What is the best way to go about getting information about ancestors from other countries?

This is a great question.  Once you find the immigration of your ancestors, how do you find things past that?  It is difficult, and it depends on the specific area and country, however some basic tips:

1) A lot of countries didn't keep civil records for a very long time.  However, they didn't do it, because they were relying on the churches to do this.  Once you find a hometown (even from secondary-source documents), check out what parish they were in.  Also, know the predominant religions of where they came from  Generally, those from England are going to be Anglican, those from Scotland or Northern Ireland will be Presbyterian, those from Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium or parts of Germany will be Catholic, those from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Germany will be Lutheran, and those from Holland, Switzerland, and the last part of Germany are going to be Reformed Calvinist.  Those from Eastern Europe will probably be Russian Orthodox, and those from the Eastern Mediterranean will be Greek Orthodox.  Be aware that Jews will be found throughout, but an especially large outcropping existed in Spain (the Sephardic Jews) and Northeastern Europe (the Ashkenazic Jews).

Oftentimes, these religions correlate to where they immigrated in the United States.  Many Baptists and Episcopalians are found in the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, etc.  Also be aware that Episcopalian is the American equivalent of an Anglican (at least, traditionally), and so Anglicans would be drawn to that.  Congregationalists were predominant in New England (this is the later, American equivalent of a Puritan, so if you have Puritan ancestors, be aware of this possible change).   Roman Catholics commonly settled in New York City, Chicago, Boston and other large areas.  Quakers went where people wouldn't kill them, so Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New Jersey were the best bets for them.  Lutherans had a tendency to want to get way from cities, even after they immigrated, and an inordinate number of them can be found in Wisconsin, rural Illinois, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa and Washington.  So, if you have their state, look into if you can find their religion, and then maybe preliminarily look in those countries.  Not the best option, but it can help.

2.  Write to the town.  Ask their city clerks what they've got.  It is polite to get someone to translate the letter to the native language, even though the city clerks oftentimes can read English.

3.  Go to the specific section for your specific country in the SLC Family History Library. They know a lot about that country and can point you in the right direction for that country's specific culture and history.

4.  Maps are useful.


Provo YSA 18th Ward Family History, signing off.  Enjoy your Sunday, and give us more questions.

No questions? How about a challenge?

So, since there are no more questions, I must assume that everyone knows everything they need to know about family history.  Thus, now we must start the family history.  I have three challenges for you.  One who have very little family history done, one for those who have a lot of family history done but still have some spots, and one for those who claim that their family history is all done.

1)  Put all the information that you know into a newfamilysearch file.  Then find someone who you don't know, and put their name into FamilySearch.   See what pops up.  See if you can move to the next generation with that info.

2)  Check if you know the siblings of an ancestor.  Get all the information about them that you can.  Oftentimes, we have a lot of info about direct ancestors, but very, very little about their siblings

3) Learn the occupation of your paternal great-great grandfather.

The Miscellaneous Question Post

I had some large questions, and still have a few.  But there were also some short little questions that can be answered in 10 words or less.  So, this post is dedicated to you, Asker-of-the-Short-Question.

Should I buy a family tree program?

Yes and no.  You should get some sort of family tree program.  It makes everything a ton easier.  But, like we learned a few questions ago, there are free versions.  Don't buy one unless you have discretionary spending.  Much like our current national budget, most of us don't have that.

Can you do Family History FHEs?

Most certainly can.  Ask your FHE parents to set it up, and we can do that.

When will the FamilySearch Tree System come out?

To quote Hamm from Toy Story, "They're here!  Birthday guests at three o'clock!"  The program is out.  And I am quite excited for it.  For those who don't know, FamilySearch Tree is a program that seeks to make it easier to resolve duplications and wrongful merges, which is one of the weakest points of New FamilySearch (which was phased in from 2009 to 2010).  So now, there's FamilySearch, New FamilySearch and Tree.  All are functioning FamilySearch programs and all are useful, and all have different emphases.

Can we do activities on Sundays?

These are in the works.  We were going to have them at this time, but then we didn't want to interfere with Nursing Home Singing, and then we were going to have them at that time, but didn't want to interfere with choir practice, and then we were going to have them before choir practice, but that's when Missionary Prep is.  So, we're working on it.

Can I find names without paying for ancestry?

Yes, you can.  FamilySearch has A LOT of records which you can access for free, and you can also find info on findagrave.com, ellisisland.org, castlegarden.org, and other websites.  Furthermore, you can use ancestry without paying!  (WOOT!)  BYU has an agreement with ancestry that you can use ancestry on campus for free.  Furthermore, there are a lot of microfilmed records in the HBLL Family History Library.  And Salt Lake City has the largest repository of Family History records in the world! There are lots of free resources.

So, that's all for now folks.  Provo YSA 18 Family History Committee signing off.  I need more questions.  So, comment, or email, or track me down.  Something like that.

What do I do if family history is "done" in my family?

This is probably the most common concern that I hear (I being Hannah).  But, the great thing is, it's not actually a real concern!  Because it's not true for two reasons.

1) If your family history was "done," mine would be too.  Eventually, we're all related, so if you haven't found me yet and haven't finished my work yet, you're not done.  If you have finished my work, please give me that information.  It would save me a lot of time and effort.   If your family history is so far back that it is too challenging for a beginner, start going laterally.  The parents of your great-grandfather's sister's husband are your family too.  Don't feel limited to the direct line.  There could be some much more recent, much easier family history if you go sideways and down.

2) Your grandparents having found a name doesn't make that family history done for you.  Remember that a huge part of family history is building a link and familial relations with our ancestors.  Ask for that info from your grandparents so that you can have it, so that you can find journals and anecdotes and such for those people, and so that you can build a relationship with them.  This is almost more important than the date-finding.  (Disclaimer: date-finding is important too, because if you didn't have the dates, the names couldn't go to the temple).

So, no.  You're not done.  And you won't be done until the end of the millennium.  So, have fun!

How do you do family history on an estranged side of the family?

So, this post will not be as applicable to our bred-in-the-church, born-to-two-pioneer-stock-parents crowd.  But, some of you really don't fall in that category.  And it can be a real barrier to family history.  However, here are the best ideas I can come up with, and maybe others can give more ideas as well. 

Firstly, see what you do know.  If you know some bits and pieces, it becomes the same idea as doing family history in the 1800s.  No one knows that stuff, you just have to piece it together from records.  If you have enough info to do it that way, then go for it. 

The second thought depends on how estranged, and why.  So, this may not be applicable depending on your circumstances.  You can use family history as the means of un-estranging.  Instead of thinking, in order to do family history, I need to create a relationship with that side of the family.  A lot of families have been brought back together BY and THROUGH family history.  Family history is not something that only members of the church want.  Just as everyone is born with the Light of Christ, everyone is born with the Spirit of Elijah (see Elder Nelson's talk from October 2009).  The Spirit of Elijah is the inherent and inbred desire to connect with your family, and to know where you came from.  It's an insatiable desire that has been present throughout history and throughout cultures.  Different cultures expressed it different ways, but lineage has always been an obsessive force throughout history.  That's the Spirit of Elijah.  The idea that who you are, and where you come from actually matters. 

With that in mind, sometimes it's helpful to get a little spark of family history.  Maybe a census record of your grandparent, or some tidbit.  Give it to that side of the family.  Present it outside of religious context (because it's more than that).  Say, "Look what I found out about your dad!  Do you have any other info about him?  I really want to learn who he was."  The Spirit of Elijah is a powerful force! Use it.

This is the Provo YSA 18th Ward Family History Committee, signing off.  Next week's question, "What do I do if the family history is 'done?'"

What's the best way to store info?

There are many ways to store your family history info.  But the main thing that you should first know is that family history accumulates a lot of stuff.  Databases, vital records, pictures, journals, and more.  However, we're college students.  With this in mind, two things change the way that we can store info.  Firstly, we don't have space.  Secondly, we are very versed in the ways of the computer.  I have found the best way to store info is to scan everything.  If you can't scan it, at least type it up and then tell yourself where you can find a copy of the original.

Then, the power of family history programs is great.  Some people like PAF best, or FamilyTree Maker.  I will just insert my opinion here:  I don't.  The best program out there as far as I (Hannah) am concerned, is RootsMagic.  One really nice thing about RootsMagic is that there is a free version which only lacks about three features, all of which are completely non-essential features. RootsMagic also has the ability to interface with FamilySearch such that you can upload info to new Family Search, download info from new FamilySearch, sync up with new FamilySearch, and reserve temple ordinances from the program with the press of the button.  I also feel like RootsMagic has more places to include extraneous details that fit more into family history than genealogy (see last post), but are still nice.  It is also the best at organizing sourcing details.

So, get a folder in your My Documents, and make it Family History.  I usually organize then by surname.  Inside the more prolific surnames, I will then arrange by century.  For example, my surname has a lot of info to organize, as does my mother's maiden name.  However, names that I don't run into until the 1500s just don't have as much info to accumulate.

These are just my suggestions.  You can do it as you like.  But, family history without some database program is a veritable nightmare.  I will just say that.

Family History Committee Signing off.  Next post's topic: "How do you do family history on an estranged side of your family?"

What is the difference between family history and indexing?

Family History is a multi-faceted area which involves genealogy, family history and temple work.  Question 1b would probably then be, "What is the difference between family history and genealogy?"  The difference is that genealogy only deals with the vital information such as name, birthdate and place, death date and place, spouse's name, parents' names, marriage date, etc.  Family history deals with all of the other stuff.  What were some important things about their life?  Did they serve in any wars?  What was their occupation?  Did they do anything that marks them in history?  Only genealogy is technically necessary to submit names to the temple, but family history helps us to "turn the hearts of the children to their fathers."  The temple can seal you physically, but the family history is an important aspect of sealing yourself to them emotionally. 

Indexing, on the other hand, is a means to these ends.  The church possesses millions to billions of vital records from churches, government offices and more.  A massive volunteer force of members and some non-members has been recruited to look at these records on their computers via internet and type them up so that they are searchable. It is essentially family history data entry. 

Indexing is a great work, and a great place to start if you're very intimidated and apprehensive about family history.  That being said, indexing is moving along quite nicely, and the church is encouraging people who are just comfortably indexing to push themselves further to actually finding names.

This is the Provo YSA 18th Ward Family History Committee, signing out.  Tune in again for next post's question: "What's the best way to store info?"