Genealogy...where to start?

[gilmore]

...

I am awaiting my results now . If you can afford it, I would suggest the most markers you can.

I had 63 done. It was overkill and a waste of money. Twelve markers are too few for most genealogical purposes, 36 or 25 are entirely adequate. At Family Tree DNA you can have them upgraded later if you have an exact match and want to determine the probable distance of your relationship to him, since they keep the test material for 20 or 25 years.

[macneighill]

36 or 25 are entirely adequate.

I chose the 37 marker test.

[GMan]

I would like to add to what Todd said much earlier in this thread. The Public Library is a great source of information. Right in Colorado the downtown Denver Public Library (5th floor) is a fantastic gold mine of family information. Since Peyton is just about an hour away, it may well be worth the trip to find out about your family, especially if they have the Colorado connection.

[Coinneach]

8. Thou shalt propagate misleading legends, rumors, and vague innuendo regarding your place of origin,

A. You may have come from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales...or Iran,
B. You may have American Indian ancestory of the______tribe,
C- You may have descended from one of the three brothers that came over from ____,

Our family has had the 8-C legend around forever. And at one time I started to believe every family had it. As it turned out, ours was true. What wasn't mentioned was that the only reason the three brothers came over was by the generosity of their sister, who happened to be married to the new Governor of the region. It's fairly well documented because a US President descended from one of them. (My great-grandmother was a cousin once removed.) That particular line goes back to the 13th or 12th century. I'm incredibly indebted to the distant relative that did the history in the early 1920s.

While the other side of my family is not as well documented, it will be the most fun. On that side, my grandparents were the ones that came to the US in 1906. Finding out more about them means a lot more research and learning another language.

It's a fun journey. You'll love it.

By the way, the Penrose Library in Colorado Springs has a good genealogy section in the original Carnegie Library bldg which is attached (corner of Cascade and Bijou).

[gilmore]

Our family has had the 8-C legend around forever. And at one time I started to believe every family had it. As it turned out, ours was true. ...
It's a fun journey. You'll love it.

Yes, it happens to be true from time to time. There were three Fontaine brothers and a sister who came to Virginia from England, their father having been a Hugenot clergy man who was a refugee from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. They became the ancestors of many, many Virginian and Southern US families, both notable and ordinary.

[sharpdressedscot]

yes, as said before libraries are great sources. The main library in my city has immigration reports and censuses. I found a great deal of info, I haven't verified it. Since the ancestors of my family (Gillmores) were from Ireland (Scottish colonists though) I traced just about every Gillmore from every county... so I guess you have to do a very thorough search of EVERYTHING.

Also, it's good to have a very rich great uncle who is also interested in family history.

[sirdaniel1975]

I don't envy most of you. I know where the majority of my ancestry comes from to the city of each country, but one. I'm 2nd generation English, 3rd Generation Scottish and 4th Generation Irish. My German ancestry is my only technical mystery. Fortunately, for my English and Scottish ancestry I still have relatives that family has been aware of in those places. My Scottish relatives, helped out a great deal with loads of solid information that was forwarded to me from my grandfather in 2002. I typically celebrate my Scottish ancestry more because that's my male bloodline.

So, I don't feel the desire to take a DNA test personally. I think a DNA test is probably a good idea for those who are of a further generational gap.

There is a gentlemen in our Scots-Irish club, who really has his work cut out for him. He's a McKinnon and he knows that his family at it's earliest residence in North America lived in Nova Scotia. Then the moved to Quebec, then to Boston, Ma. He might have lived in NY too ( I don't remember) and now in Fl.

Connecting the dots, can be quite the challenge.

[Hillwalker]

Genealogy is interesting, but a lot of hard work. I have used the following methods in the past: • Visiting a couple of websites that were previously listed. • Talking to family members and recording their information by hand. • Visiting cemeteries, which netted the most information. It also cleared up a lot of mistakes the first two items had made, (births, deaths, dates, and marriages). • Finally, using the local Morman Church Genealogy Library in the city next to me was also a great help, and you don’t even have to be a member of the church to use the facilities. I’m not LDS and they had no problems with me being there. Their library is another good source for verifying records because they hold copies of actual government documents. I hope that helps; good luck in your search. Also, don’t feel bad if you hit a wall. I could not find any records before 1805 on my mother’s side due to a courthouse fire in my county before that year.

[pdcorlis]

I really think it takes every source you can get your hands on - both local and internet based. Each source (including family recollections) should be viewed with a very skeptical eye indeed. One source does not a fact make. Check, double check, and then triple check everything you find.

I think you have a great attitude. I, like most folks I know come from a long line of dirt farmers. Be happy with what you find and enjoy the journey.

[gilmore]

... Visiting cemeteries, which netted the most information. It also cleared up a lot of mistakes the first two items had made, (births, deaths, dates, and marriages). ....

The information on tombstones is not always carved in stone, so to speak, especially those that were made for veterans at a far distance from the location of the burial site. I have come across mistakes from that source.