Geneaology Information
Everyone is different. What makes us all different is our ancestors and where we came from. Learning your immediate genealogy is simple, but once you try to search past your great-grandparents it can get a little bit more difficult. Genealogies and family trees are important to know and understand. It is also really interesting to learn about your ancestors and what they may have done during their lives.
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What is Genealogy?
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A person's genealogy is the family history, or family tree as it is commonly called. It is tracing back your family history to find where your genes came from. It is a great way to learn more about yourself, as well.
Records Available
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Technological advancements over time, as well as meticulous record keeping, have allowed people to find their genealogy more easily than in the past. There are many records available to the public at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., but their website also provides resources (most relating to military service). There are census records, birth and death records, marriage divorce records, etc., that are available to the public and can aid in the genealogy search.
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Making a Family Tree
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A family tree helps people track their ancestry. It starts with the person searching, then branches out to the person's parents, then their parents and siblings, then the sibling's spouses and children, etc. The tree starts branching very quickly, but when it gets to older generations, the search is sometimes stalled. It is always interesting to see how far back a person can trace his history, and laying it out in this form makes it easy to see where he came from.
Mormon Records
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Before the Internet, people had a harder time tracing their ancestry. The Mormons, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), has always kept meticulous records of genealogies. A part of LDS beliefs is that people can be baptized even after they have died. This ensures that their soul will be saved. Because of this, the LDS church uses their records to baptize family members who have passed.
Online Resources
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There are lots of ways to research your genealogy online without having to visit the National Archives or Mormon temples. One website is www.ancestry.com. This site has a small fee, but there is a 14-day trial period. There are thousands of records that are all easy to access and it will help you lay out your family tree. Another website is www.FamilySearch.org. This site is free and utilizes things like census records, military records and birth and death certificates.
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References
- Photo Credit family tree image by Judy Ben Joud from Fotolia.com
