m (Text replacement - "An example of a ''bad'', or ''too-generic'' research goal is: @I want to know more about my great-grandfather.@ An example of a ''good'' research goal is: @I want to find the marriage date of my great-grandparents.@" to "An example of a ''bad'', or ''too-generic'' research goal is: "I want to know more about my great-grandfather." An example of a ''good'' research goal is: "I want to find the marriage date of my great-grandparents."") |
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==Beginning Research in Albania== | ==Beginning Research in Albania== | ||
Begin with family and home sources. Look for names, dates, and places on certificates, family Bibles, obituaries, diaries, and similar sources. Ask your relatives for any additional information they may have. It's likely that your second cousin, great-aunt, or other relative already has some family information. Organize the information you find, and record it on pedigree charts and family group records. | |||
Select a specific relative or ancestor born in Albania for whom you know at least a name, the village or parish where he or she lived in Albania, and an approximate date when he or she was born there. It is also very helpful to know the names of other family members born in Albania. | |||
'''Before doing Albanian family history research, you will need to find:''' | |||
*The actual name of an ancestor | |||
*The date of birth, marriage, and death (can be estimated) | |||
*The place of origin | |||
*The religion of an ancestor | |||
'''Determine the actual name of an ancestor''' | |||
A serious problem for some researchers is to determine the actual name of their immigrant ancestor. Some ancestors in their eagerness to be assimilated into American culture, traded their difficult foreign names for American names. This occured often with given names and to a lesser extent with surnames. To read about how your ancestor could Americanize his or her name and to learn about historical background of Croatian surnames and given names see [[Croatia Naming Customs|Naming Customs]]. | |||
'''Determine the date of birth, marriage, and death''' | |||
If you cannot find an exact date, you may estimate dates based on other information. You need at least the approximate year of an event. You may use standard genealogical approximation. From a marriage date, you can estimate that a man was married at age 25 and a woman at age 21. You can also estimate that a first child was born one year after the parent's marriage and that subsequent children were born every 2 years after that. | |||
'''Determine the place of origin''' | |||
In Albania, most records used in family history research are kept on a town or parish level. Therefore the exact town of origin must be known before research in Albanian records can begin. Most of the time, the Albanian place of origin is found in sources created in the country of immigration. These records should be searched for the ancestor, possible relatives, and other associated persons. If you do not know the place of origin in Albania see [[Albania Determining a Place of Origin|Determining a Place of Origin in Albania]] for sources that may give you that information. | |||
Albanian place names are often mispelled in American sources. Difficult names were shortened and diacritic marks ommitted. A gazetter, which is defined as a geographical dictionary, is an essential tool for identifying places. Look up your place name in the gazetteer to be sure that it is spelled correctly. Please note that many locality names are comprised of two or more words. If you cannot find a place name in the gazetteer under the first word try searching under the second word. | |||
To learn about several important gazetters for Albania, including instructions and examples, see [[Croatia Gazetteers|Gazetteers]]. | |||
As mentioned earlier, Albanian names are often mispelled in American sources. If you still cannot determine correct spelling of your locality even after you searched the gazetteers and the Internet, please post your query on [https://www.facebook.com/groups/EasternEuropeGenealogyResearchCommunity/ Eastern Europe Genealogy Research Community]. You will have to click on, "Join" on the Facebook page to post your question. | |||
After you have determined the correct name of the town from which your ancestor emigrated, you must still determine its location. Many Albanian localities have similar names that may be easily confused. | |||
'''Determine the religion of an ancestor''' | |||
Until the 1900s, vital records were kept by church parishes or Jewish congregations. The records of different religions were kept separately. If you are not sure of your ancestor's religion, start by searching Orthodox or Roman-Catholic records. Not every village in Albania had its own parish. Often, several smaller villages belonged to one parish. Use [[Albania Gazetteers|gazetteer]] to determine the proper record keeping jurisdiction. | |||
[[Category:Albania]][[Category:Research Tips and Strategies]] | [[Category:Albania]][[Category:Research Tips and Strategies]] | ||
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