Old Family Trees

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  I found these to be quite interesting, yet very much out-of-date.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!

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!