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How to Find Descendants in the United States (view source)
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'''More names per generation.''' One advantage of descendancy research is the potential number of names you could find. Most families have more than two children per couple. If all those children marry and have more than two children, there is a potential to find more relatives by descendancy research than in the same number of generations of pedigree research. However, to be fair, pedigree researchers also usually research the immediate children of each couple on their pedigree. In theory, assuming each generation has exactly four children who live, marry once, and have exactly four children, in three generations, pedigree researchers would find 42 relatives (counting spouses and immediate children), and descendancy researchers would find 106 relatives. With larger families the difference can increase dramatically. This way of counting names does not change the number of actual people who have lived—it only changes because of who you count as a relative. | '''More names per generation.''' One advantage of descendancy research is the potential number of names you could find. Most families have more than two children per couple. If all those children marry and have more than two children, there is a potential to find more relatives by descendancy research than in the same number of generations of pedigree research. However, to be fair, pedigree researchers also usually research the immediate children of each couple on their pedigree. In theory, assuming each generation has exactly four children who live, marry once, and have exactly four children, in three generations, pedigree researchers would find 42 relatives (counting spouses and immediate children), and descendancy researchers would find 106 relatives. With larger families the difference can increase dramatically. This way of counting names does not change the number of actual people who have lived—it only changes because of who you count as a relative. | ||
[[Image:Descendancy research | [[Image:Descendancy research 1.jpg|frame|center]]<br>'''Find people who are doing research for names that tie into your pedigree. ''' If you can locate a genealogical collection that someone else has done, you can get in touch with them and share information and sources--extending your pedigree. | ||
'''More clues.''' Descendancy research can lead you to important clues, contacts, or records such as family Bibles that you might not find if you researched only direct ancestors and their immediate children. Collaborating with new contacts about the new clues you find may help you get past dead ends in your ancestral research. | '''More clues.''' Descendancy research can lead you to important clues, contacts, or records such as family Bibles that you might not find if you researched only direct ancestors and their immediate children. Collaborating with new contacts about the new clues you find may help you get past dead ends in your ancestral research. | ||
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'''To understand the family better.''' Understanding the children often leads to more information about the parents. The best researchers seek to understand a family in community context. Learning about descendants is part of understanding the family's community and why they lived their lives the way they did.<br> | '''To understand the family better.''' Understanding the children often leads to more information about the parents. The best researchers seek to understand a family in community context. Learning about descendants is part of understanding the family's community and why they lived their lives the way they did.<br> | ||
'''More recent records''' are usually easier to find, more complete, and easier to understand. Descendancy research takes advantage of more recent records over earlier, usually harder-to-find older records. | '''More recent records''' are usually easier to find, more complete, and easier to understand. Descendancy research takes advantage of more recent records over earlier, usually harder-to-find older records. | ||
== '''Risks of Descendancy Research''' == | == '''Risks of Descendancy Research''' == | ||