Family History 4 All

 Learn how to trace YOUR family tree.

Newsletter No.19 - May 2008.

www.Ancestry.co.uk

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I hope this message finds you all in good health. If you have an article or amusing story to share with us then please don’t be afraid to send it for publication…you can remain anonymous if you prefer but we want you all to feel you can contribute if you want to. Just send an with the words ‘Newsletter item’ in the subject box. And we will include it at the first opportunity, subject to editing, if necessary of course.

1. Our welcome message.

2. Featured Article – Why Double or Triple Checking Facts is Important in Ancestral Investigations By: Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook

3.  Latest news from www.Ancestry.co.uk

4. Next month’s article. 

1. Hi all,

Extremely late with May's edition - Sorry.

We are still surrounded by builders and their tools...and it seems we will have to put up with them for a few more weeks yet!

Still it will be nice when it's completed.

My wife Carol asked me to say hello from her...so I said to her, 'Why not do it yourself?' Here she is:

Hello, Carol here.

I must say...even I enjoy Jim's newsletters! There's always something new to learn. I'm not exactly a newcomer to family history - we have around 30.000 individual names in our research. (Jim researched maybe 10 of them!!)

Can I invite you to have a look at my sites? they are -

http://ackroydfamilyresearch.co.uk

http://nolanancestry.com

It must be getting on for 14 years since we started with our family history. We started off by talking to other family members...especially the elders.

Then we spent all our free time visiting lots of archives and research centres. We didn't get a proper holiday (vacation) for several years because we were hooked on family history.

Recently though, about 4 years ago, I decided to subscribe to Ancestry after seeing it on a friends computer. It's absolutely brilliant and saves me lots of time. Jim and I still go off occasionally to verify the odd name or two...I bribe him with a pub-lunch and a glass of beer!! Whilst I'm researching he tottles off taking photos - usually buses!

I use Family Tree Maker software for keeping my records as it's quite easy to use. I got the latest edition from last years Family History Fair at Aintree Racecourse - Jim told me off because I didn't buy it from his site :-)

I also help Jim's sister-in-law with her site: http://www.johnsonancestry.co.uk/

I'd better go as I'm supposed to be getting dinner ready. Bye

She does go on doesn't she?

2. Why Double or Triple Checking Facts is Important in Ancestral Investigations

By: Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook

When researching your ancestors, it is crucial to your research that you find their correct vital statistics. You need to know their full name, birth date and location, marriage date and location, death date and location, and the full name of their parents. In order to insure that your vital statistics are correct, it is critically important for you to stay organized and check and re-check your facts based on a variety of sources.

The only way to be able to double check your sources is if you keep complete, accurate, and organized notes. Notes should be taken on loose-leaf paper, which can be combined into three-ring binders, or kept in bound notebooks so that all of your notes will stay together. It is also a good idea to develop a personal system for labelling your notes. On a part of each piece of paper, such as the upper-right-hand corner, include pertinent information, such as the surname of the family or individual you are taking notes on, the location where you are taking the notes so that you can return there later if necessary, and the date on which you are taking the notes. Different surnames should be kept on separate pieces of paper. If your notes mention more than one surname, create a duplicate under the other surname(s). Try to not recopy your notes too much in order to decrease errors. Also, don't forget to cite your sources, including title, author, date of publication, and other pertinent details about where you found your information. Your genealogical findings will not be considered reliable if you can't prove that you got it from a reliable source, and all your hard work will be for not. Also, if you cite your sources well, then if you find conflicting information, you can double-check the original source to see who or what is in error. Finally, you may also want to consult a source again for more information.

When taking notes, you can abbreviate words, but you must be thorough about certain details and include full names whenever possible. When writing names, enclose maiden names in parentheses and place before married names. Enclose nicknames in quotes and place after the first name. Finally, aliases can be included following surnames by placing them inside parentheses after the abbreviation "a.k.a.", which means "also known as." It is helpful, even essential, to make a list of alternate names and alternate spellings of names for all of your ancestors. In index searches that require the correct spelling of names, such as the Social Security Death Index, being aware of alternate spellings and names can help you locate your ancestor. Names can be tricky in other ways as well. Alternate spellings of certain names, such as Gale (Gail) or Francis (Frances), could indicate whether the ancestor being referred to is male or female. Therefore, it is important to write names in your notes exactly as you see them to ensure they are spelled correctly. In addition, other names you may assume are female were actually also used for males in the past, such as Mildred and Beverly. Finally, women can have changing surnames as a result of marriage. You will want to keep track of all of your female ancestors' surnames, including their maiden names. If you don't know an ancestor's married or maiden name indicate that with empty parentheses or a question mark when you writer her name.

Place names and dates require just as much thoroughness and accuracy as people's names. When you are taking notes, record full place names, including county, city, and state. For example, some states may have cities and counties with the same or similar names. When writing about places, also include any references that are made to geographic landmarks. Record dates by beginning with the day, spelling out the month, and ending with the full year. For example, writing the date as "12 February 1895" makes it clear and correct. The typical abbreviation for dates, such as "12/2/95," can lead to confusion regarding which number is the month and which is the day (i.e. whether the date is December 2 or February 12) and what the correct century is (1895 or 1795?). Finally, carefully check your notes before you end each research session, and make sure they are completely clear. There's no telling when or if you will be able to consult the source or sources again.

Article Source: http://www.familyhistoryarticles.com

About the Authors Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook own www.amateur-genealogist.com and www.our-family-trees.co.uk two of the leading Genealogy Websites. In addition Paul owns a wide range of exciting websites which can be viewed at www.our-family-trees.co.uk

3.  Latest news from www.Ancestry.co.uk

If you want to discover your World War One ancestors, then our ever-expanding record collection could be just what you're looking for - read all about it below. Plus, we look back on this year's Who Do You Think You Are? LIVE exhibition, and there's the chance to win a year's free subscription to www.Ancestry.co.uk

If you're looking for World War One ancestors, no other family history website can match our record collections. We're constantly adding to them - like the second release of our British Army World War One Service Records, 1914-1920. This contains an estimated 550,000 additional names and completes the coverage of surnames in the range of A-H.

These records are great if you're looking to flesh out your ancestors' lives, as they often contain a wealth of information about them - like medical history, date of birth, service history, next of kin details and physical descriptions.

Search the latest British Army World War One Service Records, 1914-1920 here www.Ancestry.co.uk

Discover your World War One ancestors with a FREE* 14 day trial of Ancestry.co.uk. You can search our unrivalled collection of our World War One records - and many, many more besides. Who knows what you'll discover?

Start your FREE 14 day trial todaywww.Ancestry.co.uk

The biggest online World War One record collection keeps getting bigger. We've just added the second release of our Medal Index Cards collection to our website, completing this collection.

From awards for gallantry, like the Victoria Cross, to awards for service there are millions of medal-winners to discover, as well as a whole host of fascinating information.

Search the World War One Medal Index Cards collection

4. Next Months Featured Article:

By: Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook

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Got your own site? I started using this a few weeks ago and it really works: http://www.freewebtraffic.co.uk/

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That’s all for this month folks…I hope you enjoyed this months newsletter. And in case you forgot earlier - Please sign the  Guestbook. See you next month.

Jim. Editor

PS. Please forward this newsletter to your friends/relatives, if they are interested in family history, with our compliments.

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 Jim Ackroyd. Address: 12 Avondale Road. Doncaster. UK. DN2 6DE

Take a look at our other web sites here: http://jamesackroyd.com

P.S. I hope you are not offended by the advertisements on this site. I get a small commission from some of them which helps towards the cost of my hosting and domain fees. Sometimes I make a little extra. In fact I've worked out that if the 'little extra' grows at around the same rate, I should be able to retire when I'm 129 years old :-)