Genealogy For Dummies. Helm April Leigh

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      In writing and revising this book, we made a few assumptions. If you fit one of these assumptions, this book is for you:

      You can have a lot of computer experience and be a novice to genealogy or online genealogy and still benefit from this book. In this case, you may want to dive right into the chapters about strategies for finding online resources.

      Icons Used in This Book

      To help you get the most out of this book, we created some icons that tell you at a glance whether a section or paragraph has important information of a particular kind.

      

The Remember icon marks important genealogical stuff, so don’t forget it.

      

When you see the Tip icon, you know we’re offering advice or shortcuts to make researching easier.

      

Look out! The Warning icon indicates something tricky or unusual to watch for.

      Beyond the Book

      In addition to what you’re reading right now, this product also comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that includes a description of how to use Helm’s Genealogy Toolbox as well as discussions of genealogy myths, charts, and forms, among other things. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and enter Genealogy For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

      Where to Go from Here

      Depending on where you’re reading this introduction, your next step is one of the following:

      We don’t expect you to read this book from cover to cover, in the order we wrote it. It definitely doesn’t hurt our feelings knowing you may skip through the sections looking for only the information that you’re interested in at a particular moment! Each section in each chapter can stand alone. If we think something relevant in another section can supplement your knowledge on a specific topic, we provide a note or reference telling you the other place(s) we think you should look. However, we tried hard to do this referencing in a manner that isn’t obnoxious to those of you who choose to read the book from cover to cover. We hope we’ve succeeded in addressing both types of readers!

      Now that we’ve explained a bit about the book, are you ready to get started and to become an official genealogist? You might be asking yourself, “What are the requirements for becoming an official genealogist?” You simply need an interest in your ancestry and a willingness to devote time to pursuing information and documents. It’s time to dive in and start collecting the puzzle pieces of your family history and remember to have fun!

      Part 1

      Getting Started with Genealogy

      IN THIS PART …

      Learn how to use information that you know about yourself to create a timeline of your life.

      Discover how items around the house can jump-start your genealogical journey.

      Locate large collections of records that you can use to find details on the lives of your ancestors.

      Learn how census records can be used to track the movements of your ancestors every ten years.

      Discover how you can use primary sources to find the details of your ancestors’ lives.

Chapter 1

      Beginning Your Ancestral Journey

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      Ready to dive into your family history? We certainly hope so! The best way to learn how to research is to jump right into it. We help you find the resources you need to be successful along the way.

      If you’re new to genealogy, we strongly suggest that you begin your journey with this chapter. (That’s why we made it Chapter 1.) In this chapter, we walk you through the basics of recording genealogical data by starting with a very familiar person – you! We explore different methods of recording your research so you can see which way is best for you. Also, throughout the chapter, we provide some tried-and-true advice to keep you out of genealogical “hot water” in the future.

It’s About Time(line)

      

Late one night, you decide to start looking for information on your great-great-grandfather Absalom Looney. After booting up your computer and connecting to the Internet, you put good old Absalom’s name into your favorite search engine. Within a couple of seconds, a page appears telling you there are more than 51,000 results for Absalom Looney. How can you possibly sift through all the Absaloms onscreen and find the one you’re looking for? Well, before you go any further, we should let you in on a little secret: Instead of starting your journey with Absalom, it’s better to begin with the information you have about someone you know better – yourself.

      Regardless of what your spouse thinks, we’re convinced that you know you best! You know your birth date, place of birth, parents’ names, and where you’ve lived. (We recognize that not everyone knows all this information; adoptions or other circumstances may require you to do the best you can with what you know until you can discover additional information about yourself.) Knowing some things about yourself, it’s time to start recording the events of your life and to start learning the good research skills that help you delve into the lives of others. An easy way to see your life at a glance is with a timeline. A timeline is a simple way to show the events of your life chronologically.

      When СКАЧАТЬ