone else was instructed not to talk about it. We were to “play like” Grandma would get better soon.

Not Grandma’s aprons which were divided among her daughters after her death and ultimately ended up in the rag bag.

Not the little things that she treasured and was going to make art projects with. Not the candies, clothes pins or rocks.

Not the fruit, jam, jellies. They were all consumed that year.

Except For Memories and Stories

Only the memories of Grandma in her pretty apron with her busy hands but open arms remain. Only the stories that we tell of her strength, wisdom and sweet spirit remain to remind us of who we came from. Only the stories and memories remind us of the time in our childhood when all problems could seemingly be solved with a yard of cotton and a beautiful woman. How blessed we were to have a grandma who wore an apron and taught us about life.

Judy H. Wright, aka Auntie Artichoke, is a family relationship expert. Her simple hearfelt advice stems from the experience of raising six children and is shared in her blog and her website

[tags]gandparents, parenting advice, raising children, entertaining kids, chores, how to discipline[/tags]




The Best Way To Use Genealogy Books

Thursday 21 May 2009 @ 1:19 pm

Trying to find parts of your family history can be a rough adventure for some people because they do not know where to start. And it is already confusing enough when you really do not know a lot about your family history. Some people feel that there is actually a part of them that is missing because of the lack of knowledge about the history of their family.

A lot of people like taking pride in where they come from but for those who do not have that information, it can be somewhat of a struggle. If you have never done genealogy searchers before, it is probably best that you learn how to go about doing them and how to make proper use of the different resources that are available to you.

In fact, you first need to know what resources are actually available to you before you begin you search. This way, you are not wasting time or energy by looking in all of the wrong places. A great place to read up on family tracing is in genealogy books as they are packed full of information that is extremely valuable and unbeatable.

Where To Find Them

It is important to know where to even buy the genealogy books so that you can begin your journey of knowledge. The sooner you get started the better as you have already been waiting a long time for this. Genealogy books will give you hints and tips that you would not get anywhere else.

A lot of these books can be found at your larger bookstores and they are not generally too bad in price. Sometimes they can be found in department stores but not too often and when they are there, they do not last long as they normally are at such a good price.

You can also find lots of great deals on genealogy books on the Internet if you look hard enough on such places like auction sites and sites that sell used books.

If you are really lucky and short on cash you may be able to find some good quality genealogy books at your local library although depending on the size of the library, they may not allow you to check the book out because of its type. If that is the case then you would have to spend a lot of time researching everything you need to know while at the library so bring plenty and paper and something to write with.

For more information about genealogy please visit my Mo. Goodman Genealogy website where you can find more articles and information about genealogy books

[tags]genealogy books[/tags]




All About Genealogy Charts

Wednesday 20 May 2009 @ 11:03 pm

When starting to take that big step in trying to figure out about your past and your family line, it is important that you really understand all of the different tools that are available for you to make use of. With these, you not only better your chances at finding the information that you seek but also finding it really quickly. Finding the information quickly is essential if you are on time restraints.

The Right Tool For The Job

Tools such as genealogy charts can be very useful if you know what it is that you are really looking at. If you do not have a basic understanding of all of the tools used in finding a lost family line, you may read it wrong and end up completely in the wrong direction.

If you have a friend or someone that you know who has gone through looking for family lines then you have an extra benefit that a lot of people do not have. You can learn from their trial and errors, and maybe even get some hints that will make your search go a lot quicker.

Where To Find Them

When searching for your family line, you will come across a lot of websites offering you information that is just plain useless. But once you find a few sites that actually work and that can give you the information you seek, you will see that there may be a lot of genealogy charts being used.

Generally, if the sites are up to speed on things, they will have a section on their site about how to use and how to read genealogy charts. If not, a lot of the sites at least have chat forums where you can interact with other people who are also looking for their family line. You can consult with them on genealogy charts and other issues that you may be having.

If you still are not getting a clear cut answer on how to use the genealogy charts, then maybe you want to step back from actively seeking out your family until you truly do know how to use them. There are a lot of books sold on the Internet and in a lot of bookstores that talk about techniques used in finding and researching family history and in those books you can generally find information on genealogy charts. They can quickly run you through how and why they are used and what benefits you can gain form them.

For more information about genealogy please visit my Mo. Goodman Genealogy website where you can find more articles and information about genealogy charts

[tags]genealogy charts[/tags]




Kentucky Genealogy Rife With Early American History

Wednesday 20 May 2009 @ 10:23 pm

In the early days of the history of the United States, families arrived from many different countries and over the centuries the families were spread across the nation. While researching roots, there are many resources that can help trace family trees and many free resources are available such as Kentucky genealogy websites, operated by volunteers to help everyone trace their ancestors. There are many reasons that people seek to root out their family history, but curiosity is probably the most common.

While most embark on their genealogy search for their family history hoping to find their roots run deep in royalty or at least into the roots of a famous family, they may end up learning things about their families they may not really want to know. How the family came to the United States, when and where they went once they arrived can be part of the information available at many Kentucky genealogy websites.

The Civil War is said to be responsible for the expansion of many families as they headed for different territories at the end of the battle. For many in the state of Kentucky genealogy shows that while a majority settled and made the Blue Grass state their home, others headed for hopefully greener pastures.

Kentucky A Popular Starting Point

For many with roots in the south, Kentucky genealogy is a favorite starting point, especially for those who were able to trace the family history back as far as the time of Abraham Lincoln. As people moved through the Appalachian Mountains, many chose to stay in the state and where they came from, is part of information available at different Kentucky genealogy groups. However, in some cases that may be where the trail seems to end.

Some pioneers may not have any recorded history of where their family originated and when they passed on, the available information may well have gone with them. The only hope is finding another family through Kentucky genealogy that may have some recorded memory of that individual or their family that they can share with others. In many ways, genealogy is like sitting around a table and sharing information with a lot of different families and finding out there was a connection years ago.

Learning about the past can be quite interesting and finding out that an ancestor was a famous physician, perhaps one that removed a bullet from a desperate outlaw, or maybe they were the outlaw, can be equally exciting. Through the resources of Kentucky genealogy, there is no real end to possibilities that may be revealed.

For more information about genealogy please visit my Mo. Goodman Genealogy website where you can find more articles and information about kentucky genealogy

[tags]kentucky genealogy[/tags]




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