As an adopted child, I grew up with parents of a much older generation, yet loving and caring. None of their parents were alive any longer, so I never got to know my grandparents. I did, however, get to know two aunts and an uncle through my dad, and an aunt and uncle through my mom's side. Being over 50 years younger than parents is quite a contrast to most families, which inhibits learning much about the family's history. I was too young to understand the importance of documenting family events, so I did not have much to carry forward over the years other than my memories.
During the 1980's, my adopted mother found copies of her family trees, tracing back several generations of the Nohrenberg, Kienitz and Weise families. I found these to be quite interesting, yet very much out-of-date. I found a software program to use on my Macintosh to help build family trees, and began the task of placing the information of the family trees onto the computer. I started with the Nohrenberg tree since my mom had talked extensively over the years about her family, and was able to put together a family tree that was quite large. At one time, I compiled the data into a binder form, containing over 800 pages. Over the years, though, I lost what few copies I had due to separation, divorce, and multiple moves.
Although I no longer have any of the old family trees from my adoptive parents, I do have access to Ancestry.com, and am able to piece together the family tree one generation at a time. I may not ever be able to put together a couple of the other family trees online, but at some point, I do hope to trace my dad's Sabin line back through several generations in Norway.
As you can see, written copies of old family trees handed down from generation to generation can play a vital role in compiling larger family trees online through the numerous internet sites and services available for research and data. It is very important for today's generation to take an interest in preserving family history, and to place data and research on computer (as well as paper) to pass the information on to future generations.
After I met my birth mother in 1992, I became interested in learning more about my biological family ancestors and decided to pursue it deeply -- but that is another story I will share in another blog. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Why do a Family Tree?
Probably the most common question I hear from someone who has never been involved with family history is "Why do a family tree?" My first response is usually "because it is fun", but I always know there are tons of other reasons. I just happen to love researching my family history, and to find out who my ancestors were.
To me, doing a family tree is a piece of cake. But to someone who is inexperienced, it can be frustrating and confusing. For this reason, I would like to provide some simple suggestions and background information.
People who are curious about their family history like to develop a family tree, which is basically a list or chart of ancestors. A family tree starts with a current family member, and begins charting out parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc., on down the family line as far back as research allows. Most family trees are compiled into what is known as a Pedigree Chart, which traces the direct lineage of paternal and maternal family lines. Each ancestral family can then be expanded further in separate charts to detail family members more fully.
To start a family tree, a person needs to gather background information on various family members, including birth/death dates, place of birth/death, marriage dates, names of children, siblings, parents, etc. As you can see, the more data you can obtain prior to starting a family tree, the easier it will be to compile the family tree.
For many, having a family tree becomes a legacy treasure, providing the family with rich history on where their ancestors came from, how they lived, and what events in the past triggered their way of living. With today's modern technology, a lot of historical data can be found through various libraries and online resources. Perhaps one of the most common and useful online services available to the public is Ancestry.com, which provides instant access to a world of information just by typing in a name and a few dates. I have been using Ancestry for a few years now, and have grown my biological family tree to nearly 3,000 individuals, spanning back over a century to England, Scotland, France and Norway.
There is no reason to not start a family tree. Researching your family's history can lead to a passion that will last a lifetime. There is no cost in starting your research. Take the first step today and find out what you have been missing in knowing about your ancestors. You may be pleasantly surprised!
To me, doing a family tree is a piece of cake. But to someone who is inexperienced, it can be frustrating and confusing. For this reason, I would like to provide some simple suggestions and background information.
People who are curious about their family history like to develop a family tree, which is basically a list or chart of ancestors. A family tree starts with a current family member, and begins charting out parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc., on down the family line as far back as research allows. Most family trees are compiled into what is known as a Pedigree Chart, which traces the direct lineage of paternal and maternal family lines. Each ancestral family can then be expanded further in separate charts to detail family members more fully.
To start a family tree, a person needs to gather background information on various family members, including birth/death dates, place of birth/death, marriage dates, names of children, siblings, parents, etc. As you can see, the more data you can obtain prior to starting a family tree, the easier it will be to compile the family tree.
For many, having a family tree becomes a legacy treasure, providing the family with rich history on where their ancestors came from, how they lived, and what events in the past triggered their way of living. With today's modern technology, a lot of historical data can be found through various libraries and online resources. Perhaps one of the most common and useful online services available to the public is Ancestry.com, which provides instant access to a world of information just by typing in a name and a few dates. I have been using Ancestry for a few years now, and have grown my biological family tree to nearly 3,000 individuals, spanning back over a century to England, Scotland, France and Norway.
There is no reason to not start a family tree. Researching your family's history can lead to a passion that will last a lifetime. There is no cost in starting your research. Take the first step today and find out what you have been missing in knowing about your ancestors. You may be pleasantly surprised!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Why Is Family History Important?
While most people begin researching their family history out of curiosity (which I did to research my adopted family), many people are attracted to it due to medical situations. In 1990, I started to search for my birth mother and located her through an agency I had a gut feeling I would find her through - and I was right. After receiving confirmation from the agency on her file, I sat on the general information for almost two years - until after my son was born. My son had what doctors call "Transposition of the Great Vessels", which meant he needed open heart surgery when only five days old. His medical condition prompted me to reflect back on the medical issues I had when I was an infant and toddler. This triggered me to make a formal contact with my birth mother to learn more about my medical history, and to see if there was a hereditary connection to my son's ordeal.
Being adopted does not prevent a person from learning their medical history, but it can make it more difficult to obtain the information. I was old enough to search on my own, and had enough information from the past to know where to search and find the information I needed. I was unable to learn anything about my birth father's medical history - other than the fact that he died in 1998 from a sudden heart attack while blowing snow in his back yard. But the information I learned from my birth mother was quite beneficial to me as to possible health issues I could face in the future as I get older. Though not all medical issues of parents and ancestors are hereditary, some are. One needs to take those into consideration as possible issues for any offspring in coming generations as well.
As you can see, everyone has their own reasons for getting involved in researching family history. Whether as a hobby, a business, or just plain curiosity, the fact that one becomes involved in the field of genealogy can generate others to become interested, and to learn more about who their ancestors were, where they came from, and the stories that may have been passed on down over generations. Why not take that first step today and start searching your ancestors. You may be surprised what you learn!
Being adopted does not prevent a person from learning their medical history, but it can make it more difficult to obtain the information. I was old enough to search on my own, and had enough information from the past to know where to search and find the information I needed. I was unable to learn anything about my birth father's medical history - other than the fact that he died in 1998 from a sudden heart attack while blowing snow in his back yard. But the information I learned from my birth mother was quite beneficial to me as to possible health issues I could face in the future as I get older. Though not all medical issues of parents and ancestors are hereditary, some are. One needs to take those into consideration as possible issues for any offspring in coming generations as well.
As you can see, everyone has their own reasons for getting involved in researching family history. Whether as a hobby, a business, or just plain curiosity, the fact that one becomes involved in the field of genealogy can generate others to become interested, and to learn more about who their ancestors were, where they came from, and the stories that may have been passed on down over generations. Why not take that first step today and start searching your ancestors. You may be surprised what you learn!
My Start in Family History
When I first started wondering about my family history, I had to first decide which family I wanted to search first: my adopted family or my biological family. The answer was actually quite simple at the time -- my adopted family -- as I had no information on my biological family at the time. You have to remember this all started back in the 1980's when computers were not what they are today, and the family tree software were not as numerous as now. I believe I had a Macintosh computer at the time, and purchased "Family Tree Maker" by Broderbund. I was quite impressed with the software, and ended up using it quite intensively.
My first major family tree project was on my adopted mother's Nohrenberg line (her father). I spent hours and hours over several months, poring over a copy of the Nohrenberg family tree, adding new information to it while compiling all of the information I had to build the Nohrenberg family tree on the software. By the time I had completed it, I had nearly 800 pages of family history saved, and had information on thousands of families over two hundred years, spanning back to the Nohrenbergs living in Prussia.
The second family tree I started was my adopted father's Sabin line. The information was very scarce to find at the time, and I was able to retrieve some information from a distant cousin in California, but I was unable to put together a very strong family tree. It is one project I may have to pursue later down the road.
Over the years during my second marriage I put aside my family history interest. As time went on, I located my birth mother and eventually gleaned enough information from her to pursue starting new family trees on my biological families: Barnes and Finley. The search for additional information would become more readily available through improved internet service and new online resources, including Ancestry.com. As I scoured the internet, I was able to gather enough information to start separate family trees on each of the two paternal family lines, and have progressed through several centuries with the assistance of Ancestry.com to compile a family list of over 2,000 families.
While having such a large volume of families may seem impressive, the work is not done. I still need to go back and review each family, beginning at my end, working back to make sure the lines are correct, and to obtain verifiable records and sources to back up my family claims. The search process can be long and tedious, and at times, may require some expenses for certified records. But in the long run, it will all be worth it. Who knows what information you may find on your ancestors that may lead you into the direction of royalty or fame? Heck, you may even find yourself related to former presidents or foreign leaders!
My first major family tree project was on my adopted mother's Nohrenberg line (her father). I spent hours and hours over several months, poring over a copy of the Nohrenberg family tree, adding new information to it while compiling all of the information I had to build the Nohrenberg family tree on the software. By the time I had completed it, I had nearly 800 pages of family history saved, and had information on thousands of families over two hundred years, spanning back to the Nohrenbergs living in Prussia.
The second family tree I started was my adopted father's Sabin line. The information was very scarce to find at the time, and I was able to retrieve some information from a distant cousin in California, but I was unable to put together a very strong family tree. It is one project I may have to pursue later down the road.
Over the years during my second marriage I put aside my family history interest. As time went on, I located my birth mother and eventually gleaned enough information from her to pursue starting new family trees on my biological families: Barnes and Finley. The search for additional information would become more readily available through improved internet service and new online resources, including Ancestry.com. As I scoured the internet, I was able to gather enough information to start separate family trees on each of the two paternal family lines, and have progressed through several centuries with the assistance of Ancestry.com to compile a family list of over 2,000 families.
While having such a large volume of families may seem impressive, the work is not done. I still need to go back and review each family, beginning at my end, working back to make sure the lines are correct, and to obtain verifiable records and sources to back up my family claims. The search process can be long and tedious, and at times, may require some expenses for certified records. But in the long run, it will all be worth it. Who knows what information you may find on your ancestors that may lead you into the direction of royalty or fame? Heck, you may even find yourself related to former presidents or foreign leaders!
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