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New to Genealogy - Beginners First Step: Difference between revisions
New to Genealogy - Beginners First Step (view source)
Revision as of 07:26, 29 April 2014
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As mentioned earlier this first step or goal is the most important because it is defined by a finite time limit. Access to much of the information and memories of the previous generation will be lost forever if action is not taken immediately. So if you do nothing else, at least find and record as many of these answers as possible and collect copies of all the old photos and documents. You will regret it later if you put it off too long.<br> | As mentioned earlier this first step or goal is the most important because it is defined by a finite time limit. Access to much of the information and memories of the previous generation will be lost forever if action is not taken immediately. So if you do nothing else, at least find and record as many of these answers as possible and collect copies of all the old photos and documents. You will regret it later if you put it off too long.<br> | ||
If you are a member of the senior generation and you are “new to genealogy” this first step is important for you too. Simply ask yourself the questions from some of these question lists and record the information for future generations. In fact, no matter what your age, everyone should take a look at these question lists just to record your answers for posterity as those answers may leave valuable clues for future family historians.<br> | If you are a member of the senior generation and you are “new to genealogy” this first step is important for you too. Simply ask yourself the questions from some of these question lists and record the information for future generations. In fact, no matter what your age, everyone should take a look at these question lists just to record your answers for posterity as those answers may leave valuable clues for future family historians.<br> | ||
A suggested list of questions to ask can be found in an article about the [[Creating Oral Histories|'''interview process''' (Appendix B)]] which will get you started in capturing the answers which are important to understanding the lives that your ancestors lived. Remember, the question '''why''' is just as important as the questions '''who, what, when''', and '''where'''.<br> | A suggested list of questions to ask can be found in an article about the [[Creating Oral Histories|'''interview process''' (Appendix B)]] which will get you started in capturing the answers which are important to understanding the lives that your ancestors lived. Remember, the question '''why''' is just as important as the questions '''who, what, when''', and '''where'''.<br> | ||
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Storing results in multiple places in case of a disaster is also a good idea as unexpected things do happen and this includes backing up your computer files. Better to be safe than sorry.<br> | Storing results in multiple places in case of a disaster is also a good idea as unexpected things do happen and this includes backing up your computer files. Better to be safe than sorry.<br> | ||
For those with the most life experience who are “new to genealogy, the task of preserving your family documents and photos may be a bigger job than you feel you want tackle by yourself. The solution is to simply ask if there is someone in your family from a younger generation that would be interested in helping you to get organized by entering the information and photos into the computer. This interaction could potentially spark an interest in your helper(s) and they may want to pursue some of the following steps that you have no interest in. Make it a win-win situation where the family comes out ahead in the end.<br> | For those with the most life experience who are “new to genealogy, the task of preserving your family documents and photos may be a bigger job than you feel you want tackle by yourself. The solution is to simply ask if there is someone in your family from a younger generation that would be interested in helping you to get organized by entering the information and photos into the computer. This interaction could potentially spark an interest in your helper(s) and they may want to pursue some of the following steps that you have no interest in. Make it a win-win situation where the family comes out ahead in the end. Over time, you could ask your helpers if they would like to be promoted to the status of “partners” so you could continue the research and the adventure together.<br> | ||
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